It’s easy to look at the joys in life and come to the wrong conclusion, to believe that those who receive blessings are somehow particularly worthy of them. The name “Isaac” should remind us of that, because it means “laughter.” But this doesn’t just refer to the laughter of surprised joy at his birth. No, when the three messengers had showed up to tell Sarah that she herself would have a baby, she had also laughed – in disbelief (Genesis 18:12). Isaac’s name thus recalls the fact that Sarah was not particularly faithful, and yet God gave him to her anyway.

But Abraham wasn’t any more faithful than Sarah. After all, God had promised over and over to bless him and to protect him (Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1). And yet Abraham repeated the same sin in chapter 20 that he had committed in chapter 13: failing to trust in God and relying instead on a lie to keep himself safe, putting his wife in danger by insisting that she pretend to be his sister. No, Abraham didn’t deserve God’s blessings any more than Sarah did.

So, why did God grant them a miracle – a child born to Sarah when she was 90 years old, a child whose birth no reasonable person thought was possible (21:7)? It wasn’t because of their faithfulness, but because of God’s faithfulness. God did what He said. God did what He promised.

And that’s the good news for us as well. For God still chooses to shower His blessings on those who don’t deserve them, on sinners like us. And God still blesses those who confess our sins because of the sacrifice of Christ, because He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Surely such a gracious and merciful God is worthy of our trust and our praise.

Genesis 21:1-7 (NASB)

Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised.
2 So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”