After a person has run ahead of God, and made a mess, they can become either very bitter or very ready to listen. 13 years have passed since Genesis 16:18. Abram is now 99 years old, Ishmael is 13 years old, Sarai is 89, and God chooses to reaffirm his promises. Notice that the promises of God all depend heavily on God’s faithfulness, not on Abram’s performance.
Devastation of leprosy goes deeper than these things. Many families who genuinely loved a leprous relative would most likely be tempted to contact them and show them they were not forgotten, and they are loved. However, Numbers 5:2-3 declared that anyone who touched a leper would also become unclean – and the same isolation rules would then be applied to them. What does Jesus do to the leper?
