And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,...” - Genesis 22:15-16
- Name Meaning: "he laughs" (Literal Word app)
- Father: Abraham (Genesis 21:2)
- Wife: Sarah (Genesis 21:2)
- Half-Brother: Ishmael (Genesis 21:9)
Isaac is the son of promise, whose birth was prophesied by the Lord to barren Abraham and Sarah, while his half-brother Ishmael is a son of the flesh. As an image of Christ, Isaac carried the wood of the burnt offering and was bound for slaughter because his father would not withhold even his own son, should God demand it.
The Story of Isaac
The Lord prophesies Isaac's birth
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. Three men stood before him, and he ran to meet them and bowed himself to the earth. He brought them food and water to wash their feet and stood by them under the tree.
They asked, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "She is in the tent." The Lord said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." Sarah was listening at the door and laughed, as the way of women had ceased with her. The Lord asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Isaac's birth
The LORD visited Sarah as promised, and Sarah conceived and bore Isaac to Abraham when he was 100 years old. Isaac was circumcised at 8 days old.
Abraham held a great feast when Isaac was weaned. Hagar's son laughed and Sarah demanded he be cast out with Hagar and not be heir with Isaac, and God told Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring."
While his half-brother Ishmael was taking a wife from Egypt, Isaac sojourned with Abraham in the land of the Philistines many days.
(Genesis 21)
The Binding of Isaac
Abraham rose early one morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men and Isaac. He cut wood for a burnt offering and departed for a place of which God shall tell him. On the third day, Abraham spotted the place from afar on a mountain in Moriah, and told his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." Abraham took the wood and laid it on Isaac, while he took in his hand the fire and the knife. Isaac said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
When they came to the place of which God had told Abraham, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out with the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Abraham's servant finds Rebekah for Isaac to take as his wife
Abraham insisted upon a wife for Isaac being found among his father's house and in the land of his kindred, not among the Canaanites. She must come to live in the land promised to his offspring. He had his servant swear to this mission, and he found Rebekah for Isaac in the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia.
Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening when he saw camels were coming. Abraham's servant told Isaac all the things he had done. Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
(Genesis 24)
Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah. (Genesis 25:20)
Abraham's Death
Abraham takes another wife, Keturah, and bears more sons by her. Abraham gave all he had to Isaac then sent his other sons away from Isaac to the east country.
When Abraham died, Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah with Sarah. After his death, God blessed Isaac. Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.
Isaac fathers Esau and Jacob
Rebekah was barren, so Isaac prayed to the Lord for her. The Lord granted his prayer, and she conceived twins. Isaac was 60 when the twins were born. Isaac loved his firstborn Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
(Genesis 25)