Yes, You Laughed

Genesis 16-20

What's the string that runs through all these stories and ties them together? Remember: think genealogy - think stories of people that help explain who they are, where their friendly neighbors come from and their sworn enemies. Where did the Ishmaelites come from? They come from Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah. Because Sarah disbelieved God, because she laughed at his promise to her that she would give birth to a son, she had Abraham sleep with Hagar. This did not work out as planned. There are several layers of meaning to the stories - it's rich in human personality, character flaws, and God's involvement in real life.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah becomes the background story for where the Moabites and Ammonites come from. Along with the Ishmaelites, these three tribes will be perennial enemies to Israel for centuries and centuries to come. According to the Israelites, these three tribes have shameful beginnings - but, ironically, they all have similar ancestors! 

The thread to the story, though, is about the covenant that God makes with Abram and Sarai - and he changes their name to Abraham and Sarah. Why? In the Hebrew language of this story, God inserts the equivalent of the letter H in their name. H came to represent the name of God - he put his name in their name. God inserted himself into Abraham and Sarah's life, chose to bless them, decided to work through them to bless the world. It's not easy work dealing with humanity - we have a tendency to drift towards destruction. But God is always at work - and he is always willing to work in us and through us. Even if you laugh.