Every person in the Bible gives us different lessons that we can apply in our own life and walk with God. In this article we'll talk about a special man who can give us a glimpse of God's very loving hand.
His name is Isaac.
Who is Isaac and what can we learn from him? Let's go and find out.
1) A sign of the promise being kept
When God promised Abraham that He would make him the father of many nations, he was still childless. Genesis 17 tells us that he was still named "Abram," was ninety-nine years old, and had no child with his wife Sarah (who was still named "Sarai").
Fast-forward years and problems later, we read in Genesis 21 that God allowed Sarah to become pregnant with Abraham's son. Genesis 21:5 says,
"Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him."
Here we understand that God gave Abraham a sign that He'd indeed make him the father of many nations - through a son in old age.
What can we learn here? Through Isaac we understand that God fulfills His promises to man. Even when it seems impossible for man, nothing is impossible for God.
2) God as a really good Father and Provider
In today's world many single men spend a lot of time and money pursuing the woman of their dreams. Isaac's life showed us something really beautiful:
That God was behind the scenes in giving him a wife.
We read in Genesis 24 how Abraham, now "well advanced in age" (see Genesis 24:1), desired that Isaac would have a wife. His faith in God was so secure that he told his own servant,
"The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there." (Genesis 24:7)
And so the servant went as he was told, and God led him to a woman named Rachel. Long story short, God set their meeting up with answered prayers and all (see Genesis 24:10-28). Soon, the servant returned to Abraham, taking Rachel with him.
Now where was Isaac while all this happened? Most probably, mourning the loss of his mother Sarah (see Genesis 23). He didn't even know that his wife was on her way to him.
From this we see that God is concerned with our very lives, even who we should marry. While He does not control us, He does know what - and who - is best for us. Proverbs 19:14 indeed proves true:
"Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord."
3) Stick-to-one
At a time when concubines were common, Isaac did not have any concubines. He didn't have any other woman. He only had Rebekah and no one else.
While their relationship faced many obstacles (such as not having children for twenty years), it's a Biblical fact that Isaac never had another woman in his life.
This facet of Isaac's life teaches us that it's possible to stick to your spouse, no matter your flaws. Both he and Rebekah were imperfect, and their imperfections showed all the more over time, affecting their relationship.
Still, they were together and did not leave each other to look for different spouses. They showed that adultery and "third parties" can be avoided and that a lifelong union founded on a shared faith in God was possible, no matter what came along.
