This lesson is compatible with the "Abraham & Isaac" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 26:1-5
“Master Isaac, the food is getting dangerously low. This famine is bad! It hasn’t rained in a long time, and there isn’t enough grass for the flocks to eat. What can we do?!” Isaac’s servants probably said something like this to their master. Isaac already knew the situation was bad. He had heard his father and mother talk about the drought not long after they arrived at the land God promised. Abraham, Sarah, and Lot their nephew, along with all their servants and herds had gone to Egypt to escape the drought. This would be a decision Abraham would surely regret! He had not trusted in God, but in his own thoughts. It got him into lots of trouble, first with the pharaoh, and then with Hagar, his wife’s Egyptian maid.
But Isaac must have forgotten about hearing his father talk about the bad things that happened. I believe Isaac was planning to go to Egypt with his family, servants, and herds to find plenty of food. Isaac had already moved his family to the land of the philistine king, Abimelech. God spoke to Isaac before he could move again. He said “Isaac, don’t go to Egypt. Live where I tell you. Live in this land, because this is the land I promised to your father, and I will give it to you and your descendants. I will be with you here and bless you. I will make your family like the stars in the sky. In your family I will bless the whole world! I will do this because Abraham obeyed me, and accepted my promise, and kept my laws.”
Wow! I always thought that God just made the promise to Abraham, but here in the bible, I see that God also made this promise to Isaac, Abraham’s son! God told Isaac that because Abraham obeyed, He would bless his family.
Do you remember the life of Abraham? Did Abraham always do what was right? No! He sinned just like everyone else. But he put his faith in God, and the promise God made to send a Savior to die for sins. Because of this faith, God made Abraham righteous, or forgiven of the laws he had broken. The same is true of us! If we accept Jesus, we are forgiven of all of God’s laws we have broken. I don’t know about you, but I have broken a LOT of God’s laws!
Does this forgiveness mean we never suffer consequences for our sins? No! But we will never be separated from God. We have forgiveness with Him.
Isaac obeyed God and lived in that land. If you read more of Genesis 26, you will see Isaac still sinned, and even made some of the same mistakes his father made in Egypt! But Isaac put his faith in God, and had forgiveness, and God blessed us with His own Son, Jesus through the family of Isaac and Abraham!
Let’s thank God for His great goodness!