Isaac
“Laughter”
Summary
The son of Abraham and Sarah, born miraculously in their old age, who became the second of the three great patriarchs of Israel.
☩Birth and Name
Isaac was the child of promise, born miraculously when his father Abraham was a hundred years old and his mother Sarah was ninety. The name Isaac means 'laughter,' given because both parents laughed at the seemingly impossible promise of a son in their old age. When the event actually took place, Sarah said that all who heard of it would be disposed to laugh with joy, and the name was fitly chosen by God in commemoration of the extraordinary, supernatural nature of the birth. He was circumcised on the eighth day and received into the covenant made with his father.
☩The Sacrifice on Moriah
When Isaac was a young man, Abraham's faith was supremely tested when God commanded him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Isaac's submission to his father's will and his bearing of the wood for his own intended sacrifice make him a striking type of Christ, who bore His own cross to Calvary. The scene of the sacrifice, Mount Moriah, was probably the same location where Christ would later suffer. Isaac's deliverance through the ram provided by God typifies the substitutionary nature of Christ's atonement, and Abraham received him back 'in a figure' from the dead, prefiguring the resurrection.
☩Marriage to Rebekah
At forty years of age, Isaac married Rebekah, his cousin from Mesopotamia, whom Abraham's servant had been sent to find. The account depicts Isaac as a man of contemplative character, going out to meditate in the field at eventide. Rebekah was barren for twenty years, but upon Isaac's prayer to the Lord, she conceived and gave birth to twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Isaac loved Rebekah, and she comforted him after his mother Sarah's death.
☩Later Life and Blessing
During a famine, Isaac dwelt among the Philistines at Gerar, where God confirmed the covenant promises. He prospered greatly in flocks and herds, digging wells that became points of contention with the Philistines. In his old age, Isaac intended to bless Esau his favorite son, but through Rebekah's scheme, Jacob received the blessing instead. Though the blessing came through deception, the writer of Hebrews commends Isaac's faith: 'By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.' Isaac died at 180 years of age and was buried by his sons Esau and Jacob in the cave of Machpelah.
☩Typological Significance
In Galatians, Paul uses Isaac as a type of those born according to the Spirit, contrasting him with Ishmael who was born according to the flesh. Isaac represents the children of promise who inherit spiritual blessings through faith, while Ishmael represents those who seek inheritance through mere natural descent. Christians, like Isaac, are 'children of promise,' born in the fullness of time, made free by the gift of the Spirit, and destined for a great heritage.
Related Verses138 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Isaac," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Isaac," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Isaac," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Isaac," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).