Getting Isaac Wrong
Again, about my following the Life Group literature I am given. Maybe it's what we need rather than what we deserve--or vice versa.
I have to teach on the family scam: Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Esau. The story matters because of the long-term consequences more than the "dysfunctionality" that was going on at the time.
However, last week the co-teacher taught on Abraham sending Eliezer (probably) to find a wife for Isaac. And we all wondered, what is wrong with Isaac? Why can't he go find his own wife at 40 years old?
Well, it's a cultural matter to have arranged marriages settled by the parents, which still happens in Africa, Asia, and Middle Eastern cultures. But it's hard to see Isaac as an agent in anything. When he is about to be sacrificed, he seems ok with it. When Eliezer brings Rebecca home to meet him, he's lying in the field meditating. He allows this duplicity to go on in his house. He lies about his wife's being his sister, like dear old dad did.
So Isaac really isn't put up as any kind of virtuous hero in the Old Testament, although Hebrews 11:20 does tell us, "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come." I tend to think of Isaac in a negative way, all told.
Of course, that is wrong. One is that I am in no place to judge anyone, especially a Bible figure. We judge him by his breaches rather than his victories. Or rather, by his lifestyle. He was not being stupid or developmental delayed when he went along with Abraham's obedience; he was a picture of acceptance and trust in his Father. While we don't appreciate it, it makes perfect sense in context that he would trust and obey his Father so much.
Therefore, it becomes a challenge rather than a cautionary tale. Accepting the will of the Father is something we talk about but rarely do; especially we United Statesians are impatient and expect action to take care of everything. We act, rather than accept. Acceptance is weak, so Isaac seems weak. This is an unfortunate paradigm in many circumstances.
As I age I am mindful that a time will come when agency and action are less of an option, and I won't be as active and able to get whatever I want when I want it for myself. I'm still ok that way, but realism kicks in. Maybe Isaac, who was meditating in a field, didn't have it all wrong.
I have to teach on the family scam: Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Esau. The story matters because of the long-term consequences more than the "dysfunctionality" that was going on at the time.
However, last week the co-teacher taught on Abraham sending Eliezer (probably) to find a wife for Isaac. And we all wondered, what is wrong with Isaac? Why can't he go find his own wife at 40 years old?
Well, it's a cultural matter to have arranged marriages settled by the parents, which still happens in Africa, Asia, and Middle Eastern cultures. But it's hard to see Isaac as an agent in anything. When he is about to be sacrificed, he seems ok with it. When Eliezer brings Rebecca home to meet him, he's lying in the field meditating. He allows this duplicity to go on in his house. He lies about his wife's being his sister, like dear old dad did.
So Isaac really isn't put up as any kind of virtuous hero in the Old Testament, although Hebrews 11:20 does tell us, "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come." I tend to think of Isaac in a negative way, all told.
Of course, that is wrong. One is that I am in no place to judge anyone, especially a Bible figure. We judge him by his breaches rather than his victories. Or rather, by his lifestyle. He was not being stupid or developmental delayed when he went along with Abraham's obedience; he was a picture of acceptance and trust in his Father. While we don't appreciate it, it makes perfect sense in context that he would trust and obey his Father so much.
Therefore, it becomes a challenge rather than a cautionary tale. Accepting the will of the Father is something we talk about but rarely do; especially we United Statesians are impatient and expect action to take care of everything. We act, rather than accept. Acceptance is weak, so Isaac seems weak. This is an unfortunate paradigm in many circumstances.
As I age I am mindful that a time will come when agency and action are less of an option, and I won't be as active and able to get whatever I want when I want it for myself. I'm still ok that way, but realism kicks in. Maybe Isaac, who was meditating in a field, didn't have it all wrong.
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