(Originally posted January 20, 2014)

“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ … Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ … 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….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.'” (Genesis 17:17; 18:12; 21:2-3,5-6, NASB).

The name Isaac means, “He laughs.” And, each time the verb “laugh” is used in these verses, it is a wordplay on the name “Isaac.” So, this extraordinary and somewhat humorous story of the miraculous birth of Isaac is actually a story of who gets the last laugh!

God appeared to Abraham when he was ninety-nine years old and renewed His covenant with him. God commanded Abraham and all his male descendants to be circumcised as a sign of His covenant.

Then, God told Abraham that his covenant people will be descended through a son born to his wife, Sarah, who was ninety years old and barren.  Abraham fell on his face before God and laughed at the implausibility of a child being born to a hundred-year-old man and a ninety-year-old woman.