Heroes of Faith Part 6 - Isaac

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The child who was not to be but God made it possible – Isaac. The miracle child, the boy of the apple of Abraham’s eyes. The son so dearly loved by his mother, Sarah. A hero of faith who joins his father and mother in the pantheon of Biblical giants.

Isaac’s story is best punctuated by Hebrews 11:20, which says, “It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.” And here lies the story of the twin brothers who, one was willing to steal and the other too uncaring to bother about his birthright. Isaac, the father, was of course, in the middle of this most-interesting of stories.

The Jewish patriarch fathered his pair of twins. He himself was at the centre of one of faith’s greatest stories in the Bible. His father Abraham was caught between his love for his son and of God and given the choice to make, Isaac understood and complied even if it meant he was being led to his death by sacrifice. It is likewise without a doubt that Isaac would not have forgotten this part of his life even as he fathered his children.

Isaac was saved from death as God intervened and supplied a ram to be sacrificed in his place. This was simply a foreshadowing of Christ dying on the cross as a blood sacrifice to save all of us sinners. It was God’s intervention in very much the same way. As God loved His One and Begotten Son, so He understood Abraham’s love for his son, Isaac.

Isaac was the summation of a prophecy that came true but in the process was a compelling story so remarkable that it bears telling all the time. His parents, Abraham and Sarah, would become life’s great lessons for all of us in that a miracle had to be brought forth by God for Isaac to be born. At their stately age and his mother’s barrenness, the probability of a begotten child by birth was by all human terms, impossible.

Barring an adoption, Sarah found herself disbelieving God’s promise of delivery but in the end, obedience by the parents was underscored by a God who was determined to see His plan through. Isaac was born to perpetuate His covenant with his own father; where his name meant, “he laughs.”

Just as it happened with his mother, Isaac discovered, too, that his wife Rebekah was similarly afflicted but despite so, he prayed for his wife, asking God to open her womb so that she could conceive. And He not only did; God gifted the couple with twins – Esau and Jacob.

Of the two, Isaac favoured Esau who as a young strapping adult, was a burly hunter and a keen outdoorsman. On the other hand, Jacob occupied the heart of his wife Rebekah. Unlike the elder of the twins, Jacob was more sensitive and thoughtful. For Isaac, being partial in his love proved unwise as Jacob conspired successfully to claim Esau’s birthright.

Achievements

Like his father, Isaac was obedient to God, following His commands diligently. He also proved to be loyal to his wife, Rebekah. In becoming the next patriarch of Israel, he helped to perpetuate the covenant line for God to deliver upon His promise. From Isaac’s children, principally Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel were conceived.

Personal Strengths

Isaac’s faith to God is without question for he never forgot His merciful intervention that saved him from sure death. From his own father, he would learn much more about faith and obedience as well. His marriage to Rebekah in an age of rampant polygamy is also a precious lesson of devoted monogamous love.

Personal Weaknesses

Quite amazingly, Isaac followed in the footsteps of his father by lying in order to avoid death by the Philistines, referring to his wife as his sister instead. In just a moment of weakness, Isaac’s faith was shown for what it was – racked by human vulnerability. Another issue with Isaac was his favouritism for Esau, which proved divisive as it opened the war for the twins to be at warring ends to each other.

Lessons in Life

Like father, like son – Isaac’s wife was also barren. For Isaac, prayer worked wonders as God answered his call and allowed Rebekah to conceive. In a single stroke, Isaac showed the sheer importance of prayer and at the same time, God taught that when He listens each time we pray, delivering what He sees best for us. Just as his father did, Isaac had to learn to trust God. 

In a moment of succumbing to his weakness, he lied to save his skin when total reliance on God was a better choice. Even as we tell ourselves that trusting God is always wiser than lying, human weakness lays proof that temptation will always be there and when we fall prey to it, the results are always bad. Isaac also learned in the end that favouring one child at the expense of the other will always give way to hurt, which then can cause ill feelings leading to separation. 

Each child is precious in his own way and as they are all God’s gifts, we should accord them fairness in love and care. Isaac’s life in the end will always be remembered for his near-death, which is an object lesson in which Abraham had full trust in what God asks of him. 

Hometown

The Negev, in southern Palestine in the area of Kadesh and Shur

Family Tree

Rebekah (wife); Abraham (father); Sarah (mother); Esau (son); Jacob (son); Ishmael (half-brother)

Occupation

Farmer of some success including livestock ownership

Biblical References

Genesis 17, 21, 22, 24-28,31, 35

Key Verses

Genesis 17:19 > “Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.’” 

Galatians 4:28 > “Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.” 

Genesis 22:9-12 > “When they reach the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’”

Next Up  

Heroes of Faith Part 7 - Jacob; December 5 2014