Abram laughs in this reading (well, actually he's Abraham when he laughs). So do I. But I wonder whether God does? I suspect foreknowledge messes with the joke a little.
Now here's a funny subject: Men and women. God made us so different (I apologize for pointing out the obvious.) Not just physically but also our point of views and what each of us thinks is important. Why did He do this? I can only surmise: For our betterment...and His entertainment....
Sarai does this really great and sacrificial thing for Abram -- She gives him another woman to have children with. Men, I can see you collectively rolling your eyes. Right, like that's going to work. Guess what? It doesn't. It ends up in an argument. Could you see this one coming, even without foreknowledge?
Once Hagar gets pregnant the fireworks really begin. Sarai says to Abram, "You're responsible for the wrong I am suffering." [Genesis 16:5] To his eternal credit, Abram doesn't reply, "Wait a minute. I thought the Hagar deal was your idea?" He does what every self-respecting man in charge does...he walks away from the situation as fast as he can. He says, "Your servant is in your hands." [Genesis 16:6]
I laughed out loud. Sarai and Abram the sitcom. Available in a Bible near you. I suspect that they welcomed the name change just to distance themselves from their past. "Noooo, you must be mistaken. We're Sarah and Abraham."
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