Isaac has been called “the mediocre son of a great father and the mediocre father of a great son.” It is true that when it comes to the colorful figures in the family line, Isaac was overshadowed by his father, Abraham, and outshone by his son, Jacob. Still, Isaac qualifies to be in the great Hall of Faith chapter of the Bible, Hebrews 11, where we read, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”
The focus of the statement, “By faith Isaac blessed,” is his faith and the blessing that he passed along to his sons. But, before a blessing by faith can be imparted, the righteousness of faith must be imputed. Who could better exemplify this than Abraham? We can see faith and blessing in two points of their lives’ junctures: Isaac’s birth announcement and the Mt. Moriah experience.
Given and Given Again
To the casual reader, the details of Isaac’s birth seem to be no laughing matter, but a closer look reveals it to be quite humorous. When the Lord told Abraham that he would have a son in his old age, he fell on his face and laughed (Gen. 17:17). When Sarah heard the Lord speak about His promise, she laughed, too (Gen. 18:12-13). But God had the last laugh, instructing this old couple to name their son Isaac, meaning laughter (Gen.17:19). Looking past the humor, Isaac’s birth was proof of what faith can do. Romans 4 tells us that it was over Isaac’s birth that Abraham’s faith was imputed to him for righteousness.
But then we read of the Mt. Moriah experience. Isaac, as a lad, went with his father to the place where Abraham would offer him up as a burnt offering. How well Isaac prefigured the Lord Jesus as he carried the wood for the sacrifice and submitted himself to death. He heard the Angel of the Lord call out from heaven to save him from death and to sware an oath to bless the seed of Abraham. “Blessing I will bless you, and…in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 22:17-18).
In these two instances, we see faith and blessing combined in the life of Isaac.
Faith in the Family
The next element in Isaac’s life is his marriage to Rebekah. It’s a wonderful story that depicts the provision of the bride for Isaac, the payment made, and her transport home to be by his side (Gen. 24). Wonderful, because it is so much like us as the bride, and our own heavenly Bridegroom. But soon there was conflict that drove Isaac to his knees to plead with the Lord for Rebekah to have children.
The Lord heard his plea, granted the request, and they were blessed—doubly blessed. Isaac and Rebekah were expecting twins! However there was a struggle going on between the twins even while they were in the womb. There were two nations in her womb. No wonder Rebekah was distressed! Before their birth, God declared that the older would serve the younger. Esau was born first, and Jacob was born holding on to Esau’s heel. But as the children grew, Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.
Meanwhile, Isaac learned some very important life lessons. He faced the same challenges that his father, Abraham, faced: famine, going down toward Egypt for help, and fear because of his beautiful wife. Like Abraham, Isaac had to decide whether to die for his wife or lie about his wife. “Like father, like son”—Isaac was no exception to the rule. He lied saying, “She is my sister.”
But the Lord blessed Isaac in spite of himself. He began redigging his father’s wells and calling them by the same names: Esek, Sitnah, and Rehoboth. These wells present some deep lessons for us that are well worth pondering. From there, he went to Beersheba, the place where Abraham had dwelt. There the Lord appeared to Isaac and promised to bless him. The man was so blessed that even his enemies were made to be at peace with him. The same day they made peace with Isaac, his servants dug a new well and found water.
highs and lows
This was the highpoint of Isaac’s life. He was dwelling in the land and cultivating faith. However, as he moved ahead in his life, he began a downward trend. In his old age, his eyes dimmed and he became a man given completely to appetite. This is a sobering warning to us all. In fact, if we miss this lesson, we are living dangerously and flirting with disaster.
It seems Isaac had conveniently forgotten God’s prophetic plan and God’s promise that Jacob was to be the heir of the blessing as well as the birthright (Gen. 25:23). Isaac called his firstborn son, Esau, and requested that he go out and hunt some venison and prepare him a meal of it, which he described as a dish which he loved. It was earlier written of Isaac concerning Rebekah, “and he loved her” (Gen. 24:67). Although showing favoritism, we also read that he loved Esau. Now he loved a good meal. He was living to eat instead of eating to live.
He began to rely on his fleshly senses. While we may be thankful for sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste, we must be careful to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. When Rebekah heard what Isaac said to Esau, she plotted to have Jacob pretend to be Esau and receive the blessing that God had promised.
Jacob, posing as Esau, came into the room, but Isaac could not see, for his eyes had grown dim. The sense of sight was no help to him, neither should it be to us—man judges by appearance, but God looks on the heart. Jacob addressed his father, and Isaac heard clearly that it was the voice of Jacob. Isaac should have relied on what he heard, for “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Alas, he did not follow the principle of faith. Rather he told Jacob to come closer so that he could touch him. He felt the goat’s hair on Jacob’s hands that Rebekah had placed there. Isaac went by his feelings, and this is never trustworthy.
Jacob served the goat to his father, and it was the best venison Isaac had ever tasted—so much for his taste. Some people have no taste at all, and Isaac was in this group. Then he kissed his son and got a good smell of him. Jacob smelled like the field. Four out of five of Isaac’s senses lied to him. If only he had gone by what he heard. If only he had remembered what he had heard God say concerning his two sons.
Isaac blessed Jacob, and the will of the Lord was fulfilled. After Jacob exited, Esau entered, and the shock of what had happened caused Isaac to tremble violently. Esau lifted his voice and wept an exceeding great and bitter cry for the blessing of his father.
Esau received a blessing but not the blessing. The Fear of Isaac (Gen. 31:42) had fulfilled His promise, and Jacob was blessed with the prophetic promise of Messiah’s line. God had honored His Word and would give Isaac the place which that faith required: “By faith Isaac.” He “blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.” Esau, the older, would serve Jacob, the younger.
God will have His way and use us in His eternal plan. We may sometimes be faithless, but He is faithful and will always accomplish His purpose.