In yesterday's passage the Lord made it very clear to Abraham that the promised son would be born to him by his wife Sarah. Upon hearing this news at different times, both Abraham and Sarah will laugh. Abraham's laugh is one of delight.
"Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?'" (Genesis 17:17) I don't get the feeling that Abraham is scoffing at the idea. Sarah will scoff at the idea, but when I read Abraham's words the impression I get is that he is hearing news that seems almost too good to be true. Has anyone ever told you something so good that you can't help repeating what they just said to you? For example, maybe a doctor told you the biopsy came back normal. You might laugh with relief and say, "So it was normal?" Or maybe you were offered a job you really wanted and when you received the phone call that you had the job, you said, "I got the job?" There's something so human and so relatable about Abraham falling to his knees in thankfulness while laughing and repeating the news he just heard.
As delightful as this news is, Abraham is worried about the child he fathered outside of the Lord's will by taking the Egyptian slave Hagar as his second wife. It's natural he would be concerned about the son he already has. "And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!'" (Genesis 17:18) Abraham was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born, and in Chapter 17 we are told that Abraham is now ninety-nine, so Ishmael is thirteen by the time the Lord has this encounter with Abraham. Of course Abraham cares about his thirteen-year-old son. Of course he wants the Lord to bless Ishmael as well as the promised son who has not yet arrived. He may be afraid that the Lord will ignore Ishmael since he is not the son of the promise. God won't fail to bless Ishmael, but He reminds Abraham that there is a difference between the two sons and a difference between their destinies.
"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. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.' When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him." (Genesis 17:19-22) The name "Isaac" means "he laughs" or "he will rejoice". This is further proof that Abraham's laugh was not one of scorn but one of delight. This promised son will make Abraham laugh and rejoice in his old age.
In yesterday's passage the Lord gave Abraham a specific sign that must be performed on all the males of his family line and all the male servants and slaves of his household. It is to be a sign of the covenant between them and God, and a daily reminder that their trust is to be in the Lord and not in the flesh (faith and not works, in other words). Abraham sets about performing this sign immediately. "On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that very day. And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him." (Genesis 17:23-27)
Every male of his household shares in the covenant, the blessings, and the promises---whether they are related to Abraham by birth or whether they were the sons of his servants or whether they were purchased from foreign traders. A believer in the household sanctifies the household, and we don't know whether anyone else in Abraham's home had the kind of faith he did, but the Lord intends to bless them all because of their association with Abraham. Maybe you are the only believer in your household. That's a tough position to be in; I've been there myself. But don't be discouraged. God hears the prayers you make on behalf of your loved ones, just as He heard the prayers of Abraham on behalf of his loved ones. For example, if the wife is the only believer in her home, her very presence brings blessings upon the occupants of the home as she sets an example of godly living. If only the husband is a believer, his presence and authority in the home brings the protection of God into the home. If only a child has come to faith in Christ, that child is going to have a great influence on his parents as they observe his faith and manner of living---and the Lord is most certainly going to hear the faithful prayers of a child.
So don't be discouraged. If you're the only person in your home who is striving to honor the Lord, keep on keeping on. Keep your focus on the Lord and be consistent in prayer for your loved ones. As the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, said: "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16b)
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