Genesis 28

Isaac blesses Jacob and sends him away for a wife

Isaac gives Jacob a proper blessing before he dies. He tells Jacob that he does not want him to take a wife from the people nearby but to go and get a wife from the children of his uncle, Rebekah's brother. This is still part of the same people that were a part of Abraham's family. As we know from the book of Judges, mingling with those that have other God's has a heavy price to pay. 

Upon hearing the news that his brother Jacob has been sent away for a wife, Esau decides to make his lot with the descendants of Ishmael.He takes a wife from those people and seems to delight in the doing what is contrary to his parents will and sound advice. Sin will make people do seemingly senseless things. 

As Jacob heads off on his journey, let us not forget that he has to leave anyway because his brother Esau vows to kill him after their father's death.He knows he may never see his parents or brother again. He is lonely, but just as we are without hope, that is when God shows up. Jacob dreams of a ladder ascending up to Heaven and God reaffirms his covenant with him and his forefather Abraham. We have the same promise that if we serve God faithfully, he will never leave us nor forsake us and will give us eternal rest. 

After Jacob wakes up, we takes his stone pillow and makes an alter to God for his covenant. The place is name Bethel, meaning God is in this place, or house of God. From this we have the phrase that Jacob will use later in Genesis saying 'let us go back to Bethel'. We use it now to mean let us return to where we got our first blessing and promise of God. 

Genesis 27

Isaac blesses Jacob

God said that the elder would serve the younger. He told that to Isaac and Rebekah when the children were born. Even so, when God may enlighten us as to his will, it is God who is to carry it out and we are not to do God's part for him. Isaac asks his son to fix him a last meal so to speak. He favored Esau and he loved fresh venison. So off Esau goes to do the will of his father and Rebekah plots with Jacob behind Isaac's back. If we let God work in our lives, he will work things out, we don't have nor can we do God's will for him. 

Rebekah tells the plan to Jacob and even Jacob thinks it is too risky. Many times in our life our first thought about a situation is probably the wisest. Rebekah convinces her son that it will work and goes about to go to great lengths to deceive her husband. So they  dress up Jacob to look like Esau. We know the Esau's marriages troubled his parents and that he was on the wrong path. Imagine Christians dressing up like a sinner to receive a blessing from God! We probably see this more often than we think if we will look past the surface.

Isaac, even though he is mostly blind questions and knows that something is up. Unfortunately his eyes and senses fail him in the deception. The only real way we can see the sins and trials that might stumble us in life is to cling close to God or we can be tricked by the deceptions of the Devil. Isaac after some crying gives Esau what blessing he can and now Esau hates Jacob for it. Beware not to make enemies ever, we are commanded to love everyone, but especially not to make enemies out of our own capable brother and sisters. Esau rightly had hard feelings for Jacob and it would take God to later cool his rage. The chapter closes with Rebekah giving Jacob good advise. We would do well to make it right with God and always speak sound advise even after we sin. 

Genesis 26

God reaffirms his covenant with Issac and blesses him

A new famine comes to the land of Canaan just as it did in Abraham's day. Unlike Abraham's day, God asks Isaac to stay and not go to Egypt and God will care for him. He also tells Isaac that if he follows God like his father, he will bless him like his father, and not just because he is Abraham's son. 

Just like his father, Isaac tells those around that Rebekah is his sister and not his wife. After Abimelech spies that Isaac and Rebekah are friendlier than brother and sister should be, he accuses Isaac of trying to bring mischief to the Philistine people. Abimelech, who may be the son of the Abimelech of Abraham's day, commands all his people not to harm or touch Rebekah. 

God not only blesses Isaac in a time of famine, but allows him to receive a hundred fold from his crops and flocks. Nothing is impossible for God if we will put our faith and trust in him. All these blessings though cause jealousy with the Philistines. After fighting over wells and flocks, Abimelech approaches Isaac and asks him to leave and go further away so that there are no wars or fighting between them. This is good for us to do as Christians that we would be peaceable with all people and rather go somewhere else than let the name of God suffer. 

Notice that Isaac digs up the wells that his father dug up. It is well to follow after the example of our forefather if there example is just and holy. If our parents or mentors were Godly, it is always good to follow after their example so that we might have the same relationship and success with God. After God reaffirms the covenant with Isaac, he again does what his father would do and builds and altar and sacrifices to God. 

When God blesses your life and the things that you do for his name, people will take notice. Even though Isaac was further away from Abimelech, they still heard and saw what God was doing for them. It worried them so much that if God was going to bless Isaac to become a mighty ruler, they wanted a peace treaty between them so that they would have peace and not have to fight against God. Oh that the world would have the same respect and fear for God's church because they see how he blesses it. 

Genesis 24

Abraham finds a wife for Isaac

As a matter of personal opinion, I believe that the person we marry (if you are going to marry) is the second most important decision we will ever make behind Salvation. There was a reason God ordered the Hebrews not to intermarry with other countries. It wasn't about racism, but was that they were to love and marry those that thought of, and served God the way the Israelites were commanded to. To be unequally yoked is a real and confining issue. 

Abraham wanted someone for his son that believed the same way they did. He knew it would help him in his service to God. I know this may shock some people, but we are here to serve God, not please a spouse. I believe two people that love one another will have a beautiful marriage if they put God first. Most probably the marriage will last ONLY if they put God before each other. 

Abraham orders his servant to go find a wife from his brothers family. The servant knows this is an important task and not and easy one. He asks Abraham how he will be sure of his journey and Abraham informs him that God has already prepared the way. Make sure that if God sends you on a mission for his purpose, he has already prepared the way. 

The servant goes off to find the bride and is met with success just as God had assured Abraham it would be. He finds Rebekah and she is an honest and eager helper of the servant. The servant assures and convinces Laban, Rebekah's brother, that this is truly from God and meant to be. 

The servant brings Rebekah back to Abraham and Isaac and she becomes Isaac's wife and the mother of Jacob and Esau. 

Genesis 22

Abraham's faith is tested

The bible calls Isaac a lad, so we feel he is old enough to understand some things, but not yet an adult. God comes to Abraham and tells him to go to a place of God's choosing and offer Isaac for a sacrifice. Needless to say, this would put Abraham in a grievous position. Never the less, Abraham obeys and does as God asks. On the journey, Isaac has enough understanding to realize that there is no sacrifice with them. Abraham  tells Isaac what still holds true to this day and is the foretelling of the Messiah, that God will provide a sacrifice. 

Despite the torment Abraham must have been going through, he obeys and goes to sacrifice his son. God, who is always on time, sends and angel to stay his hand. In verse 17 God reiterates his promise to Abraham because of his faithfulness. We must believe that Jesus saves us from our sins, but we also must believe enough to put it into action. 

The chapter ends to show of the generations of Abraham's brother that will provide a wife for Isaac in an upcoming chapter. 

Genesis 21

Isaac is Born

Sarah conceives a son just as the Lord had promised. It truly is a miracle for Sarah is well past child bearing age. This goes along with our faith in Jesus Christ. We were dead in sin with no hope of new life until Jesus made a sacrifice on the cross that gave us life where none before existed. It says that the Lord visited her, just as he visits us to draw us out of sin and into his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him). 

They called him Isaac which means laughter. Abraham and Sarah both laughed when it came to believing God and his promise, but now they laugh with a joy and unbelief of God's mercy. So there is this time of joy and reaping that we will all enjoy from time to time. The season, as all of life is, is just passing though. It is not long before strife comes to the tents of Abraham. Ishmael mocks Isaac and Sarah sees it. It seems that Ishmael is not old enough to come to this understanding on his own, and he had some encouragement from Hagar; we don't know this for certain, but it seems likely. 

Sarah wants Hagar and Ishmael gone from there presence. God tells Abraham to go ahead and send Ishmael out of the camp, but make no mistake, they are still paying for past sins. After Hagar and the child are cast out, God remembers his covenant with Abraham about his seed, even though Ishmael was not the one God had originally meant when he created the covenant with Abraham. God looks after Hagar and promises that Ishmael will become a great nation. 

Some time passes and we encounter Abimelech again. He wants what we would now call an alliance or peace treaty with Abraham. Abimelech knows that God had blessed Abraham and that Abraham is growing in God's blessings. It doesn't hurt that Abimelech been warned of God in the past about Abraham when Abimelech took Sarah. After Abraham corrects Abimelech about a fight at a well, they enter into their alliance. We would do well to make friends and bonds with all of God's faithful servants. 

Genesis 17

Genesis chapter 17

As Abram gets into his nineties, God has not forgotten him and he renews his covenant with him. Notice that God tells him to be perfect. We know that Abram has sinned, and is not perfect, but God instructs him, and I believe us also, to be perfect. We are not to be perfect by our own might, but by his. We will most likely never be perfect down here, but whatever sin we may have in our past, we are to seek forgiveness, then seek to be without sin through Jesus Christ.

Now with the renewing of this covenant, God gives Abram the new name of Abraham which means Father of many or a multitude. God reminds Abraham that this covenant is forever and it will be everything that God has promised it would be. With this covenant that was up until this point by faith, God will also have his covenant with Abraham be a physical one as well. Not outwardly, but real and permanent. Isn't this the covenant we have in our hearts with Salvation? Our continence might change, but our outward physical appearance doesn't alter; just the heart.

God is going to change Sarai's name to Sarah. She will bear children and Abraham laughs in his heart at this idea. He knows that Sarah is just as old as him and he doesn't see it happening. Let us all remember that just as God reminds Abraham the inheritance will INDEED come from Sarah's womb, that God's ways are not our ways and he will bring what he promises to pass whether we think it possible or not. God goes so far as to tell Abraham when this child will come and what his name will be. God is specific with our purpose in life.

So Abraham goes and does as God commands and circumcises his entire household, servants and all. Let us all try and be thorough with what God would have us do with and in our lives.