Isaac: Our Patriarch of StrengthSýnishorn

Isaac: Our Patriarch of Strength

Isaac (Yitzchak in Hebrew), the second patriarch in the Jewish Bible, had a critical role as the link between his father, Abraham, and his son Jacob, the first and third patriarchs. Isaac is the conduit through which God’s knowledge and promises were passed down through generations.

Yitzchak, ציחק, means “he will laugh.” When Abraham and Sarah learned they would have a child in their old age, their first response was laughter. But the name Isaac was not chosen just because Abraham and Sarah laughed. As the name implies—“he will laugh”—it also refers to the future.

Everything that happened to Isaac was unexpected, beginning with his birth. When Isaac was offered as a sacrifice to God only to be saved at the last minute, Isaac learned that every day is an unexpected gift from God. Isaac’s love for Rebekah, a woman he had never met and who was chosen for him, was certainly not expected.

Isaac prayed for Rebekah, who had not borne children. He waited 20 years before his prayer was answered. Then Rebekah unexpectedly had not one, but two sons. When Isaac was old and about to bless his sons, his intention was to bless Esau with the material blessings of the world while Jacob would receive the spiritual blessing. Isaac thought both sons would carry on the covenant that God promised. But in events Isaac certainly was not expecting, Jacob deceived him and received both blessings. It became clear that Jacob would become father to the nation of Israel.

Isaac’s life was filled with an undercurrent of laughter at the unexpected gifts he received. But when the Jewish sages chose one attribute to describe Isaac, they chose strength. Isaac’s inner strength allowed him to overcome life’s unexpected challenges with laughter.

Join us in this Fellowship Study as we take a deeper look at the patriarch Isaac and discover how he passed on the covenant given to his father, Abraham, to his son, Jacob, and finally, to us, God’s children.