Faithful

Genesis 21:1-7 NASB

Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised.  So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.  Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.  Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.  Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.  Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me."  And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

My thoughts -

God made a ridiculous promise to Abraham and Sarah. Though they had no children and had lived well past the age you would expect them to be able to conceive God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. As if this were not clear enough God even made a more specific promise. God came near prior to the destruction of Sodom and visited Abraham. Abraham was 99 at the time and God promised He would visit again in a year and they would have a child. This promise, of course, was so ridiculous that Sarah, despite herself, laughed in God's face.

God made this promise, though, and God was faithful. But what of Abraham and Sarah? During the time that God had promised them offspring Sarah and Abraham took matters into their own hands by having Abraham also take Sarah's maid Hagar as his wife. With Hagar Abraham conceived a son Ishmael, but that son was not the fulfillment of God's promise.

Abraham also, not once but amazingly twice, gave his wife to other men to be their wife during this time. This displeased the Lord so much that he cursed those men and their families until Abraham and Sarah were restored to each other. Abraham trusted God enough to leave his home and his entire life behind. Abraham trusted God enough to believe it possible that he could father a child while being nearly 100 years old. But Abraham did not trust God enough to protect him and his wife from harm. And yet God, despite Abraham's lack of faith in this area, did just that while forcing others to restore the relationship that Abraham so foolishly and fearfully tossed away.

God promised that his chosen people would come through Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah seemed to go out of their way to ensure that this could not happen. And yet God, despite Abraham and Sarah's age and their actions, did what he promised.

God was faithful. Abraham and Sarah were blessed with the child promised to them. They were blessed in spite of the fact that he was 100 and she was 90. They were blessed in spite of the fact that neither were all that faithful to God or to each other. They were blessed in spite of the sheer absurdity of this entire situation.

God is faithful. Humans may fail. But God is faithful.