Isaac: Di Pikin of Laughter

Listen. Inside one tent for di south of Canaan, one new baby dey cry. And near am, one woman wey be ninety years dey laugh. No be di quiet laugh of doubt wey she once hide behind tent wall. Dis one na di other kind.

To feel di joy of dis day, you must remember di waiting. Abraham be seventy-five when God first call am. Leave your country, God talk, and I go make you great nation. Abraham go. Years pass, and no pikin come. One night God carry am go outside and tell am make e count di stars. Na so your descendants go be. Abraham believe am. More years pass. Sarah try her own plan, through her servant Hagar, and e bring heartache. Still no pikin wey be Sarah own.

When Abraham be ninety-nine, God talk again. E give Abram new name, Abraham, papa of many nations. E give Sarai new name too, Sarah, and e talk say, I go bless her, and I go give you son through her. Abraham fall for im face, and e laugh. Man wey be one hundred years, go become papa? Woman wey be ninety, go become mama? And God talk, Your wife Sarah go born son for you, and you go call am Isaac. No long after, three visitors come di tent for Mamre, and Sarah hear di same promise. She laugh too. And di Lord ask, Anything too hard for di Lord?

And now, Genesis chapter twenty-one open with words wey sound like door wey dey swing open. Di Lord visit Sarah, as e don talk. Di Lord do for Sarah wetin e promise. Sarah get belle, and she born son for Abraham for im old age, for di exact time wey God talk. After all di years, all di stars, all di doubts, God keep im word. No be early. No be late. For di time wey e fix.

Abraham give im son di name wey God choose. Isaac. And when di baby be eight days old, Abraham circumcise am, as God command, di sign of God covenant with Abraham family. Genesis pause here to note one fact, almost with small smile. Abraham be one hundred years when dem born im son Isaac for am.

God don bring laughter for me, and everybody wey hear dis one go laugh with me. Who for tell Abraham say Sarah go breastfeed children? Yet I don born son for am for im old age.

Imagine di neighbours wey hear di news. Di herdsmen. Di servants wey don grow old for Abraham household. Baby, inside Sarah tent! Some of dem go don laugh because di surprise too much. Sarah no mind. Make dem laugh, she talk, make dem laugh with me. Di laugh wey once mean dis one no fit be true don turn to laugh wey dey talk say e really happen.

For di Bible, names dey often carry meaning, and di name Isaac na small joke with big point. For Hebrew na Yitzhak, wey mean e dey laugh. Genesis play with dat word again and again. Abraham laugh for chapter seventeen. Sarah laugh for chapter eighteen. And here Sarah talk say God don make laughter for her. Every time wey person call di boy name, dem dey talk, e dey laugh, and dem dey remember how God turn unbelief to joy.

Di birth of Isaac dey for Genesis chapter twenty-one, verse one to seven. Abraham and Sarah wait twenty-five years, and dem no always wait well. But God do wetin e talk. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which promise of God you still dey wait for, and how you fit wait with hope?