Isaac: all laughter is not the same

Tomorrow's OT lesson from Genesis 21 is below, along with my fooling-with-it notes inserted. It has been some years since I taught my adult Sunday school class and the prep effort and actual presentation are in my rearview mirror anymore; but I liked to make the Sunday school hour specifically relevant by focusing on the Lectionary readings for the instant Sunday. 

Just so, if I were teaching a class tomorrow I'd work on the Genesis 21 story, which is a continuation - (that's the way Lectionary Year A OT readings after Pentecost work, series of stories) - a continuation of last week's droll story about the conception of Isaac, son of Sarah and Abraham (?!) by the Holy Spirit.

Last weeks' story has 90-year-old Sarah laughing when The Lord promises that she will give birth to a son, and The Lord taking offense at her for laughing. Her laugh, though, seems not to be delight, you see, it's scorn; because the promise itself is outrageously absurd. And it's on top of Sarah and Abraham's ongoing experience with The Lord's promises, covenants, over the past quarter century anyway, about their having children, promises that have come to naught and that have actually become laughable to the elderly couple. So, Sarah laughed. And The Lord took it to mean what the Hebrew word says it was: scorn, even unto contempt.

The same Hebrew word for laughter comes into play in tomorrow's story, again involving Sarah. Several years have passed, there's a celebration because Isaac is being weaned from his mother's breastmilk - - he's five years old and this is a mark in his growth. For similarity perhaps, visualize a young Jewish boy today turning thirteen, and at his barMitzvah (which significantly means "son of the covenant) he gives his classical speech that ritually begins, "Today I am a man." So, today Isaac is no longer an infant, he could say, "Today I am a child," eh? and he's being honored for reaching that Time of life. 

Abraham and Sarah would have been very proud of him. But, and the Bible translators miss the point by glossing over Ishmael's reaction. Ishmael is the jealous half-brother, not pleased that today is all bout Isaac, and Isaac is getting all the attention. Ishmael is not "playing with" Isaac gently and lovingly, Ishmael is mocking Isaac, tormenting him, even bullying Isaac, ruining Isaac's special day. 

Ishmael doesn't know it, but he has sealed his own fate, established his own destiny, and set the destiny of another people: his step-mother Sarah is looking out the window, sees what's going on, and she is furious. The story unfolds. In the Heilsgeschichte, holy story of Israel, as the story is told at campfires and eventually set down in writing as Genesis 21, this is where the Ishmaelites come from, Ishmael as the ancestor of the Arab people.

OT stories are fun. We try to own them, but they are not ours**, they are Hebrew stories that belong to the Jewish people, whom we may not understand as well as we imagine we do. SomeTimes, an OT story that we read as dead serious literalism is Hebrew tongue-in-cheek as they made fun of themselves and their neighbors, friends and enemies. Or accounted for their existence.

Again, my favorite examples come later in the stories of Jacob and Esau. Esau is the stupid, gullible hairy ape (laughter) ancestor of Israel's cousins but enemies. Our hero Jacob the gentleman tricks his stupid hairy ape brother Esau out of everthing, his birthright and his blessing (laughter). Jacob gets his comeuppance, though, when he wakes up after his wedding night and discovers that his father-in-law has tricked him into marrying the ugly daughter instead of the beautiful daughter Jacob is in love with (hilarious laughter). These are good old campfire stories that entertained the Israelites generations later as they traveled through the wilderness with Moses. They are all Israel's story of their history and national life with The Lord, Adonai, Elohim, God of Israel. 

At any event, here's tomorrow's OT story, along with my insertions, about Sarah banning Hagar and Ishmael. It starts a new chapter in Jewish history with God; it's one of those diverging roads in the yellow wood that Robert Frost has in mind. One of my favorites since I first learned it in my cousin Bill's Sunday school class at East Hill Baptist Church. 

Genesis 21:8-21

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with - - -

6711 [e] mə·ṣa·ḥêq. מְצַחֵֽק׃ mocking

laugh, mock, play, make sport

A primitive root; to laugh outright (in merriment or scorn); by implication, to sport -- laugh, mock, play, make sport.

KJV: laugh, mock, play, make sport

Genesis 18:9bf  Sarah Laughs at the Promise

9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. - - -

her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

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** although my often stated view is that all Bible stories become our own personal heritage and property at our Baptism!

Reading back, I see at least three typos above: kindly overlook them. TW+

art: Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian, 1702–1788, "Ishmael mocking Isaac"

RSF&PTL

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