What would you think if you woke up tomorrow and heard the news that actress Sophia Loren was pregnant? What?!?! That’s impossible! You’d quickly check online to see how old she is, and find out that she is 90 years old. Well, that’s impossible, you’d think. No 90 year old woman can have a baby. That is almost always the case. I say almost, as that impossible event did happen, as we will read in our Scripture today.
As our Scripture opens, we find an elderly Abraham (he was 100 at the time), sitting in the shade of a terebinth tree. As he sat there, he saw three men approach him. In Biblical days, hospitality was of paramount importance. This didn’t just apply to friends or relatives, but also especially to strangers. It didn’t matter that Abraham did not know these men, he was a kind and generous host. He immediately gave orders to have a meal prepared, and invited the men to join him in the shade (vs. 1-5).
Regardless of the fact that hospitality was important and expected by everyone in that culture, Abraham was eager to serve. He did not know yet who these visitors were, and we will get to that in a moment, but his actions would mirror the New Testament call to serve others as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). As believers, we are called to serve others without hesitation, even if it might be inconvenient for us. Our faith should express itself in action, just like Abraham’s did, by showing hospitality, a readiness to serve, and honoring others. We, like Abraham, may find ourselves entertaining angels without knowing (Hebrews 13:2).
As the four men sat and ate the meal that Sarah, Abraham’s wife had prepared, the three guests asked where she was. Another custom in Old Testament days was that men and women ate separately in formal settings or with strangers present, as in this occasion. Then one of the men said to Abraham that at this time the next year she would have born him a son (vs 9-10). It was at this time that Abraham probably came to realize that this was the Lord God in a human form, along with two angels, who had visited him. Such an occurrence is called a Theophany. A Theophany is a visible manifestation of God, often as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. This would become fully apparent a little later on when Abraham and these men would take a walk to view the city of Sodom in the distance (Genesis 18:16-21).
One of the visitors, who we now know was the Lord, promised Abraham that he would have a son within the year. Sarah, who was in the nearby tent, overheard this comment, and laughed quietly to herself (vs. 10-12). She knew that she was 90, and had long since, by several decades, passed the age to bear a child. Also, she knew that this promise had been made to her and Abraham several times before, and nothing had happened so far, so why would this promise be any different (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:4-5; Genesis 17:15-19). She had been barren all of her life, and now was 90 years old. This would be impossible, so Sarah quietly laughed at this comment.
Much to her embarrassment, though, the Lord heard her quiet laughter, and asked Abraham why his wife was laughing at that promise. He asked them both whether anything is too hard for the Lord to accomplish (vs. 13-14). Sarah, embarrassed and afraid at being called out on this, denied laughing, but the Lord wouldn’t let her get away with it, and said no, that she had indeed laughed (vs. 15).
As Christians, we can know for certain that God’s promises are sure, even when humanly impossible. He is omnipotent and also faithful. Something that is humanly impossible, like a 90 year old woman naturally becoming pregnant, is no problem with the Lord. He has all power to override any physical laws such as that. The Lord is also faithful. He made the promise to Abraham, and He is faithful to keep it. The delay showed that this child was from God, not just by nature.
As we look at this miraculous and wonderful event in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, we can know and believe that truly, nothing is impossible for God. When we face impossible circumstances in our life God invites us to trust Him fully, and anchor our hope in His Word. Faith often requires trusting beyond what we can see or understand, as Abraham and Sarah saw. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, and this truth should fuel our faith and obedience to Him.
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