“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…” Can I get an “amen”?
Among all the interesting and important things that these two chapters cover is a brief story about how Isaac pretended Rebekah was his sister instead of his wife…because he was afraid. That sounds familiar. I remember Abraham doing the same thing. (except in his case Sarah technically was his sister….eww).
There’s something to be said about strength’s and weaknesses being handed down from one generation to the next. If we are wise, we will pay careful attention to the lives of our parents, and take extra precaution not to repeat the mistakes they made, since we are predisposed to do so.
Isaac doesn’t seem to be easily angered, and he must have been very patient. It was 20 years before his wife gave birth to sons. Unlike his father, he didn’t take another wife and have other children. That’s good, because Esau seems to be quite a handful all by himself. It just goes to show you that no matter how righteous a person is they can still have family problems, and children who don’t believe. Another reason I think Isaac was patient is because of how he acted when ownership of the wells became an issue. I think I would be preparing for war…but Isaac simply moves along. He knows that God is in charge of all the water, and the owner of all resources won’t let him go thirsty.
I am saddened as I read about Ishmael and his descendants, and how they are prophesied to always live in hostility toward the Jews. These are the Muslim nations we are talking about here, and although there are many Muslims converting to Christianity in recent years, the vast majority of the Middle East still follows the teachings of Islam. It’s sad really, because I don’t think that line of belief is going to permit them entrance into heaven.
One more thing I want to remember from these chapters. Abraham and Isaac both married very beautiful women. I wish there were pictures, I would like to see what they looked like as younger people. I’ll bet they weren’t that much different from us. (in behavior, not appearance).
Glancing at the big picture, we see God being faithful to His promise, and motivated to bless by the obedience of His servant Abraham. If you would like to incur God’s blessing, then you must focus on being obedient first. And patient apparently, because it could be a number of years before God makes Himself known.
Faithfully,
PR