Homilies on Genesis 46–67

Homily 46

HOMILY 46 "Sarrah said, 'Who will let Abraham know that Sarrah is suckling a child, that I have borne a son in my old age?'''1 NOW, [422] today too, dearly beloved, let us take up the thread of yesterday's remarks and thus set before you this spiritual meal so that we may once more come to learn, as you heard yesterday, the good God's ineffable care and considerateness and the patriarch's remarkable obedience and gratitude. Do you see how the birth of Isaac made Sarrahjoyful? "She said;' the text said, remember, "The Lord brought laughter to me: whoever hears of it will rejoice with me:"2 Everyone who hears of it, she is saying, I will convince to be a sharer of my joy. After all, the gift given me by God is wonderful, surpassing human limitations. I mean, who would not be struck, she is saying, to see me feeding and suckling a child in old age after being childless up to this stage of my life? As though surprised and amazed at the event, she added, "'Who will let Abraham know that Sarrah is suckling a child, that I have borne a son in myoId age?'" Since what happened was beyond the bounds of nature, she naturally demands , "'Who will let him know?'" as if to say, Who will imagine it? Who would entertain such an idea? What mind could grasp it? Is there any reasoning that could invent this happening in every detail? Not so remarkable was the incident of the flood ofwater gushing from the rock in the desert when Moses struck it with his rod3 as was this instance of a child being born of a womb already deprived of vitality and a ready flow of milk. You see, for the birth to be known to everyone and bring everyone to acceptance of the marvel, those who heard of 1. Gen 21.7. 2. Gen 21.6. 3. Cf. Exod 17; Num 20. 3 4 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM it both then and later, she feeds the child and insists on suckling it. She said, "'Who will let Abraham know that Sarrah is suckling a child, that I have borne a son in myoid age;" this strange, surprising favor done me in myoid age? What is the meaning of "'I have borne a son in myoid age'''? That even without sterility my time of life was sufficient to make me despair of bearing children. But all these obstacles the Lord caused to disappear and has granted me the birth of the child and the flow of milk. (2) Let us now see the sequel. You see, when the time of suckling was over, "Sarrah saw the son born to Abraham by Hagar the Egyptian;' the text goes on, "playing with her son Isaac [423]. She said to Abraham, 'Send away this maidservant and her son: surely the son of the maidservant will not share the inheritance with my son Isaac?' Now, this remark about his son struck Abraham as severe:'4 See, I ask you, dearly beloved, in this instance once again Sarrah not tolerating the brashness of Ishmael and unable to put up equably with the maidservant 's son being reared with Isaac. So just as she previously wished to check Hagar's arrogance and in her extreme irritation had her sent packing, so in this case too she wanted to nip Ishmael's forwardness in the bud: not bearing to see the son born of grace and of the very gift of God being reared along with that of the Egyptian maidservant, she said to Abraham, "'Send away the maidservant and her son: surely the son of the maidservant will not share the inheritance with my son?'" Since she realized that she herself was in fact in extreme old age, and she saw the patriarch was well on (after all, they were both advanced in years), she was afraid that in the event of their sudden passing Ishmael would, on the score of his being born ofan association of the patriarch, endeavor to thrust himself into his father's inheritance and become a sharer of it with Isaac; hence, she said, "'Send away from here the maidservant and her son:" Let her learn at this stage, she is saying, that the son of the maidservant has nothing in common with my son Isaac. It is, in fact, not fair that the slave's son should be reared with that of...