†. Gen 18:9a . .They said to him: Where is your wife Sarah?
So far, Sarah has been hearing about her impending child only from her
husband. But now, the speaker is intent that she should hear the news
straight from the horse's mouth.
†. Gen 18:9b . . And he replied: There, in the tent.
At this point, the speaker no doubt intentionally raised his voice a bit to
ensure little Miss Eavesdropper would hear what he had to say.
†. Gen 18:10-11 . .Then one said: I will return to you next year, and
your wife Sarah shall have a son! Sarah was listening at the
entrance of the tent, which was behind him. Now Abraham and
Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having the
periods of women.
Some things can't be postponed indefinitely.
†. Ecc 3:1 . .To everything there is a season: a time for every purpose under
heaven
There is a time in life for children: if it's missed, there's no going back and
making up for lost time. Many an independent woman has been painfully
awakened by her biological clock-- putting off children to get ahead in her
career, and then one day; it's either too late, too inconvenient, or too
difficult.
Let's say that a girl puts off getting preggers until she's, say; 32. Think
about that. By the time her first child is ready for kindergarten, she'll be
pushing forty. Mothers that old could actually be classified as late bloomers
because the average age of first-time mothers, depending upon where they
live, is around 20-24; and in many cultures; it's a lots earlier than that.
Let me tell you something that should go without saying: it's much easier to
be a young mother than an old one. And age makes a difference for the
children too. As women age, their minds mature bringing them ever close to
that dreaded generation gap; viz: it is much easier for a young mother to
relate to her children than an older woman; who oftentimes can no longer
hear the bell, if you know what I mean.
Some things wait for no man. Sunset is one of those things. Relentlessly,
hour upon hour, the sun moves across the sky towards its inevitable
rendezvous with the western horizon. Our lives are just like that. Sunrise -
Sunset. Game over.
†. Gen 18:12a . . And Sarah laughed to herself, saying: Now that I
am withered, am I to have enjoyment
I don't think that Sarah's remark was about her looks because she was still
an attractive lady even at 89+. When she said "withered" she meant like a
field of corn that's no longer green; viz: past the age of fertility (Heb 11:11).
And when she said "enjoyment" she didn't mean carnal pleasure; but rather,
the adventure of motherhood. But what Sarah didn't know, was that God
was not only going to restore her fertility, but also her young-mother's
heart.
Sarah, like her husband, thought the idea was totally ridiculous; but not
impossible. Human beings are prone to think some things are ridiculous; but
when God is the planner, He doesn't think His own works are ridiculous at
all. God means business, and never does anything stupid or foolish.
†. Gen 18:12b . . with my lord so old?
Actually, at this time in his life; Abraham himself had some problems and
probably could benefit from a little Viagra; if you know what I mean. (cf.
Rom 4:19, Heb 11:12)
There's another problem associated with the aging process that doesn't get a
lot of press these days in an era of older parents. Men aren't born with all
their sperm cells at once the way women are born with all their eggs at
once. The men's little guys are manufactured fresh on a daily basis, so as
men age, their sperm cells are progressively of a lower quality than the
previous batch because the men's bodies are deteriorating with age;
subsequently there's a higher risk of birth defects in children fathered by
aging men.
There's also the reality of a progressively decreasing sperm count in aging
men so that even if their little guys are viable, it's increasingly difficult to put
enough soldiers on the front lines to win the battle. But even that's only if
elderly men's wells haven't run dry; if you know what I mean. The people in
Sarah's day probably knew all this by practical life-experience rather than by
scientific study and discovery.
†. Gen 18:13 . .Then Yhvh said to Abraham: Why did Sarah laugh,
saying; "Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?"
Yhvh didn't quote Sarah verbatim-- He actually paraphrased her words to
say what she meant; rather than what she spoke. That's important to note;
and tells me that it really isn't all that important to quote Scripture precisely
so long as you don't lose, or change, its meanings. There's a lot of that in
the New Testament; and certainly in the Targums too.
†. Gen 18:14 . . Is anything too wondrous for Yhvh? I will return to
you at the time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis clearly identifies one of the three men as Yhvh; who is seen here
repeating the very same promise that was made by one of the men in verse
10; which was: "Then one said; I will return to you next year, and your wife
Sarah shall have a son.
†. Gen 18:15a . . Sarah lied, saying; "I didn't laugh" for she was
frightened.
I really don't think that Sarah knew at first who was talking to her husband
outside because it is just ridiculous to lie to God. However, I'm sure there
are some who are capable of such a thing. But not Sarah. I think up to this
point she thought they were merely three men passing by who stopped in to
chat with her husband. Sarah hadn't actually laughed out loud, but to
"herself". When she realized that one of the men could read her thoughts, I
think she became worried that Abraham's feelings would be hurt by her
sarcasm about his age.
It may not seem so in Genesis, but Sarah really did have a great deal of
respect for her husband; and became the New Testament's prime Jewish
role model for Christian wives. (1Pet 3:1-6)
†. Gen 18:15b . . But He replied: You did laugh.
Most men would have jumped right to their wife's defense. Abraham had at
least 300 armed men in his camp who would do anything he asked; but
knowing by now exactly who these men really were, Abraham kept his cool.
Yhvh appeared to Abraham in the form of a human being; and consumed a
meal suitable for ordinary people. That says very clearly that the human
body Yhvh wore, during His visit with Abraham, was fully functional and just
as human as anybody else's human body. He who has the ability to create
human bodies should certainly have no trouble appropriating one as a
vehicle for Himself.
The word used in chapter 18 to describe Abraham's visitors is 'iysh (eesh)
which is a gender-specific word that means: a man as an individual or a
male person. It is also the word used to specify the male gender among the
animals taken aboard the Ark.
†. Gen 7:2 . . Of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs, males ('iysh)
and their mates, and of every animal that is not clean, two, a male ('iysh)
and its mate;
Abraham and Sarah clearly saw Yhvh as a male homo sapiens with their own
eyes and that's the way the author of Genesis wrote it down.
Cont.
/
So far, Sarah has been hearing about her impending child only from her
husband. But now, the speaker is intent that she should hear the news
straight from the horse's mouth.
†. Gen 18:9b . . And he replied: There, in the tent.
At this point, the speaker no doubt intentionally raised his voice a bit to
ensure little Miss Eavesdropper would hear what he had to say.
†. Gen 18:10-11 . .Then one said: I will return to you next year, and
your wife Sarah shall have a son! Sarah was listening at the
entrance of the tent, which was behind him. Now Abraham and
Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having the
periods of women.
Some things can't be postponed indefinitely.
†. Ecc 3:1 . .To everything there is a season: a time for every purpose under
heaven
There is a time in life for children: if it's missed, there's no going back and
making up for lost time. Many an independent woman has been painfully
awakened by her biological clock-- putting off children to get ahead in her
career, and then one day; it's either too late, too inconvenient, or too
difficult.
Let's say that a girl puts off getting preggers until she's, say; 32. Think
about that. By the time her first child is ready for kindergarten, she'll be
pushing forty. Mothers that old could actually be classified as late bloomers
because the average age of first-time mothers, depending upon where they
live, is around 20-24; and in many cultures; it's a lots earlier than that.
Let me tell you something that should go without saying: it's much easier to
be a young mother than an old one. And age makes a difference for the
children too. As women age, their minds mature bringing them ever close to
that dreaded generation gap; viz: it is much easier for a young mother to
relate to her children than an older woman; who oftentimes can no longer
hear the bell, if you know what I mean.
Some things wait for no man. Sunset is one of those things. Relentlessly,
hour upon hour, the sun moves across the sky towards its inevitable
rendezvous with the western horizon. Our lives are just like that. Sunrise -
Sunset. Game over.
†. Gen 18:12a . . And Sarah laughed to herself, saying: Now that I
am withered, am I to have enjoyment
I don't think that Sarah's remark was about her looks because she was still
an attractive lady even at 89+. When she said "withered" she meant like a
field of corn that's no longer green; viz: past the age of fertility (Heb 11:11).
And when she said "enjoyment" she didn't mean carnal pleasure; but rather,
the adventure of motherhood. But what Sarah didn't know, was that God
was not only going to restore her fertility, but also her young-mother's
heart.
Sarah, like her husband, thought the idea was totally ridiculous; but not
impossible. Human beings are prone to think some things are ridiculous; but
when God is the planner, He doesn't think His own works are ridiculous at
all. God means business, and never does anything stupid or foolish.
†. Gen 18:12b . . with my lord so old?
Actually, at this time in his life; Abraham himself had some problems and
probably could benefit from a little Viagra; if you know what I mean. (cf.
Rom 4:19, Heb 11:12)
There's another problem associated with the aging process that doesn't get a
lot of press these days in an era of older parents. Men aren't born with all
their sperm cells at once the way women are born with all their eggs at
once. The men's little guys are manufactured fresh on a daily basis, so as
men age, their sperm cells are progressively of a lower quality than the
previous batch because the men's bodies are deteriorating with age;
subsequently there's a higher risk of birth defects in children fathered by
aging men.
There's also the reality of a progressively decreasing sperm count in aging
men so that even if their little guys are viable, it's increasingly difficult to put
enough soldiers on the front lines to win the battle. But even that's only if
elderly men's wells haven't run dry; if you know what I mean. The people in
Sarah's day probably knew all this by practical life-experience rather than by
scientific study and discovery.
†. Gen 18:13 . .Then Yhvh said to Abraham: Why did Sarah laugh,
saying; "Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?"
Yhvh didn't quote Sarah verbatim-- He actually paraphrased her words to
say what she meant; rather than what she spoke. That's important to note;
and tells me that it really isn't all that important to quote Scripture precisely
so long as you don't lose, or change, its meanings. There's a lot of that in
the New Testament; and certainly in the Targums too.
†. Gen 18:14 . . Is anything too wondrous for Yhvh? I will return to
you at the time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis clearly identifies one of the three men as Yhvh; who is seen here
repeating the very same promise that was made by one of the men in verse
10; which was: "Then one said; I will return to you next year, and your wife
Sarah shall have a son.
†. Gen 18:15a . . Sarah lied, saying; "I didn't laugh" for she was
frightened.
I really don't think that Sarah knew at first who was talking to her husband
outside because it is just ridiculous to lie to God. However, I'm sure there
are some who are capable of such a thing. But not Sarah. I think up to this
point she thought they were merely three men passing by who stopped in to
chat with her husband. Sarah hadn't actually laughed out loud, but to
"herself". When she realized that one of the men could read her thoughts, I
think she became worried that Abraham's feelings would be hurt by her
sarcasm about his age.
It may not seem so in Genesis, but Sarah really did have a great deal of
respect for her husband; and became the New Testament's prime Jewish
role model for Christian wives. (1Pet 3:1-6)
†. Gen 18:15b . . But He replied: You did laugh.
Most men would have jumped right to their wife's defense. Abraham had at
least 300 armed men in his camp who would do anything he asked; but
knowing by now exactly who these men really were, Abraham kept his cool.
Yhvh appeared to Abraham in the form of a human being; and consumed a
meal suitable for ordinary people. That says very clearly that the human
body Yhvh wore, during His visit with Abraham, was fully functional and just
as human as anybody else's human body. He who has the ability to create
human bodies should certainly have no trouble appropriating one as a
vehicle for Himself.
The word used in chapter 18 to describe Abraham's visitors is 'iysh (eesh)
which is a gender-specific word that means: a man as an individual or a
male person. It is also the word used to specify the male gender among the
animals taken aboard the Ark.
†. Gen 7:2 . . Of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs, males ('iysh)
and their mates, and of every animal that is not clean, two, a male ('iysh)
and its mate;
Abraham and Sarah clearly saw Yhvh as a male homo sapiens with their own
eyes and that's the way the author of Genesis wrote it down.
Cont.
/
