A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Trials only reveal the faith that is already there. One of the most important lessons of faith one
can learn is to wait for God’s timing.
The need to wait for God’s timing is emphasized in the great Old Testament affirmation
of faith, “The just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4). The previous verse emphasizes this
principle of timing. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and
it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (v. 3).
One of the most difficult lessons of faith to learn is that of the times of God. Abraham waited
twenty-five years for the promised seed, but Isaac arrived right on time according to God’s
calendar and clock.
Isaac was a miracle baby. He was given to Abraham and Sarah by omniscient grace and
received life through resurrection power. He had a supernatural birth and in this way was a type
of Jesus Christ. His birth was the product of grace. Grace is receiving the exact opposite of what
you deserve. In keeping with the covenant, he was circumcised on the eighth day, representative
of the new thing God was doing and the new beginning of the family of Abraham.
Again the Scriptures record Sarah laughing (Gen. 21:6). This time her laughter was the
laugh of faith, a testimony to her faith. She encouraged others to rejoice with her in her great joy.
The Hebrew expression yi’echak liy here translated “laugh with me” refers to the laugh of
astonishment or rejoicing rather than the laugh of derision. This is in keeping with the surprise or
astonishment of Sarah at the birth of Isaac. All of the verbs in the next verse are expressed in the
perfect tense which when used in questions expresses astonishment at that which appears to the
speaker as having the highest degree of improbability.
In keeping with Eastern custom, Abraham hosted a festival at the weaning of his son. The
Bible does not specifically state the time of Isaac’s weaning and various commentators have
speculated from several months to five years. Eastern mothers tended to breast-feed their
children longer than do Western mothers today. It was not uncommon for the child to be walking
long before he/she was weaned in such societies. Swiss reformer, J. H. Bullinger, suggests Isaac
was not weaned until he was 5 years old. His argument is based on the chronological figures
used in Scripture concerning the time from Abraham to the Law. There were 430 years from the
call of Abraham at age 75 to the giving of the Law (Gal. 3:17) and 400 years from the
confirmation of the promise at the weaning of Isaac (Gen. 21:12) to the Law (Acts 7:6). As
Abraham was 100 years old at the birth of Isaac, the above figures may be harmonized if Isaac
was weaned at age 5.
CASTING OFF THE FRUIT OF THE FLESH
(Gen. 21:9-21)
At the feast celebrating the weaning of Isaac, Sarah saw Ishmael “mocking” her son
(Gen. 21:9). The Hebrew word metsachek translated “mocking” is a pi’el participle and intensive
form of the verbal root of Isaac’s name. Ishmael was fourteen years older than Isaac; therefore it