CELEBRATION TIME

What life transitions have you hosted a feast in celebration?

Perhaps a significant birthday?

A wedding or an anniversary?

Graduation from high school or college perhaps?

Did you ever host a celebration for weaning your child?

ESV Genesis 21:8  And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

I personally have never been invited to or heard of someone hosting a celebration at the life transition of their child being weaned except in the verse above.

Why does scripture tell us Abraham celebrated this life transition?

First, we must remember that Abraham and Sarah had waited an incredibly long time for the arrival of their first child. Abraham’s initial response to the Lord’s announcement he would father a child with Sarah was laughter:

^ESV  Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Sarah laughed as well at the idea:

^ESV  Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”

True to God’s word, though:

^ESV  Genesis 21:2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

Sarah’s response after giving birth to Isaac was :

^ESV  Genesis 21:6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” ⁷ And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Read the verse for today again:

ESV Genesis 21:8  And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

• Can you imagine the joy that Abraham and Sarah were experiencing over the reality of God’s promise to them being fulfilled?
• Why do you think they waited to host a celebratory feast until Isaac was weaned from breastmilk to solid foods?

Consider the following:

• The age of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was one hundred and Sarah was ninety.
• The average length of pregnancy for women is nine months.
• A child may be weaned between six months to three years of age depending on the child.
• They were nomads living in tents.
• Abraham and Sarah had none of our 21^st century conveniences.

Perhaps they waited to host a feast until Sarah had fully recovered from having given birth and nursing a child. She may have needed a longer time to recover from this experience since she was ninety years old.

Perhaps they waited so they could bond more deeply with their first child together before inviting friends and relatives over for a feast.

Perhaps they wanted to be sure the child was robust enough to be part of a celebration.

A New Testament application on milk versus solid food:

^ESV  Hebrews 5:13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Abraham is then mentioned as an example for us in the New Testament:

^ESV  Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” ¹⁵ And thus Abraham,having patiently waited, obtained the promise.

Reflection Questions:

• What “milk” are you depending on that you need Christ to wean you from today?
• What have you been weaned from that you need to celebrate?
• Who will you invite to celebrate the reality of God’s promises with you?
• Or perhaps you need to offer to host a celebration for someone else’s life transition?

^ESV  Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Are you ready to celebrate?

Blessings,

Barbara Lynn

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