Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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to receive comfort from God and his promises that are in their place and in the way of their duty, Lu 2:8.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time
of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. The promise is then renewed and ratified, that she should have a son (Ge 18:10): "I will certainly return unto thee, and visit thee next time with the performance, as now I do with the promise." God will return to those that bid him welcome, that entertain his visits: "I will return thy kindness, Sarah thy wife shall have a son;" it is repeated again, Ge 18:14. Thus the promises of the Messiah were often repeated in the Old Testament, for the strengthening of the faith of God's people. We are slow of heart to believe, and therefore have need of line upon line to the same purport. This is that word of promise which the apostle quotes (Ro 9:9), as that by the virtue of which Isaac was born. Note,
1 The same blessings which others have from common providence believers have from the promise, which makes them very sweet and very sure.
2 The spiritual seed of Abraham owe their life, and joy, and hope, and all, to the promise. They are born by the word of God, 1Pe 1:23.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it
ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed
old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? Sarah thinks this too good news to be true, and therefore cannot as yet find in her heart to believe it: Sarah laughed within herself, Ge 18:12. It was not a pleasing laughter of faith, like Abraham's (Ge 17:17), but it was a laughter of doubting and mistrust. Note, The same thing may be done from very different principles, of which God only, who knows the heart, can judge. The great objection which Sarah could not get over was her age: "I am waxed old, and past childbearing in the course of nature, especially having been hitherto barren, and