Genesis 18:9 - Meaning and Application

These heavenly visitors had come to confirm the promise that Abraham would have a son by Sarah. While they received Abraham’s warm hospitality, they returned his kindness with a gracious message from heaven, as in Matthew 10:41. He welcomed angels, and he received an angel’s reward.

Care is first taken that Sarah should be within hearing. She had to conceive by faith, so the promise needed to be spoken to her, as Hebrews 11:11 says. In that culture, women did not usually eat with men, especially strangers, but stayed in their own part of the house. So Sarah is out of sight, but she is not out of hearing.

The angels ask, “Where is Sarah your wife?” By naming her, they show Abraham that they know him and his family very well. By asking after her, they also show a kind concern for the household of one who had treated them well. Simple courtesy is good, and when it grows out of Christian love, it is holy.

When they speak of Sarah, with her listening nearby, they draw her to pay attention to what comes next. Abraham answers, “She is in the tent.” That was the proper place for her at the time, and she was there as usual, within reach if needed. From this we learn that Sarah’s daughters should follow her example and be keepers at home, as Titus 2:5 says. There is nothing gained by wandering about. Those are most likely to receive comfort from God and his promises who are where they should be and doing their duty, as Luke 2:8 shows.

Then the promise is repeated and confirmed, that Sarah will have a son, as in Genesis 18:10. In effect, God says, “I will return at the appointed time, and then I will bring the promise to pass.” God returns to those who welcome him and honor his visits: he gives back kindness with mercy. The promise is repeated again in Genesis 18:14. In the same way, the promises of the Messiah were often repeated in the Old Testament, to strengthen the faith of God’s people.

We are slow to believe, so we need the same truth spoken again and again. This is the word of promise Paul refers to in Romans 9:9, the word by which Isaac was born. The same blessings that others receive through common providence, believers receive through the promise, and that makes them sweeter and surer. The spiritual children of Abraham owe their life, joy, hope, and all they have to the promise. They are born through the word of God, as 1 Peter 1:23 says.

Sarah thinks this sounds too good to be true, so she does not yet believe it. She laughed within herself, as in Genesis 18:12. This was not the joyful laugh of faith, like Abraham’s in Genesis 17:17. It was the laugh of doubt and mistrust. The same outward action can come from very different hearts, and only God, who knows the heart, can judge rightly.

Sarah’s main objection was her age. She felt that she was too old to bear children, especially since she had been barren all her life, and Abraham was old too. Yet she calls Abraham “my lord.” That is the one good part of her words, and the Holy Spirit notices it to honor her, as in 1 Peter 3:6. Christian wives should imitate that respectful spirit, as in Ephesians 5:33. We should also be quick to notice what is spoken well, and cover what is weak with love.

Human impossibility often seems to stand against God’s promise. The objections that come from what we can see easily shake weak faith, even in true believers. It is hard to hold to the first Cause, God himself, when the second causes around us seem against it. Even where faith is real, unbelief often fights hard against it. Sarah could say, “Lord, I believe” in Hebrews 11:11, and still need to say, “Lord, help my unbelief.”

The angel then reproves Sarah’s improper distrust, as seen in Genesis 18:13-14. Even though she was kindly and generously entertaining them, they still corrected her when she did wrong. Christ did the same with Martha in her own house, as in Luke 10:40-41. Friends may be kind to us, but that does not mean we should leave sin unchallenged.

God gave this rebuke to Sarah through Abraham, her husband. He asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Perhaps Abraham had not told her of the promise he had already received, and if he had shared it fully, she might not have been so surprised. Or perhaps Abraham was told so that he could tell her. Mutual correction, when needed, is part of married life.

The rebuke is plain, and it is supported by a strong reason: “Why did Sarah laugh?” It is wise to ask why we laugh, so it will not be the laughter of fools, as Ecclesiastes 7:6 warns. We should also ask, “Why did I laugh?” Our unbelief and distrust are a serious offense to the God of heaven. He rightly takes it badly when we set the objections of sight against his promise, as in Luke 1:18.

Then comes a question that answers every complaint of flesh and blood: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” That means two things. First, is anything so hidden that God cannot know it? No, not even Sarah’s laugh, though it was only within herself. Second, is anything so difficult that God cannot do it? No, not even giving Sarah a child in her old age.

Sarah then tries foolishly to hide her fault, as in Genesis 18:15. She denied it and said, “I did not laugh,” thinking no one could prove her wrong. She told this lie out of fear, but it was useless to hide anything from the God who sees all. She was told, to her shame, “You did laugh.”

There does seem to be some retraction of her distrust here. She may have come to see, by putting the pieces together, that this was truly God’s promise to her, and so she gave up her doubting thoughts. But at the same time, she tried to cover one sin with another by lying. It is shameful to do wrong, but it is even worse to deny it, because that adds sin to sin.

Fear of rebuke often traps people in this way, as Isaiah 57:11 says. We deceive ourselves if we think we can fool God. He can bring the truth to light, and he will, to our shame if we will not repent. The one who hides his sin will not prosper, because the day is coming when it will all be revealed.