Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Sarah then said, “God has given me cause to laugh, and all who hear of it will laugh with me. (Genesis 21:5-6 NABRE)
On one hand, we struggle today to believe old bible stories. On the other hand, so did Abraham and Sarah!
Even they knew how ridiculous it was to think of a very elderly couple having a son! In fact, Sarah points out the humor she sees in the situation. Beyond that, Isaac's name sounds very much like the Hebrew word for laughter (think po-TAY-to, po-TAH-to), and although we miss the play on words in our English translations, it is there.
So what are we to believe? That this long barren couple bore a son? That Sarah nursed the boy? That Abraham lived 175 years and that Sarah lived to be 127?
To focus on that too much would be like worrying about the word play surrounding Isaac's name. Factual accuracy is important, but we can only accept what is written, what is passed down to us, and what we are able to learn by research and study. And we have to accept that unanswered questions will always remain. So how do we deal with that? Well, I guess we can either dismiss it all as meaningless storytelling, or seek to understand what is really intended.
We do not have all the literal facts, we just don't. So what becomes most important is the truth of the ideas. God made a promise to Abraham, several actually, and delivered on his promises. Abraham became the father of many nations. He is the father of the nation of Israel, from which Jesus came to us. We can at least see the continuity of this lineage. That is powerful. It is the beginning of salvation history--the way God chose to give us a path to relationship with him despite ourselves!
Today, I will seek to recognize God's truth even when I have unanswered questions.
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