Do you sometimes question God’s timing? Do you wish He would accommodate your schedule for things you pray for? There have been instances when God has answered immediately but most of my requests have been put “on hold” for a while. God sometimes delays, but He never forgets.
God wasn’t in a hurry to give Abraham a grandson who would receive God’s promise to him. But, He didn’t forget His promise to Abraham.
Sarah dies at 127 years. At age 137 Abraham buries his wife and arranges for Isaac to marry Rachel, a kinswoman from his home country. Isaac is 40 when his bride arrives but children are a long time coming. Isaac and Rebekah are married for 20 years without an heir to the promise. Here is where we continue the story from the last blog, Isaac is 60 when he petitions God,
“The Lord answered his prayer and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said ‘Why is this happening to me?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, ‘ Two nations are in your womb and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.'” Genesis 25:21-23
Jacob and Esau, fraternal twins, are born. What develops between them underscores a point I have emphasized in several of my blogs; God works through some very imperfect people to carry out His promise. Life gets seriously unbalanced in Isaac’s family. Rebekah and Isaac play favorites with the boys, resulting in dishonest and selfish maneuvering about the birthright and blessing Esau was supposed to receive from Isaac. We will return to this in another blog, but for now, let’s get back to Isaac and how God passes the promise to him.
Genesis chapter 26 details how God uses circumstances in Isaac’s life to extend the promise from Abraham to him. Imagine the disappointment Isaac must have felt when his firstborn, Esau, sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup. What kind of confusion did this create for Isaac about Esau’s role as the future leader of the family?
Chapter 26 opens with another challenge to Isaac; there is a famine in the land. What will he do to preserve his family? He consults with the king of the Philistines, where he currently lives. He is considering moving his family to Egypt until the famine passes; this seems to be the sensible thing to do. However, God has other plans to bolster Isaac’s confidence in God’s willingness and ability to care for him.
“The Lord appeared to Isaac and said,’ Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while and I will bless you. For to you and your descendants, I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.'” Genesis 26:2-4
Isaac stays in Gerar and God blesses him with many flocks and herds. But, there will be challenges to test Isaac’s reliance on God to be with him. Genesis 26:7-11 tells how he, as his father Abraham did about Sarah, lies by telling some of the men that Rebekah is his sister because he is afraid they might kill him and take his beautiful wife. Do you see the inconsistency God has to put up with here? God has told Isaac He will take care of him but Isaac resorts to lying to protect himself. Do we do the same kind of stuff, acting in ways that betray our trust in God?
King Abimelek discovers the deception and calls Isaac on the carpet, and Isaac comes clean about what he has done. Abimelek gives Isaac a pass and tells everyone to do nothing to harm Isaac and his family. Isaac remains in Gerar and his possessions become so large that the Philistines envy him and fill his wells with dirt. To keep the peace between the herdsmen, Isaac moves to another location but the problem continues. From there he moves to Beersheba and God appears to him to quell his fears and reassure him His plan and promise are in place.
“From there he went up to Beersheba. That night the Lord appeared to him and said ‘ I am the Lord the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.'” Genesis 26:23-24
What does this story tell you about God?
How does this story connect with Adam, Eve, Noah, and Abraham?
What does this story tell you about God’s determination to bring a Redeemer into the world?