A Family Divided
Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-40 God chose Abraham, and promised to bless him and through Abraham to bless the whole earth. After Abraham, the blessing passed to Isaac and then to Jacob. The blessing then was passed down through the descendants of Jacob through David until the birth of the promised Messiah. Jesus is the promise personified. It is through Jesus that all the nations on earth are blessed. It is Jesus that Abraham accepted and looked forward to by faith. The story of the fulfilling of the promise is one of incredible miracles, providence and provision. It is also one of sorrow and heartache. For example, Abraham’s firstborn son was actually Ishmael. Abraham pleaded with God to bless Ishmael and God told Abraham that He would bless Ishmael, but the promise would be through Isaac. The story of Ishmael reflects the sorrow and heartache of which I speak. From a strictly human point of view, this might be explained because the boys had different mothers. Howe