Genesis 18 gives to us one peculiar account where we get to see God in a different light. What happened here and what can we learn from it?
Let's find out.
The day someone laughed at God
Genesis 18:1-5 gives us an account where God comes to Abraham, the father of faith. At this time, Abraham and his wife Sarah didn't have a son yet, although God had already promised to Abraham that he'd be the father of many nations.
The couple, old as they were, probably thought they'd have no child of their own. At this time Abraham already had a son with Sarah's maid Hagar, and he thought God would fulfill His promise to him through this son, Ishmael (see Genesis 17:17-18). God told him that this wouldn't happen, as He would give him a son through Sarah.
In Genesis 18, we find God affirming His promise to Abraham by telling him,
"I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Genesis 18:10)
Sarah, old as she was, laughed in disbelief.
"Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?""
God's response
Sarah laughed inside the tent which was behind Abraham. God, however, knew that Sarah laughed and told Abraham,
"Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." (see Genesis 18:13-14)
And though Sarah tried to deny her laughter because she was afraid, God simply told her,
"No, but you did laugh!"
What we see from this
This scenario gives us a down-to-earth account showing just how personal and intimate God could be with His people, despite being God. It's very heartwarming yet humbling to know Him through this scenario. Here are a few things we realize about God in the account.
1) That God never forgets His promises
First we see here that God never forgets His promises. We talked earlier about God affirming His promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son despite Abraham having a son through a different woman. God's purposes still stands.
Years have already passed at this time, from the time He made His promise to Abraham who was then named Abram. God didn't forget His promise to him, even though he and his wife were old and advanced in their years.
2) That God knows what is inside our hearts
Sarah laughed in secret, but God knew she laughed even though she denied it. Nothing escapes the eyes and ears of our all-knowing God.
God knew that Abraham and Sarah were old, and that Sarah thought she was beyond childbearing age. God wanted them to trust in His ability to make His promises true, and so reaffirmed His promise to Abraham, this time with more tangible proof - an estimated time of childbirth.
3) That God is a very personal God
Many people make this wrong assumption that since God is holy and we are not, He won't bother come near us people who, actually, are undeserving and unworthy to stand before Him.
But since Abraham believed God, he was able to have a very personal connection with God: a personal relationship. He was able to recognize God by the terebinth trees, was able to prepare food for Him (although no verse said He ate them), and listened to Him.
Sarah also had a short interaction with God, who actually looked for her, declared such a blessing for her, and He rebuked her but only so as to point out her folly so that she could change and have the correct perspective of faith.
In closing
God was, is, and will always be a very personal God to every believer. He will never forget His promises to us, will always desire to be hands-on with our lives, and will always want us to have faith and trust in Him, doing what is right. This is our God.
