Abraham, Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 25:1-18 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. ² She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. ³ Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. ⁴ The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
⁵ Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. ⁶ But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

⁷ Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. ⁸ Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. ⁹ His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, ¹⁰ the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. ¹¹ After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

¹² This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. ¹⁷ Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. ¹⁸ His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

Isaac doesn’t seem to have the personality of either his father Abraham or son Jacob. He’s a little overshadowed in the Bible. He seems to be more of a follower then a leader. But he’s important and his life has lessons for us. He had a personal faith in God. He only had one wife. He prayed and was obedient to God. One commentator suggested that after Isaac surrendered himself to God (when Abraham was going to sacrifice him) – and God saved him - Isaac developed a quiet, trusting nature with a deep rest in his heart. Jesus later said when we take His yoke upon us with a meek and lowly heart, we will find rest.

He did move around some like Abraham. They had a nomadic way of life with a tent, servants and herds, so they traveled for better pastures. Sometimes staying years at a time. But Isaac stayed mostly in the southern region of Canaan.

When Abraham died he gave gifts and a right share of material possessions to his son Ishmael. But all the land he possessed and the wells his servants had dug, the bulk of his flocks and herds and also his servants were left to Isaac. It’s important to note here that the only purchased land was still where Abraham had bought Sarah’s grave. Most of Isaac’s inheritance of land was vested in the promises of God concerning the future. Remember this as we read about Isaac’s sons; Esau and Jacob.

Genesis 25:19-23 ⁹ This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, ²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

²¹ Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. ²² The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

²³ The Lord said to her, “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.”

So, like Sarah, Rebekah took awhile to have children. Isaac didn’t try to take matters into his own hands like his father did, but he DID pray to God about it and God rewarded him double! Twins!

This is good to note because Isaac would have heard from his father about the promised seed and how it would now come from him. But he STILL prayed for it. God wants us to pray; about His promises…about everything!

The other thing to note here is Rebekah was told by God that her twins would become two nations: Edom and Israel and they would be separated because they would be so different from each other.