Most people remember Isaac as the one who was taken to a mountain by his father, Abraham, to be offered as a sacrifice. In the near moment of death, a ram stuck in the thicket became the substitute sacrifice foreshadowing the coming Redeemer.
Isaac was Adonai’s promised son to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. He became the evidence and beginning of the fulfillment of Adonai’s covenant with Abraham promising to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands of the seashore.
“I will most certainly bless you; and I will most certainly increase your descendants to as many as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17).
When Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah 90, Adonai visited Abraham and told him their promised son would arrive the next year. Sarah, who overheard the conversation, laughed at the prophecy. At 90 years of age, she was past childbearing years (Genesis 18:11-13). When their son was born, they named him Isaac or Yitz’chak which comes from the Hebrew word for ‘laughter.’
When Isaac is a young man, about 30 years old, Adonai commands Abraham to take his one and unique son, the one that he loves, and offer him as a sacrifice. Together, Abraham and Isaac travel to Mount Moriah. They set up an altar for sacrifice and willingly Isaac is bound and lays on the altar. As Abraham lifts his knife, an angel of Adonai prevents the sacrifice.
“Yitz’chak spoke to Avraham his father: “My father?” He answered, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “I see the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Avraham replied, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son”; and they both went on together” (Genesis 22:7-8).
After Sarah dies, Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac among his own people. Eliezer returns with Rebekah and she comforts Isaac after the death of his mother. Unfortunately, Rebekah is barren. Because he loves his wife, Isaac prays for her.
Genesis 25:21
“Yitz’chak prayed to Adonai on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. Adonai heeded his prayer, and Rivkah became pregnant.”
The Hebrew word for ‘prayed’ in this verse is athar and means ‘plead.’ The word ‘plead’ infers the use arguments as in a court of law. It is an earnest appeal for or against something important.
Isaac made an earnest appeal to Adonai for his wife because she was ‘childless’ or ‘barren.’ This prayer had a two-fold purpose. First, he prayed for his wife because it was his responsibility to uphold her in prayer. The greatest action a husband can do on behalf of his wife is pray for her. A woman’s barrenness may not be for literal children, but to be set free from a spiritual barrenness.
“O God, you are my God; I will seek you eagerly. My heart thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a land parched and exhausted, where no water can be found” (Psalm 63:1).
Second, Isaac knew Adonai’s promise to his father because he was given the same promise. He was to have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands of the sea. If Rebekah remained childless, the promise would not be fulfilled. Thus, he pleaded with Adonai on behalf of His own promise.
“I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, I will give all these lands to your descendants, and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless themselves” (Genesis 26:4).
Adonai is the Hebrew word for Lord and is used throughout the Scriptures. More specifically, the word for Adonai in this verse is the tettragrammaton yod-hey-vav-hey or Yahweh. This is evidence that Abraham and Isaac knew the holy name of Elohim. Abraham, however, refers to Adonai as El Shaddai, (God Almighty) or more simply, “Adonai of my bosom.”
Adonai granted Isaac’s plea and Rebekah became pregnant. She conceived twin boys: Esau and Jacob who became two great nations: the Edomites (Arabs) and the Israelites.
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