It’s believed that on this day Abraham was visited by three angels who promised that his wife, Sarah, would give him a son. It’s recorded in Genesis 18:10:
“And He said, ‘I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
First of all, the One speaking to Abraham was the Lord, not just an angel. In fact, in verse one of this chapter, the Bible says, “And the Lord appeared to him (Abraham)” and thus we see it is the Lord making this promise to Abraham and Sarah.
Secondly, the promise of offspring is being made when they were well past the age of having children. But if you think about it, promising and then fulfilling the impossible is typically the way God chooses to do things. He takes an impossible situation and brings forth a miracle because, with God, all things are possible.
We are told that Sarah heard the news while inside the tent and, upon hearing this news, laughed out loud. In Hebrew, the word “laughed” is tzahak. This is important because, from this root word, we get the name Yitzhak or “Isaac.” Every time that Abraham or Sarah called his name, they were instantly reminded of how, upon hearing the promise of God, they laughed at it, believing it to be impossible. But when Isaac was born, their laughter turned to joy; their disbelief turned into confidence. They were reminded that God had, indeed, given them a son and heir to the promise delivered to Abraham.
Being the son of promise, Isaac serves as a prototype of the Messiah. Yeshua doesn’t mean “laughter” but is the word for “salvation.” However, there are those who laugh and scoff that at the idea that He is the Messiah and Son of God and that, through Him, we obtain salvation. Many reject the notion that God would or could manifest Himself in the form of man because, in our limited understanding, that’s just impossible. But with God ALL things are possible, even if it doesn’t make sense to us or conform to our theology. With Him, NOTHING is impossible.
It bears noting that, Isaac, the promised son, was also taken to the top of Mount Moriah to be lifted up as a burnt offering. According to Scripture, Abraham put the wood, literally the branch of a tree, upon his back as he walked to the summit. As Abraham raised the knife to fulfill the command given him, God supplied a ram caught by his horns in a thicket to replace Isaac upon the altar. It’s not hard to imagine that when Abraham realized that Isaac would live and, through him, the holy covenant would be propagated throughout all the earth, he began to laugh.
Likewise, as the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29), we can be confident that our Father in heaven will be true to His promise given to us. Through the promised Son, the Messiah, He will save us, provide for us and, in the last days, gather us all to Himself. In Psalm 126:1-3 the Bible says:
When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with singing.Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.”
When we find ourselves in a impossible situation and we’re overcome with unbelief, remember Isaac and how, with God, all things are possible. He turns our mourning into joy and our tears into laughter.
Shalom.
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