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Commentary on Genesis 21 verses 1–8
Long-looked-for comes at last. The vision concerning the promised seed is for an appointed time, and now, at the end, it speaks, and does not lie; few under the Old Testament were brought into the world with such expectation as Isaac was, not for the sake of any great person eminence at which he was to arrive, but because he was to be, in this very thin, a type of Christ, that seed which the holy God had so long promised and holy men so long expected. In this account of the first days of Isaac we may observe,
I. The fulfilling of God's promise in the conception and birth of Isaac, Gen 21:1, Gen 21:2. Note, God's providences look best and brightest when they are compared with his word, and when we observe how God, in them all, acts as he has said, as he has spoken. 1. Isaac was born according to the promise. The Lord visited Sarah in mercy, as he had said. Note, No word of God shall fall to the ground; for he is faithful that has promised, and God's faithfulness is the stay and support of his people's faith. He was born at the set time of which God had spoken, Gen 21:2. Note, God is always punctual to his time; though his promised mercies come not at the time we set, they will certainly come at the time he sets, and that is the best time., 2. He was born by virtue of the promise: Sarah by faith received strength to conceive Heb 11:11. God therefore by promise gave that strength. It was not by the power of common providence, but by the power of a special promise, that Isaac was born. A sentence of death was, as it were, passed upon the second causes: Abraham was old, and Sarah old, and both as good as dead; and then the word of God took place. Note, True believers, by virtue of God's promises, are enabled to do that which is above the power of human nature, for by them they partake of a divine nature, Pe2 1:4.
II. Abraham's obedience to God's precept concerning Isaac.
1.He named him, as God commanded him, Gen 21:3. God directed him to a name for a memorial, Isaac, laughter; and Abraham, whose office it was, gave him that name, though he might have designed him some other name of a more pompous signification. Note, It is fit that the luxuriancy of human invention should always yield to the sovereignty and plainness of divine institution; yet there was good reason for the name, for, (1.) When Abraham received the promise of him he laughed for joy, Gen 17:17. Note, When the sun of comfort has risen upon the soul it is good to remember how welcome the dawning of the day was, and with what exultation we embraced the promise. (2.) When Sarah received the promise she laughed with distrust and diffidence. Note, When God gives us the mercies we began to despair of we ought to remember with sorrow and shame our sinful distrusts of God's power and promise, when we were in pursuit of them. (3.) Isaac was himself, afterwards, laughed at by Ishmael (Gen 21:9), and perhaps his name bade him expect it. Note, God's favourites are often the world's laughing-stocks. (4.) The promise which he was not only the son, but the heir of, was to be the joy of all the saints in all ages, and that which would fill their mouths with laughter.
2.He circumcised him, Gen 21:4. The covenant being established with him, the seal of the covenant was administered to him; and though a bloody ordinance, and he a darling, yet it must not be omitted, no, nor deferred beyond the eighth day. God had kept time in performing the promise, and therefore Abraham must keep time in obeying the precept.
III. The impressions which this mercy made upon Sarah.
1.It filled her with joy (Gen 21:6): "God has made me to laugh; he has given me both cause to rejoice and a heart to rejoice." Thus the mother of our Lord, Luk 1:46, Luk 1:47. Note, (1.) God bestows mercies upon his people to encourage their joy in his work and service; and, whatever is the matter of our joy, God must be acknowledged as the author of it, unless it be the laughter of the fool. (2.) When mercies have been long deferred they are the more welcome when they come. (3.) It adds to the comfort of any mercy to have our friends rejoice with us in it: All that hear will laugh with me; for laughing is catching. See Luk 1:58. Others would rejoice in this instance of God's power and goodness, and be encouraged to trust in him. See Psa 119:74.
2.It filled her with wonder, Gen 21:7. Observe here, (1.) What it was she thought so wonderful: That Sarah should give children suck, that she should, not only bear a child, but be so strong and hearty at the age as to give it suck. Note, Mothers, if they be able, ought to be nurses to their own children. Sarah was a person of quality, was aged; nursing might be thought prejudicial of herself, or to the child, or to both; she had choice of nurses, no doubt, in her own family: and yet she would do her duty in this matter; and her daughters the good wives are while they thus do well, Pe1 3:5, Pe1 3:6. See Lam 4:3. (2.) How she expressed her wonder: "Who would have said it? The thing was so highly improbable, so near to impossible, that if any one but God had said it we could not have believed it." Note, God's favours to his covenant-people are such as surpass both their own and others' thoughts and expectations. Who could imagine that God should do so much for those that deserve so little, nay, for those that deserve so ill? See Eph 3:20; Sa2 7:18, Sa2 7:19. Who would have said that God should send his Son to die for us, his Spirit to sanctify us, his angels to attend us? Who would have said that such great sins should be pardoned, such mean services accepted, and such worthless worms taken into covenant and communion with the great and holy God?
IV. A short account of Isaac's infancy: The child grew, Gen 21:8. Special notice is taken of this, though a thing of course, to intimate that the children of the promise are growing children. See Luk 1:80; Luk 2:40. Those that are born of God shall increase of God, Col 2:19. He grew so as not always to need milk, but was able to bear strong meat, and then he was weaned. See Heb 5:13, Heb 5:14. And then it was that Abraham made a great feast for his friends and neighbours, in thankfulness to God for his mercy to him. He made this feast, not on the day that Isaac was born, that would have been too great a disturbance to Sarah; nor on the day that he was circumcised, that would have been too great a diversion from the ordinance; but on the day that he was weaned, because God's blessing upon the nursing of children, and the preservation of them throughout the perils of the infant age, are signal instances of the care and tenderness of the divine providence, which ought to be acknowledged, to its praise. See Psa 22:9, Psa 22:10; Hos 11:1.
Isaac means “laughter” or “joy.” Who is it, then, who begets such a son? It is doubtless he who said of these whom he begot through the gospel: “For you are my joy and crown of glory.” For sons of this kind, there is a feast and great joy when they are weaned, for these who “no longer need milk, but strong meat, who by taking up their power have their senses exercised to the discerning of good or evil.” There is a great feast for such as these, when they are weaned. But a feast cannot be offered nor joy possessed for those of whom the apostle says, “I gave you milk to drink, not meat; for you were not able as yet, but neither indeed are you able still. And I could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to carnal, as to little ones in Christ.” Let those who wish the divine Scripture to be understood straightforwardly tell us what it means: “I could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to carnal, as to little ones in Christ; I gave you milk to drink, not meat.” Can these words be taken straightforwardly?
In our father Isaac or the origin is sufficiently expressed, either by grace or by glory: to whom all glory redounds, that he was born to Abraham, a reward for such a worthy and admirable man. Nor is it surprising, since he preceded in the figure of the Lord's generation and passion. For even a barren old woman gave birth to him according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God is able to make a virgin conceive and that the only begotten one offered as a sacrifice would not perish for the father and would fulfill the sacrifice. Therefore, by its very name, it signifies both form and grace. For Isaac, in Latin, means laughter, and laughter is a notable sign of joy. And who is ignorant that he is the joy of all, who, with dreadful death or fear suppressed or sorrow removed, becomes the remission of sins for all? Therefore, he was named, and he was designated: he was expressed, and he was announced.
Come now, today too, dearly beloved, let us take up the thread of yesterday’s remarks and thus set before you this spiritual meal so that we may once more come to learn, as you heard yesterday, the good God’s ineffable care and considerateness and the patriarch’s remarkable obedience and gratitude. Do you see how the birth of Isaac made Sarah joyful? “She said, ‘The Lord brought laughter to me: whoever hears of it will rejoice with me.’ ” Everyone who hears of it, she is saying, I will convince to be a sharer of my joy. After all, the gift given me by God is wonderful, surpassing human limitations. I mean, who would not be struck, she is saying, to see me feeding and nursing a child in old age after being childless up to this stage of my life? As though surprised and amazed at the event, she added, “Who will let Abraham know that Sarah is nursing a child, that I have borne a son in my old age?” Since what happened was beyond the bounds of nature, she naturally demands, “Who will let him know?” as if to say, Who will imagine it? Who would entertain such an idea? What mind could grasp it? Is there any reasoning that could invent this happening in every detail? Not so remarkable was the incident of the flood of water gushing from the rock in the desert when Moses struck it with his rod as was this instance of a child being born of a womb already deprived of vitality and a ready flow of milk. You see, for the birth to be known to everyone and bring everyone to acceptance of the marvel, for those who heard of it both then and later, she feeds the child and insists on nursing it. She said, “Who will let Abraham know that Sarah is nursing a child, that I have borne a son in my old age,” this strange, surprising favor done me in my old age? What is the meaning of “I have borne a son in my old age”? That even without sterility my time of life was sufficient to make me despair of bearing children. But all these obstacles the Lord caused to disappear and has granted me the birth of the child and the flow of milk.
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SUMMARY
Genesis 21:6 encapsulates Sarah's profound joy and astonishment following the miraculous birth of her son, Isaac. Her declaration, "God hath made me to laugh," marks a pivotal moment of divine fulfillment, transforming her previous skepticism into overwhelming gratitude and a public testimony to God's unwavering faithfulness, inviting all who hear to share in her divinely inspired mirth.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is situated at the climax of a long-anticipated narrative within the book of Genesis, immediately following the birth and circumcision of Isaac in Genesis 21:1-5. It serves as Sarah's personal, verbal response to the fulfillment of God's covenant promise, which had been reiterated multiple times to Abraham and Sarah (e.g., Genesis 17:15-19). Her statement directly echoes and contrasts with her earlier private laughter of disbelief when the promise was first announced by the Lord at the tent door in Genesis 18:12. The birth of Isaac, whose name means "he laughs," provides the ultimate context for Sarah's exultant declaration, transforming a laugh of doubt into one of profound, God-given joy.
Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, barrenness was often considered a curse or a source of shame, making the birth of a child, especially a firstborn son, a cause for immense celebration and honor. For a woman of Sarah's advanced age (around 90 years old, as noted in Genesis 17:17), bearing a child was biologically impossible, rendering Isaac's birth a clear supernatural event. The naming of children often carried deep significance, reflecting circumstances of birth, parental hopes, or divine pronouncements. Isaac's name, "laughter," is intrinsically linked to both Sarah's initial reaction of disbelief and her ultimate, joyful affirmation of God's miraculous intervention, serving as a perpetual reminder of God's faithfulness in an impossible situation.
Key Themes: Genesis 21:6 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the Abrahamic narrative and the broader book of Genesis. It powerfully underscores the theme of Divine Faithfulness to covenant promises, demonstrating God's ability to fulfill His word regardless of human limitations or the passage of time. The verse also highlights God's Sovereignty Over Nature, as He overrides biological impossibilities to bring about His purposes. Furthermore, it exemplifies the theme of Transformation, showing how God can turn human doubt and sorrow into profound joy and public testimony. Isaac's birth is a critical step in the Covenant Fulfillment process, establishing the lineage through which God's promises to Abraham would be realized, ultimately blessing all nations (as foreshadowed in Genesis 12:3).
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices. Wordplay is central, as Sarah's declaration of "laughter" directly connects to the name of her son, Isaac (Yitzchak), which means "he laughs." This creates a profound link between the event, the emotion, and the identity of the promised child. The verse also utilizes Contrast, setting Sarah's current laughter of joy against her previous laughter of disbelief in Genesis 18:12, highlighting the transformative power of God's faithfulness. Hyperbole is present in "all that hear will laugh with me," expressing a universal desire for shared joy that transcends a literal interpretation, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of her delight and the public impact she anticipates. Finally, the verse functions as a Testimony, as Sarah's words serve as a public declaration of God's miraculous intervention, inviting others to acknowledge His power and goodness.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Sarah's exclamation in Genesis 21:6 stands as a profound testament to God's unwavering faithfulness and omnipotence. It underscores the biblical truth that God's promises are not contingent upon human ability or natural circumstances but are fulfilled by His sovereign power, often in ways that defy human expectation. This moment of divine laughter, turning barrenness into life and doubt into joy, serves as a powerful reminder that God delights in fulfilling His word, even when long-delayed or seemingly impossible. It speaks to a God who actively intervenes in human history to bring about His redemptive purposes, transforming sorrow into gladness and despair into hope.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 21:6 offers enduring encouragement for believers today, reminding us that God is utterly faithful to His promises, regardless of how long we wait or how impossible our circumstances may seem. Sarah's journey from skeptical laughter to profound, God-given joy serves as a powerful metaphor for our own spiritual journeys, inviting us to trust in God's power to transform our doubts, anxieties, and barren seasons into seasons of overflowing joy and fruitfulness. When faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, this verse calls us to remember that God specializes in the impossible, and that His timing, though often mysterious, is always perfect. Sarah's desire for others to "laugh with me" challenges us to live lives that openly testify to God's goodness, allowing our experiences of His faithfulness to inspire hope and joy in those around us, turning our personal blessings into shared testimonies of His glory.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of Sarah saying "God hath made me to laugh"?
Answer: Sarah's statement signifies a profound and transformative shift from her previous laughter of disbelief (as seen in Genesis 18:12) to one of overwhelming joy, wonder, and gratitude. By explicitly stating "God hath made me to laugh," she attributes the miracle of Isaac's birth directly and solely to divine intervention. It is an acknowledgment of God's absolute power and unwavering faithfulness in fulfilling His promise against all natural odds and human skepticism. Her laughter is not merely a human emotion but a divinely inspired response to a divinely accomplished miracle, giving glory to God as the orchestrator of life and joy.
Does Sarah's expectation that "all that hear will laugh with me" imply a universal joy?
Answer: While it expresses a profound desire for shared joy, Sarah's statement primarily refers to those who would hear her testimony and recognize God's miraculous hand in her life. It's an invitation for her community and future generations to witness and celebrate God's faithfulness. It signifies that her personal, divinely given joy is so immense that it overflows and seeks to be shared, transforming her private miracle into a public testimony. This shared laughter is one of wonder and celebration, akin to a community rejoicing over an extraordinary blessing, acknowledging God's goodness and power together.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Sarah's miraculous laughter and the birth of Isaac, the long-awaited "son of promise," profoundly foreshadow the ultimate fulfillment of God's redemptive promises in Jesus Christ. Just as Isaac's birth brought joy out of barrenness, doubt, and human impossibility, Christ's coming brings spiritual life and eternal joy to a humanity barren in sin and separated from God. Jesus is the true Son of Promise, born miraculously (as described in Luke 1:34-35), whose advent causes all who believe to "laugh" with the joy of salvation and receive new life, fulfilling God's covenant to bless all nations through Abraham's ultimate "seed" (Galatians 3:16). Through Christ, God's faithfulness is fully realized, turning the sorrow and curse of sin into the eternal joy of redemption and communion with God, inviting all who hear the Gospel to share in this divine laughter of new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).