A study of the lives of individuals whom the Holy Spirit has left for us in the pages of the sacred Scriptures can be both interesting and instructive. This is certainly true in the case of Isaac, the son of Abraham in the Old Testament. Details of his life and pilgrimage are found in the book of Genesis, chapters 21-28.
Isaac was a son of promise. His name, which means “he shall rejoice,” was announced before he was born. God promised Abraham a son through whom He would reaffirm the covenant of blessing already made to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 15:18-21). This covenant not only assured Abraham and later Isaac (17:18-20) of God’s faithfulness in giving them the land that He had promised, but also provided the basis for the unfolding of His divine plan of redemption through Abraham’s seed.
The Lord Jesus Christ is also a Son of promise. Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa 7:14).1 Perhaps the most well-known Scripture that details the promise of a Son also comes from the prophet Isaiah: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (9:6).
Like Isaac, the Lord Jesus was named before He was miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. In addition to the prophecy of Isaiah, an angel announced to Mary, “Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (Luk 1:31).
Believers, too, are children of promise. Paul wrote in the book of Galatians, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise” (Gal 4:28). Those who receive the Lord Jesus by faith receive a new birth and eternal life according to the promise of God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Joh 3:16).
The Lord promised Abraham, because of his trust and dependence upon God, that through him and through his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed (Gen 12:3; 22:18). The Lord later repeated this promise to Isaac (26:4).
The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, Satan (3:15). The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb 2:14-15).
In the book of the Revelation, the apostle John describes the blessing of God upon all nations through the Lord Jesus in the song sung to the Lamb, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev 5:9).
Paul praised God for the blessings bestowed on those who have trusted the Lord Jesus: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3).
We understand through the apostle Paul in the book of Galatians that we receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit because the Lord Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us, through His death on the cross. He wrote, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:14).
Isaac inherited all that was Abraham’s. The servant that was sent to find a bride for Isaac explained to the family of Rebekah, “And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great …. And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath” (Gen 24:35-36). In chapter 25 of the book of Genesis, it is recorded, “Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac” (v5).
The Lord Jesus Christ is the heir of all things. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews described the Son of God as being the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person, the One God “hath appointed heir of all things” (Heb 1:2-3).
As the acclaimed Son and appointed Heir, the Lord Jesus is also the acknowledged Sovereign. The psalmist wrote of Him, “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Psa 2:7-8). Paul wrote in the book of Colossians, “All things were created by him, and for him” (Col 1:16).
As the children of God, believers are joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul explained in the book of Romans, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:16-17). In the book of Galatians he wrote, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29).
The apostle Peter also, in his first epistle, encourages us with the prospect of an inheritance: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1Pe 1:3-4).
The Lord Jesus promised, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev 3:21).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
