We often think that the Patricarchs of the Bible were larger than life men who were used by God in absolutely incredible ways. What we often forget is that God is present even in the mundain. He is there when we go through the motions of everyday life. And he is there when we go thhrough the strugglees that make us feel like we are alone.
When we are first introducedd to Isaac, it is when he is first born. His parents (Abraham aand Sarah) had struggled with infertility. When we say struggle, we mean Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. It doesn’t get that much harder than that to say that someone isn’t able to have a baby. The struggle is highly even more by the fact that Abraham haad been promised by God in Genesis 15:5 “‘Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘your offspring will be that numerous’” (CSB). Abraham was expecting little ones. It isn’t until much later in Genesis 21 that Isaac makes an appearence.
Now that we have established how we meet Isaac, we are also told about how hee meets his wife – Rebekah. We see how Isaac and Rebekah deal with their own infertility journey, and how Isaac gives into self preservation when push comes too shuve.
You might be wondering how Isaac’s life is normal. After all, he lived in a time that was before the Roman, Persian, Babylonia, Assyrian, Judean, or Egyptian Empires were what we know them to become. The answer is in what Isaac dealt with.
As we move through Isaac’s life I encourage you to get your Bible or barrow one, and read about him for yourself in Genesis.
Isaac has to deal with loss of his parents dying.
He has to deal with being estranged fromm his family. Ishmael was his older brother, but he was born from Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar – anddd that cause a whole problem with the family dynamics.
As I said, Isaac and Rebekah struggled with infertility. They were married for twenty years before Rebekah concieved,
They had a set of twins who were night and day from each other. They had different personalities, different likes and dislikes, different interests, hobbies, and desires. One was a man’s man who got along with dear old dad, while the other was a momma’s boy.
Just like Abraham, Isaac lies to the Philistines about Rebekah being his sister (it’s a weird story – you’ve got to read it). Okay, that one isn’t a part of a normal life. I can’t think of anyone in my acquaintence who would like about their spouse being their sibling.
He had to deal with his children deceiving him. His own hard headedness led to this, but that doesn’t mean it was right.
He had to watch his children be estranged from each other.
He watched his both sons make some poor life choices.
Although sad, are these any different from what we face? I know several couples who are infertal. I’ve seen several familiies who are dysfunctional, siblings who are estranged, siblings that are so different you wouldn’t know they were siblings, and if you are alive chancess are you have had to deal with the death of a loved one.
Consider for a moment Ecclesiastes 1:9-10. “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Can one say about anything, ‘Look, this is new’? It has already existed in the ages before us.” (CSB) The experiences we have are not unique to us. There is someone else out there who has experienced the same things as you. They have felt the same hurt, cried the same tears, and been burdened under the same pressures. Might I suggest that we look beyond our own navel and individuality to see that life does go on. Other people make it through the same hard ships, and always remember that we, if we are Christians, have the Father there to be our source of comfort, and the Church to bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
Discussion Questions
- What in your life right now is maaking you think you are the only person who has experiienced something?
- Are you turning to God during the problem times?
- Many times we are the source of our own distress. What can you do to fix the problems you are facing?
- Would some problems be fixed with others if you humbled yourself?
- How can you be praying for others who are going through similar situations?
Road Trippin With Rachael 
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