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Obedience Through Faith

The Life Of Isaac

Isaac is called the gift of God to Abraham, in the farewell address of Joshua, just as Jacob and Esau are called God's gifts of Isaac. The birth of Isaac is presented as special in these ways:

(1) The age of his parents, the innocence of his lineage, the special divine promises.

(2) The sign of circumcision which Isaac was the first to receive at the age of 8 days, the great feast of his weaning and the disheritance of Ishmael are all of the indications of the unique position that this child held.

* After Abraham died, God spoke to Isaac. He told Isaac to stay in Palestine and promised to fulfill the oath which he swore to Isaac's father.

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The promise to both Isaac & Jacob make it clear that the announced purpose of God will be fulfilled through the family lineage, a line that has its significant source in Abraham as its physical example of faith. The obedience of faith had kept Abraham in the place of blessing now Isaac was responsible to trust and obey and assured that through his line the original promise would be kept. The " Son of Promise", this joy of Abraham's old age, was born to Sarah in the desert, some where between Gerar & Beersheba.

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Shown As A Man Of The Desert

Isaac was a man of the desert, a pastoral nomad who then moved from place to place, occasionally growing crops and constantly seeking water for his flocks. Following the death of his mother Isaac, dwelt at Beer- lahai-roi, an oasis on a caravan route to egypt and the place where an angel had comforted Sarah's pregnant maid, Hagar, when she fled from her mistress's cruelty. When Isaac reopened the wells that Abraham dug and sowed crops, he "Reaped in the same year a hundred fold". He became so rich and powerful that Abimelech; feeling threatened, ordered him away. Going only as far as the valley of Gerar, probably to the southwest of the town, Isaac once more found water for his flocks.

(Owner Of Wells)

The herdmen of gerar disputed with Isaac's herdsmen over wells to which Isaac gave the names Esek (Contention) and Sitnah (Enmity), Isaac then dug a third well naming is Rehoboth (Room), for at last he seems to have found a place to graze his flocks in peace. Isaac left Gerar and went to the oasis of Beersheba, where the Lord again his covenant with the Patriarchs.

About his name:

The name Isaac in Hebrew means, "He laughs". By his wife Rebekah he was the father of Jacob and Esau. He died at Hebron at the age of 180 years old.

References used:

(1) Eardmans, vol 111 Heresy- Peleg; the international standard version encyclopedia.

(2) Nelson's new compact illustrative bible.

(C) Mario William Vitale 2/6/12