Genesis 21:6-21 Father Knows Best

When Sarah first learned that she would have a son, she laughed. How could a woman of her age give birth to a son? Her outburst of laughter reflected her unbelief.

In Genesis 21 Sarah gives birth to the long-awaited son. She names the lad Isaac, meaning laughter and says, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (21:6).

This time Sarah’s response is not the laughter of unbelief but the laughter of joy. God has done what He said He would do. He has performed a miracle, for “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?” The question expects a negative answer “no one.”

What is our response to the working of God in our lives? Do we respond with joy? Laughter? Praise?

Sometimes we get so consumed with our daily lives, the serious problems we face and tremendous suffering in various parts of the world, etc., that we rarely laugh. But the Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10). “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab 3:18).

Someone has said that if Christians believe 1/10 of what they say they believe, they ought to have ten times as much joy.

People do not need to laugh in order to be joyful, but laughter is good for the soul. Perhaps we should enjoy a good laugh more often.

The child grew to the age of being weaned, an event that usually took place about the age of two or three. The family celebrated with a great feast.

The next word, “but” (21:9), indicates a contrast. In spite of the joy and gladness, Sarah notices that Ishmael is mocking. The text doesn’t tell us exactly what he was doing, but the behavior bothered Sarah. As a result, she asked Abraham to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.

Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham because Ishmael was his son. To send a slave out of the household to fend for herself seems to be cruel and insensitive. However, God did not view it as unkind. In fact, God revealed to Abraham that Ishmael would become a great nation and told Abraham to carry out Sarah’s request. (21:13).

Abraham gave Hagar some food and water and sent her away. Hagar wandered through the wilderness and eventually ran out of water. She sat down with the boy and wept thinking that he would die.

Verse 21:17 presents another contrast as evidenced by the “but” at the beginning of the verse, “But God heard the boy’s voice” (21:17) The angel of the Lord called to Hagar and asked her why she was crying.

The angel tells her, “Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy’s voice right where he is crying.

God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. Both the boy and the mother are refreshed and sustained by the Lord. The boy lives in the wilderness, grows, becomes an archer and marries a woman from Egypt.

Sometimes we wonder what God is doing or failing to do. We question his timing. We are perplexed about difficult situations.

In these moments we must remember that God is in control, and we are not. He is not constrained to do things our way.

In the case of Hagar and Ishmael, we may find Sarah’s command pitiless. Why did she have to be so unmerciful with her slave?

Our heavenly Father knows all about these things. In this case He did not disagree with Sarah’s request. Further, when Hagar and the boy ran out of water, God heard the boy’s voice. He sent the angel of the Lord to them and provided water.

The next time we find ourselves questioning God’s handling of a situation, we must remember that He knows all of the facts. We only know some of the facts. In addition, He is all-powerful, all-knowing, completely holy and infinitely loving. At just the right time, he will do what is right.

“I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing”
–Psalm 139:14