Totally: Getting to Know Our Knowing, Present, Capable, Caring GodSample

Abraham remained faithful to God for the rest of His life, and God remained faithful to Abraham. Both of his sons buried Abraham, and God blessed Isaac just as He had promised Abraham He would. Because Abraham had been faithful in passing on what He knew to be true about God to his sons, Isaac had faith in God as well. One person’s faithfulness has the power to impact generations of people.

Isaac’s wife was barren, just as his own mother had been before having him. Knowing that God had been the One to give his own mother a child, Isaac asked God to give his wife a child. God gave her two.

In Isaac’s day, the family fortune went to the oldest son. Because birth order gave the oldest son the right to own the fortune, the fortune was called his birthright. The fact that Esau was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup tells us that he did not appreciate the blessing of his birthright enough to keep it. The fact that Jacob was willing to trick his brother out of his birthright tells us he was not honest enough to handle the privilege correctly.

Before Jacob and Esau were born, God knew everything about them. Even so, God affirmed the covenant He had made with Abraham to Isaac. God planned to keep His promise to Abraham regardless of whether Jacob and Esau deserved to benefit from the covenant.

God’s goodness to us is not dependent upon us or our actions. God is good all the time.