Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old?’ Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.” Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.””
(Genesis 18:13-15)

One of the reasons these visitors came was to start the clock on the delivery of the promised seed of Abraham through Sarah naturally giving birth. The clock needed to be started so that Sarah had a promise to hold onto. Something to trust in. A transformative moment where she looked past the physical limitations and trusted that in spite of the issues (old age for both of them and her ever-barren womb), God could accomplish what He said He could accomplish in the WAY He said He could accomplish it. This is no mean feat. Zechariah couldn’t overcome his doubts and he and his wife, although in a similar situation, weren’t anywhere near as old as Abraham and Sarah (Luke 1:5-20; Numbers 4:3, 8:25).

The one angel responds to Sarah’s INTERNAL response to his words. This is clear proof that they were NOT mortal men visiting.

Sarah didn’t believe the words. She doubted that she or Abraham could do this thing. She also was fearful of having been caught (don’t we all know that feeling). And she lied about it. To a clearly supernatural visitor. In spite of these things, she was given the chance to obey. She was given time to choose to trust God’s words (pregnancy to birth only takes nine months and she was given a clock of twelve). God was merciful and did not punish her for her unbelief. God still used her even though she wasn’t a ‘perfect’ vessel. God has never used anyone who was truly fully qualified. God wants to cooperate with us even though we are imperfect. He truly is a GRACIOUS and MERCIFUL God.

The sage Ramban writes: ‘I BEING OLD. This is the explanation of Sarah’s words, after I am waxed old. And G-d’s words [that Sarah had said, “I being old“], were true, but for the sake of peace He did not reveal what she also said, namely, My lord being old also, for [if He were quoting Sarah], He should have said, “I and my lord are old,” as Sarah had laughed concerning both of them.’

The sage Or HaChaim writes: ‘למועד אשוב, I will return at the appointed time, etc. The reason that the angel repeated the promise was that Abraham should not think that because G’d had objected to Sarah’s laughter G’d would take back His promise. This is why he said when exactly the promise would come true.’

The sage Rabbeinu Bahya writes: ‘ותכחש שרה, “Sarah denied having laughed;” How is it conceivable that our matriarch Sarah should not have believed the words of the angel? Was she not a prophetess? (compare Megillah 14) Our sages in Shemot Rabbah 1,1 explained that even Avraham was secondary in his stature of a prophet to Sarah! They derive this from 21,12 where G’d told Avraham: “whatever Sarah tells you to do, listen to her instruction!” Surely there is no prophet who is not aware that the angels are messengers of G’d, and that everything they say emanates from G’d. Furthermore, assuming that she had indeed not believed that the prediction of the angel would come true, surely she had no reason to deny what her reaction to the prophecy had been! This especially after the angel had demonstrated that he could read her thoughts and quoted her reaction back to her? What was the point of denying something the angel knew to be true?! The answer is that Avraham was well aware that these visitors were men; however, he had realized that they must be angels due to his superior wisdom. I have already hinted at this in my commentary on verse two of this chapter. Sarah, however, did not have that sort of insight. She was under the impression that these were ordinary human beings. This is why she had laughed (silently) at what she considered a preposterous prediction. As to her denying that she had laughed when challenged, she did so out of fear of Avraham; she thought that Avraham had challenged her laughter (not the angel) not because he heard it but because he knew her psyche. When the angel insisted that Sarah had indeed laughed, it suddenly became clear to her that Avraham had been given a prophetic insight which had revealed to him that she had laughed. At that point she kept quiet. This is the interpretation of Nachmanides of these verses.’