Isaac prayed to the LORD

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Full passage   Genesis 24:61-25:34   Expand passage

61 Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

 62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

   “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

 66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

1 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

 5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

 7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

   Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

 23 The LORD said to her,

   “Two nations are in your womb,
   and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
   and the older will serve the younger.”

 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

   So Esau despised his birthright.

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Genesis 25:21

Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Isaac had been a miracle child. His parents were a century old at the time of his birth, which is a staggering age to start a family. In our terms, it would be like a couple at an ante-natal class making small talk with “where were you when Franz Ferdinand was shot?” God intervened in their lives to give them a son. In today’s reading, God again intervenes in the same family tree to usher in a new generation.

When reading the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob it is easy to forget God’s hand in their affairs. Their family relations break down. They trick, cheat and lie. It can feel as though they stumble through the generations with a careless disregard for God’s word or his plan. But God is never far from this story.

God intervenes to usher in each new generation. He is utterly committed to this family; from the moment he calls Abraham to the present day he has cared for every one of Abraham’s sons. He has brought about miracles to bring them into the world, and has worked through them to bring countless people to salvation and an eternal relationship with him.

Often, God intervenes despite their behaviour to bring about his purposes. In today’s reading, God intervenes because of Isaac’s behaviour. He prayed for children and God answered his prayer. How often do we try to do in our own power what only God can do? Let us turn to God in prayer and commit our affairs to him, trusting in him complete every work he has begun in us.

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Ali grew up in London, but is currently at university in the North East of England. He helped to re-launch Crossring in 2009, and has acted as Managing Editor of the website since then. He occasionally dabbles in photography and web development - he also designed and maintains the Crossring website.

About Daily Readings

As part of our active lifestyle of prayer and Bible reading, we are currently reading a small section of the Bible together each day and sharing our responses to it with each other. We also publish a short devotional thought on a key verse or two from each day's passage to prompt prayer or reflection.

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Luke 11:14-36
Luke 11:1-13
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Genesis 26
Genesis 24:61-25:34

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