This transcript was auto-generated. 

We saw last time that God spoke to Abraham and made a covenant with Abraham. God said I'm going to make a promise that you are going to have a son and all your descendants are going to have children and all those offspring are going to inherit the land. But now, beginning in verse 15 the Lord then speaks about Sarai.

“God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah”. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.

(Gen. 17:15-16)

So now God’ going to change Sarai’s name as well. In Hebrew her new name ‘Sarah’ has the idea of nobility or royalty (about it and fits the idea that future rulers are going to be the direct offspring of both her and Abraham. This is interesting because the first time God has said to Abram you are going to have a son, He had not specifically said it was coming via Sarah prior to this point. In theory based on what's been said so far, she could have died, and he could have got another wife and the child could come via another woman. But probably because of that whole fiasco with Hagar we studied a few episodes back, God makes the position absolutely clear and says, this is going to be achieved via you and your wife Sarah. That must have seemed like an impossible situation because she is way past childbearing age. Abraham is now 99, so how are they ever going to have children? Abraham response to this statement by God is understandable.  

“Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”

(Gen. 17: 17)

So, why is he laughing? Is this a laughter of doubt or is it a laughter of joy? This gets much debated as you can imagine. I personally don't think it's a laughter of doubt for several reasons. Firstly, he falls on his face which is an act of adoration and worship. He's not laughing at God or doubting God, I believe he's celebrating and worshiping God. Another reason I don’t think this is a laughter of doubt or ridicule is because in Romans chapter 4 Paul says this when looking back at this chapters.

“Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness”.

(Rom 4:4) 

Paul goes into great detail in the latter part of chapter 4 to explain how and what Abraham believed.

We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.  Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

(Rom. 4: 9-12)

That final verse reminding us that this applies to us also. It continues later in the chapter.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.

(Rom 4: 18-22) 

The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, who God will also credit righteousness –

“For us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification”.

(Rom 23-25) 

So, I agree with most bible commentators that this laughter was one of joyous praise. It is at this point Abraham replies and speaks to God. We shall look at what he says next time.