Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, holds a significant place in biblical history as the child of promise, born through divine intervention. His life and legacy are pivotal in the narrative of God's covenant with Abraham and the unfolding of His plan for the nation of Israel.

Birth and Early Life

Isaac's birth was foretold by God as a miraculous event. In Genesis 17:19 , God declares to Abraham, "Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." Despite Sarah's advanced age and her initial skepticism, as recorded in Genesis 18:12 , "So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, 'After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?'" God fulfilled His promise. Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90, as detailed in Genesis 21:1-3 : "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him."

The Binding of Isaac

One of the most profound episodes in Isaac's life is the binding, or Akedah, as recounted in Genesis 22. God tested Abraham's faith by instructing him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. In Genesis 22:2 , God commands, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you." Abraham's obedience and faith were unwavering, and as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac, an angel of the LORD intervened, saying in Genesis 22:12 , "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me." This event is seen as a foreshadowing of God's own sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Marriage and Family

Isaac married Rebekah, a union orchestrated by God through Abraham's servant, as described in Genesis 24. Rebekah was chosen for her kindness and hospitality, and she became the mother of Esau and Jacob. Genesis 25:21 notes, "Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived." The birth of their twins marked the continuation of God's covenant promise, with Jacob, later named Israel, becoming the father of the twelve tribes.

Legacy and Significance

Isaac's life is marked by his role as a patriarch and a link in the covenantal promise. He is often seen as a figure of obedience and faith, mirroring the faith of his father, Abraham. Isaac's experiences, particularly the binding, are interpreted as a testament to God's provision and faithfulness. His life serves as a reminder of the miraculous power of God and His unwavering commitment to His promises.

Isaac's account is foundational to understanding the lineage of the Israelites and the unfolding of God's redemptive plan through history. His life, marked by divine intervention and covenantal significance, continues to be a source of inspiration and reflection for believers.Genesis 17:15-19
And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
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Genesis 18:1-15
And the LORD appeared to him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
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Genesis 21:1-8
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.
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Joshua 24:3
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
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1 Chronicles 1:28
The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.
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Galatians 4:28
Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
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Hebrews 11:11
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
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Chapter xxi
... the case might suggest, a bit younger than Isaac. ... by Whitelaw's comment: "Not
necessarily by miraculous operation, perhaps ... did, a god-fearing wife for his son. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxi.htm

Christ Clothed with the True Substance of Human Nature.
... the genealogy proves Christ to be the Son of David ... which Christ flowed, but
distinguishes his miraculous from an ... For the same reason for which Isaac is said ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 13 christ clothed with.htm

The Pentateuch.
... have the history of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ... on physiological grounds,
that any miraculous interposition was ... years before the birth of his son. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xix the pentateuch.htm

Abraham, his Trial in Egypt; his Humility
... 14]309; his sending for a wife for Isaac typical, [15 ... applied to both the Father
and the Son, [721]114 ... Spirit, [732]290; how said, only after Abraham's trial to ...
/.../abraham his trial in egypt.htm

On Turning the First Page of the Review which Follows...
... p.62.) Nay, Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac was an ... with which Abraham spared
to slay his son, is resolved ... 7:14 does not refer to the miraculous birth of ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/ii on turning the first.htm

The Gospel Feast
... to think, as well as other things: His miraculous birth, His ... For instance, when Isaac
was weaned, Abraham "made a ... Cast out this bondwoman and her son," she said ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon xii the gospel feast.htm

The Unity of Revelation. 1 "Known unto God are all his Works from ...
... strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob ... great, and shall be
called the Son of the ... given them, in the possession of miraculous powers, the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvi the unity of.htm

Hearken and Look; Or, Encouragement for Believers
... not called now, as Abraham was, by miraculous calls from ... God, "and take thy son,
thine only son Isaac, whom thou ... if he should actually slay his son at God's ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 27 1881/hearken and look or encouragement.htm

On the Catholic Faith
... the birth of the Virgin, yet the diffusion of that faith throughout the world dates
from the actual miraculous coming of ... This son was named Isaac and he ...
/.../boethius/the theological tractates/on the catholic faith.htm

The Lame Man Cured by Peter and John.
... Miraculous powers were not conferred for show, or as the reward ... "The God of Abraham,
and of Isaac, and of ... God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus: whom ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture iv the lame man.htm

Who was Rebekah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Sarah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Abraham in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Isaac: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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