As the year wraps
up, it’s a good time to reflect on what God has done for us in the course of
the year. A faithful God He is! You might not be where you want to be, be rest
assured that with God in the equation, you are doing just fine... Be grateful!
In this post, we will be doing a character study on the life of Isaac. Something in the scriptures
caught my attention lately and it is the fact that, of the three patriarchs in
the Bible, only Isaac didn't have his name changed. We remember Abram had his
name changed to Abraham whilst Jacob to Israel; both men by God,
however, Isaac didn't have any need to change names because God gave
Abraham his father a name for him when he had not even been born. “Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you
a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him
for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. Genesis 17:19
Isaac was the first(after Adam) amongst the few persons recorded in the Bible that God named.
When you are named by God, there's never any need to have your name changed. He
names you by What He has purposed for you. For you and I, God may not have appeared to our
parents to give a specific name for us but Hallelujah, we have a God, of whom the whole
family in heaven and earth have been named( Eph 3:115)
So back to Isaac's story, I got motivated to study his life beyond the surface. Such a great man he was. As earlier pointed out, of the three patriarchs, he din't have his name changed, He didn't move out of Canaan all through his life and he lived longer in age than the other two patriarchs. I realized also, that there were fewer incidents in his life compared to his father’s and his son’s –Jacob yet he lived a successful life. T he man was kind of a subtle but powerful character.
So back to Isaac's story, I got motivated to study his life beyond the surface. Such a great man he was. As earlier pointed out, of the three patriarchs, he din't have his name changed, He didn't move out of Canaan all through his life and he lived longer in age than the other two patriarchs. I realized also, that there were fewer incidents in his life compared to his father’s and his son’s –Jacob yet he lived a successful life. T
I have picked out 8 distinct things (8 Ps') in
his life that made him such an iconic person.
1. Pampered (but not spoilt)
To a large extent, from
childhood, He was someone who had everything already prepared for him. He simply
entered into the harvest of his father’s labor. Right from his early days, he
enjoyed a lot of attention and love. We
remember his father throwing a feast for him when he was weaned and because
his half-brother- Ishmael mocked him, He was literally banished alongside his
mother Hagar. His father had paid a price for him and all he had to do was to
enjoy God’s blessings. He was a pampered boy but he wasn't a spoilt brat.
When the time came for Marriage, he sat at home whilst his father's servant went searching for a wife for him. God was merciful to him; he got a blessed, God-fearing and favoured woman without taking a step out of his home.
And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.
But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and
while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to
the country of the east. (Genesis 25:5, 6 NKJV).
Lesson 1 : Never take for granted whatever God has blessed you with. Make good use of it.
2. Prosperous
Lesson 1 : Never take for granted whatever God has blessed you with. Make good use of it.
2. Prosperous
He inherited all His
father gave him, yet God blessed him immensely. Not just because of the
promises of God, he worked hard also. He didn't go to sleep with all he
inherited. He was hard-working; sowed in the land and reaped a hundred fold. He
had servants and he made good use of their services. It was apparent he had the genes of prosperity
in him; nonetheless by being hard-working, he enjoyed God’s blessings maximally.
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in
the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to
prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had
possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants.
So the Philistines envied him. (Genesis 26:12-14 NKJV).
And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi. (Genesis 25:11 NKJV)
Lesson 2: When God is with with you, whatever it is you lay your hands on will prosper. Don't be deterred by your current circumstances. Keep moving!
3. Promised Child
And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi. (Genesis 25:11 NKJV)
Lesson 2: When God is with with you, whatever it is you lay your hands on will prosper. Don't be deterred by your current circumstances. Keep moving!
3. Promised Child
Abraham his Father
was someone who walked with God. We know him as the father of faith and a
friend of God. God gave Him an assurance, a promise 25 years before Isaac came
that He was going to give him a seed in the person of Isaac. Like I earlier
mentioned, God gave his name even before he was born. He was prepared for such
a time as that and being promised many years ahead of time, He came just at
God’s appointed time.
4. Purposeful
He had a specific purpose;
as revealed before He came into the world. He was the seed of Abraham in whom all
the earth would be blessed. God had
successive interest in him and He was an object of God's special interest. He understood this and obeyed God to the letter. When God told him not to move away from Gerar in the time of famine, he didn't struggle with the instruction, he promptly obeyed. We understand the purpose of Isaac's life when God demanded that Abraham sacrificed Isaac, his beloved child; typifying what God
Himself was going to do with Christ- He was going to send His only begotten Son; Jesus to die for the sins of the
world. Isn't it amazing that God called Isaac Abraham’s “only son” ? Look at
the scripture below.
Then He said, “Take now your
son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell
you.”(Gen22:2)
Lesson 4: Have you identified why you are here? The secret to achievement lies therein!
5. Passionate
Lesson 4: Have you identified why you are here? The secret to achievement lies therein!
5. Passionate
It came to pass, when he had been there a
long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and
saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. (Genesis 26:8
NKJV)
He was a devoted family man, passionate and romantic as well. The Bible recorded him “sporting” with his wife even in old age. We would recollect He married at 40, had his children at 60 and as at the time he moved to Gerar, we have no idea how old he was; probably in his 70s but the bible recorded King Abimelech saw him “fondling his wife” (Message Version).
Lesson 5: Love your wife dearly. Even in old age, when the chips are down and the body has lost all the youthful vigour, be satisfied from your own cistern...
6. Philanthropic
He was a devoted family man, passionate and romantic as well. The Bible recorded him “sporting” with his wife even in old age. We would recollect He married at 40, had his children at 60 and as at the time he moved to Gerar, we have no idea how old he was; probably in his 70s but the bible recorded King Abimelech saw him “fondling his wife” (Message Version).
Lesson 5: Love your wife dearly. Even in old age, when the chips are down and the body has lost all the youthful vigour, be satisfied from your own cistern...
6.
God told
Abraham his father to go sacrifice him(Isaac) and on their way, he asked his father where
the ram for the sacrifice was. As events unfolded, it dawned on him that he was the “Ram”
to be used. He was fully grown and could have wrestled his dad to resist being tied
down and used as a “sacrifice” but he was ready to let go. That was great faith
and a heart of giving at display.
Then they came to the place
of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood
in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the
knife to slay his son.( Genesis
22:9-10).
7. Powerful
He was a threat to his enemies. From the scriptures, we see that after they had
sent him away, by reason of what God was doing in his life; they came back seeking
for him. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to
me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” But they said, “We have
certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath
between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, (Genesis 26:27, 28
NKJV)
Lesson 7: God has made you powerful. Walk in the image of your Maker. Refuse to be intimidated by what life hurls at you!
8.Prime
Lesson 7: God has made you powerful. Walk in the image of your Maker. Refuse to be intimidated by what life hurls at you!
8.Prime
His life was a
first-rate. He had a Midas touch. For every well that had been blocked, each
time his servants dug again, they found water. And whenever his rivals laid
claims to the well and his servants dug another one, they encountered water.
Everything He touched turned into gold!
And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Genesis 26:22
Lesson 8: Aim to be your best version always. God made you unique!
And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Genesis 26:22
Lesson 8: Aim to be your best version always. God made you unique!
May God make our men as powerful and more powerful than Isaac. May all the virtues we have identified in him be replicated in their lives a thousand times and more! Because we are the seeds of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we have a right to all the blessings they enjoyed. The same God who worked great things in their lives is at work in our lives to work greater things!
The Pen.....
Insightful! Inspiring! More grace ma'am! GOD bless you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDear Derin, Thank you for reading and thanks for sharing too! God bless.
Deletewhao! This is motivating and mind blowing! awesome write- up ma, i've been blessed and i believe a lot of people will be blessed after reading this.thanks for sharing this revelation ma., may God's grace increase in u ma
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments Oluwatomi. I'm glad it blessed you. Please feel free to share and be kind enough to follow our blog on the extreme right hand-side of this page. God bless!
DeleteNo matter the rate others are making it, just have it in mind that God made you in His own image and likeness so you are a unique child of God and you will succeed if you remain in Christ...CHRIST IS OUR HOPE OF GLORY....WELL DONE MA
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