Laughter in the Life of Abraham and Sarah

Michael Vogelsang

When we hear laughter we usually associate it with joy and happiness, but that is not always the case. In the life of the patriarch Abraham and his wife Sarah we read three times about laughter and each time it arose from a different motive.

"Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" (Gen. 17:17). "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" (Gen. 18:12).

In this case we have the laughter of unbelief. Abraham and Sarah did not believe that they could have a son in their advanced age. Have we ever laughed in this way, or heard others do so?