“And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?” (Genesis 18:13 KJV)
Laughter is curious. At least it makes those around us curious. We all want in on the joke or the insight that is clearly different than everyone else’s insight. Laughter is also curious because the insight is so sudden that we might not yet have controlled ourselves and thus revealed something that we are not yet ready to reveal. Assuming the laughter is genuine. In Sarah’s case, it was not necessarily a bad thing that she laughed. It was something worth pointing out and questioning because it reveals what can be quite common among all of us. That there is a differential between what we believe is a normal possibility and what the Lord has for us. One of the important reasons for recognizing this differential is that when the Lord does what he has said that he will do, we know with an increased certainty that it was the Lord that did it. Things didn’t just “fall into place”. Nothing “just worked out”. Jesus is more than the sustainer of what we need, he is the architect of what he wants to do.
Further on in verses 17 and 18, the Lord questions “…shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do…” This highlights two more realizations. First, God can do what he likes with or without us. Second, one of the reasons for considering to show us what he is about to do is for the benefit of a witness. A witness both to the event and to the intent behind the event. Much like you would want a child or an apprentice to see what is done. When Abraham is shown, Abraham is very intent on getting the number of “just” people down as far as he can. This is because when we see what the Lord is about to do, we realize the inadequacy of people. Often the inadequacy of ourselves. In Genesis 13, Lot had so many flocks, herds, and herdsmen that they could not dwell together and now there will not be found even ten people left who are “just”. We see in Genesis 19:14 that even Lot’s sons-in-law mock him. What is so enticing in a wealthy community that so few are left to be counted as just? Where have we as people moved our treasures to? It is for good reason that we are told to recenter those treasures in heaven (see Matthew 6:19-21). It is also a great reason to not lose that saltiness which is a firm trust and faith in Jesus (see Matthew 5:13).
“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50 KJV)