Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord? – Genesis 18:1-15
Bethel Baptist Church David Rising
Genesis 18:1-15; June 21, 2026 Sunday PM
Is Anything Too Hard for the LORD?
In Genesis 17 we read of God establishing circumcision for every male child as the sign of the covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants. It was to be done on the eighth day of birth and those who were not circumcised would be cut off from his people because he has broken Gods covenant.
Abrams name was changed to Abraham, and Sarais name was changed to Sarah. Their son would soon be named Isaac, and all of these changes pointed to the covenant promise that God had made.
Every day as they called each others name, as they spoke of the coming of Isaac, they would be reminded of Gods promises.
In our study this evening in Genesis 18, we will see that God still graciously and mercifully helps this old couple grasp what His promise means and get ready for a new baby!
We will look at the visit of the three men as they reveal again that Gods promise will be fulfilled in them, even though every human indication is that it cant be done.
As we wrap up the message tonight, I will try to press home with application the issue raised in the sermon title, which is the high point of this narrative. Pray.
18:1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
Chapter 18 seems to flow out of chapter 17, so it seems as though they are very close to each other. God instituted circumcision and Abraham complied. Now we see the LORD again appearing to Abraham at these terebinth, oak trees of Mamre. This was where Abraham had settled and called home as per Genesis 13:18 and 14:13. After Lot chose his lot, this was where Abram settled down.
And so we have the appearance of the LORD signaled here in verse 1 at the top of the day when the sun was shining brightly.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.
Moses tells us that the LORD Yahweh Jehovah appeared to Abraham, verse 1. Now we see three men standing by him Abraham. This trio of men included the LORD as well as two angels, as well see in verse 22.
Abraham recognized this as an important visit, and so he runs to greet them and prostrates himself on the ground, as before (17:3). He offers hospitality to the men with the strong hope that they have come to spend some time with him. Notice he calls himself Your servant. He will repeat this at the end of verse 5.
We see in these OT narratives several instances where hospitality is offered, and also where it is shunned in chapter 19 in Sodom. Providing food and protection for a guest was a sign of love and character, and Abraham is quick to offer it here.
They respond:
They said, Do as you have said.
Abraham is delighted they would stay, and so now he sets his household into action:
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.
And so the kitchen gets into full swing. Abraham requests three servings of bread. Though the pace seems rapid here, there could have been some time for leavening as the preparation of the animal in verse 7 would have taken a little time.
We have the protein now, verse 7:
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
This appears to have been a live animal that was given over to this hospitality event.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
This was quite a meal for these visitors, and we see Abraham standing nearby as they ate under the tree. The meal consisted of grains and ingredients from the cow. This would have been a comfortable place with shade as it was at the heat of the day. Abraham was not eating with them, as he was hosting and also had recognized himself as a servant.
This visit was really not about Abraham but about Sarah, but we dont know that yet. She will take the focus until this narrative is interrupted in a sense until chapter 21 when Sarah is ready and gives birth. Notice their interaction with Abraham:
9 Then they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife?
So he said, Here, in the tent.
10 And He said, I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.
The LORD knew what He was doing, and in saying what He said it would be clear that Sarah could hear. But it was said to both, though the reaction at the end of verse 10 was precisely what was expected:
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
Weve all probably done this as well say something to a person, but in essence we are also saying it to the other person can hear it.
The fact that Sarah was listening to this conversation may indicate some of the drama that was in that household over this whole promised son. We have in future narratives mothers, wives listening to conversations and reaction to them (c.f., Rebekah, 27:5, to ensure that Jacob receives the birthright).
The LORD says with assurance that Sarah would have a son, and when this happens the LORD would return to them according to the time of life a phrase that translates the literal phrase at the time of reviving (Matthews), meaning spring. Again, we have a precise time for the birth of this son. In 17:21 it was at this set time next year.
The details of Gods promise are being progressively revealed by God so that Abraham and Sarah could grow in their faith and understanding of the ways of the LORD.
The LORD gives a certainty here, and notice that Moses gives us a perspective on what we already know but need to hear again:
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
They were up in years and Sarahs time for childbearing had passed. We can understand this simply and also medically. In other words, that she could and would soon conceive and have a child at this particular time was impossible from a biological perspective.
Verse 11 prepares us for the reaction of Sarah in verse 12:
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
She overhears the conversation and then laughs within herself. She imagines this process at their age. Notice she recognizes both of their ages and dismisses the idea. Things were not now as they once had been, and she could not see how this could happen.
Whether she kept this completely silent or let out a little burst of noise, we see the reaction of the LORD here in verses 13-14 with two questions:
13 And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old? 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
These questions from the LORD are the high point of this narrative as they bring to a head the issues.
All along we are reading of this old couple awaiting Gods promise, and we have had the continued reassurance and revelation of details unfold in how this would take place. Now we have the date on the calendar and the assurance repeatedly by the LORD that this would take place.
And now it is all hitting Sarah as she is now revealing her inner thoughts about this. Sarahs question of verse 12 as an internal reaction to the promise is essentially this: Sarah does not appear to believe that it would take place. Her answer to her question of verse 12 is this: no way. At our age, there is no way that this is going to happen.
But arent you glad that the LORD is not talked out of His promises? Arent you glad that God is not subject to the limitations of humanity?
Her hangup was biology and all that she knew about life and children.
This reminds me of the super-smart person who has reasoned in his mind that God cannot exist. The absurdity of that conclusion reveals a self-delusional individual who imagines himself smarter than God. To conclude that there is no God is imagine oneself having an infinite understanding of the universe and an ego the same size.
The first question: Why did Sarah laugh was based on her repeating to herself the idea that at her age she would bear a child. Will this happen to me, Sarah asks and then laughs. We could simply say that she looked at reality, saw herself in the mirror in light of being pregnant, and smirked out a good laugh.
It is likely that any of us would have done the same thing. Perhaps we would have been more dignified and only cracked a smile, but in our hearts we would have been reasoning and coming to the same hilarious conclusion.
Notice it is the question: why did she laugh. Why indeed. She laughed because of the facts of life, so we would reason.
But she has forgotten who has made that promise. Her husband, Ishmael, and all the other males of the household, bare on their body the marks of Gods promise, and yet she still is not sure.
Sarah was not Sarai any more, but still she stands in need of knowing the promise.
By the way, this study reminds me of what I see in my own life and in the life of others. Many of us, most of us, could rattle off the answers to the key questions of life. We could answer with right responses about our faith, our walk, what we do with sin, how we handle temptation, that witnessing is important, and that we should be people of prayer, etc. We can answer these correctly, but do we not see in ourselves at times a disconnect between what we say and what we think we truly know?
I think that how we actually do live is a demonstration of what we do believe. We could testify that sin is destructive, but why do we still do it?
Was Sarah sinning here? Is a lack of faith a sin?
I find it encouraging here and with the account of Abraham in 17:19 concerning the question of Ishmael, the LORD graciously helps us see the truth so that we can grow and mature in Him.
We are not machines who get instruction once and perfectly obey it.
Why did Sarah laugh? I think it was because she really did not believe God could do this.
And thus, the second question: Is anything too hard for the LORD? The LORD immediately answers that by saying once again that He would indeed return at the appointed time and Sarah would have a son. It would be so.
This question Is anything too hard for the LORD? is the key question here and one she and Abraham needed to ponder. It is one we also need to ponder.
This word for too hard is the Hebrew word () that means wonderful (NASB) in the sense of extraordinary (Matthews). Jeremiah uses the same word in 32:17:
17 Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
There, Jeremiah was up against Babylon sacking Jerusalem and Gods promise that people would one day return to the land. It is the context of him buying a field indicating He could trust the LORD to keep His word.
Again, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in 32:27 and repeats the question.
To issues like this, we know the right answer. Sarah could have said what God had said to her. She knew the words to say, but she had not embraced them yet in her heart.
And thus, I see in this rhetorical question to Sarah Gods marvelous grace as it exhorts her lack of faith but encourages her faith to be strengthened.
Notice that Sarah responds to this, even though verse 13 shows that the LORD was speaking to Abraham:
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid.
And He said, No, but you did laugh!
The LORD knows all things, and He knew well what Sarahs heart was all about. She denied laughing because she was scared.
Afraid of what? Afraid of letting the LORD know who we really are? Afraid that God might discover that we are weak and feeble, lacking in faith and needing His mercy?
I think the LORD already knew that!
Laughing is a very interesting thing in our lives. Of all the records in Genesis of laughing (the English word), all five are in the Abraham & Sarah story (17:17; 18:12, 13, 15; 21:6).
The word can also mean scoffing, as we see in 21:9 when Ishmael responds like this to Isaac on the day Isaac was weaned and had a feast commemorating this. The word is also translated as mock (39:14, 17).
With Sarah and Abraham, laughing seems to be a light doubt on what God has promised, while scoffing reveals a heart of displeasure and evil motives.
The text continues, but the focus changes. The unfolding drama of Sarahs pregnancy and Isaacs birth will resume in 21:1. In the meantime, the text takes us to the problem of Sodom (18:16-19:29), the family of Lot in the likes of Moab and Ammon (19:30-38), as well as another look at Abrahams growing faith in the story of Abimelech (20:1-18).
As we chew on our text for this evening, I want to press home that question of the Lord and seek to think about it in our own lives.
Is anything too hard for the LORD?
We know the answer to this: no. We would get this question right on every quiz we would take. No, of course, nothing is too hard for the LORD.
But then why do we doubt Him so much? Why do we fear as we do?
Doubt and fear these two traits were exhibited in Abraham and Sarahs lives as they processed the promise of God. What doubts do we have? What fears grip us?
How about this one. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:44-45). I will admit that I really dont always want to do that. I prefer to push back when I am pushed. I dont always want to pray for those who spitefully use me. The flesh says otherwise. This is a difficult command of God, but one we should believe and do.
But what about a promise? We are not given the same promise of a child as Abraham and Sarah were. What about Gods promises to us?
What about this. Romans 12:19: Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Verse 21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. God will bring about vengeance in His time and way. It is not for us. Rather, it is for us to overcome evil with good. I think this is on a personal level.
Or how about this one: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6). Be anxious, be worried, be fearful, about what? Nothing. Rather, we are to let our requests be made known to God through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving.
What does the next verse say? and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
Anxiety, fear, and worry have never added anything positive to our lives. Instead, it ages us, grips us, disables us, and our lives go in circles. I know it is much easier to read these verses than to apply them in all parts of our lives, but I am preaching to myself here as well.
Is anything too hard for the LORD? We say yes every time we ignore His word and launch out and do our own things. We cripple our spiritual walk with the LORD when we live in fear and doubt His promises, like this.
In Hebrews 12 we are urged to lay aside those sins that easily trip us up. We are prone to wander. We are prone to fall because of those things in our lives.
We must instead keep our focus on Christ, who has gone before us. Let us learn to run the race that is set before us, with endurance. Remember that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He finished His work and now sits at the Fathers right hand, awaiting the time of His soon return.
As we wait for His soon return, let us always remember that nothing is too hard for the LORD. He can keep and He will keep his promises. May we come to know that in our own lives as we hear Gods Word and do it in our own lives.
Next week, well come to understand why Moses said in Genesis 13:13 that the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.