Topical Bible: Isaac: The Miraculous Son of Abraham: Esau and Jacob Born To

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Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, holds a significant place in biblical history as the child of promise, born through divine intervention. His life and legacy are pivotal in the narrative of God's covenant with Abraham and the unfolding of His plan for the nation of Israel.

Birth and Early Life

Isaac's birth was a miraculous event, as his parents, Abraham and Sarah, were advanced in age and Sarah was barren. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and despite their old age, this promise was fulfilled with Isaac's birth. Genesis 21:1-3 records this miraculous event: "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him."

The Binding of Isaac

One of the most profound episodes in Isaac's life is the binding, or Akedah, where God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his beloved son. This event is recorded in Genesis 22. Abraham's willingness to obey God, even to the point of sacrificing Isaac, demonstrated his unwavering faith. At the last moment, God provided a ram as a substitute, sparing Isaac's life. This event foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ and highlights themes of faith, obedience, and divine provision.

Marriage to Rebekah

Isaac's marriage to Rebekah is another significant event, orchestrated by God to continue the covenant lineage. Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac from his own kin, and God led the servant to Rebekah. Genesis 24:67 states, "And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death." This union was blessed by God and produced two sons, Esau and Jacob.

Esau and Jacob

Isaac and Rebekah's twin sons, Esau and Jacob, were born after twenty years of marriage. Their birth is recorded in Genesis 25:24-26 : "When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob." The struggle between the two brothers began even in the womb, as God revealed to Rebekah that "two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23).

Legacy and Significance

Isaac's life is marked by his role as a patriarch in the Abrahamic covenant. He is often seen as a transitional figure between Abraham and Jacob, yet his life is rich with lessons of faith, obedience, and God's faithfulness. Isaac's experiences, from his miraculous birth to the continuation of God's promise through his descendants, underscore the divine orchestration of salvation history. His account is a testament to God's unwavering commitment to His promises and His sovereign plan for His people.

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Genesis 25:19-26
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:
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1 Chronicles 1:34
And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.
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Joshua 24:4
And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
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Library

The Pentateuch.
... have the history of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ... on physiological grounds,
that any miraculous interposition was ... years before the birth of his son. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xix the pentateuch.htm

City of God
... the Ark of the Covenant, and the Miraculous Signs Whereby ... by the Offering Up, of
His Son in Sacrifice ... 36.--Of the Oracle and Blessing Which Isaac Received, Just ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/

Against Publishing the Errors of the Brethren.
... The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the miraculous power [787 ... he says, "Elizabeth
thy kinswoman"she also has conceived a son in her ... "Now Isaac was forty ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/against publishing the errors of.htm

The City of God. Index of Subjects.
... Iren??us, a tax-gatherer, the son of, restored to life by ... Isaac, and Ishmael,
[886]285; a type, [887]286 ... Law, the, confirmed by miraculous signs, [1015]191, etc ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books /the city of god index.htm

Book 5 Footnotes
... no doubt, to this and the other miraculous standing still ... the very place where Abraham
offered up Isaac long ago ... by a prophet, that here his son should build ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 5 footnotes.htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... answer already given to Faustus' charge against Abraham, as being ... Again, Jacob the
son of Isaac is charged with having ... the air have nests, but the Son of man ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
... Similarly, they had interceded for Isaac, when Abraham was ... Of this miraculous
interposition Moses is supposed to have ... only an animal but his own son; and this ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xii the baptism of.htm

Homilies on the Gospel of John.
... Abraham, supposed by the Samaritans to have offered Isaac on mount ... Equality of the
Son with the Father, [840]13, [841]14, [842]22; declared to the Jews, to ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homilies on the gospel of.htm

Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
... I were to tell you of young Isaac, young Joseph ... If Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram had
not formed a ... all by visions, and dreams, and miraculous interpositions, without ...
/.../chapter xix tit 2 6 thoughts.htm

Of Faith. The Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties.
... Seeing, then, that this miraculous power or faith is ... cannot say that the holy patriarch
Isaac was altogether ... the honor transferred to the younger son, he still ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 2 of faith the.htm