“Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of
which God had spoken to him.”
After many years, when Abraham
was, according to the Bible, a hundred years old, Sarah finally conceived and
bore him a son. Abraham called him Isaac, which was derived from the Hebrew
word for laughter. The name is a reminder of Sarah’s reaction when they were
told this child’s conception was imminent, which was to laugh, perhaps in
delight, perhaps in disbelief – we are not told which. (Genesis 18.9-15) Now
Sarah has at last got a real cause for rejoicing. She has the last laugh. A
lifetime’s shame at not being able to bear children has ended.
Just a chapter later, however,
she nearly loses her precious child. Abraham is told by God to sacrifice their
long-awaited child (Genesis 22.1-19). At the last minute, God sends a ram to be
offered as a sacrifice instead. Sarah is not mentioned at all in this story.
She is not told where Abraham is taking Isaac or for what, and no
explanation is given to her when they
return. We are left to imagine for ourselves the conversation that might have
taken place when she eventually finds out how close Isaac came to death!
·
What do you think it might have been like to
be Isaac? What might have been the positives and negatives of being born to
parents who had waited so long for his arrival?
·
How old were your parents when you were born?
Do you think this had any impact on the way they felt about you or brought you
up?
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