Yes — God fulfills His promises by His own sovereign word and power, as He did when He gave Abraham and Sarah Isaac despite their old age.
Les Feldick teaches that God's "I will" is a promise that cannot fail. Abraham and Sarah waited about 50 years, tried to help God through Hagar, and were far past normal childbearing age, yet God declared that Sarah would bear Isaac and established His covenant with him. God overrode human limitations and fulfilled exactly what He had spoken.
Genesis 17:19 — This is God's direct promise that Sarah, not Hagar, would bear Isaac and that God would establish His covenant with him.
Romans 4:18 — It describes Abraham believing 'against hope' that he would become the father of many nations according to God's word.
Genesis 17:17 — It records Abraham's human response of laughing at the idea of a child at age 100 with Sarah at 90.
In Genesis 17, God changed Sarai's name to Sarah as part of His promise to Abraham. Abraham fell on his face and laughed, saying in his heart, "Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" (Genesis 17:17). God's answer was definite: "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him" (Genesis 17:19). Romans 4:18 says Abraham "against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be." The next verse explains that he was "not weak in faith" even though his body was now dead and Sarah's womb was also dead. The Scripture therefore presents God's promise as something that stands regardless of human inability.
Les Feldick teaches that the fulfillment of God's promises rests on God's own word, not on human ability. He points out that Abraham was only 50 when God first promised that a nation would come from his body, and yet Isaac was not born until Abraham was 100 — a 50-year wait. During that time Abraham and Sarah grew impatient and used Hagar to produce Ishmael, but Les stresses that Ishmael was "after the flesh," while Isaac was "the son of promise." Les emphasizes that when God said, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed," that "I will" was a promise, and it was going to happen even though Abraham and Sarah may have lost sight of it. He also notes that Romans 4 describes Abraham believing "against hope" — knowing how impossible it seemed but trusting that God would bring it to pass. God did not cast off the people of Ishmael, but the covenant promises were clearly placed on Isaac.
Les Feldick calculates the timeline to show how long Abraham waited. God first promised Abraham a son when Abraham was 50 years old. Twenty-five years passed before Abraham left Haran at age 75. Another fourteen years passed before he and Sarah decided to take matters into their own hands and have a child through Hagar. Abraham was 86 at that point, but Isaac was not born until Abraham was 100. So from the first promise to the birth of Isaac, Abraham waited 50 years. Les says, "God's Word was sure. In due time, you'll have a son."
Ishmael was produced through Hagar because Abraham and Sarah got impatient with God's timing. Les says Ishmael was "after the energy of the flesh," while Isaac was "the son of promise." When Abraham suggested, "O that Ishmael might live before thee," God answered, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac." God then said He would establish His covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael. Les adds that God still did not cast off the people of Ishmael as nothing.
Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, so the normal physical ability to have children was gone. Yet, as Romans 4 puts it, Abraham "against hope believed in hope." Les Feldick explains that Abraham knew how ridiculous it seemed to human intellect and physical understanding, yet somehow God was going to bring it to pass. God kept telling him, "You're going to have a son," and Abraham believed it would happen.
The Fleshly Detour through Hagar
Les explains that after about 50 years Abraham and Sarah got impatient and used Hagar as a surrogate, producing Ishmael, while God's covenant promise still rested on Isaac.
The Sovereign 'I Will'
Abraham laughed at the idea of a child at age 100 and Sarah at 90, but God replied that Sarah would bear Isaac and that God would establish His covenant with him.
Sarah Named and Promised a Son
Les shows that God changed Sarai's name to Sarah, promised to give Abraham a son of her, and then reaffirmed that the covenant would be with Isaac.
Ishmael, Son of Flesh; Isaac, Son of Promise
Les teaches that Ishmael was born after the energy of the flesh, while Isaac is the son of promise, and this distinction carries through Scripture.
The 50-Year Wait
Les lays out the timeline from God's first promise when Abraham was 50 to Isaac's birth when Abraham was 100, showing a 50-year wait that tested human patience.
God's 'I Will' Is a Promise
Les emphasizes that when God says 'I will,' it is a promise, and it will happen even if people lose sight of it.
Against Hope, He Believed in Hope
Les explains that Abraham believed in hope against the hopeless physical situation, trusting that God would bring about the promised son.
Abraham's Plea for Ishmael
Les says that at age 99 Abraham feared for Ishmael's life and prayed 'O that Ishmael might live before thee,' and God answered by confirming that Sarah would bear Isaac.
Genesis 17:15: And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
This verse records God's name change for Sarai as part of His promise to make her the mother of the promised son.
Genesis 17:17: Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
This verse shows Abraham's human response to the seemingly impossible promise.
Genesis 17:19: And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
This is God's direct promise that Sarah would bear Isaac and that the covenant would be with him.
Romans 4:18: Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
This verse describes Abraham believing God's promise even when natural circumstances offered no hope.
Romans 4:19: And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
This verse explains that Abraham's faith did not weaken even though both he and Sarah were physically beyond childbearing.
Les Feldick says Abraham was 50 when God first promised that a nation would come from his own body, but Isaac was not born until Abraham was 100. That means Abraham waited 50 years for the promised son. God's word was sure, but the wait tested human patience.
No. Ishmael was the natural son born through Hagar after Abraham and Sarah became impatient. God said Sarah herself would bear Isaac and that He would establish His covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael.
Les means Ishmael came from human effort and impatience, while Isaac came from God's direct promise and miraculous power. Since Abraham and Sarah were beyond normal childbearing age, Isaac's birth showed that God fulfilled His promise against all human limitations.
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