God's Covenant Of Laughter!

And Sarah Laughs Too!

This is the Fifth Post in the serialization of Chapter 1, of the book Friends With God.

As we have seen in the Fourth Post , when God said to Abraham that he was going to have a child, that he rolled on the floor and laughed out loud. God didn’t swat him- but happily took it in a good-natured way. Even so, God did not give him a son immediately, but decided to also convince Sarah, that He was serious about her having a child.

When God next visited Abraham, he again told him that Sarah was going to have a son. At last, it seems that Abraham understood that God was serious, for he didn’t laugh. However, we find that Sarah, (who was listening in the tent behind Abraham) actually did laugh- but that she didn’t laugh out loud:

And the Lord said unto him (Abraham), Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. (just behind Abraham) And he (God) said, I will certainly return unto you according to the time of life (gestation period); and, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him (Abraham). … Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Lord said unto 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 time appointed I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, “I laughed not”; for she was afraid. And the Lord said, No; but you did laugh. (Gen 18:9-15)

Some people see this as an example of God overlooking lying, yet to do so is to miss the point entirely, and to also misconstrue what actually occurred between Sarah and God.

It’s interesting that Sarah by this time had had her name changed (from Sarai to Sarah), but she was not pregnant- and obviously didn’t really think it possible. God came down to convince her that He could cause this to happen, and He did so by showing that He could read her mind, even when He couldn’t see her.

Did Sarah lie? Not really, she laughed in her heart, she did not laugh out loud. Thus saying “I did not laugh” was in one sense absolutely correct. Previously, Abraham had laughed so much he fell on his face in hysterics! Sarah, in comparison was constrained in keeping her laughter to herself.

God did not say “you lied to me!”, for she did not lie- she did not laugh out loud. And God was willing to accept that as an excuse, for God then said in effect, “even though you did not laugh out loud, you still laughed”! They most probably both had a good laugh together then!

And it’s this laughter with God, along with God’s charm and graciousness, which would have been remembered by Sarah, when she called her son’s name for the next 40 years of her life.

We are told that Sarah had the faith to conceive a child in her old age: Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore, sprang there even of one (Sarah), and the same as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Heb 11:11-12) The relationship that Sarah developed with God, part of which we see in the conversation in the tent, was sufficient to give her the faith to become a mother at 90 years of age.

It also seems that God didn’t just make it possible for her to have children, but he also made her look young and beautiful again. A couple of chapters later in Genesis, we see that Abraham moved to a new location, where Sarah was seen as being so beautiful that she was taken into the harem of the ruler of the land! God rescued Sarah, and no harm was done, but from this experience it’s obvious that she didn’t look like any ordinary 90-year-old woman!

God not only made Sarah laugh, he made her look young and beautiful, and that no doubt helped her to have the faith to bear her laughing son!

A Covenant With Laughter

God said: “But my covenant will I establish with Isaac”- God will establish his covenant with laughter! And why not? This is the son of the friend of God, and this covenant between him and God was obviously going to be one of joy and laughter.

The name Isaac meaning “laughter”, also has significant implications for what God expects in our covenant relationship with him. To laugh with God is to have a relationship of friendship, tolerance, playfulness and love.

But this relationship was not always totally easy, or happy- for God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain! (Gen 22:1-19) While Abraham was willing to do so, God intervened at the last moment and provided a ram to sacrifice instead.

We are told that Abraham thought God would raise Isaac from the dead. (Heb 11:17-19) We are not told what Isaac thought. Although he was about 30 years old at the time, it seems he was willing to go ahead with his 130 year old father binding him in preparation for slaughter.

This was also no doubt a great test of faith for Isaac. Yet, imagine how Abraham and Isaac laughed in sheer relief when the ram sacrifice was provided, and Isaac was untied!

If we see beyond the immediate goal, and look to what is beyond death, we will indeed see that God will establish his covenant with laughter!

When God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, he said Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me. (Gen 22:12) This was a test of his faith. (Gen 22:1)

While Abraham initially believed God, and was blessed with the miracle of his laughing son, his belief was tested by God, to see if it was genuine, or superficial. Yet, the action of being willing to sacrifice Isaac, did not force God to bless Abraham, it just proved that his faith was genuine. When God saw that Abraham’s faith in him was genuine, he decided to bless him even more. 

This is why Paul can say that it’s not Abraham’s works that justified him, but his faith, (Rom 4:1-5), whereas James appears to contradict this and says it was Abraham’s works, which demonstrated his faith, that justified him. (James 2:14-26)

Yet, there is no contradiction. Initially, God blessed Abraham because of his faith, by giving him a son. (Gen 15:1-6) God later tested Abraham’s faith, before blessing him even more: And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. (Gen 22:18)

We need to see the context, for Paul is quoting from the earlier example of God blessing Abraham’s faith alone, and James is quoting from the later testing of his faith by the trial that God put him through.

God’s process for changing us always involves testing, to see if the growth is solidly based on faith and love, or is undermined by lawlessness. (Matt 7:24-27)

FAITH AND WORKS

Not only did Abraham’s works demonstrate his faith, they also complemented his faith, and made it perfect, or complete: Do you see how (his) faith worked with his works, and from (his) works (his) faith was made complete? (James 2:22)

When God tests our faith he’s first interested in seeing if it’s real, but then he will work on refining our faith, so that it becomes even stronger: So that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven (refined) through fire, might be found to praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (1Peter 1:7)

As gold is refined in a fire to remove the impurities, so is faith refined by our works, which includes how we handle the trials God puts us through: The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tries the hearts. (Prov 17:3)

This is similar to the analogy that Jesus used of pruning a vine: I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:1-2)

Faith and works complement and perfect each other. If we do no works toward others, then our faith in God is dead as it's not growing, and we will be totally removed from the vine.

And even when we do produce fruit (by doing good works), we will also be pruned (by being tried) in order for us to produce more fruit. The vine dresser wants lots of fruit from us: In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples. (John 15:8)

All living things must grow, if they don’t grow, they are dead. If we are spiritually alive then our faith in God will be continually growing also. And the way it grows is by our doing good works, by either helping others in need, or obeying God’s word in the face of opposition. Good works are the fruit that God wants to see being produced by us.

It may seem surprising to learn that even Jesus was also perfected through the trials that he suffered: though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And being perfected, (by the things he suffered) He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him, (Heb 5:8-9)

Christ set us the example by having a living faith that was able to grow, so that we who follow him will also grow in faith, by overcoming through our trials.

Abraham responded to the trial of being told by God to sacrifice Isaac, by increasing in the fruit of faith in God, and believing that God would raise Isaac from the dead. (Heb 11:17-19) Christian scholars see that Isaac, in this “almost” sacrifice, is a type of Christ, and Abraham is a type of God the Father. As the progenitors of the covenant of faith, they were playing out the future sacrifice of Christ.

As Abraham is the father of the faithful in the New Covenant, (as we have seen in the fourth post in this series) we are to learn from his example, and then we will be Children of Abraham also!

Both Abraham’s and Isaac’s faith (and laughter!) were tested to the limit by this trial. Perhaps it was their joy and expectation for eternal life that pulled them through? For we see that it was because of joy that Christ endured the cross: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)

Most people reflecting upon Jesus’ enduring the cross, certainly wouldn’t consider it to have been a joy, but rather a great trial, which it certainly was. But it was actually the joy that was set before him beyond the cross, that enabled Jesus to endure this excruciating trial through to the end. We will examine the sacrifice of Christ in great depth in the serialization of Chapter 3 of Friends With God, which is called The Joy That Was Set Before Him.

By following Christ’s example, we also will have faith in the joy that God has promised us, including our future laughter, when, finally, all our trials in this physical life will be over. Then we, like Christ, will be resurrected to become the eternal Children of God. (1Cor 15:52)

We will certainly laugh then- with joy and with relief, and with elation at having come through it all!

God will then establish his eternal covenant with laughter with all his good friends- who love, and trust, and rejoice with him, and will do so for all eternity.

In the next post in this series, we will review more elements of God’s friendship with two of His other friends in scripture, Moses and Ezekiel, and the common thread that is at the foundation of God’s friendships with us all.