The Birth of Isaac
1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac [a] to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." 7 And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."
I have come to appreciate and admire the Life of Sarah a great deal. She is an awesome woman of God. Whether it is willing sacrificing her life for her husbands to the King of Egypt, in a very Esther like commitment, or standing with her husband on a 25 year promise, she is a woman of Faith. Hebrews 11:11 says “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Sarah has the greater part of the faith walk that brings forth Isaac. My aged and wise mother often remarks about the connection between a woman’s pregnancy and the disposition of a child. Isaac is a child of joy. His name means laughter. I have put together an acronym below to detail the blessing and the commitment associated with the birth of Isaac. I hope it will provide some insight for you in regards to this tremendous woman and the character of God as well
L. Long-awaited
A. Acknowledgement of Faith
U. Understands the Impossibility of the Promise (verse 6)
G. Give pleasure to God
H. Honors those that stood with you in Faith
T. Treated as Holy (verse 4)
E. Eliminates Previous Mistakes
R. Remembers the Covenant Gen 17:19
Last time we left off with talking about how Sarah understood in her heart the impossibility of God’s promise. But she had waited, her faith was acknowledged and she believed in an impossible promise because it was made by God.
G. Gives Pleasure to God
That leads us the G. in our acronym. It gives God pleasure. God is so good so faithful, so loving, why don’t I want to just please him more. He is a God who has made us in His emotional image. He experiences sadness, grief, joy, excitement, anger. He is not detached because he is all knowing. He is passionate because he knows what he has made us to be. When we conform to his design it gives him pleasure. I feel like I need to take a few moments to support my above statements with scripture, but let’s limit our search to the topic at hand. Giving God pleasure;
1 Chronicles 29:17 (New International Version)
17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.
We see here that God is please with integrity.
Hebrews 11:5 (New International Version)
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
In this case God was so pleased with the life of Enoch that we simply graduated their fellowship to heaven.
In the case of Sarah, God was please that she was willing. He was pleased that even as an old woman she desired to bless her husband and the community with a son. A son called laughter. (Isaac means laughter) He was pleased that she did not dismiss the promise even though it was long awaited.
Honors those that stood with you in Faith
Sarah said, “Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” You absolutely know that Sarah had her detractors. Whenever you share a promise you have from God you risk ridicule. I remember when I was just a Four Square Deacon a man asked me what I thought the Lord wanted to do with our ministry. I told him that I thought we were to plant many churches throughout New England, especially targeting urban communities. In very a condescending tone he said “oohhh Apostle Don” The words stung. But by God’s grace we are working on 4th and 5th church plants.
Others, the majority in fact, were very encouraging to us, providing prayer and finances and coming to our meetings whenever they could. I look forward to laughing with them when God is close to finishing the work He has began with us. I can see friends of Abraham and Sarah exaggerating their new names. Sarahhhhh not Sarie. Abrahammm not Abram. They were reinforces of Faith in the promise.
T. Treated as Holy
Sarah was quick to have her baby circumcised. Yes Abraham had a little to do with it to. Our focus today is on the Mother of the Faithful not the Father. In our casual society we have lost much of the power of ritual and celebration. We don’t understand sacred times as we should. Sarah understood that her baby boy belong to God, that his supernatural conception was a message to the world, “the fulfillment of my promises means Joy to the World.”
It is a quote from the Spirit of God to my Spirit, it is not Holy writ but it is true. Friend do you see it, do you feel it. The fulfillment of the promise of a boy named laughter is the precursor to the promise of a boy named Savior (Jesus) a supernatural conception in an old women named Sarah paved the way for the promise to young women named Mary.
Luke 1:46-56 (New International Version)
Mary's Song
46And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
Sarah treated the boy as Holy, because he was Holy. To this day we Worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the people of the world are blessed through them. Glory!!!!
E. Eliminates Previous Mistakes
You know God is patient. Psalm 103 says that he does not deal with us as our sins deserve. The Hagar, Ishmael situation is an example of men taking a promise of God into their own hands and reaping a consequence. It was sin. However let us recognize a few things. Conception is in the hands of God. God wove Ishmael together in the secret place of Hagar womb. He protected the mother and the child when they could have died of thirst in the desert and he promised Abraham that Ishmael would be the head of 12 rulers. These are promises God has kept. The children of Ishmael have been a blessing to the world, in art, culture, and philosophy. They have also been at War as the Lord predicted. In regards to Sarah her enemy the living epistle of her error was taken care of, she no longer had to deal with Hagar or Ishmael. Please read their story in Genesis 21.
If you are Faithful and Honest, God will repair your mistakes as well. He will restore the years the Locust (of our own making) have eaten up. Joel 2.
R. Remembers the Covenant Gen 17:19
Genesis 17:19 (New International Version)
19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Sarah heard this promise. She now knew that God had kept his promise. It was a covenant not a contract. In this case whose maker and sustainer was God himself. God is not a man that he should lie, but he keeps his promise for generations to those who are faithful to him.
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