Day Eight: Isaac

A legacy of faithfulness and obedience passed from Abraham to his son Isaac, and now it was Isaac's turn to participate in God's plan for the nation of Israel and the coming of Messiah. "And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac" (Genesis 25:11).  

God provided a wife for Isaac, Rebekah, whom Isaac loved and who was a great comfort to him after his mother, Sarah, died. Incredibly, Rebekah was infertile like her mother-in-law, and in chapter 25 we find that Isaac "pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived" (v. 21). The Bible tells us that her pregnancy was very difficult, that the children "struggled together within her" (v. 22). 

When Rebekah asked God about this, He said, "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" (v. 23). 

Isaac and Rebekah had twin boys. Esau was born first, followed by Jacob. The boys were very different, and Isaac and Rebekah each had their favorite. Isaac preferred Esau, "a skillful hunter, a man of the field" (v. 27); Rebekah preferred Jacob, "a mild man, dwelling in tents" (v. 27). The Bible does not hide their parental favoritism: "Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob" (v. 28).

Jacob and Esau both became fathers of nations—Israel and Edom, respectively—but not without a great deal of drama and a great many missteps. As God predicted, Isaac's younger son, Jacob, received both the firstborn birthright and spiritual blessing. This was a reversal of the law of primogeniture, which stated that the firstborn son had certain privileges and rights. 

The firstborn would become the head of the family, plus he would receive a double portion of the physical inheritance because the family line was passed on to him. Despite the cultural custom at the time, Jacob was the one through whom God chose to continue His plan.  

Although Isaac was a godly man, he fought against God's prediction that Esau would serve Jacob. Esau was tricked into giving away his birthright to Jacob, and Isaac was deceived into giving his blessing to Jacob. But God was—and is—sovereign. 

God's plan did—and does—prevail. A few chapters later, Jacob had to travel to his uncle Laban's home to escape the jealous wrath of Esau, and on his journey the Lord spoke to him in a dream. God repeated something that, now halfway through Genesis, sounds familiar: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants…. And in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 28:13-14). 

God's promise passed from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob as He continued building the nation through which Jesus Christ would be born.