God's Purposes Accomplished through Isaac -- 4/19/09

Sunday, April 19, 2009

GOD’S PURPOSES ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH ISAAC
Genesis 23-26

We live in a society that encourages us to make plans. Our educational system has absolutely gone to seed on the concept of setting goals. There is certainly nothing wrong with making a plan, though all the personal plans of the Christian must be tentative. “A man’s heart devises his way; but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9). "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:13-14). A tentative plan is all right, but some in our society are so fixed on setting goals that there is little time and effort left to accomplish them. That trend has found its way into religious circles. Churches are even encouraged to set a goal as to how many people they will baptize during the coming year.

But there is one who has a plan, and that one is God. For Him, setting the goal and accomplishing it are one in the same. When God makes a plan, it is done. When God gives a promise, you can write it down, because it will be accomplished. How can you know that is true? First, check His record. Hundreds of His promises have already been fulfilled. Second, remember that He is God, the Almighty. He is true to His Word and He is able to accomplish what He promises. Third, we have the truth of His Word. Ps. 115:2-3, "Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? 3. But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." Listen to the Lord speaking to His people in Is. 48:3-5…

I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. 4. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; 5. I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.
Yes, God has a plan and He will accomplish it. Isn’t that good to know! There is no other plan that is guaranteed.

Let’s go back for a moment to the plan God revealed to Abraham in Genesis 12. Gen. 12:1-4…
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Notice especially these promises…
… unto a land that I will show you
… I will make of you a great nation
… in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed

Add to that the promise we find in Gen. 17:4-5, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee." The Lord clearly told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations; that was the very meaning of the name God gave him – “Abraham.”

This morning we are going to see that Isaac was a part of those promises. You will recall the scriptural phrase “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” It is common to find the names of these three patriarchs together. If you are not familiar with them, Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was the father of Jacob. Now let me ask you a question. Of the three, which is best known? Yes, I would have to say Abraham. Which is least known? Isaac. We will read a great deal about Jacob as we go through Genesis. Isaac, on the other hand, does not receive as much coverage. He is the link between Abraham and Jacob. Except for his father taking him to Mt. Moriah and the fact that he dug some wells, we know little about him except his family. Nevertheless, we must understand that God accomplished His purposes through Isaac. That is what we want to look at this morning, as we explore Genesis 23-26. We won’t have time to read every verse in these chapters, but I strongly encourage you to read them thoroughly on your own.

I. Isaac Loses His Parents (23:1-20)

Let’s begin by reading about the death of Sarah in Gen. 23:1-2, "And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her." Abraham lost a wife, and Isaac lost a mother. Isaac was 37 years old at the time. We know his age at this time because we know he was born when Sarah was 90.
It is no wonder that Abraham mourned for over the death of his wife. They had been through much together. Abraham loved Sarah. We need to be careful in our attitude toward those who lose loved ones, especially when that loved one was a believer. We might say, “Well praise the Lord that Sally has gone home to be with the Lord.” Such a statement can pierce the heart of her husband, who has been her companion for many years. Yes, we rejoice on behalf of the believer who died, but we weep with those who love her, because they are experiencing a tremendous loss. Yes, they love the Lord. They are not questioning God’s timing. But they still hurt. Abraham trusted God, but he still mourned the loss of his precious wife.

The rest of chapter 23 tells the story of how Abraham purchased a burial plot for Sarah. Why 18 verses to tell the story of buying a cemetery plot? Proper burial of the dead was a way of showing honor and respect for the one who died. Abraham couldn’t just dispose of his wife, as if she were a worn out pair of shoes. Perhaps more importantly, we must note that this was the only land that Abraham owned in the land of Canaan. He was a stranger and pilgrim in that land, but he thought it was important to buy this burial plot. Why? We are not told the details, but it seems that Abraham was confessing that this was indeed the land God had promised to him and his descendants. Remember the promise we read from chapter 12 about “that land that I will show you.”

It is interesting that chapter 22 closes with the record of the twelve sons borne to Nahor, who was Abraham’s brother. This, of course, was taking place back where the rest of Abraham’s family was, back in Padanaram. Abraham received good news from a far country. His brother and family were doing well. Then we immediately read in 23:1 that Sarah died. The logical thing for Abraham to do would be to take her back and bury her where the family was. Don’t think for a minute that it would have been too far. Distance was not a factor when it came to providing proper burial. I remind you that Jacob would be buried in this same tomb, though they had to bring his body back from Egypt. But rather than burying her with his people, Abraham buried her in the land that God had promised. Let’s read from Heb. 11:13-16…
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Abraham was not seeking to return to his former homeland. No, he was seeking a country that this world knows nothing about. He desired a better country, even a heavenly country. And while he was on the earth, he accepted his place as just a stranger and pilgrim. Nevertheless, while he was here, he would rejoice in the land the Lord would give to his descendants. He showed it by purchasing a burial plot in that land. By the way, my understanding is that the price he paid was rather high, but it didn’t matter. Abraham was investing in what he knew to be important.

Now turn over to chapter 25. Let’s read Gen. 25:1-10…
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3. And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4. And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5. And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6. But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7. And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8. Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. 9. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10. The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

Now we see the death of Abraham as well. He was 175 years old when he died. Now understand that all the events recorded in these chapters are not in chronological order. Later in this same chapter we will read about the birth of Isaac’s sons, but that actually took place before the death of Abraham. How do we know? Because we are told that Isaac was 60 when the twins were born, which would make Abraham 160 at the time. Jacob and Esau were 15 years old when their grandfather Abraham died.

The fact that these things are not always in chronological order has left questions about the status of Keturah. In 25:1 we read that she was Abraham’s wife. But in I Chron. 1:32 she is identified as his concubine, and the same is true here in 25:6. Did she marry Abraham after Sarah died or before? Verse 1 could be translated just as accurately, “Abraham had taken a wife.” The context is the determining factor. Was her relationship with Abraham similar to that of Hagar, who is apparently the other concubine referred to in verse 6? Or is she given that designation simply to make it clear that she was not on a par with Sarah? Rather than debating it, we will later come back to the main reason for including these verses in the first place.

Notice that Isaac and Ishmael buried their father. Though Ishmael had been put out of the household, there is still a relationship with his father Abraham. And where did they bury him? In the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre (verse 9). And if that isn’t specific enough, we read in verse 10, “The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth; there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.” He was buried in the very plot that he had purchased for the burial of his wife, in the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give to his descendants.

Certainly Abraham’s death was a huge blow to both Ishmael and Isaac, but we will focus upon Isaac, who was the son of promise. Remember that Isaac was born when his father was 100 years old. He was the only son of Abraham and Sarah. For 37 years he enjoyed both of them. But after the death of his mother, his father lived another 38 years. By the way, 175 was a long life for that time. Notice again the way his death is recorded in Gen. 25:8, "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people." Though Isaac now has a wife and two sons, how he would miss his father Abraham.

II. Isaac Gains a Wife (24:1-67)

Now think again about the promises to Abraham. God had promised him that he would be the father of many nations (Gen. 17:4-5). Let’s pause there for a minute. How was that going to happen? We think of Abraham as the father of the Jewish nation, but not so much the father of many nations. We know from history that many nations did not come through Isaac. So how was Abraham going to be the father of many nations?

Look again here in chapter 25. In verses 2-4 we see that Abraham had six sons by Keturah. Then in verses 12-15 we see that Abraham’s son Ishmael had 12 sons of his own. Why do we need such records. Who cares about the sons of Keturah and the sons of Ishmael? Notice the names of those sons of Keturah. Among them we find the name Midian. You will remember that in the times of the Judges the Midianites were the enemies of Israel. A nation came from Midian. It is likely that Shuah was the father of the Shuhites, and we remember Bildad the Shuhite as one of Job’s friends. So we see that Abraham was the father of these nations.

The connection is even more specific when we come down to Gen. 25:16, "These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations." From Ishmael came the rulers of twelve nations. And who was the father of the father of these nations? It was Abraham. He truly was the father of many nations. Though we may not always understand why certain things are included in the scriptures, be patient and trust God. Know they are there for a specific purpose because God is wise and He doesn’t do things haphazardly.

So we see that Abraham was the father of many nations through his other sons, but what about Isaac? God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation (Gen. 12:2). And what nation is that? We know from history that this would be Israel. By the way, where do we get that name Israel? We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but this is important. Yes, that was the new name that God would give to Jacob. But what does that have to do with the nation of Israel? Jacob (renamed Israel) had twelve sons and each son would become the head of a tribe, known as the twelve tribes of Israel. So the nation Israel takes its name from Jacob, who became Israel.

That’s fine. Abraham was the father of that nation, and the nation took its name from Jacob, who was renamed Israel. That leaves only one problem – how do we get from Abraham to Jacob? In order for Abraham to be the father of this great nation Israel, Isaac is going to need to have at least one son. Somewhere down the road there is going to be a need for many children, but at this point Isaac is going to need to have at least one. And if Isaac is going to have a son, then he needs a wife. Chapter 24! Guess what. This is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. And what is it about? What is the content of chapter 24? You could title it very simply “A Wife for Isaac.” It contains 67 verses, and it is all about obtaining a wife for Isaac. How did Ishmael get his wife? Gen 21:21, "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt." Or consider the record of Esau in Gen. 26:34, "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:" Esau got two wives in one verse, but it took Isaac 67 verses to get his one and only wife! The length of the story reinforces the importance of this marriage.

Oh but I have a better love story for you. This one goes much deeper than falling in love. The foundation of this love story is deep and strong. It isn't a "boy meets girl and they fall in love" kind of story. We live in a day where "boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after" has been replaced with "boy meets girl, they fall in love and get divorced sooner or later." The great cure for that tragedy must go back to the foundation. So let me direct you to this unique and beautiful love story. Rather than try to read all of it, I will just read some key verses. I encourage you to go back and read the whole story this week.

But now Abraham is old and he longs to see his son take a wife--not just any wife, but the right wife. He doesn’t want a wife from the heathen, idol-worshipping people in the land where they were living. So he decided to send his servant back to Mesopotamia (Padanaram), where his relatives lived. .

Now immediately this love story hits a snag. The servant says, "But what if the woman I choose refuses to come back with me." Now surely that is an appropriate question. What young girl would jump in the car with a servant of a distant relative and agree to marry a man whom she had never seen? Even if he was as rich as Isaac, she might have a problem with that.

Notice Abraham's answer in verse 7, "The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, To your descendants I give this land, He will send His angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there." Abraham trusted the Lord to bring a wife back for his son.

Did you catch that? Abraham was the richest man in the country. God had blessed him with sheep and cattle and all a man could want. He had servants to do his bidding. But Abraham did not trust his riches and his power to buy a wife for Isaac. He didn't say, "If she refuses to come, you tell her that Abraham of Canaan commands her to come." He didn't threaten and he didn't bribe. He simply said that the Lord would send his angel and prepare the way.

Parents, listen up. People in our day badmouth "arranged marriages." It takes the romance out of marriage. I remind you that as nice as romance may be, romance doesn't hold marriages together. Romance is not the key ingredient in making a marriage what it ought to be. Marriage is in trouble in our society precisely because instead of marriages being arranged, people are falling into them and out of them.

This is the best kind of arrangement. Abraham trusted God to arrange the marriage. Don't you know that his announcement to his servant was the fruit of much prayer. Surely he had prayed to God, asking Him to find a wife for his son Isaac. And so now he assures his servant that God can be trusted to cause this chosen woman to come back. Abraham placed his confidence in the Lord.

So the servant went his way, making the long journey back to the homeland. He found a town and stopped on the outskirts of a town by a well. The custom was that the women came out to draw water for the family. So as he settled down to wait, notice what the servant did in verse 12. "Then he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham." He prayed. He asked God to bring the right woman for Isaac.

What a combination--trust in the Lord plus continuing prayer. This servant went as far as he could go, and then he prayed. To the best of his knowledge, he was doing the right thing. And he was praying that the Lord would bring success. Success didn't necessarily mean a girl with outward beauty. Success meant the will of God.

The girl who came out to draw water was named Rebekah. How was the servant to know if this was the girl the Lord had chosen? He simply said to the Lord, "If this is the one, let her not only give me a drink when I ask, but let her volunteer to water the camels as well."

Now look at verse19, "And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking. Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels." I ask you, "What was wrong with this girl?" She didn't know this man and the servants with him. She didn't know he was looking for a wife for his master's son. She simply saw a man who was thirsty and who had a thirsty bunch of camels.

Do you see? This girl ran to draw water for the camels. This was a girl who was eager to be of service. I don't know about that day, but it is becoming a rare thing in our day. Today young ladies are being deceived into thinking that it is right and proper to be boy crazy. And even the Christian community just winks and says that it is natural for kids that age. It wasn't natural for Rebekah. She wasn't cruising around with a group of girls looking for guys. She had an eye out for serving others, even when they were not young men who were prospective boyfriends or husbands. It was that very eagerness to serve which marked her out as the right woman for Isaac. She had no idea she was engaging in the very act that would identify her as the future wife of the son of Abraham.

Young people, I surely don't have all the answers about finding a mate, but I am sure of one principle. The way to find the mate God has for you is not to look for mate. Develop an eagerness to serve others and then let God lead you to the right mate. Rhonda and I can testify that the Lord put us together when we were not looking for anyone except Him, and it was in the context of service. We think He did a very good job.

Then the servant asked this young lady about her family. Amazingly enough, she was the daughter of one of Abraham's relatives. To be more exact, Rebekah was Isaac’s second cousin. God had indeed directed this servant back to Abraham's people. So now he has found a girl who is eager for service, a girl whom the angel of the Lord has pointed out, a girl who is from Abraham's people, and a girl from a family of hospitality. He is overwhelmed.

So what does the servant of Abraham do? Does he give the other servants a high five? Does he jump for joy? No. Verse 26 tells us, "Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord." Did you hear that? He worshipped the Lord. What was wrong with the man? Did he think he was in church? Did he think he heard someone say, "Now let's bow in prayer"? No, the Lord God was in the middle of this entire undertaking. There was nothing more natural than for him to worship the God who had brought it all about.

And then verse 27, "And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master." He not only worshipped the Lord, but he also blessed the Lord. He gave glory to the Lord. In our terms, he gave God the credit. He not only talked to God about what He had done, but he spoke openly before all of what God had done.

Do you see how the foundation for marriage is being built? The Lord is right in the middle of everything. In the midst of finding a wife for Isaac, the servant who is doing the seeking is worshipping and blessing the Lord. Somehow, he knows that this is the Lord's doing.

So the servant goes home with Rebekah and her brother Laban, who has come out to meet them. When he gets to the house, the servant insists on relating the purpose of his visit before he will so much as even eat. This was a very faithful servant. After telling them the who matter and how Rebekah seems to be the one the Lord has led him to, he then comes straight to the point. He asks them straight out if they will give Rebekah to be the wife of Isaac. That was common custom in that day. The father did give the bride away.

Look at verse 50 to see how Rebekah's father and brother responded. "Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has spoken." Please understand what they are saying. Notice that they don't offer any opinion about it. From the testimony of the servant, it is obvious that the whole matter has been directed by the Lord Himself. So that is the end of it. They cannot say whether they will let her go or not; the Lord has already said it. So all that is left for them is to get in step with the God who is arranging this marriage.

And when Abraham's servant heard the response of Laban and Bethuel, what do you think he did? "He worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth" (52). When he sees the hand of the Lord at work, his first response is to worship God.

Now after the servant had produced valuable gifts and presented them to Rebekah, they were all fed and bedded down for the night. When the servant arose the next morning, he said, "Now send me away to my master." Apparently after thinking on it over night, Rebekah's mother and brother said to the servant, "Okay, but let her stay and visit with us for a few days--at least ten." That seemed like a reasonable request. After all, chances are that they would never see her again. What could be wrong with a ten-day goodbye? But Abraham's servant had a one-track mind. He knew why he had come. Just as he wouldn't eat until he had told the family why he had come, he didn't think it wise to wait around for ten days. Verse 56, "And he said to them, Do not hinder me since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master." For him, it was an urgent matter because he had been sent directly by Abraham.

At this, they told the servant that they would get Rebekah and ask her personally. And they did. They said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go." You may say, "What would have happened if she would have said, 'No'?" I don't know the answer to that question. The point is that she said, "Yes." This was a family matter. In a sense, her family gave her away before they asked her. But at the same time, they did ask her and she was in complete agreement.

Is it any wonder that marriages and families are deteriorating in our society. In a great number of cases, young people are making decisions about marriage without the guidance and support of family. And our society encourages it by saying, "You have a right to choose your own mate. You don't have to listen to anyone else. It is your right." And then after they are married, they hear: "If you aren't happy in the marriage, then you have a right to get out." It wasn't so with Rebekah. She found security, support, and encouragement from her family.

Now here is a good question: Why was Rebekah so willing to go with Abraham's servant to be the wife of Isaac? How could she leave family and home to step into the unknown? Yes, Isaac had plenty. You might consider him rich. But even in our day, thoughtful young ladies know that money cannot make things right and cause a marriage to work. Didn't Rebekah fear the possibility that she wouldn't like Isaac, that she wouldn't like his family, that she wouldn't like the climate? Let me make a suggestion to you. I don't think Rebekah was impulsive and foolish. I don't think she was a girl just looking for adventure. Rather, she was a young lady who had real values. Remember that her father and brother rightly recognized the hand of God in the arrangement of this marriage. Surely she had a similar outlook.

Now consider something else. Back in Genesis 2, we read the story of how God made a wife for Adam. God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." And then God put Adam to sleep and formed Eve from one of his ribs. Then Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Now listen to these following words, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh."

Now I don't know whether Rebekah had ever heard these words or not. It might seem that she and her family had no knowledge of such things. After all, they hadn't gone to the land of Canaan with Abraham. But remember that Rebekah's father and brother acknowledged that it was the LORD who had arranged everything. "The LORD" is none other than Jehovah, Yahweh, the God of Abraham and Isaac. So Rebekah and her family knew something of the true God. Whether she had heard the specific words or whether God had somehow instilled the principle in her heart, Rebekah knew about leaving her parents and cleaving to her husband. She knew that the time would come when she would be called on to leave her home and be joined to the man who would be her husband. The distance meant little because it seems that she had already settled the issue in her heart.

So Rebekah and her maids left with the servant of Abraham. And as she went, she left with the blessing of her family. "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. And may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them" (verse 60). Yes, they would miss Rebekah, but they were happy for her. They wanted the very best for her.

Now what about Isaac? What was he doing and thinking all this time? Verse 63, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening." What a strange thing. Isaac was out in the fields thinking. Now the meaning of this word is a bit cloudy. I can't prove that Isaac was out in the field thinking about the Lord and how He must be the one to bring him a wife. But if I had to guess, that is exactly what I would expect. Here was a young man who was about to receive a wife. He didn't know what she would be like. He didn't know how eager she would be to become his wife. He didn't know what she would look like. Furthermore, he was about to begin a lifetime commitment. This marriage would tie him to a woman for the rest of his life. Surely it was appropriate that he should get alone with his God.

Then the great moment came. Rebekah and those with her were on camels. Isaac saw them coming. And Rebekah saw Isaac in the field. The servant of Abraham confirmed for her that this was indeed Isaac, the man whe was to marry. When she knew it was Isaac, she took a veil and covered herself. That, of course, was according to the customs of the day. But I want you to notice that Rebekah was willing to abide by the customs. She exercised restraint and modesty.

Now let me read the last words of the story in verse 67, "Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her." Notice the order. Rebekah became his wife and he loved her. Didn't those crazy people know that they had the order reversed. In more recent times we have discovered that the proper order is to fall in love and then get married. We have become so enlightened. No, Isaac and Rebekah had it right. You see, the love they had was not the same love as we think of in "falling in love." The "falling in love" kind of love is not the kind of love that lasting marriage must be based on. That kind of love is selfish and self-seeking.

But what is this love that Isaac had for Rebekah? And what kind of marriage is this that doesn't depend at all on falling in love? What if they were not compatible? Listen to me. This is the kind of love that makes for real marriage. This kind of love didn't depend on how Rebekah looked. It didn't depend on her personality. It didn't depend on some kind of magic chemistry between the two people. That kind of love was based on a commitment. And in their case, it was even more than a commitment to one another. It was a commitment to God, the God who invented marriage.

III. Isaac Is Blessed by God, In Spite of Failure (25:5,11; 26:1-33)

I have already reminded us that we know far less about Isaac than we know about Abraham and Jacob. After reading verse after verse about Abraham in Hebrews 11, we come to Isaac’s record and read simply: “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come” (Heb. 11:20). That’s it. Since much less is recorded about Isaac than either his father Abraham or his son Jacob, can we conclude that God didn’t bless him? What does the scripture say? Gen. 25:11, “And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac..” As the Lord blessed Abraham, so He blessed Isaac.

Go back to 25:5, "And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac." This is just before Abraham’s death, which is recorded down in verse 8. Remember now that Abraham had at least seven other sons, the six sons of Keturah and Ishmael, the son of Hagar. What about them? They too are the sons of Abraham. Abraham didn’t leave them out. Verse 6, “But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts…” He gave his other sons some gifts, but he gave all that he had unto Isaac. The idea is certainly, “But what he had of real value he gave to Isaac.” The other sons received some mementos by which they could remember their father, but Isaac received the inheritance.

Why was this? Why was Isaac blessed of God? Was it because he was some super saint? I must say that from what we know, he was the purest of the patriarchs, in that he had only one wife and no other woman. Best we can tell from the scriptures, it was just Isaac and Rebekah. Maybe that is why God blessed him, because of his purity of life. But then we come to chapter 26.

The chapter begins with words of great blessing. Because of a famine in Egypt, the Lord spoke to Isaac. Read Gen. 26:2-4…
And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4. And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Not only did God bless Isaac, but He gave to him the blessing he had given to Abraham. What a blessed man was Isaac.

From there the story goes downhill. Basically, all I need to say is that it is a repeat of what we found in the last part of chapter 12 and in chapter 20, but this time the main character is Isaac instead of Abraham. That’s right, to protect his own hide, he lied about his wife Rebekah, claiming she was his sister. Never forget that sin has consequences, and this time it had consequences for the next generation. So we see that Isaac too was a man of failure, just like his dad.

So why did God bless him? It wasn’t because of who Isaac was; it was because of who God is. By blessing Isaac, God was fulfilling His promise – His promise to make of Abraham a great nation, His promise to make Abraham’s name great, His promise to give Abraham a multitude of descendants. After reading God’s promise to bless Isaac in 26:2-4, we then read in verse 5, “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws.” He was doing it for the sake of Abraham. We read the same thing down in Gen. 26:24, "And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake." “For my servant Abraham’s sake.”

Don’t ever forget that the blessing of God does not have its root in our goodness and greatness and ability and deeds. The blessing of God is rooted in the God who chooses to bless. Nevertheless, we must never get the idea that this truth means it makes no difference how we live. Listen to the next verse, verse 25, “And he builded an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord…” As the servant of Abraham worshipped God when he saw God accomplishing His purposes, Isaac now does the same. His primary relationship in all of life is with the Lord Himself, and he gladly acknowledges that truth.

Conclusion

So we get a good look at Isaac. Thought lost his mother and father, God blessed him with a wife. Though he failed even in the way he treated that wife, God continued to bless him. In the next section, we will see that the Lord blessed him with twin boys, though his wife Rebekah was barren for the first 20 years of their marriage.

Here is what I want to leave us with this morning. God has a plan, and He will accomplish that plan. Though the stories we have been reading are about Abraham and Isaac, they are really about the Lord Himself. Now Abraham has passed off the scene, but the Lord continues His work. That work is not dependent upon any man, but the Lord has seen fit to bless us by making us a part of His plan.

May our response be the same as that of Isaac. May we pause again and again and call upon the name of the Lord. No, we don’t need to build an altar. The cross of Calvary was the last altar; there is no need for another. It was there on that cross that God gave His Son Jesus, to bear the sins of Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob and Joseph, and you and me. There the Lord Jesus was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God. When you through repentance and faith embrace the Christ who died on that cross and rose from the grave, you are doing more than building an altar; you are finding life that God intended to give.

Praise God that the promises He made to Abraham are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. It is through Him that all the families of the earth are blessed!