There is a philosophical question that some ask about God. When claim nothing is too difficult for God they ask, can God make a rock so big he cannot lift it? No. The philosopher thinks he has somehow outsmarted God. But also, God is so holy he cannot lie.
God cannot act outside his own nature and so he cannot lie. It is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). So maybe God could create a rock so big he could not lift it, then he could smash it to powder and lift it.
He is all powerful God. He has unlimited power to bring about change. The Jeremiah 32:27 question, I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me? This comes up for us because this passage is the story of Abraham as it unfolds in Genesis related to Abraham and Sarah having children.
Do we possibly think God could bring life to Saria (Sarah’s) dead womb? She is 90 years old and past childbearing age. But God promised an offspring. He made it clear it was not through a surrogate mother but she herself would become pregnant. Is anything too difficult for God?
Our scripture passage is not a philosophy to ponder. It is a rhetorical question. No! Of course not. Nothing is too difficult for God. We find God in this passage as El Shaddai. God Almighty.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” 3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8)
We have God’s promise of blessing. At 75 years of age Abram was called on to believe God for his promises. That promise included descendants for 75-year-old Abram and his 65-year-old wife Sarai. Ten years after receiving the promise the 85-year-old Abram and 75-year-old Saria being stretched to their limit wavered in their faith orchestrated for Saria’s servant girl Hagar to be a surrogate mother.
But now God appears to Abraham at age 99. God affirms his promise of Abraham and Sarah having numerous descendants becoming great nations with great kings. God reveals himself to Abraham as El Shaddai, Almighty God. There is only one response to this, and Abraham gives that response. He fell face down before El Shaddai, Almighty God.
The Lord changed the name of Abram, which means exalted father to Abraham which means father of many. The waiting had on several occasions caused Abraham to doubt God. But the truth is the 25 years that Abraham waited showed all the more that our God is El Shaddai, God Almighty.
We know that God dwindled Gideons army to show his power. For God to wait and bring offspring when Abraham is 100 and Sarah 90 brings the glory to Almighty God. That is where the glory belongs always.
The covenant of circumcision is given. God has called Abraham to a special relationship with himself. In chapter 15 God told Abraham to look into the night sky and count the stars, if you can. He told him that is how his offspring shall be. Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
The circumcision was for Abraham and his household and his descendants. It is the outward expression of that inward faith. That is why for believers of the New Covenant baptism is linked to the circumcision of the Old Testament. That day Abraham and his son Ishmael was circumcised, even before Isaac was born.
Abraham is told that his wife Sarai will conceive. It was so outrageous to Abraham that he laughed. Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” (Genesis 17:17)
Abraham’s name was changed, and this is true for Sarai. Sarai means princes and Sarah means will conceive. God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” (Genesis 17:15-16)
Abraham presented God with a logical way out of this promise through Ishmael. Now Ishmael was 13 years old. Because he is your offspring, he will have blessing ao many descendants, but it is Sarah’s son, his name will be Isaac, who is the child of promise.
God is very specific that Sarah will give birth to Isaac at the age of 90. It will be the same time next year that Abraham was before God. Abraham was on his face before God. He knew this was God Almighty El Shaddai. But he laughed at the thought of this. We can easily see our own human reactions regarding God to do the impossible.
Now chapter 18 speaks of three visitors coming to Abraham. The identity of one of the visitors is he angel of the Lord. This is he same that appeared to Hagar in Genesis chapter 16. The other two are angels that will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham is frantic to be a good host to these visitors.
Now we look at the passage where Sarah laughs. When Sarah hears that she is to have a child, by this time next year she laughs to herself. Sarah denies she laughed but the Lord said, yes you did.
Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said. 10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:9-15)
The Lord knows when we doubt. He said to Abraham, why did she laugh? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? God will leave no uncertainty that He is El Shaddai. What a challenge to us. Nothing is too difficult for God.
Maybe you have been praying for years for someone or something. It seems easy if God had done something earlier. But now it is difficult.
Remember:
He is El Shaddai.
He is God Almighty.
Nothing is too difficult for God.
When our situation grows more impossible God shows himself almighty.
