Genesis 21:6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me
Laughter is generally contagious. In fact, laughter can be addicting. If you are playing with a little child, their laughter is contagious and something you love to hear. I recently watched a video of bloopers, which were funny on their own, but what was irresistible was the laughter of the people involved in the bloopers after the mistake actually happened. After five minutes of hearing all this laughter, it was hard not to be laughing myself. Laughter is contagious.
In Genesis 21 we read the story of God keeping His promise in giving Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. They named him Isaac, which means “he laughs.” I love Sarah’s response to God keeping His promise in Genesis 21:6 where she said, “God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” That is a wonderful response.
There are three kinds of laughter you read about in several chapters of Genesis. The first is really a manifestation of doubt. In Genesis 18:12, when Sarah heard that she was to have a child in her old age, she “laughed within herself.” The Lord asked, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Sarah denied that she laughed and was afraid. If you had been in the tent with Sarah that day, would you have heard her laugh? No, she laughed within herself. God knew the response in her heart. She didn’t let out a big “haha,” but laughed within herself in doubt.
In verse 9 we find mockery. “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.” He was mocking Isaac. This is the same root word from which we get the name Isaac and the word laughter. This was laughter of mocking or scorn. In Genesis 19 when Lot tried to warn his sons-in-law about the encroaching destruction of Sodom, the Bible says,”“He seemed as one that mocked.” The sons-in-law thought that Lot was scorning them and that is exactly what Ishmael was doing. It is like when you look at something, shake your head, roll your eyes and say, “That is ridiculous.”
Proverbs says much about the scorner. I think that there is too much sarcasm in the world today. Is there a place for sarcasm? Perhaps there is. Elijah was sarcastic to the prophets of Baal. He also killed them later on. Sarcasm is used occasionally by God’s people in the Bible, but you are not going to win arguments that way.
So, you have doubt and scorn, and then you have the laughter in verse 6 where Sarah says, “God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” That is the laughter of joy. In the verse setting up the story it says, “And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.” Sarah had joy despite testing. If you have ever waited for a child to be born, nine months seems a long time, especially if you are the mother carrying the child. Imagine being a hundred years old as Abraham was.
The takeaway is to be contagious and spread joy! Consider your companions. Are you hanging around people who always bring you down? We should love people, so if someone is not always happy, I am not saying we should get rid of them. But are your companions buoyant? Do they have something for which to live? Are you helping them or are you always bringing people down? Be contagious and spread joy.
How? Notice Sarah says, “God hath made me to laugh.” So, look up. Compare Sarah’s old age to God’s timelessness and Sarah’s barrenness to God’s power. Don’t look down or around; look up. God has made me to laugh. So many times we are looking around us and are discouraged by what we see. Don’t look around; look up.
Don’t look down. I love to hiking, skiing, and other pursuits that have taken me into places I don’t really care for in the sense that I don’t like heights. I’ve had people tell me at times to not look down. That is a good admonition. Don’t look down; look up. God is always good. Look up.
Sarah continues, “So that all that hear will laugh with me.” She is talking about us and all those between us and her and the future. Look forward. Don’t look back. So many times we are dragged into our past remembering shameful actions we wish we could take back. You can’t take anything back, but you can move forward. The area to which you move forward tomorrow is the thing upon which you will look back in a year. Look forward. All of us have things we wish we could change. Even if it is a good past where we wish for those golden days of success, looking back is not helping us live a life that would please God and help others now.
The long view gives us perspective. It is great to be happy. I have a donut, I’m happy. It is understandable to be sad. I stubbed my toe; I’m sad. But there is more to life than the little speck of time in which you find yourself right now. There is a big picture. I can’t see it and you can’t see it, but Genesis is part of the big picture. This is not an isolated story. It is part of God’s continuing provision of a son, a nation, and a Messiah for the world and everyone in it. The longer view gives us perspective and gives us joy.
How about you? Are you laughing today? Is it doubt? Is it scorn? Is it joy? Be contagious. Look up; look forward; look to God. Spread joy.