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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll see that Isaac was a beloved son who was faithful to his father’s work, showing us a beautiful picture of Christ and our identity in Him.

Key Verse

Genesis 26:3: Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

Introduction

Isaac was the child of promise. He was the beloved son of his father Abraham. This is why Isaac is one of the greatest pictures of Christ in the Bible.

Isaac’s name means “Laughter.” Abraham and Sarah rejoiced at his birth, and the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives should bring this same joy and happiness. God is good, and His faithfulness to His people is a source of deep satisfaction and delight.

Genesis 21:6: Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

We don’t know as much about Isaac as we do the other patriarchs, but the Bible tells us enough to see his godly character. He was submissive to authority (Genesis 22:6-9), quiet and reflective (Genesis 24:63), a man of prayer (Genesis 25:21), and faithful in worship (Genesis 26:25). These qualities reveal a man whose heart was aligned with God’s will and whose life reflected genuine faith.

In this lesson we’ll learn three important truths about Isaac’s character and calling, and throughout we’ll be seeing how Isaac is a picture of Christ in each of these points:

• Isaac understood who he was
• Isaac was devoted to his wife
• Isaac continued his father’s work

Isaac Understood Who He Was

Isaac was the beloved son of his father. This is why Isaac is such a wonderful picture of Christ. When God called Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, He referred to him as “your son, your only son, whom you love” (Genesis 22:2). This language points us directly to the Father’s love for His Son Jesus.

Genesis 22:2: Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you.”

Mark 1:11: And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

This is also a picture of us as believers. We are in Christ, and this means that we are beloved by God the Father. When God looks at those who have trusted in Jesus, He sees us clothed in Christ’s righteousness and loves us with the same love He has for His Son.

Ephesians 1:6: To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

We should live as children who are loved by our heavenly Father. Paul uses Isaac as a powerful illustration of this truth in his letter to the Galatians. He reminds us that we are like Isaac—children of promise, not children of bondage.

Galatians 4:28: Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.

Paul is teaching us that we should not live in bondage to the law and the flesh. We should live like Isaac, understanding that we have a special relationship with our heavenly Father. Just as Isaac was born through God’s supernatural power and according to God’s promise, we have been born again through God’s grace and according to His eternal plan of salvation. This identity as beloved children should shape how we think about ourselves and how we live each day.

Romans 8:15-17: The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

(Notebook Moment: How does knowing that you are God’s beloved child change the way you face difficulties and challenges? What difference should this identity make in your daily thoughts and actions?)

Isaac Was Devoted to His Wife

Once again we see a picture of Christ in the story of Isaac. Abraham sent his servant to bring a bride home for his beloved son. This beautifully illustrates how the Father brings the Church to Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

But this is also a human story about real people. Isaac loved his wife just as Christ loves the church. Even when facing potential danger, Isaac was protective of Rebekah and concerned for her welfare.

Genesis 26:7-9: When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Our lives should reflect Christ to those around us. We point people to Christ when we demonstrate His love in our relationships. How does Christ love the church? Christ showed His love through sacrifice, giving His life for His bride. Christ also shows His love through service, continually caring for and nurturing His people.

We are not greater than Christ. We are called to follow His example and die to ourselves in service to others. As Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16).

For those who are married, we cannot expect God to bless us in other areas of our lives if we are not obedient to God in our marriage relationships. But whether married or single, all of us are called to demonstrate Christ’s sacrificial love in our relationships with others.

Isaac Continued His Father’s Work

Isaac was the heir of God’s promise to Abraham. When Isaac faced his own challenges and uncertainties, God spoke the covenant promises to him just as He had to his father.

Genesis 26:2-4: The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.”

Isaac also made some of the same mistakes as his father had made—like calling his wife his sister when he felt threatened. But God blessed Isaac just as He had blessed Abraham, demonstrating His faithfulness despite human weakness.

Genesis 26:12-13: Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.

There will always be people who oppose us when they see God blessing us. The Philistines became jealous of Isaac’s prosperity and stopped up the wells that Abraham had dug.

Genesis 26:14-16: He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”

Isaac stood firm in the face of this opposition. Like his father before him, he pitched his tent and dug wells, providing life-giving water in a dry land. Isaac continued to face opposition as he reopened his father’s wells and dug new ones, but he didn’t surrender the land that God had promised.

Genesis 26:18-22: Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

This persevering work of digging wells and providing water points us to Christ, who is the source of living water. Just as Isaac provided physical water for his family and flocks, Jesus provides spiritual water for thirsty souls. When Jesus sat by a well and spoke with the Samaritan woman, He revealed Himself as the one who gives water that satisfies our deepest spiritual thirst.

John 4:13-14: Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Isaac demonstrated great vision and perseverance in his work. God recognized his faithfulness and encouraged him personally.

Genesis 26:24-25: That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

(Notebook Moment: What “wells” might God be calling you to dig in your own sphere of influence? How can you provide spiritual refreshment to those around you, even when you face opposition?)

Isaac’s former enemies eventually saw that God’s hand was upon him. When people around us witness God’s blessing and faithfulness in our lives, it creates opportunities for testimony and peace.

Genesis 26:28-29: They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:7: When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them.

We must continue the work that God has called us to, even when others try to stop us. We have a responsibility to provide living water to others—the life-giving truth of God’s Word shared in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like Isaac’s wells, our faithful service can bring spiritual refreshment to a thirsty world.

(Notebook Moment: How has God’s faithfulness been evident in your life during times of opposition or difficulty? What can you learn from Isaac’s patient persistence?)

Conclusion

The writer of Hebrews lists Isaac among the heroes of faith, noting specifically how his faith was demonstrated in blessing his sons and looking toward God’s promises for the future.

Hebrews 11:20: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

Isaac was a quiet man who didn’t live as dramatic a life as his father Abraham or his son Jacob. Yet he remained faithful throughout his years, demonstrating steady trust in God’s promises. He passed this faithfulness on to the next generation, continuing the line through which the Messiah would eventually come.

Throughout this lesson, we’ve seen how Isaac’s life points us to Jesus Christ in beautiful ways. Consider these parallels:

Isaac	Christ
The beloved son of his father Abraham	The beloved Son of the Father (Mark 1:11)
Born through God’s supernatural power	Born through the Holy Spirit’s power (Luke 1:35)
Willingly submitted to sacrifice on Mount Moriah	Willingly gave His life on Calvary (John 10:18)
Faithful to continue his father’s covenant work	Perfectly fulfilled His Father’s will (John 17:4)
Provided wells of water in a dry land	Provides living water to thirsty souls (John 4:14)

Isaac’s life teaches us that faithfulness doesn’t always look flashy or exciting. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply continue the work that God has given us, trusting in His promises even when others oppose us. Like Isaac, we are beloved children of God, called to reflect Christ’s love in our relationships and to provide spiritual refreshment to those around us.

The same God who blessed Isaac and kept His promises to him will bless you and keep His promises to you. As you face opposition or challenges in your own life, remember Isaac’s example of patient faithfulness and trust in God’s perfect timing and provision.

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[Revision Note: for “Go Deeper” include a closer analysis of Galatians 4 and the contrast between Isaac and Ishmael.]