The Story of Isaac

Genesis Chapter 17
Genesis 17 is titled ‘Covenant of Circumcision’ --- a title that fits the events in this chapter.
The Lord went to Abram, who was then ninety-nine years old and established a covenant
with him. Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, for he was to be the father of multiple
nations. God promised to maintain this covenant with Abraham’s descendants, that He will
be their God and they will be His people. As a symbol of this covenant, every male in
Abraham’s family must be circumcised as a sign of the covenant at eight days old,
regardless of whether they are family members or house-born slaves. God also changed
Abraham’s wife Sarai’s name to Sarah and promised to send them a son, Isaac, through her.
However, Abraham laughs because they are both old and asks God why He can’t bless
Ishmael, his son with Hagar instead — God responds that He blessed Ishmael to have a
nation through him, but the covenant must continue through Isaac.

Genesis Chapter 21

God's promise to Sarah and Abraham was fulfilled, and Isaac was born. When he was 8 days
old, he was circumcised, and on the day Isaac was weaned, they held a feast. Abraham sent
Hagar and Ishmael away because Sarah saw Ishmael, the son born through Hagar, mocking.
However, God assured Abraham that both his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, would become great
nations. Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael to the desert where they faced struggles. God
came to Hagar, reassuring her not to be afraid, and promising that her son would become a
great nation.

Abraham and Abimelek made a deal after Abimelek saw that God was blessing Abraham.
Abraham talked to Abimelek about a well issue caused by Abimelek's workers, and they
fixed it by exchanging gifts. They made a promise in Beersheba, with Abraham giving seven
lambs as a sign. After the agreement, Abimelek and Phicol returned to the Philistines. In
Beersheba, Abraham planted a tree, prayed to the Lord, and stayed in Philistine land for a
long time.

Genesis Chapter 22

Genesis chapter 22 is the testing of Abraham. God tested Abraham to offer his son Isaac to
the land of Moria and offer his son Isaac as his burnt offering. It teaches us that our faith In
God should be so strong that we’re even able to give our own children’s lives. Though it was
just a test, Abraham showed that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, because God told
him so. It teaches us that even though we don’t know what’s happening in our lives, we
should lift everything up to him and let him control our lives.

Genesis Chapter 24
Genesis 24 talks about how Isaac found his wife, Rebekah. Abraham makes one of his
servants swear that he will not get a wife for Isaac amongst the Canaanites, but instead go
to Abraham’s homeland to find Isaac’s spouse amongst his relatives. If the woman refuses to
go with the servant, the servant will not have to abide by this oath he made to Abraham.
Abraham asks the servant to ensure that Isaac will not go back to their native land; The
servant leaves with ten camels loaded with good things and sets out for the town of Nahor,
positioned by the well outside the town to wait for the women who come to draw water.
The servant prays to God for success in his endeavor. He prays for a woman to offer him
and his camels water, and that this woman will be the one chosen to be Isaac’s wife. Soon, a
woman arrives — Rebekah, a beautiful woman related to Abraham’s brother Nahor. As the
servant asked for, he requests for some water from her jar. She offers the water to both him
and his camels. After spending the night at Rebekah’s home and explaining the situation to
her family, Rebekah and the servant return to Abraham and Isaac’s dwelling, where Isaac
and Rebekah got married.

Genesis Chapter 25
In Genesis 25, Abraham takes another wife, Keturah, after Sarah’s death. Keturah only
serves as an introduction to Abraham’s descendants through her — she is not described in
detail. In this chapter, it is shown that when Abraham died after a fulfilling life of 175 years,
he left everything he owned to Isaac, but also gave gifts to the sons of his concubines
before sending them away from Isaac to the land of the east. Isaac and Ishmael buried
Abraham in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, with his wife Sarah. God then blessed Isaac
to continue the covenant. After this, Ishmael’s descendants are listed down and described
as a hostile group. Ishmael himself dies at 137 years of age. The last subheading of this
chapter is a description of Isaac’s two sons, Jacob and Esau, and the drama that unfolds in
their lives through Jacob’s deception.

Genesis Chapter 26

Genesis 26 is the story about Isaac, he was exiled by the people driven by their envy
because of his riches and power that he had gained across one year. After Isaac was exiled,
he had built a well with help of his servants and found water but the herdsman had argued
for the well, then he created another well but they also quarreled over it, the Lord had said
to Isaac to not fear so he created an altar near where he spotted the Lord, and he pitched a
tent, then he dug a well with his servants. Meanwhile The same people that had banished
him had apologized and told Isaac that they saw the Lord was with him. After the
conversation the servants had told Isaac that they had found water in the well. This teaches
us to believe in God with patience and determination, a blessing of God will happen to you
when the time comes right.

Genesis Chapter 27
Genesis Chapter 27 is a pivotal chapter in the book of Genesis, detailing Jacob's deception
of his father Isaac to receive his blessing. The story begins with Isaac, growing old and
blind, and deciding to bless his eldest son Esau before his death. Rebekah overhears this
conversation and instructs Jacob to disguise himself as Esau. Despite initial hesitation,
Jacob agrees, and despite the consequences, his brother Esau vows revenge. This chapter
serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of dishonesty and manipulation.

Genesis Chapter 35
Genesis 35 talks about Jacob’s return to Bethel. God commanded Jacob, the younger son of
Isaac and brother of Esau, to go to Bethel and build an altar for Him. Jacob commands the
members of his household to purify themselves and get rid of their foreign gods, which he
buries under an oak tree at Shechem before they go to Bethel to build an altar. At Bethel,
they create an altar and call the place ‘El Bethel’ because this is where God revealed Himself
to him while Jacob was fleeing from his brother Esau. However, after the death of Deborah,
Rebekah’s nurse, Bethel is renamed to Allon Bakuth. Bethel isn’t the only subject of
renaming in this chapter. God appeared to Jacob and renamed him Israel. He instructed
him to ‘be fruitful and increase in number’ for the Lord has given him the land He had given
Abraham and Isaac — the covenant continues on through Jacob. Jacob, now Israel, sets up a
stone pillar at the place where God spoke with him. This chapter takes a dark turn when
Rachel experiences complications in childbirth and sadly loses her life. She wanted to name
her son Ben-Oni. However, his father called him Benjamin. The rest of the chapter details
Jacob’s descendants through his concubines. Isaac also dies in this chapter.