Calvary Chapel Lake of the Ozarks

The God of Bethel is a God who does concern himself with the things of earth, not a God who shuts himself up in heaven, but God who hath a ladder fixed between heaven and earth” (Spurgeon). And Jesus made it clear that He is that ladder! 

In this tragic story, everyone lost. Each of the main characters – Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob – schemed and maneuvered in human wisdom and energy, rejecting God’s word and wisdom. Nevertheless, God still accomplished His purpose. The tragedy was that each of the participants suffered, because they insisted on working against God’s word and wisdom.

Isaac walked in the same paths of his father Abraham; with similar highs and the lows. Altars and tents marked Abraham’s life, demonstrating a life of worship and trust. Isaac lived that, calling on the name of the LORD, and enjoyed the additional blessings of God’s provision through water and wells.

This chapter goes beyond history into theology. It gives us a picture of the Heavenly Father getting a bride for His Son. The church is compared to a bride; and during this present age, the Holy Spirit is calling people to trust Christ and be “married to…Him.” The elements involved in the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah are also involved in the marriage of Christ and His church.

Abraham passed from the scene, being one of the most important men of the Bible. By many measures his life was not perfect, but he was a man of faith, who had a real relationship with God, of remarkable obedience, and a true friend of God. Abraham was a great man, but he was only a man. God’s work passed on from one generation to the next. Now, God would carry on the work of the covenant first promised to Abraham through Isaac.