- Introduction
- Meaning of his name - "laughter" or "he laughs"
- Traditions about Isaac are relatively scarce
- Basic Events in His Life
- Abraham secures a wife for Isaac by sending a servant back to the old
home country to get him a wife from among the relatives (Gen. 24:1-67)
- Rebekah is the woman selected - her brother Laban will figure
prominently in the account of Jacob
- Perhaps Abraham sends home for a wife for Isaac in order to help him
avoid the temptation of other religions
- Isaac passes his wife off as his sister (Gen. 26:1-11)
- Just like dad (cf. Gen. 12:10-20, 20:1-18)
- Goes to Gerar to escape a famine and there King Abimelech takes a
fancy to Rebekah - Abimelech is the same king whom Abraham had lied to earlier regarding
his wife Sarah (Gen. 20:1-18)
- Again God protects the matriarch
- Professional Well-digger (Gen. 26:12-25)
- The "Philistines" fill in all the wells Isaac is using and
ask him to leave because he is too wealthy in flocks and herds
- Isaac digs and has to abandon two more wells when controversy arises
- Finally after digging a third well, Isaac is able to stay
- Isaac very much avoids confrontations
- Covenant-maker (Gen. 26:26-32)
- Abimelech sees that Isaac is blessed no matter where he goes and asks
for a covenant between himself and Isaac
- Isaac throws a banquet and seals the covenant
- Concluding Remarks
- Theme of Isaac's life is blessing - he becomes wealthy and even helps
Abimelech to do well
- Isaac is very non-confrontational and peaceful - perhaps seeing his
father standing over him with a knife caused him to seek peace