Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Jesus Creed

Home
Evangelical
Isaac was Isaac-ing (RJS)

Isaac was Isaac-ing (RJS)

Last updated on: September 13, 2016 at 5:49 am by RJS

Isaac was Isaac-ing (RJS) 2016-09-12T22:00:29-05:00 RJS

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Despite his position as a patriarch (Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”), Isaac doesn’t play much of a role in Genesis. In broad terms he serves as the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob. There is only one rather short segment where Isaac is the primary actor.

In Genesis 24 Abraham sends his trusted servant to get a wife for Isaac from their own people. Isaac receives his wife – but that is his only action. In 25:9 Isaac and Ishmael bury their father Abraham. In 25:21 Isaac prays to God for a child as Rebekah is barren. (For those keeping track, chronologically earlier as Isaac is said to be 60, while he was apparently 75 when Abraham died (given Abraham’s recorded age at Isaac’s birth (100) and at his death (175)). Then there is the story of Isaac and Abimelech (26:1-33) where Isaac flees in time of famine, passes off Rebekah as his sister, and digs a number of wells in pursuit of peace. He is fooled into blessing Jacob in Esau’s place (ch. 27), sends Jacob away (28:1-5), and finally dies at the reported age of 180 after Jacob returns with his family from his uncle Laban (34:27-29).

The story of Isaac and Abimelech is quite similar (but not identical) to an earlier encounter between Abraham and Abimelech (20:1-18, 21:22-34). The similarities have led some to propose that there was one original story, sometimes told in the name of Abraham, at other times in the name of Isaac. This, however, is a flat reading of the text. However the stories originated in the oral history of the Israelites they are combined here with a definite theological message. Bill Arnold (Genesis) writes:

In fact, this text is devoted to making Isaac look as much like Abraham as possible. Echoes and direct allusions to the Abraham narrative permeate the whole, inviting the reader to relive many of those episodes through Abraham’s son. The effect is to confirm Isaac as the true heir of Abraham’s covenant blessing, the legitimate successor in the ancestral line and therefore the true patriarch of Israel. (p. 235)

John Walton makes a similar point. “Isaac is portrayed as following in the footsteps of his father Abraham. … chapter 26 functions appropriately in the story of the development of the covenant.” (NIVAC Genesis p. 558-559)

The similarities between the stories of Abraham and Isaac begin earlier. After 20 years of marriage the wife, confirmed through the earlier narrative as a wife suitable for Isaac by divine sign, was barren. Without a son the covenant promises to Abraham come to an end. We read: Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. (25:21) Isaac’s faith and entreaty is important. Bill Arnold notes

The expression “Isaac prayed to the Lord … and the Lord granted his prayer” (v. 21) is the only place in the Bible where the verbal root ‘tr, “pray, plead, entreat,” is used in both active and passive voices in such a deliberate word play: Isaac entreated … and Yahweh was entreated. I propose this turn-of-phrase denotes that Yahweh was emotively stirred into action, not against his will, but precisely to accomplish his will through the urging of his servant. (p. 231)

Isaac has faith in the Lord’s promise and prays for a son. Isaac’s two sons are the result of God’s promise and God’s action. The younger is the son of the promise, but the older will also become a great nation. Same mother, but still an echo of Ishmael and Isaac.

Back to chapter 26 and Abimelech. It is not clear that Abimelech is the same person who dealt with Abraham in ch. 20. Tremper Longman (Genesis) notes “Abimelek, “my father is king,” may be, and indeed sounds like, a throne name.” (p. 341) Bill Arnold tabulates the echoes of Abraham in this passage. Some of the similarities:

The Lord appeared to Isaac (v2 also v24) [Abraham: 12:7, 17:1, 18:1]

I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring (v4) [Abraham: e.g. 12:1-3, 22:16-18 as well as other passages]

When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “My wife,” thinking, “or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance.” (v 7) [Abraham 20:1-16]

Unlike the story of Abraham, where God revealed Abraham’s deception in a dream, here Abimelech observes Isaac fondling his wife. Both John Walton and Bill Arnold point out that “the text uses a word play on Isaac’s name to denote sexual play.“(Arnold p. 238) Walton “Isaac is seen “Isaac-ing” with his wife.” (p. 559)

Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in the same year reaped a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich; he prospered more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. (v12-14) [Abraham: 13:2, 24:35]

So he built an altar there, called on the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well. (v25) [Abraham: 12:8, 13:4, 21:33]

That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water!” He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day. (v32-33) [Abraham: 21:30-31]

This is a repetition, but it is a repetition with a purpose.

Some have claimed that the similarity in the two passages – Abraham and Isaac with Abimelech – demonstrate the assembly of the text from sources, and claim that this then undermines the authority and inspiration of Scripture. Others point to anachronisms such as Philistines and domesticated camels at the time of the Patriarchs as evidence of the cobbled together and human nature of the text (although Arnold suggests that “the lack of evidence for their [camel’s] domestication has been over-interpreted” p. 221). But this is focusing on the bark of the trees rather than taking in the majesty of the forest.

Genesis is a tightly constructed text – with frequent word plays and with purpose. The primary purpose of these passages is to show that Isaac is the covenant son and a patriarch in his own right chosen and blessed by God. God has brought forth the people of Israel. Whether incidents from the life of Isaac (representing a small portion of a long life) selected and organized for this purpose or a literary construct digging up a distant past, the intended message is unchanged. This is what carries authority as the inspired word of God. I am not arguing for a modern, critical interpretation over a traditional one – just noting that, when push comes to shove, I don’t think it matters much at all. We need to be focused on the message rather than the details.

I don’t think I have ever heard a preacher or teacher emphasize the parallels between Isaac and Abraham and their importance in the establishment of Isaac as the rightful heir and patriarch in his own right.

What is Isaac’s role in the narrative of Genesis?

What message should we take form the text?

If you wish to contact me directly you may do so at rjs4mail[at]att.net

If interested you can subscribe to a full text feed of my posts at Musings on Science and Theology.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 13, 2016

Themes of Politico-Theological Activism

Next Post

September 13, 2016 Loving to Know

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who prophesied the fall of Babylon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Daniel Ezekiel Jeremiah