First of all, who were the other two men with the Lord??? Add that to my list of questions for Jesus. We may never know the answer to that, but Abraham definitely recognized the Lord, so that’s the most important thing we need to know.
Second, why is the story of Sarah laughing silently to herself about becoming pregnant always linked to doubting God, but no one ever mentions the fact that Abraham, in Chapter 17, laughed to himself, too? It seems Abraham laughed and then abruptly changed the subject. “Bless Ishmael!” he diverted. Whereas Sarah just lied, but did she lie to protect her husband – or herself from shaming her husband? God didn’t confront Sarah directly. He turned to Abraham and asked, “Why did your wife laugh?” Before Abraham could answer, though, Sarah said, “Oh, not me. I didn’t laugh!” I wonder what Abraham would have said if his wife had stayed silent. And I wonder why Sarah felt the need to jump in before he had a chance to defend her honor – or at least ask her himself. Poor, Sarah. Maybe this isn’t wholly a lesson about doubt but also a lesson about when to keep your trap closed. Ah, ok, let’s call it what it really is – trust, specifically trust in relationships. Maybe God was testing that as well. He could have asked Sarah directly, but by asking Abraham, he got a peek into their trust for one another.
Finally, why did Abraham go on and on about saving Sodom? I don’t know why he did it in such length, but I do remember that Lot and King Malchizadek are in Sodom, so I’m sure that’s why Abraham was so concerned.
Writing prompt: Foot in your mouth
Option 1: write a scenario where Sarah doesn’t respond and Abraham must answer God’s question.
Option 2: write about a time you wish you would have kept your big mouth shut.
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