Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael, both had interesting names. Ishmael - God Hears and Isaac - Laughter.
Genesis 17:9-10, 15-22 (God’s Word Translation)
9 God also said to Abraham, "You and your descendants in generations to come are to be faithful to my promise. 10 This is how you are to be faithful to my promise: Every male among you is to be circumcised.
15 God said to Abraham, "Don't call your wife by the name Sarai anymore. Instead, her name is Sarah [Princess]. 16 I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become a mother of nations, and kings will come from her." 17 Immediately, Abraham bowed with his face touching the ground. He laughed as he thought to himself, "Can a son be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, have a child?" 18 Then Abraham said to God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?" 19 God replied, "No! Your wife Sarah will give you a son, and you will name him Isaac [ He Laughs ]. I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. 20 I have heard your request about Ishmael. Yes, I will bless him, make him fertile, and increase the number of his descendants. He will be the father of 12 princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But I will make my promise to Isaac. Sarah will give birth to him at this time next year." 22 When God finished speaking with Abraham, he left him.
~ Isaac [He Laughs]. I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. I have heard your request about Ishmael. Yes, I will bless him
A fantastic opportunity to look at this richly blessed Scripture. This blessing could be looked at for a week or more with all the different directions this amazing blessing could take us. So many ways to look at the story of Abraham and the promises God has given to him. Scripture for Today attempts to look at one side each day, or we’d be here for paragraphs and paragraphs.
You’d think if you were given the opportunity to talk to God about your life, you’d ‘Sit Up Straight.’ Abraham has thrown himself face forward to avoid God seeing him laugh. This from the wise, old man who named his only child (at that time) Ishmael – God Hears.
Abraham has placed God in a box. Something we can all relate to. A box - many of us own - and it is tightly sealed like a Tupperware box labeled “How I Can Understand God, in My Own Limitations.” Sometimes Psalm 93 puzzles me - then I remember why God is compared to a flood. I remember standing beside Niagara Falls.
Yesterday, in Scripture for Today, Sarai screams at Abram let God judge between her and Abram for Abram impregnating Hagar with Ishmael – forgetting entirely other actual, living people, are involved. Today, Abraham bargains with God to forget about this funny little notion of Sarah’s son. From Abraham’s little ‘Tupperware’ box of understanding God, Abraham will laugh at God’s pronouncement and will, in fact, counsel the Living God.
Does God react? He does. He continues to be the Almighty fulfilling His mighty plans. Psalm 2 records God does laugh. C.S. Lewis reminds the readers of the Narnia series many times, “Remember, Aslan is not a tame lion.”
Fortunately or not, Abraham understands only a shadow of what God is saying. God isn’t angry, it is a time of blessings.
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