CORE PASSAGE: Genesis 17:19
Isaac was the promised son to Abraham and Sarah. He was most likely born at Beersheba (Genesis 21:14,31) when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. Before he was born, God gave him the name Isaac, which means “he laughs” (Genesis 17:19). Both Abraham and Sarah had laughed at the thought of having a baby in their old age (Genesis 17:17-19, Genesis 18:9-15, Genesis 21:6). Isaac was known as the “child of promise.”
God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on a mountain in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22). Isaac’s exact age is not known, but he was old and strong enough to be able to carry the wood up the mountain for the burnt offering. He trusted in the love and faith of his father. He had witnessed Abraham making burnt offerings before. He knew the meaning and the significance of a burnt offering to God, and he submitted to Abraham when he was tied up and laid on the altar over the wood that he himself had carried (Genesis 22:9). God sent an angel to stop Abraham from killing Isaac, so in a sense, he came back from the dead (Hebrews 11:19) and continued to be part of God’s plan for His people.
Isaac’s mother died when he was 36 years old (Genesis 23:1). Abraham died at the age of 175 years, and Isaac and his half brother Ishmael buried him beside Sarah (Genesis 25:7-10).
“After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev” (Genesis 25:11).
LIFE LESSONS:
• Have role models who will encourage your faith.
• Have faith in God and His promises.
• Submit to God’s will.
Other Old Testament Biographies
