Waiting on the Lord Genesis 21:1-8

Isaac 

Second patriarch; son of Abraham and Sarah. He was the child of a miracle, for at the time of his birth his mother, hitherto childless, was ninety years old, and his father a hundred. By the command of God the child was named "Isaac" (; in poetical language  = "laughter"), because Abraham had, covertly, laughed in incredulity when, a year previously, he had received the promise of God that a son would be born to him by Sarah (Gen. xvii. 17); so also did Sarah as, standing at the door of the tent, she heard the promise reiterated by the angel (Gen. xviii. 12). Isaac was circumcised when he was eight days old, and at his weaning the parents manifested their joy by giving a great feast. As a solicitous mother Sarah urged Abraham to send away Ishmael, his son by the servant-maid Hagar, whom she had seen mocking Isaac. At first Abraham hesitated, but at the command of God he complied with the wish of his wife; Isaac was thus declared the sole heir of his father.

Dear Sarah. 

What joy you must have felt to realize the Lord's promise in your life, fulfilled. To give birth at the age of ninety, to see the miracle of birth restored to you, a woman whose time had passed, to understand the power of God is greater than the power of nature. What joy you must have felt as you felt your son's unborn life quicken within you. And how the women around you must have fussed over you, talked about you and your miracle. How it must have given them hope and taught them of faith in the God of Abraham. 

If I could have been there? If I could have been a fly on the wall, what might I have heard? What might I have understood about your faith, your willingness to cleave unto your covenants? And the joy received because of your strength of faith. 

I love Abraham's choice of a name for your son. Isaac. So strong and so joyful. A way for you to always remember how to rejoice. You must have known that it comes from the word Yitzhak, which in Hebrew means "laughing one," or as God's promise to you it also is a reminder of how your son is a "child of the promise." I suppose God could not allow you to call your son Yitzhak, laughing one because it has so many connotations, but Isaac, this means covenant and promise and rejoicing in the fulfillment of the promise. You are so blessed to be able to have a son you can call Isaac. 

And your family was the first we know of to establish the custom of circumcision. I wonder how you dealt with this? Did you trust Abraham? Here he was with the child you were promised would bring you seed as the sands of the sea and he wants to do what? Clearly as a new custom of less than one year, it had not been fully accepted.  I wonder if you understood? How much of your actions were based on faith and how much on reason. I wonder if Isaac's circumcision played a role in his reaching the age of three when he could be weaned? I applaud your faith. When my own sons were born I questioned it and did my own research.

According to our social custom, my sons were circumcised in the hospital within hours of birth.But I remember studying how important it is to circumcise at day eight because in days 5-7  a child experiences a rise in Vitamin K which then acts as a pain killer and prevents hemorrhaging. As proof that the medical community is aware of this my second son was born with a minor heart defect that  required heart-valve surgery but the surgeons insisted on waiting to day 8 to preform it. I think it is amazing how the customs that we practice today came from revelation given to you and Abraham as you awaited the birth of a very much wanted son. I wonder how circumcision in young boys during your time helped prolong their life in a world where cleanliness was not as well established as it is today. 

In today's world most women stop bearing children by the age of 45. And you were twice past this age? Abraham was one hundred. I think I have generational problems with my youngest? I am certain that you had housemaids help you teach your son. You had a network of family and servants to help him understand his social customs and his religious rituals. But there were no grandparents to help here because you had traveled away and Abraham's father had passed. There is no mention of your family being with you.  I am thinking of how at each of my births I too was a traveler and although I could share the news with my family they were not able to attend the birth. 

And you Sarah rejoiced at the birth of your son Isaac. You rejoiced at his growth and ability to thrive in a time when children rarely made it to their third birthday. You were able to wean your child and bring him to the table for meat and honey. What a joyful day. I read somewhere a while back that the Jewish celebration of weaning was put in place to celebrate the child's ability to thrive and survive. It was a very important day. And Isaac's weaning was significant because it proved the Lord's love once again. It showed how the Lord was not only able to keep to his promise of giving Abraham a son, but he would help him thrive and survive. 

I wanted to say also that as I read "who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should have given children suck?" I realized that you didn't use a wet nurse, but you nursed the child yourself. Wow. Another miracle. What a powerful message for God to send to all the world. He is in charge of life and birth and the milk that flows from our breasts. Having nursed six children I am very much aware of the importance it holds in passing on immunity and vitamins and fat and all of the necessary nutrition to help a child survive. 

Sarah so much is lost in your story of how you gave birth. So much is not considered because words can only tell us what happened. As a woman I am aware of your pain, your joy and your rejoicing because you chose to cleave tight to your covenants and believe in a God that promised you more than nature could itself provide. 

With love 

Your spiritual granddaughter

A Good Name: Wisdom Ecclesiastes 7 P

Ecclesiastes 7

A Good Name:

Layeth not his heart

In the house of feasting.

But seeks to mourn

With those who mourn

And comfort those

In need of comfort.

Strengthens his heart in sorrow

And considers a sad countenance.

Seeketh the heart of the wise

In the house of mourning

And leaves the fools to their mirth.

Hears the songs that upbraid,

With an excellency of wisdom

That is meant to make better the heart.

Waits with a patient spirit;

For a thing's end brings more

Satisfaction than its beginning.

Resteth his anger,

Not in the hasty

Bosom of fools,

But rather in

He that giveth life.

Sees wisdom in he

Who can see the sun

And knows from whence

An inheritance finds profit

Knows that both wisdom

And money bring protection,

But wisdom alone giveth life.

Rejoiceth in his prosperity

But considers God

In his day of adversity.

Balances his righteousness

So that he perisheth not.

And considers his foolishness

So that he lives a long life.

Fears God

With the strength of wisdom

That brings the sadness of truth

That he is a sinner.

Judgeth not others

For their cursing.

But knows of his

Own cursing.

Asks, how do I truly know

The wisdom that elusively

Stretches before me

And dives exceedingly

deep within me?

Will yet apply his heart to know,

to search, to seek the reason of things.

Realizing that a good name

May be found in

Only one man

Amongst a thousand.

Is a precious ointment

on the day of death.

Linda Conkey Shaw copyright July 9 2010

Wisdom. Why does it elude us so? Why do we think we are wise and find out we have come so short a distance after traveling for so many years? Wisdom is defined as having experience, knowledge and good judgment. Sometimes children seem to have more than adults.

One child who was celebrating his 5th birthday with his grandfather who was celebrating his 50th birthday, said to his grandfather, "Hey we are the same age, because zero's

don't count."

And they don't. And true wisdom helps us know that age is but a number on our journey of eternal life. Experience shapes our lives, but not necessarily the wisdom within us.

Children often surprise us with the wisdom they possess, not because of their knowledge or experience, but because of their lack of experience and knowledge. It amazes me with what they often can say and come up with as it relates to the world of adults. They see life so matter of fact. It is their naivete's, honesty, and limited perspective that brings them the wisdom that so often eludes adults. Untainted by the world "of foolishness", they serve to remind us of what our maturity has forgotten.

Jesus said we should see life as little children. I am often reminded of how much humility and joy comes from a little child. My youngest grandson has a smile that lights up my world. He enjoys life to the fullest. His smiles, laughter, and questions delight me. We were sitting outside (he's 5) and he noticed our lawn chair, and its ability to have its back lowered or raised. He began to look at it from all angles. Finally he said to me,

"Gramma, look see how high this can go? Gramma, look see how low it will go? Look what makes it stay high. See how this works?"

He is observant beyond his years. His wisdom lies in the structure of life. I marvel at how much wisdom he already has in learning to understand how things are put together.

My other grandson need only hear a song and he will sing it and then play it on the piano. I marveled at his piano talent at such a young age. His wisdom lies in the melody of life. Then there is my youngest granddaughter.(18 months) She speaks to us with sign language (and a few words) and manages just fine to maneuver all through her world of discovery. Her wisdom comes through her pure joy of discovery, and the delight of her soul in making all around her smile.

It is my prayer that we will discover that wisdom comes not only from knowledge, experience, and good judgment, but also from the pureness of a new soul that craves life and sees it all anew. I believe that if we can all remember this child-like wisdom of seeing the world through the magic of belief in ourselves, in others, and in all that we experience we might just find some sense of true wisdom and give ourselves "A Good Name".

Words and Phrases

vs 1 -precious ointment - for healing, for comfort, for relaxation, for safety. a good name.

vs 9 anger restest in the bosom of fools.- Be slow to be anger or be foolish in your actions

vs 12 wisdom giveth life - without wisdom there is little life worth living. Wisdom keeps life balanced. Different people have different talents for wisdom.

vs consider the work of God - this alone is wisdom

vs 15 just man perisheth in his righteousness - He who is so sure he is right and is unwilling to change.. He who is not humble enough to admit his faults will cause himself so much grief, that he will perish in his righteousness

Vs 16 neither make thyself overwise - too much of anything is not good

vs 19 Wisdom strengthened the wise - I think of McGuiver (television) He was very wise with all of his knowledge and could always get out of trouble with his knowledge. Knowledge can keep us from trouble and help us fight our battles. The wise know that they need not be physically strong to win a battle. I think of David and Goliath.

vs 20 - not a just man upon the earth - we are all sinners. We all make mistakes even the wise. especially the wise because they believe their wisdom protects them.

vs 24 exceedingly deep who can find it - somethings that we contemplate about wisdom are much too much to comprehend. We must do our best and then let it go. it will come in time. For me it was understanding what love was. I thought it was about saying a few words. Now I know it is so much more. It is doing, saying, living, and breathing for another that you love.

vs 29 God hath made man upright - He wants us to live a good life. Man seeks many different ways to wander from God. But if we want we can have wisdom and walk upright before God.