A. God had promised to Abraham that He would give to him a son, and that through his seed all of the nations of the earth would be blessed.

1. Abraham waited many years for that promise to be fulfilled.

a. It is probably with Abraham in mind that the writer of Hebrews declared concerning the Old Testament saints, "Who through faith and patience inherited the promises of God."

b. Sarah finally decided they perhaps needed to help God out, and suggested that Abraham take her handmaiden Hagar that she might become a surrogate mother.

c. Abraham seemed to be satisfied with the son that was born from that relationship and accepted him as the fulfillment of the promise of God.

d. So when Abraham was about 100 years old, God reconfirmed the promise to give him a son, Abraham responded, let Ishmael live before you. God declared that Ishmael would indeed live, but that through Sarah his seed would be called.

2. It is interesting that God now called Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac.

a. God did not recognize or acknowledge the works of his flesh, just as he does not recognize or acknowledge the works of our flesh.

b. Notice the words "Thy son, thy only son Isaac, whom thou lovest." It reminds us of a scripture in the New Testament that declares, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."

B. After the many years of waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled you can imagine the joy and blessing that they experienced when Sarah by divine miracle gave birth to the Son.

1. For her to give birth to a Son after that many years of infertility, and having gone through the change of life, was almost as great a miracle as the virgin birth.