[Wednesday's Devotional] - Isaac

Isaac  Isaac is yet another Old Testament character whose birth had been longed for and prayed for. He made his arrival when his parents Abraham and Sarah were one hundred and ninety years old respectively. This promise was made concerning him: ".. your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him."  Genesis 17:19 [NIV] Isaac had some hard to deal with situations in childhood. He had to endure the indignity of the mocking of his half-brother Ishmael and then the pain of him being banished to the desert by their father. Then he narrowly escaped becoming a sacrificial victim. The story is usually told from Abraham's perspective, how he proved his loyalty to his God, but imagine how terrifying it must have been for Isaac! It all seemed such fun to start with. Abraham was saddling a donkey with the help of two servants. Isaac must have thought he was going on a "dads and lads" bonding and camping session. He watched his father cut up wood and then the two of them set out for the hills. On the third day of the expedition, Abraham left the servants at the camp and took Isaac up to the mountain, to worship, he told him. So Isaac carried the wood and Abraham carried the means of lighting a fire and a knife. It wasn't long before Isaac innocently asked his father where the lamb to be sacrificed was to come from. Abraham told him that God would provide it, which seemed to satisfy the boy, as he happily carried on up the hill with his dad. Imagine the horror when the altar was built and the fire laid, of being bound up with rope, laid on top of the altar and seeing the knife coming for him, in the hand of his own father! What a relief when Isaac hears the angel calling out, "Abraham, Abraham, do not lay a hand on the boy." Isaac's reaction could have gone many ways. Would he ever trust his father again? Would he turn to God in relief at having his life spared? Would he turn away from God because he felt he had been used in order to prove a point? Would Isaac have been damaged for life by the experience? Isaac must have been very resilient because after the camping trip he went and lived with his father in Canaan. His story continues with his marriage to Rebekah, followed by the birth of his sons Jacob and Esau and Isaac becomes one of the fathers of the Jewish faith. Father God, we pray for all children forced to undergo experiences that frighten them and that they do not understand. May they know your love and protection when they find it hard to trust their own parents. Amen Mairi Mowbray   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!