Jamin Bradley

There is laughter all over Isaac’s story. It starts with Abraham laughing at the idea that he and Sarah might have a kid after he had hit triple digits. Sarah laughed too, getting an extra kick out of the thought that she might experience sexual pleasure at her age—though when God called her out for laughing at his plans, she denied it. To add to the laughter, God declared the child’s name to be Isaac, which means “he laughs.” And as this laughter was born, so did Sarah celebrate, saying, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”

One day, Sarah caught Isaac’s stepbrother laughing, which made Sarah incredibly angry. Scholars are unsure of what tone this passage carries. Some think that Ishmael was laughing at Isaac in a mocking way. Others think Ishmael laughed at him in a playful way, making Sarah jealous that Ishmael would take her son’s legacy. There are some other suggestions we won’t get into here, but whatever the case, the theme of laughter continues to play its part in the laugher’s life.

Which brings us to Isaac’s last laugh. You may recall that earlier in Genesis, Abraham pretended his wife was his sister, causing Sarah to get snatched up by local kings as a part of their harems—twice. Like father like son, Isaac did the same until he was found laughing with his wife. Clearly, there was more than laughter going on here, because it caused the king to realize they were married. Indeed, scholars sometimes translate the word for laughter as caress or fondle, given its occasional placement in sexual scenarios.

What’s the theme interwoven throughout your life? Where has good come from it? Where has it gone wrong? How might God want to bring redemption to it?