Genesis 25-26
Abraham dies, and now we learn what became of Isaac. We know he married Rebekah. We learn the strange circumstances of her pregnancy: twins fighting within. And we find out that God spoke directly to Rebekah before God spoke to Isaac: the older twin will serve the younger. And we quickly learn the effect of that word: Rebekah favored the younger, Jacob, and Isaac favored the elder, Esau. When the two are still rather young, Jacob jumps at the chance to “buy” Isaac’s birthright from Esau, who doesn’t seem to care about it. So far, not so good.
Now, finally, in Genesis 26, “the Lord appeared” to Isaac. We’ve been waiting for this. How long could Isaac ride on Abraham coattails? So God affirms all the essential elements of the Covenant with Isaac:
· God’s presence
· Land of Promise
· Offspring as numerous as the stars
· Blessing that will extend to the whole world
And just to prove it’s not because of Isaac’s righteousness, even after he imitates his father’s deception (We’ll call it “Sister Act 3”), God appears yet again to make certain Isaac gets it.
God’s persistent attentions to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, despite their obvious flaws, is a real encouragement to me.
See you tomorrow,
Pastor Gary
1 comment:
Amen! The ONLY way God can use me is if he's willing to lovingly push past and through my many short comings, faults and sins!
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