Genesis 28:10-15 – God’s unbridled grace

Jacob was in a hurry when he left Beersheba for Haran. In Genesis 27:43 he was told to flee. So here he departed and came to a certain place when the sun had set. There he stayed for the night. He must have felt so awful. Not only was he all alone but the fact that he was a fugitive must be fearful. He had no one to consult with. So in the quietness of the wilderness he had time to reflect. His thoughts most naturally would gravitate towards all that he had done so far. He came to grips with all that his deceitful scheming had brought. There would certainly be a sense of foreboding. Tired and despondent, he didn’t mind even though his pillow was a hard stone. So he was fast asleep and too exhausted to think about his future. The last thoughts he entertained perhaps were those that Isaac said to him. “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham.”

He had a dream as he fell into a deep sleep. Though we don’t think too much about our dreams at night, it is certainly one of the means that God often uses to speak to men of faith. We should not discount our dream as nothing. That night in his dream, Jacob saw a ladder set up from earth and the top actually reached the heaven. He also saw the angels of God ascending and descending on it. The focus of his whole dream was on the Lord standing above the ladder. The Lord Himself visited him. We are not told how Jacob recognized the Lord but he did. And there was a divine transaction and his soul was invaded by the Lord, as God spoke and reiterated the word of His covenant with him. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”   

The promise God had made to Abraham and Isaac earlier, He now made it to Jacob. He had personally become Jacob’s God. The title that we read so often in the Bible, is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What’s amazing in this account was God’s promise to him. He promised to be with him and keep him wherever he went and would bring him back to the land. God undertook to see to the completion of all that He had promised. And for 20 years Jacob had the dynamic presence of God leading and guiding him. What Jacob experienced was entirely grace. God came to him not based on the merits of something he had done. In fact he was a conniver and a cheat and did not deserve what God was promising him. Furthermore, he wasn’t even seeking God. He was actually running away from a situation of his own making. Yet all he received was unbridled grace, and not a word of chiding. The magnanimity of our generous God! As he had so graciously led Jacob, it is also his desire to bless us who by faith turn to Him through Christ Jesus. What a glorious God!    

Genesis 28:1-9 – The negative effect of playing favourite

Rebekah’s idea was to send Jacob away for a while. Her primary reason was for Jacob to avoid the murderous intent of Esau, his brother. Sending Jacob to her relatives to find a godly wife was an excuse. But she managed to convince Isaac with her excuse. So he summoned Jacob and counselled him. He forbade him from marrying any Canaanite women. He specifically instructed him to go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel his mother’s father; and from there take for himself a wife from the daughters of Laban his mother’s brother. By this time Isaac probably knew he couldn’t fight the plan of God. So he blessed Jacob, praying that God Almighty would bless Jacob and make him fruitful and multiply him; that he might become a great company of peoples. Isaac had finally saw light and was reconciled to God’s original plan for Jacob, not only to have the birth-right of the first born but also its blessings.  

So Jacob set out on the journey alone. Being alone is sometimes the best way for God to personally deal with someone. So it was the case for Jacob. God wanted him to come to grip with himself and the plan He had for him. So with the scheming mother’s influence set aside, Jacob was poised to rely entirely on God. Rebekah’s idea was to send Jacob away for a while. Her intention was to bring him back at the right time when Esau’s hatred and anger had abated. But her plan failed. As Jacob departed that day, he did not know that it would be the last time that he would see his mother alive. Neither did the mother know that was her last appointment with Jacob. For she died while he was away. However, Isaac survived to see him return home and then lived on for several more years.

Apparently, Esau did not know the real reason Jacob was sent away. He thought that his brother was sent to his mother’s relatives to get a wife. He reckoned that getting a wife from outside the family line would upset his father. He was truly unhappy with his father for giving away the blessing that he felt was rightfully his. So he deliberately set out to displease the father and to inflict sorrow upon him. He knew that taking a wife from the daughters of Ishmael would bring heartache to his father. So in rebelliousness he did it deliberately to hurt the father. It’s a case of cutting one’s nose to spike one’s face.

Whose fault was it for what became of Esau? His rebelliousness was in part due to poor parenting skills of Isaac and Rebekah. They had shown favouritism and thus set up their two sons, one against the other. Just imagine if they had loved both equally and treated each without preferring one over the other. The result would certainly be very different. We need to be alert to blind-spots in our life especially in child-rearing. Let us learn from this episode and not be up-ended by such blind-spots in life.          

Genesis 27:41-46 – Wait for God’s timing for His plan in our life

As Isaac laid his hands on Esau, all he could utter were words that were opposite to what he had pronounced over Jacob. The eldest son soon realized that what was said were actually opposite of what should have been. Jacob had successfully stolen his blessing. A hatred of murderous proportion was aroused within his soul. He began to stall for time. He thought to himself that his father was old and would soon pass on. And as soon as the mourning period was over, he would kill Jacob. It’s appalling that the thought of killing his brother should bring him much comfort. But his hatred was too deep that he could not think otherwise.

When a man is in that position we can be sure that he would not able to keep quiet about his intention. Besides, he was not one who would cautiously keep his murderous thought private. Rebekah came to hear about his intention. She knew that Esau would not joke or lie about such an intention. After all he was greatly grieved by the fact that his birthright and blessing were stolen from under his nose. So Rebekah was not sitting around to see that come to pass. So she commanded Jacob to flee to Haran, her brother Laban’s place, till the anger of Esau had cooled down and subsided.

Rebekah had hope that Esau would soon forget what Jacob had done, but she failed to realize how grievously hurt Esau was. She underestimated the extent of the damage. It was not something the eldest son could forget in days. She had wrongly appraised the situation. What she thought would be over in days actually ended in her not being able to see her favorite son ever again. We must always begin with the end in mind before we embark on something. Every action has a consequence in a cause and effect world. What we sow we will always reap! We choose the action but we cannot choose the result of our action. Hence, wisdom dictates that we should try to envisage what would happen even before we choose our course of action.

So Rebekah plotted to get Jacob away from Esau for a while. She knew it would be difficult to get Isaac to agree. Her scheming mind began to work again. The fact that Esau’s two Hittites wives must have bugged the both of them. So she said to Jacob, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?” She suggested that there was possibility of more miseries should Jacob followed in his brother’s footsteps and took for himself a Hittite wife. With that as an excuse, she had hoped that Isaac would consent to let her send Jacob away to seek a wife from her relatives. She knew that Isaac would agree when he saw the implication of what she had suggested. And truly he did.

Here we see how taking matters into one’s own hand without waiting on the Lord could result in. Rebekah and Jacob tried to run ahead of God’s timing for Jacob’s life. That had resulted in untold troubles. Esau was angry and had murderous plot and Jacob’s life was unsafe and had to flee for safety. Rebekah did not expect that what she had done would separate her and her favorite son forever, for she would never see him again. Ever wonder what would have happened had she and Jacob trusted God? Guess we will never know. But one thing we know for sure that God will work together for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose. Had Jacob trusted God, things he desired would come to pass but in a less troublesome way. Let’s learn from Jacob that we must wait for God’s timing to unfold His plan for our life.        

Genesis 27:30-40 – God’s plan must be fulfilled His way

Jacob, in his disguise, managed to steal the blessings that Isaac was so bent on giving to Esau. And just as Isaac had finished his last word, Esau appeared with the meal he had prepared. When he told the father to sit up and eat, Isaac was in shock and unbelief. For he had just blessed him or so he thought. And now here he was again asking for the blessing. The obvious question was, “Who are you?” When told then he was Esau his firstborn, he trembled. He had put his love for Esau above the will of God. Loving our children is a good thing. But our love must not supersede the plan that God has for their lives. No matter how much we love our children, we must help them to align their lives with God’s Word. We must never hinder them from fulfilling the will of God for their lives.

Isaac knew that the blessing he had just released upon Jacob can never be revoked. He conclusively asserted in the last part of verse 33 saying, “Yes, and he shall be blessed.”  What he said was an admission that he could not come against God’s will. He must accept that God had chosen and would bless Jacob. Esau realized that he was beaten to it again by Jacob. So he bitterly cried out imploring the father to bless him. Isaac’s response was that Jacob came deceitfully and took away the blessing he wanted to bestow on Esau. So in bitter sarcasm, Esau called Jacob a cheat as he also mourned the loss of his birthright. As he implored his father for a blessing, he was told it was impossible to reverse the blessing he had given to Jacob. Looking at what Isaac pronounced over Esau, we can see that it was an anti-blessing. His destiny was not dew, land or abundance. He was to have the opposite. He and his descendants would live by violence and the sword. He and his descendants would be subservient to Jacob and Israel. 

Everyone in this chapter did not look good. They all sinned: Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. All of them, without exception, revealed their flaws. Isaac resisted God’s word that said the older shall serve the younger. He was forcing his way to bless Esau, despite knowing what God had decreed. Rebekah’s flaw was her scheming manipulating way. She was trying to ensure that the promise given to Jacob would be kept at all cost, even if it was underhanded. Jacob of course was conniving and he was a willing party to Rebekah’s scheme. Esau, on the other hand, was irresponsible with his position as the firstborn. He refused to honor God’s word, so he despised the promise. They all missed out in the one important exercise in this all important moment. They failed to pray. Hence what they created were bitter jealousy, lies, envy, deceit, covet and much more.  

This episode tells us that God has His timing concerning His plan for our lives. We must never resort to deceit to accomplish God’s plan. To do so would invite needless miseries upon ourselves. It will invariably result in conflict and exploitation. In this account we also see something beautiful. God keeps His word. He will do it His way despite man’s objection, manipulation or indifference to His plan. God’s plan can never be thwarted by our lack of sense. He who began a good work in us will surely complete it. Amen!     

Genesis 27:18-29 – Deception is never God’s approved method

Jacob’s name meaning conniver or cheater was truly clearly displayed here. Here we find him coming to Isaac fully dressed like Esau, at the mother’s coaxing. He disguised himself with goat skin and his brother’s clothes to deceive his own father. He was the product of his mother and was hungrier for the blessing of God than his brother. Aided by his mother he did what was truly despicable.  He was a gentle, smooth-skin-stay- home guy trying to be Esau, a ruddy hairy hunter. His voice was very different from Esau’s. It must have been hard for him to try to be Esau. And that’s who Jacob was trying to be. How can a trumpet sound like a saxophone? But he tried.

Three times Jacob lied to Isaac. He first lied saying that he was Esau, his firstborn, when he came to him with the meal prepared by his mother. When Isaac wondered how he could hunt the animal so quickly, prepared the meal and brought it to him, he lied again. He had the gut and audacity to even made God his accomplice. He said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” Isaac then asked him to come near so that he could feel him to see if he was truly Esau. He was so well disguised that he felt and smelt like Esau. Isaac must have known that something was simply not right. Because he was so much like Esau but his voice was Jacob’s. So he tried to verify again by asking, “Are you really my son, Esau?” Here Jacob lied the third time. He said, “I am.” So Isaac ate what he brought and blessed him.

After he had eaten, Isaac brought Jacob near, thinking he was Esau and blessed him using a poem. The smell of Esau’s garment worn by Jacob made Isaac bless him, by calling forth the promise of a land that God would produce abundantly. Verses 28 speaks of dew which has been a symbol of God’s goodness and provision. Isaac was calling forth bountiful prosperity of God upon his son. In verse 29, Isaac unwittingly tried to reverse God’s plan for the older to serve the younger. So he prayed for worldwide dominion for him. His final blessing was a recollection of God’s word to Abraham. He declared protection over him. So Isaac blessed Jacob disguised as Esau. Jacob was promised abundance, fertile land, a worldwide empire and protection. The words of these blessings stand and cannot be revoked. Jacob had successfully supplanted his brother again. He had displaced Esau yet again.

We surely cannot believe that God would honor deception. Know this however, God's hand on Jacob was not because of his clever scheming but the fact that it was His plan for him right from the start. Jacob’s deceptiveness in part is a revelation of what fallen human nature would do, but it is not an indication that God approved deception. What this episode does tell us is the deceitfulness of man’s heart. A wrong step in life can lead us to great fearful length. No wonder we are called to guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.     

Genesis 27:1-17 – God’s plan must be accomplished with integrity

Isaac was now advanced in age. He was visually impaired and could not see clearly as his eyes had become dim. He must be aware that Esau had sold his birthright as the eldest son to Jacob.  And he probably remembered that God had said in Genesis 25:23 that “one people shall be stronger than the other; the older shall serve the younger.” Earlier we were told that he and Rebekah were grieved by Esau who married two Hittite women. Yet despite all these, he was determined to pray the first born blessing over Esau, knowing that he had sold his birthright to Jacob. So calling Esau, he told him to go and hunt for an animal and prepare a savory dish for him. And after he had eaten he would then bless him.

When we grow older, we should grow sharper concerning spiritual things. It was not so for Isaac. His flesh had gotten a better of him. He knew God’s choice of Jacob, yet he was willing to ignore that in order to bless Esau, his favorite. Though he knew how wayward and rebellious Esau was, yet he was going to bless him, nonetheless. So he sent Esau out to hunt the animal and prepare his favorite food. Isaac was probably also hard of hearing so that the volume of his voice must have increased. So what he planned to do for Esau was overheard by Rebekah, who quickly went into action to make sure that Jacob would beat Esau to it.

As soon as Esau had departed, Rebekah told Jacob to get a couple of goats so that she could prepare a meal for him to serve to Isaac instead of Esau. But Jacob hesitated for he feared the consequence if the father should discover who he actually was. He was afraid that instead of blessing, he would receive a curse. But Rebekah told him that she would take his place should that happen. So in verse 13 she said, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” So with great brilliance, she prepared the meal to Isaac’s liking, She had Jacob dressed with Esau’s clothes and disguised him with goat skin to make him feel hairy. So well disguised was Jacob till he felt and smelled just like Esau, his brother. What’s disturbing is that this pair of mother and son should believe that they could deploy unrighteous means to fulfill the righteous work of God. Shouldn’t they have left it to God to bring what He desired to pass?

From these verses, we learn that desiring to accomplish God’s will is important, but more important is that we do so with integrity and truthfulness. We should never resort to deception to accomplish the plan of God. They left us with an example on what we shouldn’t do. We must never put aside what is right in order to accomplish what we think is good, whether at home, at work or in church. To gain absolute trust we must act rightly. We don’t want to do something questionable and end up discrediting the cause of Jesus, our Master and Lord.  

Genesis 26:26-34 – God hones and shapes us progressively

Isaac was a peaceful man. Because of his good nature, he seemed to have been pushed around and yet he did not retaliate. The Philistines covered all the wells which Abraham had dug earlier with earth, forcing them to move to the valley in Gerar. The herdsmen of Gerar also contented with Isaac’s men over two other wells, Esek and Sitnah, which they had dug, forcing them to move to the wide space. It was there that they finally found some peace. There they dug a well and named it Rehoboth. Here God blessed Isaac and appeared to him and reiterated that He would fulfil the promise He had made to Abraham his father. Up to that point he seemed to have been bullied. Being good natured, he did not retaliate. He just kept moving to avoid contention. But now Isaac had prospered and his assets had increased, and so his people multiplied.

Realizing that Isaac and his people had become a force to be reckoned with, Abimelech and his adviser Ahuzzath and Phicol his commander came to make peace with him. Isaac then bluntly asked him in verse 27, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?”  The reason was obvious. Abimelech had seen the hand of God on Isaac and his people. He realized that it was no advantage to him and his people if the hostility persisted between him and the people of God, whom He had so evidently blessed.  He thought it was time to mend the relationship so he extended the olive branch to make peace. And he did.  He assured Isaac of his desire for good relationship with him for a more peaceful future. Just in verses 28 and 29 the fact that the Lord was with Isaac was mentioned twice.  

Isaac could have demanded that Abimelech made good all that he had done and the king would have obliged. But he didn’t. He chose the peaceful route. He made a feast for them. And then made an oath with them the next day, before senting them on their way home. On the same day that he sent the king off, Isaac’s people came excitedly to him that they found a new source of water. Isaac named that well Shibah, meaning oath. God’s hand was upon him. He left Beersheba because of the lack of water and the hostility from Abimelech.  Now Abimelech had made peace with him and the new source of water found, he felt a real sense of security. He and his people could now have a peaceful existence.

Truly, we can see that the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord. Proverbs 16:7 also tells us that, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to live at peace with him.” It pays rich dividends for us to live to please the Lord. We can be sure of His protective hedge. No force either from nature or human can ever harm us when we seek refuge in God. He always takes care of His own. Meanwhile we are given a hint of Esau’s rebelliousness. Verse 34 tells us that at age forty he took two Hittite women for wives. This had brought much grief to both Isaac and Rebekah. Esau would soon be one of the sources of divine honing for his parents and for Jacob, his twin brother. A believer’s life is never static. God will allow trials to come so that our lives can be built and our character shaped and honed. 

Genesis 26:12-25 – Persisting with God despite difficulties

The issue that Isaac had with Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, concerning Rebekah had now been resolved. Isaac had a sense of security. He made good use of the well that Abraham his father had dug. What he planted yielded plentifully and he reaped a hundred fold. The Lord blessed him bountifully and he increased in herds and cattle and the Philistines were jealous. So they came against Isaac by resorting to fill the well that Abraham had dug with earth. Isaac was forced to move and he did. People may be envious of what we have, but we can remain unfazed so long as the hand of the Lord is with us. He has never forsaken us nor will he leave us unprotected. We must remain trusting even if we have to uncover new ground. We can retrace and take the proven path of seasoned believers of God. This was what Isaac did. He went back to the path his father had taken. We will re-discover the riches of the God-given resources that they had enjoyed.    

So we are told of an area with wells that Abraham had dug, but the Philistines stopped Isaac from using after his father’s death. It appeared that he moved to that area and re-opened the well. Isaac knew the importance of having proper irrigation. He even called the well by the same name that his father called it. Here the servants of Isaac who re-dug the well had discovered that the water was still flowing. Unfortunately, the herdsmen of Gerar made it difficult for Isaac. They claimed that the water belonged to them. So Isaac called the place Esek, meaning contention or challenge. Without being difficult, Isaac had another well dug, but he again was opposed by the herdsmen of Gerar. So he called this second well Sitnah, meaning opposition. Not wanting to have any quarrel, Isaac moved away to a place further from the herdsmen of Gerar and dug a well. Perhaps due to the distance he did not face any opposition. So he called this place Rahoboth, meaning wide spaces. He called it by this name because he recognized the hand of the Lord upon him and trusted that he would be fruitful.

Sometimes, the Lord leads us through circumstances that we would encounter, just as He did with Isaac. We must learn to be sensitive to what is happening to us. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties we encounter in the journey of life. It could be God’s way of helping us to move to where he wants us to go. Everything we experience in life is a divine appointment. Isaac had the capacity to overcome the Philistines. He could have fought and overcome them each time that they had opposed him but he chose a peaceful route. He chose to move away from where they wanted to start a quarrel. Many a times, the best way to avoid a conflict is to learn to walk away without being offensive. The Lord had wide spaces in His universe for our life and there are enough for us to flourish in Him. Let’s not fight over the little and forget the much that we still have in God. 

Remember there was a famine and God had instructed Isaac to remain in Gerar and not to move to Egypt. This Isaac had obeyed. And now the famine was over so he returned to Beersheba. On the night of his return, the Lord appeared to him. In what He told Isaac, we are also reminded that we serve a faithful God. He never forgets the promises He had made. So we see in verse 23, God re-iterated to Isaac, the promise He had made to Abraham. He said:

“I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”

Here Isaac built an altar to God and called upon Him. And there he remained, by pitching his tent and his servant dug a well. The way to go in life is to remain with God, pitch our tent by His presence and find great fulfilment in connecting with Him. What a life!  

Genesis 26:7-11 – Live honestly for God

End does not justify the means. Not for Abraham neither would it be for Isaac nor for anyone of us who wants to bring honor to God. Unfortunately, like his father Abraham, Isaac also resorted to a scheme of protecting self at the expanse of his wife. He thought his life would be in danger if he made known that Rebekah was his wife. He feared that he might be killed if a person wanted to take Rebekah away from him by force, for she was indeed a beautiful woman. This was exactly what Abraham did in Gerar previously.

Regarding this, Isaac had followed in his father’s footstep too. Bear in mind that the people then would use women, even their wives, for political leverage or to gain business deals. Isaac appeared to have adopted their example and behaved like those pagans. He had unwittingly exposed Rebekah to undue danger and failed to realize that his wife was created to complete his life. We need to remember that God had given us our respective wife to partner us in our journey in life. So that together, we can fulfil His plan for our home here on earth. It is, therefore, needful for a husband to be protective of his wife and not subject her to undue anxiety and harsh treatment. Husband and wife should be faithful to each other and to God. Ultimately, we will have to give an account to Him for the responsibility that He had entrusted to us. Hence, we must seek to glorify Him!

Isaac’s fear had gotten the better of him. The first time the men approached him, they only wanted to enquire about Rebekah, but Isaac read more than what was intended. Plagued by fear, he lied. He thought that they wanted his wife and imagined that they would kill him to get her. By lying, he now truly had something to hide. This will happen when we operate from the paradigm of fear. It creates the tendency to read into situations more than what they things actually are. From Isaac action we learn that we must learn to apprise situations with faith, speak honestly, trusting God to protect us. Know this for sure: no weapon formed against us can ever prosper, for this is our heritage as God’s children. Let us not live in unwarranted fear.

The difference in this account is that the king did not try to make Rebekah one of his harem. How he found out that she was Isaac’s wife was when he saw him caressing Rebekah.  Isaac probably had gotten careless after living there a long time. Besides it is also difficult to hide an untruth for long. There will come unguarded moment where one will unwittingly reveal the truth. It was one of those moment for Isaac. So the king summoned him for an interrogation. Credit to him he confessed honestly and was rightfully chided.

The rebuke Abimelech gave Isaac shows how serious he viewed the deception. This man valued integrity. He was fearful that what Isaac had done could have placed Rebekah in jeopardy of being seized by anyone, thinking that she was not anyone’s wife. It was indeed ironic that a man of faith should be rebuked by a pagan king. The pagan king actually was more sensitive to the right moral than Isaac. What Isaac did could have hampered God’s plan. It’s a lesson for us about honesty. By being honest, we avert needless shadowy activities. Honesty is still the best policy! And we must live honestly for God!

Genesis 26:1-6 – God’s faithfulness endures forever

This event we read here had probably taken place earlier. What we read here is not a chronological account. It is likely that this event took place before Jacob and Esau were born. The name of the king was Abimelech and his military commander was Phicol. Though their names were identical with the king and the commander that Abraham encountered in Genesis 21, they could not be the same people. Why? The Abimelech and Phicol of Isaac’s time were at least 75 years apart from that of Abraham’s time.  It was very likely that both Abimelech and Phicol were just titles and not actual names.   

What we read here tells us that Egypt was a poplar place where people would flock to during seasons of famine. It seems Isaac was planning to go there for there was a famine.  As we have said earlier, because of the rich supply of water from the River Nile, Egypt was not affected by the famine. What the people experienced here was also the same as what Abraham had experienced. With the plenteous fresh water of the Nile to irrigate the land, famines seldom occurred in Egypt.

Isaac had planned to go down to Egypt as Abraham had done earlier. But the Lord had other plan. So he was told in verse 2, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.” To assure him, God reiterated the promise He had made to Abraham. He was told that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars and he would be given lands. Furthermore his descendants would have a ministry to all the nations on earth. It appears that Isaac was assured so he stayed in Gerar.

This account tells us that God is faithful and committed. He will never fail in a single promise that He has made. Though Abraham was long gone, yet God did not eradicate the promise He had made to him. So He reiterated it to his son. We are in good hands when we place our trust in God. He guarantees it with His integrity. We can trust Him absolutely!

Genesis 25:27-34 – Don’t be ruined by freshly appetite

In these verses we are told of the different characters of the twins. Esau, the older brother was a skilful hunter. Whereas Jacob was a peaceful man preferring an indoor lifestyle. He was a stayed home guy. We are not told their age but they had grown and each became a man. Esau was Isaac’s favourite, for he often brought to the father meat of the animals he had hunted, deliciously prepared and cooked. Jacob being a home loving person, had more time with the mother and was obviously the mother’s favourite. The animosity of the two brothers was not helped by the way the parents favoured each of them. As parents, it would be wise for us to consider being impartial. What we do can impact the relationship of our children. When they see that we treat each one equally, they will also learn to deal with others fairly.

The custom of the day was set to prefer the elder of the two. When the father died, he was supposed to have a double portion of the father’s inheritance. The younger would only receive a portion. So Jacob set up to craftily swop his position with Esau. One day the elder brother returned home from his hunting trip and was famished. Jacob had prepared a savoury and inviting stew.  Esau then asked for a bit of what he had cooked to satisfy his hunger. Here Jacob set out to barter trade for his birth-right. He asked Esau to transfer his birth-right as the eldest son, to him. What was important to Esau was the hunger that needed to be satisfied. He did not care for the position of his inheritance so he mindlessly sold his birth-right to Jacob for a bit of food. Esau was controlled by his appetite rather than the long term promise of God. His life underscores the importance of self-control. We must not allow our appetite to ruin our life. Not properly harness, our appetite will jeopardize and sabotage God’s plan for our future. Self-control is a critical character we all must have to be successful. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit that can be cultivated through a close walk with God. Obviously Esau, skilful as he was in hunting, was unskilled in controlling himself.

This account of course did not justify the craftiness of Jacob. He should have lovingly given his brother a good meal without any demand. But he showed how unloving and uncaring he was. What he wanted was to take advantage of a poor brother’s basic need. He realized to his chagrin much later that it had brought him endless nights of anxiety of trying to right the situation. In Esau and Jacob, we see here the drama of two lives. One was conniving, the other was careless. While he was conniving, Jacob was hungrier for the things of God. It was ordained that way by God. Remember he came forth grabbing his brother’s heel at birth. His character was already seen even at birth. He would be given priority even if he did not connive to get his brother’s share of the inheritance. God would have worked it out. But it’s the nature of us human to do it our way and had often created something that we need to spend needless effort undoing the wrong. Esau’s action speaks of the need to be careful to guard our God-given inheritance.  We need to live a measured life carefully evaluating our God given role and then to faithfully discharge it. We must never trade our calling by God for something less, just to satisfy our freshly appetite. The call is for us is to be faithful and live responsibly!   

Genesis 25:19-26 – The birth of two nations

Genesis 25:19 turns to focus on Isaac. He is now the centre of the divine drama. Here we see that Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. Like Sarah, her mother-in-law, Rebekah was barren. And Isaac prayed for her. God answered his prayer and opened the womb of Rebekah. She conceived a pair of twins – Jacob and Isaac. But the babies within her womb were extraordinarily active. Concerned, she consulted the Lord and was told that within her were two separate nations. The Lord told her that “Two nations are in your womb;

And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger.”

God showed her three things: firstly the two sons she would give birth to would be the initiators of two nations. Secondly the strength of each one would be disproportionate. And finally the younger would have priority over the older one. In ancient times the older son always had priority, hence the information about the priority of the younger one was discomforting. This is a clear indication age has no priority in our effectiveness as far as God is concerned. Our effectiveness in life and ministry is determined by our gifts, talents and the endowment of God. We can see from this pair of twins that leadership is not a matter of the age but the endowment of God’s gift. The order of their birth was immaterial to the calling of God. 

Of course Rebekah was shocked by the news that she was bearing twins within her womb. Up to that point she was probably not aware of the status. However, this knowledge must have helped her to endure the hyperactivity within her womb. When Isaac was 60 years old this pair of twins were born. The first one that came forth from the womb was Esau. He was red, ruddy and hairy. The second one was named Jacob, he came forth grasping the heel of Esau. He was a heel grabber. One was named because of how he looked. The other was named because of what he did. What happened in Rebekah’s womb became evident. Two nations were struggling within her. What happened while they were in the womb of their mother was obviously going to continue outside. This is the pattern that had been set for the course of their life.  

This account tells us that prayer is one avenue God has given to us to unlock God’s plan for our life. The barrenness of Rebekah was resolved by Isaac’s prayer. It tells husbands of the God ordained role in the home. The Lord did not leave the man helpless to fulfil his role. He has given us the instrument of prayer to unravel His plan and purpose for our life. Let’s make prayer a habit so that God’s plan can be brought into fruition. Secondly, we take note that age has no bearing in leadership. What’s important is the gift and talent God has granted a person for the role he must play. It is the calling of God that will enable one to reach the heights of what one has been assigned to do. Let’s not allow our age or years in the Lord to hinder us from doing what He has ordained for us to do. Let’s responsibly discharge our role.  

Genesis 25:12-18 – When unsure of God’s plan, remember to trust and wait

In these eight verses we are given a brief detail of Ishmael and his family tree. His descendants were not always at war with the descendants of Isaac. In fact, these verses follow after the funeral that Ishmael and Isaac shared together in burying their father, Abraham. The bitterness of being driven from the home was not shown here as the two brothers met after a long time, to do something as a family. There are times in our relationship that bitterness will have to give way to sound judgment. Being bitter will only divide and separate friendship and relationship. We are not to allow the root of bitterness to poison the live stream that God had implanted within us. Keep short accounts and view everything from the perspective of God’s grace. This can help us prevent bitterness from taking root. 

The descendants of Ishmael and that of Isaac had periods of peace although they were by and large hostile to each other. One of those times that they dealt civilly with each other was when they traded. Often as tradesmen the descendants of Ishmael would ply the route from Egypt to the north for trade. It was on one of those occasions that Joseph was sold to Egypt. Not as favoured as Isaac, Ishmael did feature in God’s divine plan. God had included him in His plan. Remember he cried in the wilderness and God intervened. We learned earlier that Abraham loved Ishmael and would have made him the heir if he had his way. God knew the heart of Abraham and how he loved Ishmael, so He made a concession and promised to bless him as well. In Genesis 17:20, God promised that he would be the father of twelve rulers whose children would become a great nation. The twelve were named in Genesis 25:12-18. This account serves to provide the contrast God would do for Isaac and his descendants. 

There was a time Abraham believed that God would raise the covenant nation through Ishmael. Remember when God told him that Sarah would bear him a son, he just simply could not believe. He even suggested to God in Genesis 17:18 that if only Ishmael might live under His blessing. Ultimately, Abraham had faith and could grasp what God was saying. He came to believe that Isaac would be the successor. And so he was. The time had come for Ishmael to be laid aside because the time for Isaac had come. The covenant people laid at the brink of history of something great. God’s plan always come to fruition. In His time He makes all things beautiful. Even if it takes a while, it’s worth the wait.   

Genesis 25:1-11 – Living a full life with God

Besides marrying Sarah and Hagar, Abraham also had another woman. Her name was Keturah. Genesis 25 verses 1-5 tell us about her. Was she a wife or a concubine? We are thrown off by verse 1 that called her a wife and then in verse 6 called her a concubine. It is more likely that she was his concubine because 1 Chronicles 1:32 also referred to her as a concubine. Some has suggested that Abraham married Keturah after Sarah’s death. Considering the many children born to him by Keturah, it would be more probable that he took her as a concubine while Sarah was still alive. Like Hagar who bore Ishmael to him, Keturah also bore him other sons. We are told in verse 2 that Keturah bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. But Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. He did not want anything to interfere with Isaac’s faith development. As he had carefully arranged a wife for him, he also made sure his half-brothers would not interfere with his progress. So while Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to each one of them and sent them away. 

Verses 6-11 tell us that Abraham had lived to a ripe old age of 175. He had a full and satisfied life. He was probably happy and contented. He died and Isaac and Ishmael buried him with Sarah in the cave that he had bought from the Hittites. Isaac must have contacted Ishmael and informed him of Abraham’s death. The two together then had their father buried in “…the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre.” This gesture of Isaac suggests that he and Ishmael had reconciled although they still lived apart after their father’s death. The word here specifically focus on Isaac, telling us that God blessed him. After all he was God’s special gift to Abraham. He was the child that God had covenanted to give to Abraham. And it would be through him that Abraham would have a covenant people who would bring blessing to all. So we learned that he lived by Beer-lahai-roi.

Abraham’s life leaves us with an example on how to live a full, happy and contented life. He wholly trusted God and was obedient to Him. Though he had made some blunders in his life, but overall he relied on God in his journey of faith. His constant looking up to God had sustained his life. Like him we must never become tired of following God or rely on Him in our faith journey. The Lord will bless us as he had blessed Abraham, when we seek to emulate him and put our faith in this wonderful God.  

Genesis 24:50-67 – Living in the centre of God’s will

At some point both Bethuel and Laban must have recognized the hand of the Lord in the whole matter as narrated by Abraham’s servant, Eleazar. After Abraham’s departure, Nahor and his family probably had thought deeper and recognized the Lord’s hand in Abraham’s life. Now Bethuel and Laban came to the same consensus that they each had no personal opinion of their own. They were in effect saying since that was the Lord’s orchestration, His purpose and what He wanted must be done. So they had no objection and consented to Rebekah becoming Isaac’s wife. Recognizing the hand of the Lord in the whole matter, Eleazar prostrated before the Lord and worshipped Him. He then gave to Rebekah “...articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments.” And to Laban and Rebekah’s mother he gave some precious things. And before they retired for the night, the meal they ate together must be more delicious than usual.  

The next day the servant wanted to make his way home with Rebekah. But the family had another plan. They wanted to hold Rebekah for ten days before she left for Isaac. They hoped to have at least another ten days with her. But the servant was anxious to return home since his mission was already almost accomplished. Perhaps the parents were thinking that it was too sudden for Rebekah. They wanted to give her some time to decide if she wanted to go immediately or not. However, she did not want the delay, she preferred to follow the servant back. So they sent her and her nurse off together, with Abraham’s servant. Before they left they pronounced a two-fold blessing over Rebekah’s life. They pronounced that she would have many children and that her offspring would be victorious over all their enemies. So Rebekah and her maids together with the servant’s entourage made their journey back.  

Isaac apparently had returned from Beer-lahai-Roi to the Negev. He was out in the field meditating and contemplating. He was possibly still grieving over the mother’s death so he went there to reflect over the whole matter. When he lifted his eyes he saw from a distance, the returning entourage of the servant. At the same time, Rebekah also saw him from a distance. So she dismounted and inquired of the identity of Isaac and was told that he was the master. The address of Isaac as the master suggests to us that Abraham could have died while the servant was away. If this is the case, the servant probably swore to complete the mission at Abraham’s deathbed. That accounts for the urgency of getting Isaac a wife.  

When told that it was Isaac, Rebekah quickly put on a veil and went to meet him. When Isaac drew near the servant narrated the whole matter to him, telling him all that he had done. He must have included the providential guidance of God in his recounting. Immediately Isaac accepted everything. The couple then entered Sarah’s tent and the marriage took place. Isaac loved her so much and though he was grieving over his mother’s death, he found comfort in Rebekah.  It may be hard for us in our days to think that a man would accept an arranged marriage. The beauty of Rebekah might have played a key role. But Isaac’s acceptance was not so much because of Rebekah’s beauty but that it was the plan of God for his life. In our decision in life we should choose the path that God had ordained more than the comfort of outward circumstances. We must learn to live in the centre of God’s will for our life.  

Genesis 24:15-49 – Divine Guidance

God answered Eleazar’s prayer even before he could finish his closing words. Rebekah, the granddaughter of Nahor, appeared to draw water from the well. The description of her in verse 16, tells us that she was not only a beautiful woman but also a very proper one, a virgin, who was not flirtatious. Her identity was not known to the servant of Abraham. Immediately he went into action, requesting for a drink from her jar. Without hesitation she lowered her jar and offered him the drink. Not only that, she even offered to water all his camels. So she went back and forth from the well and the water trough, filling them till all the ten camels were watered. Meanwhile Eleazar just observed and silently assessed her to see if God would grant him success. 

It appears that Rebekah was the first girl to arrive at the well, hence the servant of Abraham did not have too many choices to content with. This is an indication of how closely God worked with the servant and how quickly God affirmed who Isaac’s wife was to be. As we reflect on the conditions set by Abraham’s servant, we must conclude that they were so high that not many girls would have acceded. So it could not be co-incidence that Rebekah should respond to him.  God was certainly behind his success.

Eleazar waited till Rebekah had finished watering his camels before he presented her with three precious pieces of jewellery, more for her willingness to help than the bridal gifts, as he had not seen her parents. Besides he did not know her background as yet. He then asked for her father’s name and inquired if there was room in her house for him, and probably his entourage and the camels. She then told him her father was Bethuel, the grandson of Nahor. Immediately Eleazar knew that God had done the connection and Isaac would soon have his bride. So he worshiped the Lord for His favour upon Abraham his master. He was so overwhelmed that he just bowed down and worshiped God on the spot. The word for bow is literally to prostrate before God. Like him we should respond gratefully to God for all he has done for us. Let us not give muted response to God for His goodness.

Rebekah was excited to show the gifts she was given by the servant of Abraham. She was of course impressed with his devotion to God and to his mater, Abraham. So with uncontained joy she hurried home to show her mother. Here we see Laban as the spokesman for the family. He was probably a covetous man for the first things he noticed were the pieces of jewellery given to her sister, Rebekah. On hearing what she said, Laban quickly invited them to lodge in their house and food to eat. But Eleazar preferred to finish his mission before he ate. So he sat down and told the long story of his mission, beginning from how God had blessed Abraham, his master. Verses 34 – 48 recount for us all that had transpired.  So he now asked Laban for Rebekah’s hand for Isaac, his young master.  

This story is about divine guidance. It is what we must seek in our life too. Divine guidance always begins with prayer, earnestness and the word. It requires that we be closely connected to God as Eleazar did. Then we need to be attentive to God’s response. He can answer through people, circumstances and even events. Obedience also plays a part. God can show but the response is ours. Of course we need God’s guidance, because apart from doing His will nothing truly matters. Let’s seek His guidance for our life. 

Genesis 24:1-9 – Choosing a right partner in life

Abraham was now advanced in years and Sarah his wife had died. It must have dawned on him that Isaac needed a wife. So calling his oldest servant in his household, he made him swore to return to his father’s country and relatives to get a bride for Isaac. Though the passage did not name the servant, we guess it must be Eleazar, his old and trusted steward. The swearing was unusual and solemn. The servant put his hand underneath Abraham’s thigh and took the oath, to undertake the assignment with total faithfulness. The placing of the hand under the thigh was to say that if he did not do as required, he would be answerable to Abraham and his descendants as well.

Abraham had lived among the Canaanites for such a long time that he knew why he would not allow his son to marry one of the women. The Canaanites were a religiously depraved people. Their gods were carved out of woods or stones and their worship would include all sorts of aberrant sexual immorality. Their practices had absolutely deviated from what God had designed and was far from what God would want to connect with him. Abraham did not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite with all these needless baggage. The only way he knew to get Isaac a comparably decent wife, was to return to where he came from and get one among his father’s relative. He was sure that among the women there, a suitable bride could be identified for Isaac. So he made his servant swore to get Isaac a wife from among his father’s people.

The immediate question that came to the servant’s mind was that the bride he managed to find, might refuse to return with him to marry Isaac. The question he asked presupposes that he would be able to find one but she might refuse to come with him. He wanted to know if Abraham would allow him to take Isaac there then. Abraham, however, did not want Isaac to return to his father’s land. For he knew how disruptive it would be for the plan God had intended to give to him and his descendants. He told the servant that under no condition should the servant bring Isaac back to the land of his father’s relatives. Abraham assured the servant that God would guide him and grant him success. What he said to Eleazar was not said in a vacuum. He had experienced it. God had not failed him in a single promise He had made. With his experience, and his firmly and deeply rooted faith, he assured the servant that his mission would be a success. He even assured him that God would send His angel to guide him. What he needed to do was to do his best. He would not be held responsible if the chosen bride refused to come back with him.

This passage underscores for us the whole call to be a separated people. We are called out of the world of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s marvellous light. As children of light it would not be fitting to be unequally yoked with the children of darkness, especially in a marriage. A Christian marriage is a God ordained institution. The right partner should be one from the same faith because both share the same value system. Nothing can be more blessed than to have a home where everyone serves God and His purpose. Let’s affirm with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

Genesis 24:11-14 – Making prayer the first option in life

Taking the instruction of Abraham, the servant then set out on his journey to seek a bride for Isaac. He proceeded to the city Nahor in Mesopotamia with ten camels laden with all kinds of good gifts and probably some dowries for the bride. The city was probably named Nahor to indicate that that was where Abraham’s brother lived. The journey was long and arduous. So on reaching his destination at evening time, he positioned himself outside the city where the well was, so that he could water his camels. It was strategic also because this was the place where women would customarily come to draw water for everyday needs.

From where he was, he could see women coming to the well to draw water. He quickly went into prayer. How could he determine who was the one suitable for Isaac out of the many who came to draw water from the well? He took the right course of action. He went straight into prayer. He shows us that prayer should always be our first option and not our last resort. How often do we seek God first in critical issues of our life? Most people would seek advice from a trusted friend or some counsellor but God. Here Eleazar was different, he sought God first, thus leaving us an example to emulate. Like him we must make prayer the first thing. This was the advice Paul also gave. He said that, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.…” He urged that prayer should be our first priority. It is certainly the most needed exercise when it comes to seeking God’s plan for our life.

Eleazar was a praying man, probably influenced by Abraham. He appealed to the God of Abraham. Specifically asking God to show favour to his master Abraham and to grant him success in securing a bride for his young master. His prayer was straight to the point, not beating around the bush. Notice that he only wanted the one God had appointed for his young master. He did not start with beauty as most man would. He strategized to assess the depth of the character of the bride for Isaac. The one that he sought for Isaac must be a woman of quality. He had two requirements in mind. Firstly, the right lady must be willing to offer him a drink. Secondly she must also offer to draw water for each of his ten camels out of her own initiative. We can see that Eleazar was passionate about finding the right partner for his young master. He started on the right path. He prayed. Prayer is the right place to begin with. Eleazar prayed and so must we. Let’s pray concerning all matters of our life, especially in choosing the right partner.   

Genesis 23:1-20 – Live life unassumingly

Time had passed by. The Bible did not record what transpired from the time Abraham returned with Isaac from Mount Moriah up till now. It is not hard to imagine what Sarah must have felt when Abraham shared with her the intention of offering Isaac to God, though we are not told her reaction. We conclude that like Abraham she also trusted God and believed all that God had promised, and so concurred with Abraham. For whatever God had said of her conception at an old age, had truly come to pass. And she must have come to trust God more and more. It is also not hard to imagine how she must have rejoiced when Abraham returned with Isaac from Mount Moriah. The three of them shared a wonderful experience not known to many. It’s hard to be unfaithful and non-committed to a God who has done so much for them.

Some 15-20 years must have passed by since Abraham’s return from Mount Moriah. Though no account of what happened during this period is given, we believe each of them must have lived a devoted and God pleasing life. We are told that Sarah died at Kiriath Arba that was known as Hebron earlier. She was 127 years old when she died. We know that Abraham loved her dearly and to him, her death was a loss. So we read that he wept over her. Abraham then sought to find her a good burial ground. Kiriath Arba was a settlement of the Hittites, and they were known as the Heth. Abraham wanted to purchase a piece of land that belonged to a person by the name of Ephron. So he appealed to the leader of the Heths to help him obtain the land for Sarah’s burial. Notice how humbly Abraham approached the Heths. Though he was well recognized for his stature, he did not assert himself. He came humbly and observed the proper protocol to buy the cave of Machpelah. Abraham was unassuming. He knew his place. Like him, we need to deal with all with decorum. Everyone, great or not, young or old, rich or poor, deserves our respect. As believers we ought not to think too highly of ourselves. We must work to cultivate a culture of honour. Being respectful and courteous begets respect and courtesy in return. It makes for peaceful co-existence as we serve the Lord. Paul’s advice is still valuable. His advice recorded in Romans 12:3 is: “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Besides Abraham was not one who would take advantage of the situation. Though he was offered the land free of charge, he would rather pay the price required of it. So he bought Sarah’s burial ground for 400 shekels of silver. With the purchase of the land, presumably on the same day that Sarah died, Abraham was then able to lay her to rest. This place later also became the burial ground for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This piece of land was the only one that Abraham had purchased and owned. But ultimately his descendants owned the whole region. 

Genesis 22:15-24 – The impact of obedience

Abraham was absolutely obedient. Being obedient always delights the heart of God. So in Abraham’s situation God emphatically proclaimed from heaven how He felt, and what He would do for him because of his obedience. The effect of the obedience would not only impact him but also sealed the destiny of his descendants forever. God said his descendants would be as numerous as the countless stars in the sky, and they would also take possession of the cities of their enemies. Furthermore they would be the cause of blessings to come upon all the nations of the earth.

Truly, there is no alternative to receive the blessings of God but obedience. We must never evade doing according to the instruction of God. Blessings would not only be denied to one who is found disobedient to God, it would also cause the people he was expected to influence to be denied the blessing for generations to come. Paul in Romans 5:19 underscores the impact of both disobedience and obedience. Comparing Adam to Christ, he said, “For as through the one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Jesus Christ) many will be made righteous.” Today, we are the blessed recipients of both the obedience of Abraham as well as the Lord Jesus Christ’s. What a blessing! We are now expected to emulate their obedience. So verse 19 tells us Abraham returned to the two servants waiting for Him and Isaac. Obviously Isaac, whom he was to sacrifice but prevented by the angel of the Lord, also returned with him. So they returned to Beersheba.

Then quickly the scene shifted to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. They had been separated for 40 years or more since Abraham’s departure from Haran. The nomadic life enhanced the difficulty of contacting each other. Abraham probably did not hear from Nahor for a long while. But now news came to Abraham concerning Nahor, his brother and family. For us, readers of the Bible, records of genealogy are often passed over. They made Bible reading dull and boring. But to the ancient, a record of genealogy was critical. It helped them trace the root of someone significant. Verses 20-24 would have been quickly skimmed over if not for Rebekah. For she would eventually be the wife of Isaac. So the story awaits to be told. 

Genesis 22:9-14 – Jehovah Jireh: God will provide

Abraham and Isaac had now come to the place where God had indicated for the sacrifice. Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood and hoisted Isaac on to the altar. If we were at the scene, we would have noticed the tears that would stream uncontrollably down Abraham’s cheeks as he lifted his knife to plunge into Isaac. The son on the other hand trusted Abraham absolutely. Otherwise we would have read of how he struggled with his father. One thing is clear: Abraham trusted God absolutely and he would not withhold anything from God, not even his own son. 

Just as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac, God through the angel of the Lord called out from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” He arm froze at the call of God. He was told not to lay a hand on the boy. In verse 12, God said, “…for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” This gives the impression that God did not know that Abraham loved and trusted Him until He tested him out. No, this is not the case. We can be sure that God knows everything. But the test was more for Abraham’s sake. God wanted him to come to the point of realizing how important God truly was to him, that he would be prepared to give anything to Him, even his only son. Like how He knew the heart of Abraham, God also knows each and every one of our hearts. We are often also put to the test to bring us to the point of realization of how important God is to us. He will bring us to a tough situation in life where we will have to assess our relationship with God, and still choose to trust Him despite the tough encounters.

Like Abraham, the issue confronting us is “Do I love God for what He could do for me or do I love Him for Who He is?” Any love based on what we can receive from God is not adequate. True love for, and trust in God, is not based on what one can get from God, but on who we know God truly is. People will serve God when things are smooth and the requests to their needs are answered. But when their prayers seem unanswered, their love for God will turn cold and some would even backslide and leave God. What about us? Will we love God for Who He is and not for what He can give? Can we continue to love and trust Him even when life’s toughest are hurled at us?  This is the true test of our love for Him.

Worship always demands a sacrifice, not just any sacrifice but an appropriate sacrifice. The Lord had never intended for Isaac to be a physical sacrifice. For He had already provided one in the thicket. So the ram caught in the thicket was God’s provision for the sacrifice. Just imagine the joy Abraham and Isaac must have experienced when they saw that ram. Abraham tears gave way to joy. Together, they caught the ram, killed it and placed it on the altar of sacrifice.  The whole incidence must have impacted Isaac. He saw his father’s absolute trust in God that made him willing to give up all things, yes even his only precious son. This was an act that was close to God’s - for God so loves that He gave us His only begotten Son. But Abraham so loved God that He was willing to give up his only son.  Isaac saw how unconditional his father’s love was for God and was willing to lose all, yes even his only son, to express his love for God. Could it be that Isaac’s pledge for life henceforth, was to be like his dad? Fathers, our willingness to give all for God can leave an indelible mark in the life of our children! Let’s seize every teachable moment to leave a mark in our children’s life!

The provision of God on the mountain was more than what Abraham could ever dream of. He named the place: the Lord will provide. The future tense of this name tells us that God wants to provide not just for our present needs but also all our future needs. It was Abraham way of saying that God did not just meet his need then but that He would be with him to meet all his needs for the rest of his journey. What a promise! What happened to Abraham on that mountain became a prophetic proclamation. Since that day, the by-word has been: “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” Mount Moriah was actually Mount Calvary. On it God has truly provided for all our needs. On this mountain, God provided Christ Jesus, and through Him God gave and gave. It is true that God has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Praise be unto Him!