The Faith of Isaac

Articles

Derek Long
06/02/19 - Faith

The Faith of Isaac
By Derek Long
Abraham’s faith had an impact upon his family. God
said of Abraham, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to
him” (Genesis 18:19). Isaac, Abraham’s son, possessed faith in God just as his father Abraham did. Hebrews 11:20 speaks of the faith of Isaac, saying, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.” What are some important lessons we can take from the faith of Isaac?
• Isaac’s faith trusted in the promises of God. God promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation, to give his descendants the land of Canaan, and to bless all nations through him (Genesis 12:1-7). Isaac was the son of Abraham through whom these promises would end up being fulfilled. God tells Abraham, “My covenant I will establish with Isaac” (Genesis 17:21). As Isaac grew and eventually married God would end up repeating the same set of promises to Isaac He had made to Abraham. In Genesis 26:3-4 God tells Isaac, “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Isaac would look forward to the time when God would fulfill these promises He made to him. Isaac trusted God would keep his promises.
• Isaac’s faith acted in accordance with God’s promise regarding the destinies of the descendants of both his sons. When Isaac’s wife Rebekah was pregnant with twins, God told her, “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the
younger” (Genesis 25:23). The end of Genesis 25 tells of how Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for a pot of stew. Isaac ended up giving to Jacob a blessing in accordance with the promise made by God. Isaac would bless Jacob saying, “Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!” (Genesis 27:27-29). Isaac was unaware he was blessing Jacob instead of Esau at this time but God made sure Jacob would end up being blessed. Isaac’s blessing of Esau also seems to be in harmony with what God had said about the older son. Isaac’s blessing of Esau was, “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. By the sword you shall life, and
you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck” (Genesis 27:39-40). As Isaac sends Jacob to Padan Aram to get a wife from his mother’s family, he tells him things which agree with God’s prophecy about the younger of his sons. Genesis 28:3-4 says, “May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.” Isaac showed he trusted God’s promise about how the promises made to Abraham and him would be
! fulfilled in his descendants.
Do we trust God’s promises to be fulfilled exactly as God said even though we have not seen them fulfilled in our lifetime or perhaps for several years after they were given? Isaac continued to trust God’s promises even after they were not fulfilled in the lifetime of his father. Will we be faithful like Isaac? Will we trust God to fulfill His promises and act in accordance with what God has said?