Four Lessons from Isaac
Sometimes I read the Old Testament and find it difficult to relate to the characters. It’s easy to shake my head as I look at people’s choices made out of fear. I want to believe I would choose differently than Sarah, Rebekah, or Rachel. But, of course, that perspective assumes a few things. Most importantly, posturing ourselves above someone else’s choices assumes we know the whole story rather than the limited snapshot in Scripture. But when I pause to empathize with each person in the snapshot story included in Scripture, it’s much easier to remember we are much more than a moment in our lifetime.
Empathy helps me to put myself in different characters’ shoes and consider what I can learn today from people who lived centuries ago. Here are a few lessons I’ve rediscovered through reading the story of Isaac in Genesis 17-37.
Four Lessons from Isaac’s Story
1. Generational Blessings Are Grace-Centered
Isaac was protected from famine and death and blessed with land and descendants because of the covenant God made with Abraham. As Abraham’s descendant, Isaac’s life was the beginning of the family line that would create the tribes of Israel.
It’s easy to assume Isaac had a stronger faith in God than others and his “reward” was the blessing of land and children. But that’s not what God told Isaac. Genesis 26:1-6 says,
“Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 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 be with you and 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 nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” So Isaac stayed in Gerar.” (NIV)
An undeserved gift provided without reciprocity is God’s grace on us. Just as we receive the free gift of salvation because of the covenant Jesus made on our behalf, Isaac received blessings from God because of his father.
2. We Learn Bad Habits from Following Those Who Live in Fear
Even in the middle of seeing God’s blessing and protection fulfilled, Isaac makes the same choice Abraham made twice.
Genesis 26:7 says,
When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he (Isaac) said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” (NIV)
Of course, handing his wife to another man didn’t work out for Abraham either time. The same issue arises when Isaac lies to the King. God closes the wombs of the women in King Abimelek’s household. So, while “technically,” Abraham didn’t lie when he said Sarah was his sister, Isaac’s words didn’t have a layer of gray within them.
Why did Isaac immediately think to tell King Abimelek that Rebekah was his sister? Is it possible he knew the stories of Abraham’s choice to lie to two kings? Is it possible Isaac observed other times when Abraham’s fear got the best of him? We may not know how fear drove decisions, but we know that both men’s stories include the preservation of their lives over protecting their wives.
3. Just Because You Invoke the Name of God Doesn’t Make You Right
The name Jacob means “he who supplants” in Hebrew, and Jacob lives up to his given name when, with his mother’s help, he deceives his father and circumvents Isaac’s plan to bless Esau, Jacob’s brother. The story of how Jacob tricks Isaac is particularly disappointing to me because he tells Isaac that God is helping him when God is nowhere to be seen.
Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”
Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.
Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied. (Gen. 27:19-24 NIV)
I wonder what would have happened if Isaac paused to pray for God’s guidance in this scenario. Would God have remained silent? Or would he have revealed the deception to Isaac? While we don’t know, we do know that trust was broken between Isaac and Jacob as well as Jacob and Esau.
4. Words Matter
The final lesson we can learn from Isaac’s story is that words matter to God. After Jacob steals what is rightfully Esau’s birthright, Isaac comforts Esau by telling him he will eventually rule over Jacob. Genesis 27:38-40 says,
Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
His father Isaac answered him,
“Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” (NIV)
The impact of this blessing reveals itself throughout the Old Testament, however a clear understanding of the full impact of Isaac’s words requires us to study Esau’s branches of the family tree. Genesis 37:15-17 says,
These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah. (NIV)
Amalek was a nation described as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. The name “Amalek” can refer to the nation’s founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the territories of Amalek, which they inhabited. Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites were in constant conflict with the Amalekites which was a fulfillment of Jacob’s blessing to Esau. I wonder if Jacob expected his words, spoken in an emotional moment, to pave the way for generations of conflict.
The most amazing part of Isaac’s story is that regardless of his choices, God continues to walk with him through each story. Isaac’s legacy continues as God introduces himself to Moses as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) The snapshot stories that include poor decisions don’t define Isaac, God does. And the same is true for us today.
As we read the stories in Scripture, we have can learn what pleases and disappoints God. However, let’s also look for the ways God continues to invite his people to walk with him.
Beth M. Walker is an author, speaker, and experienced digital marketer. Married to a football coach and raising two sons, she has waded through the challenges of balancing home life with the work she loves. One of Beth’s gifts is helping others discern their gifts and take them to the next level. With many years of expertise in writing and digital marketing, she has helped countless people identify their unique calling, thrive in their life purpose, and pursue their courageous next step vocationally. She blogs at BethMWalker.com.
Photograph © Alabaster Co, used with permission
