Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Oh Friends, yesterday we saw how the newly minted Abraham, got up without hesitation and circumcised all the males of his household, the same day the Lord offered him the covenant, thereby showing his acceptance and trust that the Lord would keep His promises. But there was one flaw in his armour of faith that we bypassed. The same time the Lord told Abraham about the circumcision to uphold the covenant, He also told him that Sarai’s name would be changed to Sarah, which meant ‘Princess.’ ‘And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.’ (Gen.17:16) And Abraham’s reaction was rather surprising. ‘Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?’ (Gen.17: 17) Yes, Abraham doubted in his heart that two people totalling 190 years could procreate. The scholars though, think it strange that Abraham should laugh at the idea of a 100 year old man fathering a son, when his own father, Terah, sired him at 130. (Gen.11) Abraham himself went on to sire children long after that too. (Gen.25:1-6) It seems to be the only one of God’s promises that Abraham had reservations about, was somewhat leery of. For even after the Lord made the promise, ‘Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!’ (Gen.17:18) It shows he was still thinking about Ishmael as his heir. But Friends, our God doesn’t make idle promises, and he restated his position to Abraham. ‘And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.’ (Gen.17:19) Poor Abraham must have been dumbfounded by God’s insistence that Sarah would give him an heir. But God continued: ‘And as for Ishmael I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.’ (Gen.17:20-21) Then God went away from a bewildered Abraham, having made it very clear that his heir would be the issue from ninety something year old Sarah and not Hagar’s progeny. But in defence of Abraham’s faith, when God left him, he circumcised all the males of his household that very day. He accepted all God’s promises without any problems, except the one of two very aged people having children. Like his mind just couldn’t comprehend it, and Sarah felt the same way, as a later incident proved. One day, while Abraham was sitting at his tent’s door, on the plains of Mamre, three strange men showed up. He ran to meet them and invited them to stop and refresh themselves at his expense. They accepted his generous invitation and he gave the necessary orders to prepare a special meal. As they stood outside talking, one of the men asked for Sarah. Abraham said she was inside the tent helping to prepare the food. Then the man said, ‘I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him…’ And since in the natural it seemed impossible, with menopause many years behind her, ‘Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ (Gen.18:10,12) Ah my Friends, it’s sad when we doubt our God’s power, for it usually comes back to haunt us. Now according to the scholars, this was the pre-incarnate Christ (Yahweh) and two angels who appeared to Abraham. It’s an excellent example of Bruh Paul’s warning; ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:2) Also of God becoming the guest of one of his saints. ‘If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words: and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.’ (John 14:23) Now after Sarah laughed to herself, ‘the Lord said to Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not: for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh.’ ( Gen. 18:13-15) Yuh see my people, we have to be careful even with our thoughts. Sarah thought she was just laughing to herself, but one of the strangers was divinely gifted to read her thoughts. Why she laughed we’re not sure; she either never knew about the promise before, or if she did, figured it wouldn’t be fulfilled. But that just goes to show our human frailty and insignificance when compared to God’s thoughts, comprehension and power, that’s way above ours. For as the stranger asked, ‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’ And the answer my brethren, is an emphatic, NO! And because of Abraham and Sarah’s doubt, the Lord named their offspring, Isaac, which means, ‘He laughs,’ to serve as a perpetual reminder of his unlikely conception and their response, their disbelief. And the moral of the story? Never doubt our God, especially when He tells us something more than once, cause in some subtle way, He never lets us forget it. Oh Friends, please remember the basis of our faith is trust, hope and belief, in an invisible God, and things we cannot see, and if we keep doubting God’s word, we’ll never amount to much in His service and consequently not enjoy the immeasurable rewards He offers to those whose faith is impregnable. Much LOVE!…a doubt here…and a doubt there…soon adds up…and makes us…doubters…
Oh Friends, yesterday we saw how the newly minted Abraham, got up without hesitation and circumcised all the males of his household, the same day the Lord offered him the covenant, thereby showing his acceptance and trust that the Lord would keep His promises. But there was one flaw in his armour of faith that we bypassed. The same time the Lord told Abraham about the circumcision to uphold the covenant, He also told him that Sarai’s name would be changed to Sarah, which meant ‘Princess.’ ‘And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.’ (Gen.17:16) And Abraham’s reaction was rather surprising. ‘Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?’ (Gen.17: 17) Yes, Abraham doubted in his heart that two people totalling 190 years could procreate. The scholars though, think it strange that Abraham should laugh at the idea of a 100 year old man fathering a son, when his own father, Terah, sired him at 130. (Gen.11) Abraham himself went on to sire children long after that too. (Gen.25:1-6) It seems to be the only one of God’s promises that Abraham had reservations about, was somewhat leery of. For even after the Lord made the promise, ‘Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!’ (Gen.17:18) It shows he was still thinking about Ishmael as his heir. But Friends, our God doesn’t make idle promises, and he restated his position to Abraham. ‘And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.’ (Gen.17:19) Poor Abraham must have been dumbfounded by God’s insistence that Sarah would give him an heir. But God continued: ‘And as for Ishmael I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.’ (Gen.17:20-21) Then God went away from a bewildered Abraham, having made it very clear that his heir would be the issue from ninety something year old Sarah and not Hagar’s progeny. But in defence of Abraham’s faith, when God left him, he circumcised all the males of his household that very day. He accepted all God’s promises without any problems, except the one of two very aged people having children. Like his mind just couldn’t comprehend it, and Sarah felt the same way, as a later incident proved. One day, while Abraham was sitting at his tent’s door, on the plains of Mamre, three strange men showed up. He ran to meet them and invited them to stop and refresh themselves at his expense. They accepted his generous invitation and he gave the necessary orders to prepare a special meal. As they stood outside talking, one of the men asked for Sarah. Abraham said she was inside the tent helping to prepare the food. Then the man said, ‘I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him…’ And since in the natural it seemed impossible, with menopause many years behind her, ‘Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ (Gen.18:10,12) Ah my Friends, it’s sad when we doubt our God’s power, for it usually comes back to haunt us. Now according to the scholars, this was the pre-incarnate Christ (Yahweh) and two angels who appeared to Abraham. It’s an excellent example of Bruh Paul’s warning; ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb.13:2) Also of God becoming the guest of one of his saints. ‘If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words: and my Father will LOVE him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.’ (John 14:23) Now after Sarah laughed to herself, ‘the Lord said to Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not: for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh.’ ( Gen. 18:13-15) Yuh see my people, we have to be careful even with our thoughts. Sarah thought she was just laughing to herself, but one of the strangers was divinely gifted to read her thoughts. Why she laughed we’re not sure; she either never knew about the promise before, or if she did, figured it wouldn’t be fulfilled. But that just goes to show our human frailty and insignificance when compared to God’s thoughts, comprehension and power, that’s way above ours. For as the stranger asked, ‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’ And the answer my brethren, is an emphatic, NO! And because of Abraham and Sarah’s doubt, the Lord named their offspring, Isaac, which means, ‘He laughs,’ to serve as a perpetual reminder of his unlikely conception and their response, their disbelief. And the moral of the story? Never doubt our God, especially when He tells us something more than once, cause in some subtle way, He never lets us forget it. Oh Friends, please remember the basis of our faith is trust, hope and belief, in an invisible God, and things we cannot see, and if we keep doubting God’s word, we’ll never amount to much in His service and consequently not enjoy the immeasurable rewards He offers to those whose faith is impregnable. Much LOVE!…a doubt here…and a doubt there…soon adds up…and makes us…doubters…
SCRIP-BITS 