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He Laughs

Words of Faith Final

He Laughs
Words of Faith 3-28-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL    
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 17
    [17] Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" [18] And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"
    [19] Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. [20] And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. [21] But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." [22] When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
    [23] On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. [24] Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, [25] and his son Ishmael was thirteen; [26] Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. [27] And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

           Abraham laughed. Sometimes there is nothing else to do but laugh. It seemed ridiculous that a barren 90-year-old woman could give birth to a son! Abraham had assumed that his descendants would come through Ishmael. But God had a different plan. He always had a different plan. He would bring forth Isaac, a name which means "he laughs."
           How interesting that Abraham prayed for blessing upon Ishmael and God answered that prayer. The descendants of Ishmael would not be the chosen Covenant people by which the Lord would bring forth His Messiah. But the Ishmaelites would be blessed in a mighty way to be fruitful. The Arab peoples that actually came forth as descendants of Ishmael would one day be great in number.
        Abraham circumcised Ishmael even though God was clear that the descendants of Ishmael were not his covenant people. Muslims circumcise infant males as a part of their traditions. We must remember that the act of Circumcision was not the actual Covenant; it was the sign of the Covenant. Even today, Circumcision does not create a covenant in and of itself.
        Was all this some kind of mistake? Did Abraham utter a blessing that he would have regretted had he known the course of history? God does not work that way. God Almighty is just that-- all mighty. His plans are not diverted or thwarted by the utterance of man. There is purpose in all that He brings forth even in the conflict that would arise between the descendents of Ishmael and Isaac.
        God chose one people to thrive in numbers, but He chose the other to bring for the Light of the World, for ALL nations. The hope of the world was coming to pass even as the seeds of conflict were beginning to take root.
        God still knows exactly what He is doing. He is still God Almighty, El Shaddai. He is in charge of this world. He knows what He is doing. He is shining His Light into the darkness that His love may be known. For God so loved the world...

          Dear God Almighty, El Shaddai. Reveal Yourself among the nations. Reveal Your love for this world through the Gospel of Your Son. Show Yourself to those who suffer in darkness. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.