Genesis 24-28: Learn to Trust God like prayerful Isaac
The patriarch Isaac is not highlighted much in the Scriptures but proves to be an inspiring example of what it means to have faith in God. We can look to Isaac to learn about his faith in God so we too can grow close to God like this great patriarch. Though the Biblical writings of Isaac aren’t as comprehensive as other patriarchs, there are deep truths that can be found after spending time studying the Scriptures.
Isaac meets Rebekah
After the sacrifice of Isaac, we watch him grow into his own man. Isaac is of the age to take a wife and Abraham is responsible for arranging the marriage. Abraham sends his servant to Abraham’s homeland to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham told his servant “I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:3-4).
Abraham did not want the wife of Isaac to be a Canaanite woman. This is because Abraham did not want Isaac to marry a woman who followed gods other than God. Abraham did not want Isaac to fall prey to the false gods and leave the ways of God and thus forsake the promises and covenant. King Solomon, king David’s son, serves as a perfect example of this.
Why is this important regarding Isaac? This shows God’s revelation to Abraham, a revelation passed on from Abraham to Isaac, a revelation we will see Isaac act upon.
We can see Isaac has received a growing revelation of God from Abraham because Isaac demonstrated that he was a man of God. As Rebekah came to Isaac’s dwelling, we see that Isaac “went out to meditate” (Gen 24:63) that is, to engage in his prayerful relationship with God.1 Abraham built altars, later on Jacob makes vows, but Isaac engages with God through meditation, that is, contemplation and prayer. He did not go out in anticipation of meeting his bride, because he was not told she was on her way. Instead, we can see that he had a habit of going out to meditate, to pray, and this was the night that Rebekah, his bride, was coming to him. Isaac went out to be with God and God provided for Him.
Isaac prays for Rebekah
This prayerful relationship between God and Isaac continues to be demonstrated when Rebekah is barren unable to conceive a child. Because of Rebekah’s barrenness, “Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Genesis 25:21).
Isaac found himself in the same predicament as Abraham, yet responded entirely different. Isaac knew he was the heir to the covenant given to his father, a covenant established when God told Abraham “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Genesis 17:19). Isaac was definitely made aware of this covenant and the promises made through him. Isaac knew he was going to have descendants, yet his wife was barren. Abraham had been in this same situation and acted differently by taking Sarah’s advice and going into her maidservant Hagar in order to try to have a child to fulfill the promises from God. Isaac chose to act differently. Isaac prayed. Abraham engaged in adultery (granted it was cultural norm back then) but Isaac prayed. Isaac looked to God and trusted in God. Because of this, God heard his prayer and Rebekah conceived.
Isaac goes to Gerar
There was a famine in the land, and Isaac went to south to Gerar, as he headed toward Egypt. It was common for people to go to Egypt during a famine. Abraham went to Egypt as did Jacob and his sons later on. While Isaac was in Gerar during his travels, The Lord appeared to him and said,
“Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves: because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:2-5)
Isaac, who had shown his love and fidelity with God, was given a renewal of promises “because Abraham obeyed [God’s] voice.” The obedience of Abraham maintained the covenant. Abraham did not break the covenant, instead upholding his end, and now God promised to uphold His own end of the covenant. Isaac upheld his end of the covenant by trusting in God and staying in Gerar despite Egypt being a place to find food during a famine.
Abimelech was the king of Gerar, the king of the Philistines. Isaac, like Abraham, told Rebekah to tell the men of Gerar that she was his sister and not his wife, for fear they would kill him if they found out she was his wife. This shows that while Isaac was a man of God, he was also a mortal man who was not perfect. This gives merit to his story being a historical rendering because a falsified story would not contain such imperfections. If this was story was made-up to support a made-up religion, then the authors would have been more likely to paint this patriarch in a perfect light. However, we can see the truth in this very real aspect of lying.
After Isaac had dwelt in Gerar a long time, Abimelech looked out of a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah. After the king learned she was Isaac’s wife, he warned all the people of Gerar saying “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death.” (Genesis 26:11).
After this, Isaac remained there for a while and sowed in the land, reaping a hundredfold that same year (see Gen 26:12). “The Lord blessed him,and [Isaac] became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.” (Genesis 26:12-14).
This was quite the demonstration of God’s blessings upon Isaac. Isaac was able to reap a bountiful harvest, one that was one hundredfold, all within the same year. Isaac did not spend time preparing the land to be sown, instead sowing it that same year that he dwelled in it. Typically, a farmer’s bounty would increase over time as they improve their land and practices over the course of years. It is not natural for a man to reap so bountifully within the same year as entering a land. God was with him, something that other people saw.
Due the harvest of Isaac, the Philistines became envious. They stopped the wells of Abraham and filled them with dirt. Abimelech then told Isaac, “Go away from us; for you are much mightier than we.” (Genesis 26:16). Isaac then dug up the wells, but then ended up with quarrels with the herdsmen of Gerar claiming these wells as their own, presumably by force. This happened with two wells. Upon digging up a third well, ‘they did not quarrel,” so he said, “…now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” (Genesis 26:22).
Isaac is a very patient man. Isaac did not enter into quarrels, instead he trusted God. Isaac knew God would give him the land of Gerar (see Gen 26:1-5) but Isaac also knew he needed to trust in God. Rather than take it upon himself to force the others out of the land promised him by God, he waited for the time the Lord would make room for him so they can be fruitful in the land promised him by the Lord. Isaac knew nothing would be fulfilled by his own means and that everything would come to fulfillment by trusting in God.
From there, Isaac went to Beersheba. That night God appeared to him and said “I am the God of Abraham your father; fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham’s sake.” (Genesis 26:24). God knew Isaac needed this reassurance because Abimelech, with his adviser, and the commander of his army, were on the way to pay Isaac a visit. Upon their arrival, Isaac asked Abimelech, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” The men responded, “We see plainly that the Lord is with you; so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” (Genesis 26:28). Isaac then made a feast for them and they all ate and drank. The men stayed the night and rose early n the morning. They took up an oath with one another, and Isaac sent them on their way, departing from him in peace.
Isaac again demonstrated his trust in God, God who demonstrated His might and strength. Isaac trusted in God’s reassurance to “fear not” and addressed Abimelech and his men plainly but respectfully. The men acknowledged that God was with Isaac and that He is a mighty God. Rather than have strife, Abimelech asks for an oath and covenant between them to ensure the safety of himself and his people. Abimelech and his top men saw such greatness from the hand of God that they wanted to make sure they would be safe. They did not believe they could conquer Isaac out of their own fear of the Lord. They knew the only means to protection was to be on God’s side.
We can see the truthfulness and trust within this suggestion from Abimelech. Prior to swearing an oath and making a covenant, Isaac made them a meal and they all broke bead together. The men trusted Isaac enough to dwell with him that night. They did not believe he would kill them in their sleep.
They took up the oath before departing in peace. Isaac was meek and humble with them. They approached him asking to be protected from him and his God, and then Isaac made them a meal. He did not lord anything over them, instead welcoming them into the love of God. Isaac broke bread with them and they felt comfortable enough to dwell with him. These men respected Isaac and did not take advantage of his meekness. Isaac followed Christ’s beatitude to be meek and humble of heart (see Matt 5:5). Isaac demonstrated faith in Christ before Christ had entered the world.
Isaac blesses Jacob
After Jacob supplants Esau of his birthright and firstborn blessing, Isaac blesses Jacob before sending him to the land of Bethuel (Jacob and Esau will be discussed in another post). Isaac commands Jacob, “You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women.” (Genesis 28:1). This is reminiscent of Abraham’s desire for Isaac to not marry of the Canaanites. This also comes after Esau had married two Hittite women, something that “made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah” (Genesis 26:35).
Isaac carried the tradition from Abraham that they were not to marry the occupants of the land. Isaac and Rebekah were already frustrated with Esau’s decision to marry the women of the land and Isaac did not want Jacob, the heir of the promises, to marry a Canaanite woman. Sending off Jacob for marriage showed how heavily valued this was. Abraham sent his servant with all sorts of people, however Jacob was sent by himself. This demonstrates that Isaac trusted God to keep Jacob safe while seeking a marriage aligned with God’s will. Isaac knew this was God’s will, that the nation God promised him was to come from his lineage. Isaac was faithful to the revelation of God given to him by his father, Abraham.
Conclusion
After this passage of the Scriptures, we don’t read about Isaac until his death. Throughout his story, Isaac demonstrated throughout that he was a man of God. Isaac followed God through the revelation given to him and was able to develop a deep understanding of this revelation. Isaac prayerful engaged with God, something that developed a deep trust in God, a trust so deep that he was able to freely surrender himself to God’s will. This is something we can all attain. If we follow Isaac’s example, we too can trust deeply in God. By prayerfully engaging with God each day, we can welcome God into our lives to gain a deeper understanding of Him.
We can walk in God’s ways like Isaac. We can follow Isaac’s meek and humble example. Isaac was a follower of God, a follower of Christ, Christ Who said “learn from me; for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
I pray that we will all grow close to Jesus Christ in the likeness of Isaac, so we may all be meek and humble of heart, prayerfully trusting in God. With that, I pray…
References
12024. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.
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