God is clever. Man only thinks himself to be clever. We often clash with God when we work to be more clever than him. This is certainly the case with the drama surrounding Isaac. It is forgivable, because they were ultimately submissive and naive to God, but their behavior with Hagar and Ishmael was both, regrettable and avoidable. That decision has haunted their family for millennia. It certainly casts a shadow over the purity of joy that came from the fulfilled promise in Isaac. At least in how they experienced it. Nonetheless, God provides. He did what he said he would. Sometimes this is in the most obvious way. In his case, it would be to do the unthinkable task and interpret literally what seemed impossible to do so. Isaac stands as proof that our laughter has a place. Instead of laughing at God and his plans, and ultimately removing joy from their fulfillment in our lives, we ought to laugh with God in how he cleverly weaves his plans through our lives. We ought to be entertained, as when a magician performs a trick that elates us. We ought to marvel at his cleverness and discuss how he did it, not with cynicism and doubt but out of reverence and deep appreciation for his skill, and technique. We ought to laugh with him.