That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you and increase your offspring for the sake of My servant Abraham. Genesis 26:24 JPS Your father – It only happens three times. Genesis 28:13, Genesis 32:9…
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 NASB Sword of the Spirit – When Paul explains that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, do you think he meant the Bible? No, of course not. First because the Bible as we have…
Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Genesis 27:1 NASB Too dim to see – The Akedah is the turning point of the entire story of the…
How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. Psalm 89:15 NASB Joyful sound– But of course, it isn’t just any joyful sound. This is the sound of tĕrûʿâ, the call of the Shofar to the assembly, the critical reminder of a community under Torah. Why does…
Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. Genesis 21:3 NASB Abraham called– Perhaps the naming of Isaac is innocent. Perhaps it is simply a joyful reminder of that glorious day when God promised a child. But we should note that it is Abraham, not Sarah, who names…
Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” Genesis 21:6 NASB Laugh– Abraham’s household journeys to Gerar. Once again he faces a king who might consider Sarah a prize. Abraham does not wait to measure the morality of the king. He retreats to a strategy that worked in the past. He pawns Sarah…
He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Genesis 22:12 NASB Fear God – It’s an ancient but very important story. Christianity sees it as a type of the…
Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Genesis 27:1 NASB Too dim – As I argued in my book Crossing, the Hebrew text contains clues that Isaac…
He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” Genesis 22:2 NASB Take – This verse is universally acknowledged as the pivotal example of Abraham’s…
Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. Genesis 27:5 In the next few weeks I will publish a book on the story of Jacob. This is an excerpt from one of the chapters. Isaac’s life is one of spiritual weakness. In the face of God, Isaac wilts. He is powerless. He doesn’t…
