Isaac was the only child of Abraham and Sarah. Growing up as an only child carries with it certain benefits. For one thing, sharing is just a concept you learn, not a life-and-death struggle as in most families. Only childhood also includes special challenges. You get all the attention - sometimes too much. Isaac had the added factor of parents who were old enough to be his great-grandparents. No wonder he had some special problems later when he became father of twins.
Isaac was a promise as well as a person. He had to learn to live with that fact. He was the first installment in God's promise to create a nation through Abraham. For instance, one day his father told him they were going on a camping trip. The next thing he knew, Isaac found himself tied up on an altar about to be sacrificed as a burnt offering. Fortunately, this was only a test - a test of Abraham's trust in God. An alternative sacrifice was provided.
If Isaac didn't learn anything else about God while under the knife, he certainly realized faith was serious business. His life wasn't full of accomplishments, but he kept the faith, and he passed it on. He gave God's special blessing to Jacob and continued the generations, which became God's people, Israel.
Making good choices may not lead to greatness. Perhaps you will seem to do little more than be a faithful spouse, caring parent, growing disciple of Jesus - but these are the stuff from which God makes a difference in other people's lives. In God's hands, little decisions become big.
Read about Isaac's life and his significance in: Genesis 17:15 - 35:29; Romans 9:7-10; Hebrews 11:17-20; and James 2:21-24.
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