MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDY Pastor Alex M Perednia
11/18/09 #10 OUR FATHER ABRAHAM
Laughter Turned Into Laughter (Genesis 21)
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WARMING UP
Laughter… is something that Abraham and Sarah have done a lot in this
25-year journey into God’s promise. Do you remember the laughter of
Abraham in Genesis 17:17 and Sarah in Genesis 18:12?
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?”
So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and
my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
Today, we will see in Genesis 21:6 how God works: laughter turns into
laughter at the birth of the promised son Isaac:
Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears
about this will laugh with me.”
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Which of the quotes below (if any) do you think best describes the kind of
laughter in Gen 17:17, 18:12 and 21:6? Do any of these quotes describe
the kind of laughter you are now experiencing in this stage of your life?
So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate
sword other than laughter. ~Gordon W. Allport
I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying,
"Ain't that the truth. ~ Quincy Jones
Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it. ~Henry Ward Beecher
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FOR BIBLE STUDY & DISCUSSION
Let’s see how God turns the laughter of hopelessness and unbelief into the
laughter of fulfillment and faith by reading Genesis 21.
 According to 21:1-2, how is the birth of Isaac described? What words
emphasize the action and character of God? What does this tell us
about God and his promise to us?
 According to 21:3-5, what do the actions of Abraham show about his
faith and his thankfulness for this fulfilled promise? How does the
name of Isaac add to the irony of this miraculous event? Who really
has the “last laugh” in the end?
 According to Sarah in Gen. 21:6, who else did she think would laugh
one day? What does her laughter now reveal about her faith and
expectations for her family’s future?
 On the day to celebrate Isaac’s weaning (about 3 years old), who is
now laughing and why, according to Gen. 21:8-9? According to Gen.
21:10, what is Sarah’s reaction and what does she tell Abraham he
must do? According to Gen. 21:11-14, how does Abraham feel about
this family tension? What does God tell him to do?
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“The prospects and expectations of Ishmael are suddenly shattered…. Now
the true heir appears, Ishmael is moved to mad hatred. Proud and
impetuous, he does not conceal his chagrin… Sarah saw Ishmael “mocking”
… This participle comes from the same root as Isaac, and means that root
means “to laugh.” The intensive form of the participle here indicates that
this was not simple laughter but “ridicule.” ….Since Ishmael was fourteen
years older than Isaac and therefore the eldest son of Abraham, it was natural
for him to consider himself the heir.” (John Davis, Paradise to Prison, p. 213)
 The Apostle Paul sees some important spiritual lessons from the saga
of Sarah and Hagar.
 According to Galatians 4:21-31, what does Paul see as the
ultimate spiritual lesson of this saga between Sarah and Hagar?
What are we to learn from this about our relationship with God?
 According to Paul in Romans 9:6-9, what is the spiritual lesson
to learn about God’s choice of one son over the other?
 According to Genesis 21:14-21, how does the story of Hagar and
Ishmael turn out? How does God show his faithfulness to this child of
Abraham? In what ways, will history prove God’s promise to Ishmael
(21:13) a reality? In what ways, do current events still bear the marks
of this ancient saga between two brothers dueling for an inheritance?
 Having studied the story, how would you describe the change of
laughter from Gen. 17 to 21? Do you have a story to tell about how
God has changed your laughter of hopeless despair into the laughter of
hopeful trust? In what ways do you think we’ll experience the
laughter of joy throughout eternity?