Isaac

Isaac's birth was itself a miracle, fulfilling God's promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son despite their advanced age. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. His name means 'laughter,' reflecting both Sarah's initial unbelief and her eventual joy at God's impossible provision. Through Isaac, not through Abraham's son Ishmael, God's covenant would continue.

The most dramatic event of Isaac's life occurred when he was a young man. God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Though the Bible doesn't record Isaac's age precisely, he was old enough to carry wood up the mountain and ask where the lamb for the sacrifice was. Isaac submitted to being bound on the altar, demonstrating remarkable trust in both his father and God. At the last moment, God provided a ram caught in a thicket, and Isaac's life was spared. This event foreshadowed God's ultimate provision of His own Son as a sacrifice.

When it was time for Isaac to marry, Abraham sent his servant back to their homeland to find a wife from among their relatives rather than from the Canaanites. The servant prayed for guidance, and God led him to Rebekah at a well. When Rebekah saw Isaac for the first time, he was meditating in the field. Isaac married Rebekah, and she brought him comfort after his mother Sarah's death.

Like his parents, Isaac and Rebekah faced barrenness. Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, and after twenty years, God answered with twins. The twins struggled within Rebekah, and God revealed that two nations were in her womb, and the older would serve the younger. This prophecy set the stage for the rivalry between Esau and Jacob.

Isaac's life largely parallels his father Abraham's experiences. He experienced famine and went to the land of the Philistines. Like Abraham, he deceptively claimed his wife was his sister out of fear. God appeared to Isaac and confirmed the covenant promises made to Abraham, promising to bless him and multiply his descendants. Isaac grew wealthy, and the Philistines envied him, stopping up the wells Abraham had dug.

Isaac's preference for Esau over Jacob created family dysfunction and contributed to the deception that resulted in Jacob receiving the blessing meant for the firstborn. Though Isaac intended to bless Esau, once Jacob had deceived him and received the blessing, Isaac confirmed it, recognizing that God's purposes were being fulfilled despite human manipulation.

Isaac lived to be 180 years old, the longest-lived of the three patriarchs in terms of the peaceful years he enjoyed. Both Esau and Jacob came together to bury him. Though Isaac's life seems quieter than Abraham's or Jacob's, he faithfully carried forward the covenant promises, and through him the line leading to the Messiah continued.