Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. Hebrews 12:15-16
Yahweh promised Isaac the same promise he gave to Abraham—that he would have many descendants and would be a blessing to many nations. Abraham had many children, but the promise was only given to Isaac. When Isaac was forty, he married a woman named Rebecca who was from Abraham’s old country. In time, Abraham and Sarah died and Isaac mourned them and buried them properly. Isaac and Rebecca were married for many years, but still did not have children. Isaac prayed for his wife to Yahweh, and then she became pregnant. But the pregnancy was very difficult, and Rebecca was in agony. She cried out to Yahweh, “How can I live this way?” Yahweh replied to her, “The agony you have is because there are two children inside you and these two children are two nations. They are both powerful, but one is stronger than the other—the older will serve the younger.”
Over time, Rebecca was ready to give birth. The first child came out and he was red in color and was hairy, and so he was named Esau, which means “red”. The second came out right after the first, but his hand was holding onto the heel of the first and so he was called Jacob which means “grasper.” Esau, when he was grown, was a great hunter of wild beasts. Jacob, when he was grown was a quiet man, tending the flocks and staying by the tents. Isaac loved the wildness of Esau and his skill at hunting, and he felt that the promise of God should fall upon Esau, his oldest. Rebecca, though, remembered the word of God to her and paid close attention to Jacob, desiring to see him receive the blessing of God.
At one point, Esau went out to hunt, but had no luck. He returned home, without having eaten all day. Jacob was sitting at home, having made a pot of red lentil soup. Esau saw this and said, “Please, I am starving to death, give me some of your soup!” Jacob got a scheme in his mind and said, “Will you sell me your birth position for that soup? Let me be the firstborn, and I will give you some.” Esau replied, “What good is it that I am the firstborn if I die? Just give me something to eat!” So Esau sold part of his inheritance.
Over time, Isaac became blind due to age and felt that he was ready to die. So he called Esau to him and said, “Son, I am preparing to die. Go out, capture a wild animal and fix me my favorite meal. Then I will place upon you God’s blessing.” Esau immediately went out to obey his father. Rebecca heard Isaac and called Jacob to her. “Jacob, your father is about ready to give Esau the blessing. We must hurry!” Jacob said, “Why? If Esau is about to receive God’s blessing, there is nothing I can do about it.” Rebecca said, “Stop chattering and listen to me! I can fix your father’s favorite meal and you can serve it to him and so receive the blessing.” Jacob doubted her and said, “He will know who I am, of course! Esau has so much hair and I have little. How could I possibly fool him? And when he figures it out, he will not bless me, but curse me. ” Rebecca said, “We will put animal skins on your arms—don’t worry about it! It will all work out, I know. Now, go get me two goats.”
So Jacob slaughtered the goats and Rebecca made the food. Then they placed animal skins and Esau’s clothes on Jacob and he went in to his father. Jacob said, “My father, here I am.” Isaac couldn’t see, but he could hear the slight difference in his son’s voices, “Who are you, my son?” Jacob said, “I am Esau, your firstborn. Take your meal and bless me.” Isaac was confused and said, “Come close to me.” Isaac felt his arms and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob’s, but your arms feel like Esau. Are you really Esau?” Jacob replied, “Yes, I am.”
Isaac ate the food and said, “Come and kiss me, my son.” Jacob kissed his father and Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes. Then Isaac said, “My son smells like the outer land which the Lord has blessed. May God bless you and grant you all the wealth of the land. May your brothers bow down to you and honor you as lord. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed. And may peoples and nations honor you.” Then Jacob quickly left.
Esau then came in his father’s tent and said, “Eat the food, father, and bless me.” Isaac was very confused now. “Who are you?” Esau said, “I am Esau, your son.” Isaac said, “Then who gave me food just now? I have blessed him, whoever it was and he shall surely be blessed.” Esau cried, “What are you saying father? Don’t you have a blessing for me, your firstborn?” Isaac replied, “Your brother took your blessing. There is no blessing left for you, my son. But listen, for you shall have the growth of the land and shall have many children. But your brother will rule over you.”
Esau left the tent in anger and hated his brother from that day on. He began to tell people, “As soon as my father dies, I will kill Jacob.” Rebecca heard him and went to Isaac. “Isaac,” she said, “It is time for Jacob to marry. But I don’t want him to marry one of the women around here. Send him to my home to find a girl there.” Isaac agreed and sent Jacob away, repeating to him the blessing of Abraham.
Jacob, out of fear of Esau, left immediately. His first night out, Jacob slept in front of a rock. That night he had a dream of the spirit world and dreamed that angels were walking up and down, to and from heaven at that place. From heaven, Jacob saw a vision of Yahweh in heaven saying, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham and Isaac. The land you sleep on shall be your children’s. You shall go from this land, but I will go with you and bless you. And I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have given you what I promised.”
Jacob woke up immediately and said, “This place is a powerful place and I didn’t know it.” Jacob set the rock he was sleeping near upright and established it as an altar for Yahweh. Then Jacob made a deal with Yahweh, “Yahweh, if you keep me safe and bless me during my journey and bring me back safely, then I will make you my God and I will return here and worship you at this place.” So Jacob named this place “Bethel”, or “house of God,” and left on his journey.
Showing posts with label Isaac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaac. Show all posts
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
Questions about Abraham and Isaac
Why was Isaac called “laughter”?
Isaac’s birth was something of a cosmic joke. Humor is often seeing something one might expect in one context in a context that you wouldn’t expect it. So the birth of a baby is wonderful and expected, but a birth to a ninety year old is unexpected and, frankly, funny. So everyone, when they heard of it, laughed at the absurdity of it. So they named him “laughter”—which is what Isaac means—so everyone could enjoy God’s cosmic joke.
Why did God tell Abraham to be rid of Hagar and Ishmael?
To send his slave and son into the desert with only a little food and water was against everything that Abraham stood for. But he did so because God himself said that He would protect them. If it weren’t for that promise, Abraham wouldn’t have done it. God told Abraham to do this, because He didn’t want there to be any question as to who would be in the inheritor of Abraham’s promise—it was only Isaac, no one else. Because only Isaac was the one whom God provided, so he could be the only real choice.
Why did God tell Abraham to kill his own son?
It says in the text that God was testing Abraham—he was seeing if Abraham truly loved God as much as he used to. God already knew the answer, but he was proving it to others, even as God proved to Satan that Job was truly righteous (see Job 1 and 2). It was important, for God was placing the entire salvation of the human race into Abraham’s hands. So God was occasionally testing his people to see where they stood with Him.
Why did God repeat Isaac’s name so often?
God repeated Isaac’s name for clarity, and also because what he was saying was so difficult. It is almost as if God was having a hard time making this request. God was expressing his own love for Isaac, even as he was talking about Abraham’s love for his son.
Does God approve of human sacrifice?
Absolutely not. God rejects human sacrifice again and again in the Scriptures, and condemns those who do it (Leviticus 18:21; Jeremiah 32:35; Exodus 13:13-15). Never has God approved of murder, and he has destroyed many civilizations who approve of it.
Isn’t it wrong for God to tempt Abraham to do evil?
This is kind of complicated. Even though it is wrong before God, there are occasions that God commands his people to do what is wrong before Him. And there are times that people do what is evil before God, but they are approved of despite it (See Judges 11). This is because people are so confused about what is right and wrong—even Abraham—that God often has to focus on people’s motivations rather than their actions. In other words, Abraham was willing to kill Isaac, because of his love of God. Others were willing to do other evil things, because of their care. In the same way, people today are willing to kill others in war, even though it is evil, but their motivations are pure. Does this make the action right? Not exactly. It means their motives are pure. But Jesus leads us not only to right motives, but right actions. He tells us exactly what God wants of us, while the rest of the Bible or humanity might be fuzzy or difficult to understand.
Did God tempt Abraham to evil? Not according to Abraham. And God didn’t allow him to do it anyway—he couldn’t allow his servant to do such evil. God knew that if Abraham loved him enough to obey him in this difficult thing, then he would obey in not doing the difficult thing. Morally, this is difficult to understand. But we must accept that God is pure and holy in all his ways, even if we don’t understand.
Why did Abraham agree to give up on what he was promised?
The book of Hebrews said that Abraham was willing because he believed that God would raise Isaac up from the dead (Heb. 11:19, above). Whatever the case, Abraham had waited 25 years for a son and he knew that God wouldn’t forsake his promise, no matter how difficult the circumstance looked. Abraham’s sacrifice is true, ultimate faith in God.
Isaac’s birth was something of a cosmic joke. Humor is often seeing something one might expect in one context in a context that you wouldn’t expect it. So the birth of a baby is wonderful and expected, but a birth to a ninety year old is unexpected and, frankly, funny. So everyone, when they heard of it, laughed at the absurdity of it. So they named him “laughter”—which is what Isaac means—so everyone could enjoy God’s cosmic joke.
Why did God tell Abraham to be rid of Hagar and Ishmael?
To send his slave and son into the desert with only a little food and water was against everything that Abraham stood for. But he did so because God himself said that He would protect them. If it weren’t for that promise, Abraham wouldn’t have done it. God told Abraham to do this, because He didn’t want there to be any question as to who would be in the inheritor of Abraham’s promise—it was only Isaac, no one else. Because only Isaac was the one whom God provided, so he could be the only real choice.
Why did God tell Abraham to kill his own son?
It says in the text that God was testing Abraham—he was seeing if Abraham truly loved God as much as he used to. God already knew the answer, but he was proving it to others, even as God proved to Satan that Job was truly righteous (see Job 1 and 2). It was important, for God was placing the entire salvation of the human race into Abraham’s hands. So God was occasionally testing his people to see where they stood with Him.
Why did God repeat Isaac’s name so often?
God repeated Isaac’s name for clarity, and also because what he was saying was so difficult. It is almost as if God was having a hard time making this request. God was expressing his own love for Isaac, even as he was talking about Abraham’s love for his son.
Does God approve of human sacrifice?
Absolutely not. God rejects human sacrifice again and again in the Scriptures, and condemns those who do it (Leviticus 18:21; Jeremiah 32:35; Exodus 13:13-15). Never has God approved of murder, and he has destroyed many civilizations who approve of it.
Isn’t it wrong for God to tempt Abraham to do evil?
This is kind of complicated. Even though it is wrong before God, there are occasions that God commands his people to do what is wrong before Him. And there are times that people do what is evil before God, but they are approved of despite it (See Judges 11). This is because people are so confused about what is right and wrong—even Abraham—that God often has to focus on people’s motivations rather than their actions. In other words, Abraham was willing to kill Isaac, because of his love of God. Others were willing to do other evil things, because of their care. In the same way, people today are willing to kill others in war, even though it is evil, but their motivations are pure. Does this make the action right? Not exactly. It means their motives are pure. But Jesus leads us not only to right motives, but right actions. He tells us exactly what God wants of us, while the rest of the Bible or humanity might be fuzzy or difficult to understand.
Did God tempt Abraham to evil? Not according to Abraham. And God didn’t allow him to do it anyway—he couldn’t allow his servant to do such evil. God knew that if Abraham loved him enough to obey him in this difficult thing, then he would obey in not doing the difficult thing. Morally, this is difficult to understand. But we must accept that God is pure and holy in all his ways, even if we don’t understand.
Why did Abraham agree to give up on what he was promised?
The book of Hebrews said that Abraham was willing because he believed that God would raise Isaac up from the dead (Heb. 11:19, above). Whatever the case, Abraham had waited 25 years for a son and he knew that God wouldn’t forsake his promise, no matter how difficult the circumstance looked. Abraham’s sacrifice is true, ultimate faith in God.
Abraham and Isaac
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back. Hebrews 11:17-19
I tell you that many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. Galatians 4:22-23
Abraham was 100 years old and his wife was 91. Twenty-five years ago, Yahweh promised them that Sarah would be pregnant and she would have a baby boy. They had both laughed when they heard it—they thought it was foolish for them to have a child. But Yahweh reminded them: “Is anything too hard for God?” And now the impossible had happened—Sarah gave birth to a baby boy. When it finally happened, she laughed with joy, saying, “Who could have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children. Yet now, at ninety years old, I have given him a son. God has made laughter for me. Now everyone who hears my news will laugh with me.” And so they called the child “laughter”—Isaac.
Isaac grew and was cared for by his parents. They protected him and watched carefully as he grew in love and understanding. He watched Abraham’s flocks and learned about the care of animals. He was a good child and Abraham loved him with all of his heart.
Soon the day came that Isaac was weaned—he was about three at the time. A party was held for all of Abraham’s household, and Ishmael, Abraham’s thirteen year old son by a slave woman, Hagar, was also attending. In the midst of the party, Ishmael mocked Isaac, knowing that he was the oldest and so legally he had the right to inherit all of Abraham’s household. While Isaac didn’t understand, Sarah did. “I will not have that slave woman and her brat in my household anymore,” Sarah yelled at Abraham. She proclaimed that she wanted Hagar and Ishmael thrown out to the wilderness.
Abraham hesitated, for he did not want to put Hagar in a life-threatening situation. But God told Abraham, “I will care for them. Go ahead and tell them to go.” So Abraham gave them water and food and sent them on their way. It wasn’t long until the water ran out and Hagar was faced with their death in the desert. “Please, don’t let me see my son die!” Hagar cried. Then God spoke to her, “I will not allow either of you to die. Your son will be the father of many nations and they will rule over great and wild lands.” Water was provided for them, they settled into a community of the wilderness, and Ishmael became a great man among the wandering tribes.
Years after this, Yahweh spoke to Abraham, “Abraham!” Abraham replied, “Yes, here I am.” Yahweh said, “I will say this carefully. Take your son—your only son—take your son whom you love so dearly and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain there.” Abraham’s face turned dark, but he said nothing. He thought within himself, “How can God do this to me? He promised me Isaac, and he gave me this son at the end of my life. Now is Yahweh going to take him away from me? Why is he forcing me to give Isaac to him as a gift? The boy is Yahweh’s gift to me! Ah, I know—I will offer Isaac up to Yahweh, and Yahweh will return him to me! I will sacrifice him and Yahweh will resurrect him. Of course, it is all clear to me!”
The next morning, before anyone else was up, Abraham prepared for the trip. He got his son Isaac up and left before anyone could ask him what he was doing. After three days, they had reached the mountain. Abraham took the wood and placed it on Isaac’s back and they left the donkeys behind. The two walked up together. Isaac noticed that they were preparing to offer a sacrifice, but was curious. “Father?” “Yes, here I am.” Abraham answered. “I see that we have wood for a fire. But if we are going to offer a sacrifice, where is the lamb?” Abraham replied, “God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.”
At the top of the mountain, Abraham built an altar and took the wood off of his son’s back and arranged it there. At that point, Abraham turned to his son with rope and tied the boy up tightly, so he couldn’t move. Isaac looked at Abraham with wide eyes as Abraham laid him on top of the wood. Then Abraham pulled out the knife he had hidden and raised it above his son, ready to strike.
“Abraham, stop!” Abraham replied, “Yes, here I am.” An angel revealed himself to Abraham and said, “Do not kill your son. Do nothing to him. You have proven yourself well. You truly fear God and will not hold anything back from Yahweh—not even your son whom you love more than anything else in the world. Now look, and Yahweh will provide a sacrifice for you.” Abraham looked over at some bushes and noticed a ram there, caught in the thicket. Abraham’s shaking hands untied his son, caught the ram and placed it on the altar. And Abraham called that place Yahweh Yaireh—Yahweh will provide.
Yahweh spoke to Abraham again and said, “Your son, your only son you did not keep from me. Because you have demonstrated your love for me, I will bless you greater than any man in the world. Your children will be counted as more than the stars in the sky—like the sand on the seashore. No enemy will overcome them. And in your child all the nations of the earth will be blessed—because you have obeyed my voice. And everyone who loves me as you have, Abraham, will be called a child of Abraham and will inherit the kingdom which I will give to you.”
I tell you that many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. Galatians 4:22-23
Abraham was 100 years old and his wife was 91. Twenty-five years ago, Yahweh promised them that Sarah would be pregnant and she would have a baby boy. They had both laughed when they heard it—they thought it was foolish for them to have a child. But Yahweh reminded them: “Is anything too hard for God?” And now the impossible had happened—Sarah gave birth to a baby boy. When it finally happened, she laughed with joy, saying, “Who could have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children. Yet now, at ninety years old, I have given him a son. God has made laughter for me. Now everyone who hears my news will laugh with me.” And so they called the child “laughter”—Isaac.
Isaac grew and was cared for by his parents. They protected him and watched carefully as he grew in love and understanding. He watched Abraham’s flocks and learned about the care of animals. He was a good child and Abraham loved him with all of his heart.
Soon the day came that Isaac was weaned—he was about three at the time. A party was held for all of Abraham’s household, and Ishmael, Abraham’s thirteen year old son by a slave woman, Hagar, was also attending. In the midst of the party, Ishmael mocked Isaac, knowing that he was the oldest and so legally he had the right to inherit all of Abraham’s household. While Isaac didn’t understand, Sarah did. “I will not have that slave woman and her brat in my household anymore,” Sarah yelled at Abraham. She proclaimed that she wanted Hagar and Ishmael thrown out to the wilderness.
Abraham hesitated, for he did not want to put Hagar in a life-threatening situation. But God told Abraham, “I will care for them. Go ahead and tell them to go.” So Abraham gave them water and food and sent them on their way. It wasn’t long until the water ran out and Hagar was faced with their death in the desert. “Please, don’t let me see my son die!” Hagar cried. Then God spoke to her, “I will not allow either of you to die. Your son will be the father of many nations and they will rule over great and wild lands.” Water was provided for them, they settled into a community of the wilderness, and Ishmael became a great man among the wandering tribes.
Years after this, Yahweh spoke to Abraham, “Abraham!” Abraham replied, “Yes, here I am.” Yahweh said, “I will say this carefully. Take your son—your only son—take your son whom you love so dearly and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain there.” Abraham’s face turned dark, but he said nothing. He thought within himself, “How can God do this to me? He promised me Isaac, and he gave me this son at the end of my life. Now is Yahweh going to take him away from me? Why is he forcing me to give Isaac to him as a gift? The boy is Yahweh’s gift to me! Ah, I know—I will offer Isaac up to Yahweh, and Yahweh will return him to me! I will sacrifice him and Yahweh will resurrect him. Of course, it is all clear to me!”
The next morning, before anyone else was up, Abraham prepared for the trip. He got his son Isaac up and left before anyone could ask him what he was doing. After three days, they had reached the mountain. Abraham took the wood and placed it on Isaac’s back and they left the donkeys behind. The two walked up together. Isaac noticed that they were preparing to offer a sacrifice, but was curious. “Father?” “Yes, here I am.” Abraham answered. “I see that we have wood for a fire. But if we are going to offer a sacrifice, where is the lamb?” Abraham replied, “God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.”
At the top of the mountain, Abraham built an altar and took the wood off of his son’s back and arranged it there. At that point, Abraham turned to his son with rope and tied the boy up tightly, so he couldn’t move. Isaac looked at Abraham with wide eyes as Abraham laid him on top of the wood. Then Abraham pulled out the knife he had hidden and raised it above his son, ready to strike.
“Abraham, stop!” Abraham replied, “Yes, here I am.” An angel revealed himself to Abraham and said, “Do not kill your son. Do nothing to him. You have proven yourself well. You truly fear God and will not hold anything back from Yahweh—not even your son whom you love more than anything else in the world. Now look, and Yahweh will provide a sacrifice for you.” Abraham looked over at some bushes and noticed a ram there, caught in the thicket. Abraham’s shaking hands untied his son, caught the ram and placed it on the altar. And Abraham called that place Yahweh Yaireh—Yahweh will provide.
Yahweh spoke to Abraham again and said, “Your son, your only son you did not keep from me. Because you have demonstrated your love for me, I will bless you greater than any man in the world. Your children will be counted as more than the stars in the sky—like the sand on the seashore. No enemy will overcome them. And in your child all the nations of the earth will be blessed—because you have obeyed my voice. And everyone who loves me as you have, Abraham, will be called a child of Abraham and will inherit the kingdom which I will give to you.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)