“Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”        -Genesis 26:1-6

The life of Isaac is in many ways a contrast to the lives of the other patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob. While the narratives concerning their lives contain much detail and seem highly significant, most of what we know about Isaac comes within narratives focused around others (Abraham, Rebekah, Jacob). The picture of Isaac that comes to us is that of an ordinary man who leads a faithful life even in the midst of seasons of difficulty.

Given the circumstances surrounding his birth, we can imagine that Isaac felt some pressure to live up to his parents expectations as the child they had long awaited. If this was the case, however, we see nothing from him in his youth to indicate that he was anything more than a loving and obedient son. His willingness to worship and serve Yahweh, the God of his father who had called Abraham to offer the young man as a sacrifice demonstrated Isaac’s maturity and love for God and His Word.

Though he was a faithful man, he experienced seasons of difficulty in his life, the first of which was the loss of his mother. We can imagine the love that Sarah would’ve had for her only son and in Genesis 23 we read of her death. It was at this time that Abraham sent a servant back to the land where his relatives were dwelling in order to find for Isaac a wife. God in his grace provided Rebekah as a wife for Isaac and the young man was comforted following the death of his mother (Gen. 24:67).

Isaac’s marriage, like most marriages, provide moments of both joy and difficulty. Like Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah struggled to conceive, but Isaac as a faithful husband prayed for his wife and the Lord answered, allowing her to become pregnant with twins. Following the birth of the boys, the land of Canaan was once again faced with famine. The Lord appeared to Isaac calling him to stay in the land of promise while also reiterating to him the promises that had been made to Abraham. The seed promised to Abraham who would be a blessing to all the earth would come through Isaac’s family as well.

In spite of this great hope for the future, the end of Isaac’s life was characterized by great strife and struggle. First, he struggled with his own sin, placing his wife in harm’s way by telling others that she was his sister (Gen. 26:6-11) as well as favoring his son Esau over his son Jacob (25:28) creating tension within the boy’s relationship to one another. Secondly, he dealt with the realities of having an unbelieving son (Esau) who married unbelieving Hittite women who made life bitter for him and Rebekah (Gen. 26:34-35). Lastly, he was deceived by his son Jacob who stole the birthright of his favored son, Esau, leading to a split in the family and years where the family was divided.

Though his family was reunited in the end, much of Isaac’s life could be characterized as bitter and difficult. We are never guaranteed any particulars in this life and it is therefore of the utmost importance that we find meaning and purpose in worshiping God and hoping in His promises. Though Isaac struggled with the realities of his own sin as well as the sin of his children, he remained faithful to the Lord and hoped in God’s promises.

Join us this Sunday as we gather to be reminded of these great truths. It is the Lord alone who is the source of our hope for the future and our comfort in the present.

Soli Deo Gloria,

-Thomas