So here we have the infamous "laughing" circumstance. Sarah's laugh was one of doubting and distrust. Now immediately following God's pronouncement, she drew attention to her doubt, in verse 12, when she laughed within herself, and said those things we just read. Her laugh was not one of joyful anticipation of such a great blessing, and God, who had His back turned to her, immediately discerned and corrected her, reminding her with His question, "Is anything too hard for the LORD? She then added insult to injury by denying that she laughed a laugh of doubt. She was not only doubting, but now she was fearing as well.
It is indeed a shameful thing to sin in this manner, but she was adding iniquity to iniquity, as it says in another place in the Bible, by covering it up with the lie that she had not laughed. There are a couple of lessons, here, for us.
This startling statement is intended by God to be not merely instruction, but also a fairly strong threat as well. Children can put things over on their parents because, humanly, we lack the powers to be aware of everywhere at all times. But with God, our spiritual Father, there is no such limitation. So consider this. In the narrative of Genesis 18, it gives no indication of any external manifestation of Sarah's doubt. He read her mind without even looking at her.
God's judgment of Sarah was different from the judgment of Zachariah. Other than a verbal correction by Him of her, there was no punishment. Now was God playing favorites? No. There is no partiality with God. I want you to recall though that Zachariah was not merely a righteous man, he was also a priest and, therefore, a leader of the community. God discerned the source of Zachariah's response, and it did not measure up to His standard for Zachariah.
Remember the principle that Christ gave us regarding God's judgment. "To whom much is given, the much more is required." Sarah's reaction was generated by weakness. Her laugh was not a harsh antagonistic scorn, and God immediately discerned this, and He judged accordingly. And though Zachariah was not antagonistic, his skepticism really counted heavily against him. He should have known better.
We are going to find out that He did not have to ask that question at all, but He did. It is an indication where He is dealing with this situation almost as if He was a man, and she had not come into view. So, we have to assume at this point then, that she is behind Him. That He was sitting in a position where she had not come into view, she was busy roasting a calf or baking bread and that she was somewhere out of sight. Then He asked the question, “Where is your wife Sarah?” Abraham’s response was “She is in the tent.” She was close enough that she could hear what was going on, because she heard the Lord make the promise that according to the time of life, meaning somewhere around 9 months, she was going to have a child.
Now, she laughed, not out loud, but she laughed within herself. She was in the tent, concealed, and she did not make any sound at all. It was something that was completely inward. Now this is how I know: the Lord really did not have to ask that question because He knew where she was and He knew she could hear, but, Sarah was the one who needed the witness as to whom this was that Abraham was dealing with. Just in case she did not know that he was dealing with the omnipotent God, He said, “Why did she laugh?”
Remember, the purpose of this was to establish Sarah’s faith. To confirm that it was there because she was involved in this thing with Abraham. So it was not just Abraham and his faith, because he was just one of the vessels. He was one with Sarah, and Sarah was the one that was going to complete it. So she needed the lesson of the One who was giving this promise.
Almighty God uses abundant irony and incongruity to make a point. We are all familiar with the story of the naming of our second patriarch Isaac (Yitzhak) meaning laughter (Genesis 21:5-6). Earlier in Genesis 18:10-15, when God informed Abraham and Sarah that they will have a son “by this time next year,” Sarah openly laughs incredulous that she would ever experience sexual pleasure again—really? An 89-year-old? Abraham was even more over the hill, 99 years old, reproductively speaking dead (Hebrews 11:11-12). Consider the incredible irony of this miracle—from a post-menopausal woman and a man probably riddled with ED come descendants as numerous as the stars and countless as the sands of the seashore (Genesis 15:5, Genesis 22:17, Genesis 26:14, Exodus 31:13).
Sarah's relationship with God lacked honesty and trust and faith at that moment, which is revealed in her fearful lying response to God's promise.
