Preparing For Jacob

And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

In my preparation to bring Jacob onto the scene, I find that I am still hanging onto Abraham. The contents of his life are so vast that they occupy unlimited space. When it came time to expect God to begin to fulfill the promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son, life around the farm got interesting. Finally, God said a son would enter his home: It was a shocker. Abraham had a difficult time adjusting to this enlightenment.

Sometimes we think God is kidding when speaks to us. It may appear as though God is telling a joke. I do not intend any disrespect in making this statement. Some men and women in the Bible questioned the word of God.

According to my research, notable men and women in the Bible were susceptible to disbelief. As we can see here, Abraham was a part of that crowd. Later in the Bible, this trait of unbelief finds other victims. Some of these victims are the Lord’s own disciples: People, experienced Christ here in physical presence. What more would anyone need?

I enjoy checking everything out in the Bible. You should as well. I could be stringing you along on a subject about which you know very little. You might believe every word I say.

Trusting is an admirable trait. However, in scripture we are prompted to check matters out, to see if they are according to what God has said. Taking our Bible, and reading Genesis 17:17 , could be beneficial. This insight comes immediately after God spoke to Abraham concerning the coming of a son. Just look at another passage before we look at that one.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1Corinthians 2:9-10

When God makes a promise, he does not take it lightly. If the promises are important to God, then they should as important to us. Every promise God makes, is so that we can have something to depend on for sure. So, when God pledges to do something, don’t do what Abraham did: “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” Genesis 17:17.

We do not need much of an imagination to see this picture. When I read this, it was as though I read it for the first time. I felt like bursting out with laughter too. I visualize this man of a hundred, with his face to the ground in laughter. He cannot fathom the word of God as the gospel truth in his case. I can see the tears falling from his face as he roars with a laugh of unbelief.

It seems to me as though Abe (Abraham) might just as well have voiced it like this: “Lord, it would be an easier lot to say that Ishmael is the answer to my prayer, than to expect me to believe that Sarah and I are still able to have more children.”

Ishmael was the son Hagar, the servant of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. This may not sound very holy in your eyes. It was not the will of God, but this is what happened when people began to take matters into their own hands. Fourteen years earlier at the age of eighty_six, Abraham figured he still had it within himself to father a child.

At the request of his wife, Abraham took her maid Hagar, and they tried to make the promise of God come true. This was not how God planned for it to happen. He had a greater and holier method with which to bring his promise to pass. God can handle these situations by himself.

Now, at the age of one_hundred Abe was unable to conceive of the idea of fathering a child. I can see him visualizing Sarah, age ninety, walking around with a child in her womb. He breaks out in a torrent of laughter at the thought. When God made the promise, he purposed to keep it. The age of a man or woman would not be a deterrent.

We have taken an overview of some preparatory stages for the birth of Jacob's dad, Isaac. The name Isaac means laughter. Naming a child was very important then, as it is now. God named this child himself. Listen to God’s response to this laughing saint: “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac. ” Genesis 17:19

God had often done miracles in the life of Abraham. It was not as though Abraham had not seen the hand of God at work, it is just that he forgot that God was always God. God does not depend on circumstances to be exactly right, to do the miraculous for those he loves.

This matter of disbelief was not a one-sided situation. Sarah faced the same problem as her hubby. Apparently, they were perfect for each other: Sarah laughed as well. Both of them soon realized that God had a greater plan in mind for them. It was something they were unable to comprehend at this time.

If we look at scripture, we will see God’s declaration of confidence in the man called: “A friend of God.” When God chooses someone to be of service to him, he gives them a

vote of confidence. He will place his mark upon them, so that everyone will know that they are set apart from the crowd.

I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord; ... that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19

When I really hear this with my heart, it lifts my spirit. I think of the scripture that says: “What shall we then say to these things? If God, be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32 In Genesis 21 God took care of part of that verse.

After Sarah realizes the truth of the promise of God, and realizes that their prayer is near to being answered, she says: “...God hath made me to laugh (why?), so that all that hear will laugh with me.”. Genesis 21:6

Does God have a sense of humor? God named their son Isaac, laughter. I believe he was saying: Let his child be the joy of your old age.

I do not for a minute believe that God was being vindictive, when he named this boy Laughter. He was leaving Abraham and Sarah a gentle reminder about the truth of the promise: No matter how they interpreted the circumstances.

I believe that the good Lord spoke to Abraham and Sarah in the way I have inferred. If we were to put it into the vernacular of the times we are living in, I might hear it like this: “I am never going to let you forget: It is no laughing matter, when I say that a son will be born. It will happen, and Isaac is his name.”

God does understand our frailties. He does not have to put up with us, but he loves us enough to do so. He knew from a time slot before Adam and Eve came into the picture, that we would need helps throughout the days of our lives. Our Lord never molded us with the belief that we would automatically have it together from that day forward, and forever more.

God knew that from day one to day one-hundred, or day two-hundred; we would need a bit of persuasion: To understand the promises he made. We never surprise God. He created us, and because of this fact, he can know how we are going to react to adverse circumstances.

Often, someone has prepared a surprise party for a friend or relative. Everyone has arrived, except the guest of honor. Someone is always elected to bring the guest, without letting them know where they are going. They usher the gullible soul into the house. Unsuspecting of what is about to happen. Suddenly, everybody is engulfed in a roar of:

Well sometimes it is a surprise, and sometimes the gullible soul was not quite as naive as they let on.

Sometimes we mess up and think that God really did not notice. It is as though we think that we were found out because someone else had told the Lord: Like me praying and telling him that somebody else had been a naughty young woman or nasty little boy. Or, we may think that he only found out when we repented to him: Like the surprise party.

Who was there in the Garden of Eden to tell God, that Eve had eaten that which she was supposed to have been left untouched? Can I say that it was the devil? Eve told God: “The devil made me do it.” (Genesis 3:13), This was her reply, because God caught her in the act.

Sarah thought she had hidden her disbelief of God’s word from the Lord. The Lord asked Abraham: “...why did Sarah laugh . . . ?” Gen.18: 13. Verse 15 is a classic example of us in our ignorance: “I did not Laugh . . . Who, me Lord, would I laugh, when you promised me something that is impossible to do? ”

I guess she thought God had not been observant enough to notice the change in her spirit. If God were not concerned, he would not likely have asked Abraham why Sarah had laughed.

During the times in which we feel that God is unable to handle our situation, we need to check out the word of God. I found a scripture that really hits home: One of those gems that we find from time to time, when we need them the most.

It was twenty_five years from the time Abraham left Haran, to the time of the birth of his son Isaac. Within the frame this man, it seemed like a life time to wait for an answer to a promise.

Abraham had picked up his belongings, his family, and his future, and literally put them into the hands of God: When he left his home. From out of nowhere, God had spoken to Abraham to move on from where he was comfortable.

My sons would have been a bit disgruntled, if they’d had to wait twenty_five years for something I promised them. Whenever I have made a promise, they expected the fulfillment before nightfall. Otherwise, it seemed as if it had been an unkept promise.

Continuing to believe for something God has promised, is hard: If it seems like it is never going to happen. However, time has never been a factor for God. The waiting scenario is often what God asks of us. In some ways he is saying: “I am going to do it, but you will just have to trust me on this one.” He is always in control.

Waiting was going to be a trait Jacob was going to have to learn if he were to get the woman of his dreams. Before we look at Jacob, let’s see what his dad was like. Isaac wanted to pass on the important things of life, to Jacob. I want to see what they are.

One entity that Abraham passed onto his son Isaacs, was his human failure. He did not just pass on the ugly stuff; he also passed on a Godly legacy; like Noah did.

School: Would anybody believe me if I said that this was the most exciting thing I could think of? Believing that line might be tough.

I think of the problems that I had to face during the early years of my schooling: If I had to go back and relive them in the same way, I would consider fighting my entrance. Chances are that I would say thanks, but no thanks.

We cannot go back and change the past, if we could, we would want to change it: I am sure. When I think of Isaac in his old age, I am sure he would have tried to change the in fighting between Jacob and Esau over the family inheritance.

Controversy surrounded Isaac’s birth. Ishmael was his older brother. Ishmael and Isaac were step brothers. Remember, the plan that Sarah had to help God’s promise come to fruition.

The general practice was that the eldest son would take over the family farm. In this instance they were not going to play according to man’s rules: God’s law was going to reign.

Tradition had it, that the eldest son would receive the blessing from the father and receive the inheritance. God had promised the inheritance would be to the son of Abraham and Sarah: Not from a union of Abraham and Sarah’s maid Hagar.

No matter how we perceive it today, it was the custom of that day, for a woman to substitute her maid for herself: if she were unable to bear children. In this way the husband could at least have children to carry on the family name.

Now that Isaac was born, Sarah became a bit concerned that Abraham may give the position of heir apparent, to the wrong person. This was not going to happen, if she could do anything about it.

It seems that Abraham may have been considering Ishmael as the heir. He might have had some reservations about his understanding of the promise of God. It may just be that he had gotten the names mixed up. Is there much difference between the name Ishmael, and Isaac? Hey, both start with the Letter “I,” but they do not both have five letters. Is there a difference? You tell me.

When we read , Genesis 21:9-12 we observe that Abraham evidently feels like making the switch, this is when Sarah stepped in and said: “. . .for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son . . . And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son . . . God said, let it not be grievous in thy sight, . . . for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”

God reaffirmed the promise made earlier. Earlier, God had made it quite clear that it was to be Isaac, not Ishmael, who would be Abraham's successor. . Genesis 17:18-22 Isaac vaulted into a precarious position involuntarily, when he was born. At fourteen, Ishmael might have gotten the idea that it was he, who was going to inherit the blessing from Abraham.

Follow me back to the old home place. Ishmael and his buddies are playing together. The proceedings get a little out of hand, he gets upset and says: “Hey people, watch out. I am going to take over when my dad dies. Then I will be your ruler. Shape up now or you will be sorry then.” It is a possibility that Ishmael had already set his sights higher than he should have. He may just have had a little help from Abraham.

Abraham threw a big party for Isaac when he was old enough to eat real food, instead of mothers’ milk. Ishmael looked on and began to mock Isaac. , Genesis 21:9 gives us this picture.

It seems to me that Ishmael may also have begun to remember a promise that mom and dad may have talked about: The promise about Isaac being chosen to carry on dad’s name. I think that Ishmael may have begun to develop a phobia, about who was going to get the right of the first born.

Later, we will see that this was also a concern of Jacob in his dealings with his brother. I continue to find similarities that will show up as we move onto Jacob. Watch for it. The oldest son is displaced by the younger one.

I was hoping to say that Isaac faced the regular perplexities of life, just like the rest of us. After some thought on the matter, I realize that I have some reservations about it. Every average boy did not need to face the issue of who gets the family farm. Every average boy did not need to face the issue of who is supposed to take over the leadership role.

I look at the whole scene and think: Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac at this time? Isaac had enough of a load to carry already, without having to carry the wood for the fire of his own execution. God was testing Abraham’s willingness to obey at all costs.

At the time of this event, the age of Isaac is not clear. According to some, he was about sixteen, and according to others he may have been twenty-five. The age factor is important here. Remember that Abraham was at least 115 years old now. Isaac, being the age he was, must have had a fair amount of strength.

If the lad did not consent, it is impossible for this old man to put Isaac on the altar. Isaac was prepared to do the will of God. He already had a measure of character built up within himself.

By reading chapter twenty_two of Genesis, we can readily see a submissive attitude portrayed by Isaac. Personally, I can visualize Isaac saying: “I do not know what is going on here, but my dad said God told him to lay me on the altar of sacrifice: So here goes.”

Has anybody noticed the traits that Abraham passed down to his son? In Gen. 12, Genesis 12: God told Abraham to get up and go. He did not understand where exactly he was to go to, but he went anyway. I would call this submission.

I am sure that many of us are familiar with the following phrase: “The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” For the most part this is true. Then or now, seeing the character of a man or a woman passed on to their children, is easy. Making sure we set proper examples is so important. Sometimes these characteristics do not surface till the children get older. Usually, similarities will surface early in one’s life.

As I observe the life of Isaac, I see him as a tender person. He had a great deal of love for his mother. When she died, he felt the pain of it for about four years. It was not until he married Rebekah that he embraced any consolation.

Abraham had a tenderness for the righteous people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded with God to withhold judgement. We have viewed much of the tangled life of Jacob. Notice, how God is continuing to build on the initial foundations that had been set in Abraham’s character. This trend will not change.

Isaac followed the tradition of his family. When his father sent him to find a wife, he obeyed. He set out and went back to Haran. It will be of particular value to remember that it was by a well that Isaac met his wife to be.

Wells can be considered as belonging to the industrious person. Anyone who has ever bought a farm, has surely checked to see if it had a good well on the property. This would insure the ability to give their family the major necessities of life: After all, how far does one go without water?

Isaac was one who was engaged in the well digging business. Watch for Jacob's meeting with his prospective wife. Keep the well in your thoughts.

Preparing for Jacob, is an interesting thought. Jacob was such an interesting character. The build up to his entrance needs to include some historical facts about his ancestry. I have referred to Abraham often. Until this time, I have filtered through some feelings of Isaac.

Through hardships and through the joys of life, these men had a spiritual agenda. They saw a pilgrimage on which they would be involved. To get set for Jacob and his pilgrimage, I need to do an update on the path Isaac took. I am looking forward with anticipation to my meeting with Jacob. Nevertheless, I want to let Isaac tell me a little more, of what to expect before Jacob comes on the scene.


	\| Roots \| Preparing For Jacob \| Are The Wells All Dug? \| Presenting The Ladies. And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. Genesis 25:21-28 Chapter 2 In my preparation to bring Jacob onto the scene, I find that I am still hanging onto Abraham. The contents of his life are so vast that they occupy unlimited space. When it came time to expect God to begin to fulfill the promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son, life around the farm got interesting. Finally, God said a son would enter his home: It was a shocker. Abraham had a difficult time adjusting to this enlightenment. Sometimes we think God is kidding when speaks to us. It may appear as though God is telling a joke. I do not intend any disrespect in making this statement. Some men and women in the Bible questioned the word of God. According to my research, notable men and women in the Bible were susceptible to disbelief. As we can see here, Abraham was a part of that crowd. Later in the Bible, this trait of unbelief finds other victims. Some of these victims are the Lord’s own disciples: People, experienced Christ here in physical presence. What more would anyone need? I enjoy checking everything out in the Bible. You should as well. I could be stringing you along on a subject about which you know very little. You might believe every word I say. Trusting is an admirable trait. However, in scripture we are prompted to check matters out, to see if they are according to what God has said. Taking our Bible, and reading Genesis 17:17 , could be beneficial. This insight comes immediately after God spoke to Abraham concerning the coming of a son. Just look at another passage before we look at that one. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1Corinthians 2:9-10 When God makes a promise, he does not take it lightly. If the promises are important to God, then they should as important to us. Every promise God makes, is so that we can have something to depend on for sure. So, when God pledges to do something, don’t do what Abraham did: “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” Genesis 17:17. We do not need much of an imagination to see this picture. When I read this, it was as though I read it for the first time. I felt like bursting out with laughter too. I visualize this man of a hundred, with his face to the ground in laughter. He cannot fathom the word of God as the gospel truth in his case. I can see the tears falling from his face as he roars with a laugh of unbelief. It seems to me as though Abe (Abraham) might just as well have voiced it like this: “Lord, it would be an easier lot to say that Ishmael is the answer to my prayer, than to expect me to believe that Sarah and I are still able to have more children.” Ishmael was the son Hagar, the servant of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. This may not sound very holy in your eyes. It was not the will of God, but this is what happened when people began to take matters into their own hands. Fourteen years earlier at the age of eighty_six, Abraham figured he still had it within himself to father a child. At the request of his wife, Abraham took her maid Hagar, and they tried to make the promise of God come true. This was not how God planned for it to happen. He had a greater and holier method with which to bring his promise to pass. God can handle these situations by himself. Now, at the age of one_hundred Abe was unable to conceive of the idea of fathering a child. I can see him visualizing Sarah, age ninety, walking around with a child in her womb. He breaks out in a torrent of laughter at the thought. When God made the promise, he purposed to keep it. The age of a man or woman would not be a deterrent. We have taken an overview of some preparatory stages for the birth of Jacob's dad, Isaac. The name Isaac means laughter. Naming a child was very important then, as it is now. God named this child himself. Listen to God’s response to this laughing saint: “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac. ” Genesis 17:19 Now, hypothetically I can see God saying: “So, nobody thinks I can do it. Watch Me.” God had often done miracles in the life of Abraham. It was not as though Abraham had not seen the hand of God at work, it is just that he forgot that God was always God. God does not depend on circumstances to be exactly right, to do the miraculous for those he loves. This matter of disbelief was not a one-sided situation. Sarah faced the same problem as her hubby. Apparently, they were perfect for each other: Sarah laughed as well. Both of them soon realized that God had a greater plan in mind for them. It was something they were unable to comprehend at this time. If we look at scripture, we will see God’s declaration of confidence in the man called: “A friend of God.” When God chooses someone to be of service to him, he gives them a vote of confidence. He will place his mark upon them, so that everyone will know that they are set apart from the crowd. I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord; ... that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19 When I really hear this with my heart, it lifts my spirit. I think of the scripture that says: “What shall we then say to these things? If God, be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32 In Genesis 21 God took care of part of that verse. After Sarah realizes the truth of the promise of God, and realizes that their prayer is near to being answered, she says: “...God hath made me to laugh (why?), so that all that hear will laugh with me.”. Genesis 21:6 Does God have a sense of humor? God named their son Isaac, laughter. I believe he was saying: Let his child be the joy of your old age. I do not for a minute believe that God was being vindictive, when he named this boy Laughter. He was leaving Abraham and Sarah a gentle reminder about the truth of the promise: No matter how they interpreted the circumstances. I believe that the good Lord spoke to Abraham and Sarah in the way I have inferred. If we were to put it into the vernacular of the times we are living in, I might hear it like this: “I am never going to let you forget: It is no laughing matter, when I say that a son will be born. It will happen, and Isaac is his name.” God does understand our frailties. He does not have to put up with us, but he loves us enough to do so. He knew from a time slot before Adam and Eve came into the picture, that we would need helps throughout the days of our lives. Our Lord never molded us with the belief that we would automatically have it together from that day forward, and forever more. God knew that from day one to day one-hundred, or day two-hundred; we would need a bit of persuasion: To understand the promises he made. We never surprise God. He created us, and because of this fact, he can know how we are going to react to adverse circumstances. Often, someone has prepared a surprise party for a friend or relative. Everyone has arrived, except the guest of honor. Someone is always elected to bring the guest, without letting them know where they are going. They usher the gullible soul into the house. Unsuspecting of what is about to happen. Suddenly, everybody is engulfed in a roar of: Surprise Well sometimes it is a surprise, and sometimes the gullible soul was not quite as naive as they let on. Sometimes we mess up and think that God really did not notice. It is as though we think that we were found out because someone else had told the Lord: Like me praying and telling him that somebody else had been a naughty young woman or nasty little boy. Or, we may think that he only found out when we repented to him: Like the surprise party. Who was there in the Garden of Eden to tell God, that Eve had eaten that which she was supposed to have been left untouched? Can I say that it was the devil? Eve told God: “The devil made me do it.” (Genesis 3:13), This was her reply, because God caught her in the act. Sarah thought she had hidden her disbelief of God’s word from the Lord. The Lord asked Abraham: “...why did Sarah laugh . . . ?” Gen.18: 13. Verse 15 is a classic example of us in our ignorance: “I did not Laugh . . . Who, me Lord, would I laugh, when you promised me something that is impossible to do? ” I guess she thought God had not been observant enough to notice the change in her spirit. If God were not concerned, he would not likely have asked Abraham why Sarah had laughed. During the times in which we feel that God is unable to handle our situation, we need to check out the word of God. I found a scripture that really hits home: One of those gems that we find from time to time, when we need them the most. Listen to it with me please: “Is anything too hard for God?”...(Gen. 18:14a.) It was twenty_five years from the time Abraham left Haran, to the time of the birth of his son Isaac. Within the frame this man, it seemed like a life time to wait for an answer to a promise. Abraham had picked up his belongings, his family, and his future, and literally put them into the hands of God: When he left his home. From out of nowhere, God had spoken to Abraham to move on from where he was comfortable. My sons would have been a bit disgruntled, if they’d had to wait twenty_five years for something I promised them. Whenever I have made a promise, they expected the fulfillment before nightfall. Otherwise, it seemed as if it had been an unkept promise. Continuing to believe for something God has promised, is hard: If it seems like it is never going to happen. However, time has never been a factor for God. The waiting scenario is often what God asks of us. In some ways he is saying: “I am going to do it, but you will just have to trust me on this one.” He is always in control. Waiting was going to be a trait Jacob was going to have to learn if he were to get the woman of his dreams. Before we look at Jacob, let’s see what his dad was like. Isaac wanted to pass on the important things of life, to Jacob. I want to see what they are. One entity that Abraham passed onto his son Isaacs, was his human failure. He did not just pass on the ugly stuff; he also passed on a Godly legacy; like Noah did. Isaac Goes To School School: Would anybody believe me if I said that this was the most exciting thing I could think of? Believing that line might be tough. I think of the problems that I had to face during the early years of my schooling: If I had to go back and relive them in the same way, I would consider fighting my entrance. Chances are that I would say thanks, but no thanks. We cannot go back and change the past, if we could, we would want to change it: I am sure. When I think of Isaac in his old age, I am sure he would have tried to change the in fighting between Jacob and Esau over the family inheritance. Controversy surrounded Isaac’s birth. Ishmael was his older brother. Ishmael and Isaac were step brothers. Remember, the plan that Sarah had to help God’s promise come to fruition. The general practice was that the eldest son would take over the family farm. In this instance they were not going to play according to man’s rules: God’s law was going to reign. Tradition had it, that the eldest son would receive the blessing from the father and receive the inheritance. God had promised the inheritance would be to the son of Abraham and Sarah: Not from a union of Abraham and Sarah’s maid Hagar. No matter how we perceive it today, it was the custom of that day, for a woman to substitute her maid for herself: if she were unable to bear children. In this way the husband could at least have children to carry on the family name. Now that Isaac was born, Sarah became a bit concerned that Abraham may give the position of heir apparent, to the wrong person. This was not going to happen, if she could do anything about it. It seems that Abraham may have been considering Ishmael as the heir. He might have had some reservations about his understanding of the promise of God. It may just be that he had gotten the names mixed up. Is there much difference between the name Ishmael, and Isaac? Hey, both start with the Letter “I,” but they do not both have five letters. Is there a difference? You tell me. When we read , Genesis 21:9-12 we observe that Abraham evidently feels like making the switch, this is when Sarah stepped in and said: “. . .for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son . . . And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son . . . God said, let it not be grievous in thy sight, . . . for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” God reaffirmed the promise made earlier. Earlier, God had made it quite clear that it was to be Isaac, not Ishmael, who would be Abraham's successor. . Genesis 17:18-22 Isaac vaulted into a precarious position involuntarily, when he was born. At fourteen, Ishmael might have gotten the idea that it was he, who was going to inherit the blessing from Abraham. Follow me back to the old home place. Ishmael and his buddies are playing together. The proceedings get a little out of hand, he gets upset and says: “Hey people, watch out. I am going to take over when my dad dies. Then I will be your ruler. Shape up now or you will be sorry then.” It is a possibility that Ishmael had already set his sights higher than he should have. He may just have had a little help from Abraham. Abraham threw a big party for Isaac when he was old enough to eat real food, instead of mothers’ milk. Ishmael looked on and began to mock Isaac. , Genesis 21:9 gives us this picture. It seems to me that Ishmael may also have begun to remember a promise that mom and dad may have talked about: The promise about Isaac being chosen to carry on dad’s name. I think that Ishmael may have begun to develop a phobia, about who was going to get the right of the first born. Later, we will see that this was also a concern of Jacob in his dealings with his brother. I continue to find similarities that will show up as we move onto Jacob. Watch for it. The oldest son is displaced by the younger one. I was hoping to say that Isaac faced the regular perplexities of life, just like the rest of us. After some thought on the matter, I realize that I have some reservations about it. Every average boy did not need to face the issue of who gets the family farm. Every average boy did not need to face the issue of who is supposed to take over the leadership role. I look at the whole scene and think: Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac at this time? Isaac had enough of a load to carry already, without having to carry the wood for the fire of his own execution. God was testing Abraham’s willingness to obey at all costs. At the time of this event, the age of Isaac is not clear. According to some, he was about sixteen, and according to others he may have been twenty-five. The age factor is important here. Remember that Abraham was at least 115 years old now. Isaac, being the age he was, must have had a fair amount of strength. If the lad did not consent, it is impossible for this old man to put Isaac on the altar. Isaac was prepared to do the will of God. He already had a measure of character built up within himself. By reading chapter twenty_two of Genesis, we can readily see a submissive attitude portrayed by Isaac. Personally, I can visualize Isaac saying: “I do not know what is going on here, but my dad said God told him to lay me on the altar of sacrifice: So here goes.” Has anybody noticed the traits that Abraham passed down to his son? In Gen. 12, Genesis 12: God told Abraham to get up and go. He did not understand where exactly he was to go to, but he went anyway. I would call this submission. I am sure that many of us are familiar with the following phrase: “The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” For the most part this is true. Then or now, seeing the character of a man or a woman passed on to their children, is easy. Making sure we set proper examples is so important. Sometimes these characteristics do not surface till the children get older. Usually, similarities will surface early in one’s life. As I observe the life of Isaac, I see him as a tender person. He had a great deal of love for his mother. When she died, he felt the pain of it for about four years. It was not until he married Rebekah that he embraced any consolation. Abraham had a tenderness for the righteous people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded with God to withhold judgement. We have viewed much of the tangled life of Jacob. Notice, how God is continuing to build on the initial foundations that had been set in Abraham’s character. This trend will not change. Isaac followed the tradition of his family. When his father sent him to find a wife, he obeyed. He set out and went back to Haran. It will be of particular value to remember that it was by a well that Isaac met his wife to be. Wells can be considered as belonging to the industrious person. Anyone who has ever bought a farm, has surely checked to see if it had a good well on the property. This would insure the ability to give their family the major necessities of life: After all, how far does one go without water? Isaac was one who was engaged in the well digging business. Watch for Jacob's meeting with his prospective wife. Keep the well in your thoughts. Preparing for Jacob, is an interesting thought. Jacob was such an interesting character. The build up to his entrance needs to include some historical facts about his ancestry. I have referred to Abraham often. Until this time, I have filtered through some feelings of Isaac. Through hardships and through the joys of life, these men had a spiritual agenda. They saw a pilgrimage on which they would be involved. To get set for Jacob and his pilgrimage, I need to do an update on the path Isaac took. I am looking forward with anticipation to my meeting with Jacob. Nevertheless, I want to let Isaac tell me a little more, of what to expect before Jacob comes on the scene. Who is still with me?