LIFE LESSONS
ISAAC
DR. JIM DIXON
GENESIS 27:26-38
OCTOBER 20, 2002
In the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testament, God oftentimes introduces Himself through what Bible scholars call “the patriarchal formula.” God says, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” “Thus, sayeth the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob church historians describe as the three patriarchs. It is easy to understand why Abraham and Jacob would be called patriarchs because they were both great leaders, and they both had significant roles in the life of Israel. But it is not easy to understand why Isaac would be singled out as a patriarch. He was not a great leader. His wife Rebekah was stronger than he, smarter than he. We will look at Rebekah next week.
Isaac did not really have a significant role in the life of Israel. We look at Isaac in the Bible and we see simply that he was the father of two sons, Jacob and Esau. There really are few passages in the Bible that relate to the life of Isaac. Those passages that do exist describe Isaac simply in the role of father to Jacob and Esau.
This morning we look at the fatherhood of Isaac. We look at what we can learn from Isaac’s behavior as father. This should have application to all of us since we have all had fathers. The principals that are going to be involved in the two teachings this morning really relate to all of life. The first teaching is this: Parental partiality is dangerous. That is what we see when we look at Isaac. Parental partiality is dangerous.
Some of you perhaps are Bronco fans. I think most of the Bronco fans were at the first service since the game started at 11:00. I understand how people can be Bronco fans. Last Sunday night the Broncos played the Miami Dolphins. They lost the game. It was a close game. It was a heartbreaker. After the game I was frustrated. It was after 10:00 and I was so wound up, so frustrated, that I could not go to sleep. At 10:30, I took a jog. I just went out into the darkness and ran. I needed to pound some cement. You see, the truth is that when it comes to sports, I have a lot of partiality. I am partial to the Broncos. I am partial to the Colorado Buffaloes. I am partial to CSU. I am partial to the Air Force Academy. I have a lot of partiality when it comes to sports. It is okay to be partial in the world of sports as long as you are not an official or a referee. But it is not okay when it comes to parenting. It is not okay to be partial. It is not okay to prefer one child to another, to love one child more than another.
We come to Genesis, chapter 25, and we see that the sons of Isaac grew up, Jacob and Esau. Esau was a skilled hunter, “a man of the field,” the Bible says. “His brother Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents.” Then the Bible says this. “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game while Rebekah loved Jacob.” What a tragic family—one parent loving one child and the other parent loving the other child. Parental partiality. It produced, ultimately, incredible jealousies, envy, discord, hostilities, and sibling dysfunction because of parental partiality.
I know that all of you have heard of Napoleon. It was December 2, 1804, in Paris, France, at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. That is where and when Napoleon Bonaparte took the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII and he placed the crown on his own head. Napoleon declared himself Emperor. He loved that title. He would have gladly ruled the world. He loved all of the accolades that came with being Emperor. He loved the recognition. He loved the service that people had to render him. It is a fact of history that Napoleon required that every person that entered his throne room kiss his hand. He would just stretch forth his arm and he would demand that they kiss his hand. This was true of every citizen. It was true of every visitor from any country. If they entered his throne room, he would stretch forth his arm and they were to kiss his hand. He wanted the nobility to kiss his hand. He wanted commoners to kiss his hand. He required that his staff kiss his hand if they entered his throne room. He required that the clergy, the ecclesiastical authorities, even archbishops, all had to kiss his hand. Everybody had to kiss his hand, and he loved it.
Historians tell us that one day a woman came into the throne room of Napoleon Bonaparte. He stretched forth his arm. She slapped it. She said, “Don’t be ridiculous!” She said, “I love you, but I love seven others just as much. You are no more or no less than they. If I were to kiss your hand, I would have to kiss their hands. Do not be ridiculous!” This woman was Letizia Bonaparte, Napoleon’s mother. She had eight children, of which Napoleon was one. She loved them all the same. She wasn’t going to show any partiality.
I love the story of Ida Eisenhower. Ida Eisenhower was the mom of Dwight David Eisenhower. The year was 1956 when a reporter came to her from a major metropolitan newspaper. The reporter said to Ida Eisenhower, “What do you think of your son?” ·Her son, Dwight David Eisenhower, had graduated from West Point. He was a military hero in America and throughout the allied nations, one of the highest-ranking United States generals. Some historians believe he commanded the greatest army in the history of the world. He was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. Of course, he was the 34th president of the United States. He was in the White House in 1956 when that reporter came up to Ida Eisenhower and said, “What do you think of your son?”
I love her answer, because she said, “Which one?” She had six sons (seven if you count the child who died in childbirth) and she loved them all the same. She showed no partiality.
Now, kids are not the same. Children vary. They are not all the same. I am one of three boys. I have two brothers, Gary, and Greg. We are all very close friends. My brother Gary lives in California. He works as an Executive Pastor at a church, a church administrator. We are good friends.
My brother Greg lives here in Colorado, and we are good friends. Greg attends this church along with his wife Barbara. Greg once sang in our church quartet. I really think it’s safe to say that, in virtually every way, Greg was always better than me. I think that is safe to say. Greg’s always suspected it anyway.
He was always better looking than I. When we were growing up, Greg was always tan. Have you met anyone like that who is always tan? He was tan from birth. He always looked like he just came from the beach, and I looked kind of anemic and pale. Greg was always muscular. It was just natural for him to be muscular. He was the perfect mesomorph, and I was the scrawny ectomorph. Greg was always the better athlete. He really was the better athlete. For him, athletic things were just natural for him. He was always just naturally coordinated.
Greg was popular in school. He was the Student Body Vice President at his high school. He held office in his school. That was not true of me. I never held office. There were times when I was called to the office, but I never held office. The girls all liked Greg. You always saw the girls kind of gathering around Greg, wanting to be with Greg. I cannot honestly say that was ever true of me. When girls did come up to me, they were wanting to know something about Greg.
Greg was a great singer. Greg sang in a variety of quartets and then he ultimately sang on The Lawrence Welk Show where he sang for a couple of years in a quartet called The Blenders. Every week Greg was on national TV. I rarely sang even in the shower. Greg ultimately married his wife Barbara, who danced on The Lawrence Welk Show and had danced on The Lawrence Welk Show for seven years along with Bobby, Barbara, and Bobby, well known on The Lawrence Welk Show.
When Greg and Barbara were married, they were married at Glendale Presbyterian Church, a huge cathedral church. The sanctuary was packed, and hundreds of people were outside the church wanting to get in and there was no room. The Lennon Sisters were the bridesmaids. Lawrence Welk was there. All kinds of famous people were there.
When Barb and I were married, we were married in a little tiny Baptist church. It was a hundred degrees outside. No air conditioning. The most famous person at our wedding was Greg.
Sometimes that is just how it is. But, you see, Greg and I knew, and my brother Gary too, knew that when we went home, we were all the same. We knew that. We knew when we went home, we were all the same. We knew that Mom loved us the same. We knew that Dad loved us the same. They gave us equal value. I think when that happens, there’s very little jealousy or envy in the lives of siblings when parents do not show partiality.
I think it has to be hard for Greg coming to church here every week with me, the Senior Pastor, doing the preaching. He is in all kinds of activities in the church with people asking questions about me. They say wonderful things about me, and he knows I am just one of the bozos on the bus. But, you see, we came from a background where we were all loved the same, all valued the same, and that is what God wants.
Yet maybe that did not happen for you. Maybe you experienced parental partiality. Maybe your mom did not love you as much as a sister or a brother. Maybe your dad did not love you as much. But, you see, in a sense it does not matter because of Christ. If you have come to Christ, when you come to Christ and receive Him as Savior and Lord, you enter the family of God and you become a son of God or a daughter of God through Christ. And your Heavenly Father shows no partiality. He loves you and values you all equally. What an incredible wonder of the gospel that is.
I know you think, “Well, surely he loves some more. Surely God loves Mother Teresa more.” Certainly, Mother Teresa was a wonderful person. She died a few years ago. She is currently being considered for canonization in the Roman Catholic Church, and ultimately, she will be considered for sainthood. She established Catholic charities that served the poor all over the world. She was a wonderful, wonderful Christian, but I promise you God loves you just as much.
I know you think, “Well, He’s got to love Billy Graham more.” Billy Graham, I noticed, just this past week did a 4-day Crusade in a major American city. He is frail. He is well into his 80’s but he is still serving Christ and is he ever anointed. He has preached to hundreds of millions of people, and millions of men and women have come to faith in Jesus Christ through Billy Graham. But, you see, God loves you just as much. When we come into the family of God, we begin to experience that impartial love.
As we look at Isaac and we see parental partiality and we recognize this first principal, that parental partiality is exceedingly dangerous, we also have a second teaching. We all desperately need parental blessing.
We have this story from the life of Isaac in our passage of scripture for today in Genesis 27 of how the two sons of Isaac sought his blessing. It is hard for us. We think, “What was that all about?” We know the story, how Jacob pretended to be Esau and put hairy clothing over his arms so that his blind father would think he was Esau. He put on Esau’s clothing so he would smell like the field and smell like Esau. His mother, Rebekah, cooked a great meal so that he could bring it to his father and pretend to be Esau. Isaac had said to Esau, “Go and hunt game and prepare a savory meal. You know the meal I love, son. Bring it to me. We’ll eat it together and I will bless you.” But Jacob came in Esau’s place. Rebekah had overheard the conversation at the tent door, and she set this up with Jacob, and he came in Esau’s place, seeking the blessing.
In the Hebrew world, the fatherly paternal blessing involved property. It involved authority. It even involved prophecy. That is a little different world than the world in which we live in. Yet, as kids, we still need our parents’ blessing. There are two Greek words for blessing. The is the word “eulogia.” That word means “good word.” Whenever you say a good word to your child, you bless them. Whenever you say a good word about your child, you bless them. Whenever you say a good word over your child, you bless them. Another Greek word for blessing is “makarizo” which means, “to make happy.” If we would bless our children, we need in some sense to seek their happiness.
The Hebrew word “berakah” is the word for blessing, and it involves both these meanings, the meaning of eulogia as well as makarizo. As parents we need to seek to bless our kids. When children do not feel blessed by their parents, when they seek that blessing and cannot get it, it’s tragic.
There is a book written by Gary Smalley and John Trent. The book is called “The Blessing” and it talks about the blessing that parents can give their kids. In this book “The Blessing” by Gary Smalley and John Trent there is a story of a young man named Brian. Brian grew up in a strict military home and he never got the blessing. His father was a Marine, and his father wanted Brian to be a Marine. There was little affection in the home, little tenderness and not much warmth. There were no hugs in Brian’s house because no one was allowed to hug. Hugs were not allowed. There was a lot of cold hard discipline.
Brian went out for sports because his father wanted him to, and he wanted to please his father. Brian studied hard in school because his father wanted him to. He wanted to please his father. Brian did well in sports and well in school, very well, because he wanted to hear his father say, “I’m proud of you, son,” or, “I love you, son.” But Brian never heard those words.
After school, Brian joined the Marines. He was looking for the blessing and wanted his dad to be proud. But he did not really fit into the Marine life. The discipline in the Marines seemed like harassment to Brian. The discipline in the Marine Corps seemed harsh to Brian. Ultimately, he fought a superior officer. He did this on two occasions, and he was dishonorably discharged from the Marines. Brian came home, but his father would not let him in the door. His father would not let him in the door, and his dad said to him, “You are no longer my son. You have been dishonorably discharged. You are no longer my son.”
Brian went on his own. The years passed. Brian went from job to job with low self-esteem and with no confidence. Brian was engaged to be married three different times, but Brian broke it off each time because he just could not believe that anyone who really knew him would really love him. After all, his own father did not love him.
Finally, Brian went to counseling. Brian went to a Christian counselor. Maybe he became a Christian. I do not know. I do know that Brian’s life began to change. He began to get things together. He began to form healthy friendships and healthy relationships. He began to be able to hold a job. He got his life together and he became a fine young man.
There came a time when his counselor said to him, “You know, Brian, you need to go back and confront your dad. You need to show your father the fine young man you have become, and you need to seek reconciliation with your father. Brian had been longing to do this and he had been dreaming of doing this. He was about to call his parents when the phone rang, and it was his mother. She said, “Brian, your father’s had a horrible heart attack. He is in the hospital and he’s in intensive care. Come home.”
Brian traveled halfway across the country to see his mom and his ailing dad. He desperately hoped that his dad was okay and that he could tell his dad, “I love you, Dad,” and that maybe he could hear his dad say, “I love you too, son.” But when Brian arrived at the hospital, his dad had already slipped into a coma. Just two hours later, Brian’s dad died.
Brian sat on the bed, and he just began to cry. He began to cry, and he hugged his father in death, something he had never been allowed to do in life. He begged his dad to wake up so he could tell his dad that he loved him and maybe hear his dad say, “I love you too, son,” but it did not happen. It is a tragic story and a true story because the Christian counselor that Brian went to was John Trent, the co-author of the book “The Blessing.” According to John Trent and Gary Smalley, there are lots of “Brians” in this world, lots of people—women and men—who have grown up without the parental blessing.
That might be true of some of you. To one degree or another, you might feel you did not get the blessing of your dad, or you did not get the blessing of your mom. But there’s hope because of Christ. Christ offers a blessing that parents just cannot give. The whole point of the book “The Blessing” by Gary Smalley and John Trent is that the real blessing can come from heaven alone. You do not need to live your life in a quest for the blessing. There are a lot of people in this world who are living their whole life in a quest for the blessing, and they are seeking it in all the wrong ways.
The Bible says the whole world is under a curse. The whole world is fallen. “We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we’ve been banished from Eden.” But, you see, there’s hope because God loves us, and He sent His Son into the world. He sent His Son into the world to lift the curse, to begin to give us “the blessing.” When you come to the cross and you kneel at the foot of the cross and you acknowledge your fallenness and your banishment from Eden, when you acknowledge your sin and you come to Jesus as Savior, He washes you whiter than snow. He forgives your sin. He removes your sin as far from you as the east is from the west. He brings you into the family of God and you become children of God. As you receive Him as Savior and Lord, we become children of God. We are given eternal life and a purpose in living and hope in dying. We are given brothers and sisters in a family that is global and extends the world over, the church of Jesus Christ.
It is in the church that the blessing is meant to grow. As we receive Christ and come into His Church, join a small group, offer our gifts at His altar, teach Sunday school, tutor in the inner city, sing in the choir, help in the parking lot… As we do these things, we feel the hand of Christ on our shoulder saying, “I love you. I love you as much as anyone, and I bless you.” You sense, you feel, you experience His blessing as you come into His community and as you first come to Him and come into His people. As you begin to serve His church, you feel His blessing. What an incredible promise God has given through the gospel.
Our time is up. We look at Isaac’s life and we see him simply as a father. He had two twin sons, Esau, the firstborn, and then Jacob, who came immediately thereafter. He showed parental partiality, and it ruined their relationship, and for a season, ruined their life. He gave blessing to one and withheld blessing from the other—again, with incomprehensible affects.
God would remind us this morning that as parents, we need to love our children not in the same way but the same amount. Because our children are different, but we need to value them equally and love them. And we need to bless them, and we need to tell them we love them They need to see when we’re pleased with them, and we need to verbalize that and show that so that they might grow up feeling loved and embraced and appreciated.
We have this deeper message that there is a Father in heaven. When we come into His family through Christ, He shows no partiality. He loves us all the same, and He longs to bless us—not only in this life but for all eternity. Let us close with a word of prayer.