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"Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Text: Genesis 21:1-34

A WONDERFUL RE-INTERPRETATION

Baby Isaac was born! The long-standing promise of God was finally fulfilled. Any skepticism in the heart was banished! It was now time to re-interpret the name “Isaac”.

“Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son
Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh,
and all who hear will laugh with me.’ She also said, ‘Who would
have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?
For I have borne him a son in his old age.'”

GENESIS 21:5-7

It is wonderful to trace the way in which the name Isaac is re-interpreted by Sarah.

1. A skeptical laugh

This was captured in the text above. ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?’ There was a stage when Sarah found it hard to believe that she could ever give to Abraham a son in his old age.

2. God’s Gift of Laughter

As Sarah held her baby Isaac in her arms, she knew at last that the bundle of joy she held was from the Lord. It was He who turned her skeptical laughter to one full of joy as only a birth-mother could feel and enjoy!

3. A Gift of Joy shared with others

Sarah was most conscious of the fact that those who will hear about the birth of Isaac would be happy for her and with her! The birth of a child, especially that from the famous household of Abraham, was cause for joy in the household!

4. A Joy that Lasts a Lifetime

The joy that parenthood brings is most astonishing. It is a joy that is felt each time the eyes behold the baby. It is a joy that never ends.

THE GIFT OF CHILDREN

How should the gift of children be viewed? Let us ponder these profound thoughts from Psalm 127.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them…”
PSALM 127:3-5