The story of Isaac

Isaac has always been a shadowy figure for me. Most of the time, his name goes between his father and his son. We know quite a bit about his father Abraham and his son Jacob. As for Isaac, other than the story of his father offering him up as a holocaust and the name of his wife, Rebekah, very little is known. His life is forever overshadowed by his father and his son. However, it is only our fault. Genesis has something more to say about him. Bible teachers seldom talk about Isaac to their students and we are too lazy to study his life in greater details ourselves. So, let's get to know more about Isaac.

Sarah died at the age of 127 (Genesis 23:1). Isaac was then 37. Three years later, Isaac married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20). Genesis has this to say.
Then Isaac brought her into the tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death (Genesis 24:67).
It sounds a bit curious. Isaac was not comforted for three years. What does it mean? Did he mourn for his mother for three years? Some scholars speculate that Isaac was traumatized by the sacrifice event. He remained attached to Sarah for thirty years. It was probable.
What did Abraham do after burying Sarah? Genesis tells us that Abraham married another woman called Keturah (Genesis 25:1). She bore Abraham six more children.
She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah (Genesis 25:2-4).
Again, it sounds curious. It is impossible to know the gender of Zimran, Medan, Ishbak and Shuah becaue only the children of Jokshan and Midian were named. Were the other four children girls? The last part of 25:4 is the most curious. Were they not grandchildren rather than children of Keturah? I don't want to think of them as children of incest.
Abraham might have tried to compensate for what he had done to Isaac.
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.
But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country (Genesis 25:5-6).

That was all Abraham could do to Isaac, giving him a wife and all that he had.
Abraham died at the age of 175 (Genesis 25:7). Isaac buried him with Sarah (Genesis 25:10).
After the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac dwelt at Beerlahairoi (Genesis 25:11).
There are a few parallel stories between Isaac and Abraham. Some scholars speculate that probably Isaac and Abraham were patriarchs of different peoples. But the editor of Genesis skilfully joined them together as father and son, using these parallel stories. This is a rather bold theory. Let take a look.
There was a famine and Isaac moved to Gerar (Genesis 26:1). Sounds familiar? Abraham had also moved to Gerar after God had destroyed Sodom (Genesis 20:1). Abimelech was the king of Gerar. In Gerar, the sister-wife story happened to Abraham. Abimelech took Sarah and God warned Abimelech. Abimelech gave Abraham cattle and silver in compensation. He allowed Abraham to stay in Gerar (Genesis 20).
In case of Isaac, fearing for his own life, he told the people of Gerar that Rebekah was his sister. But Abimelech saw Isaac fondling Rebekah from his window (Genesis 26:8). This time, Abimelech only warned his people not to take Rebekah and did not give any cattle or silver to Isaac. Like what he had done to Abraham, Abimelech was generous enough to allow Isaac to stay. Isaac stayed for a long time and God blessed his produce.
And Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him,
and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.
He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him (Genesis 26:12-14).

Only then did Abimelech expel Isaac who did not move too far away. He dwelled in the valley of Gerar and dug wells for his cattle.
Not another parallel story took place.
Returning from Egypt, Abraham travelled to Negeb and settled between Bethel and Ai with his nephew Lot. The land could not support them. So, they parted company.
So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley, and Lot journeyed east; thus they separated from each other.
Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:11-12)
In case of Isaac, after he had dug up the first well, there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Isaac and the herdsmen of Gerar.
So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him (Genesis 26:20b).

וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם-הַבְּאֵר עֵשֶׂק כִּי הִתְעַשְּׂקוּ עִמּוֹ

This is an etymology story.
Isaac continued to dig two more wells, suggesting that like his father Abraham, he did not contend with the people.
Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also; so he called its name Sitnah.
And he moved from there and dug another well, and over that they did not quarrel; so he called its name Rehoboth, saying, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." (Genesis 26:21-22)
After digging the third well, Isaac moved up to Beersheba. Again comes an etymology story to explain Beersheba. But this one gives an alternative interpretation to the name of Beersheba.
Abimelech came to Isaac to establish a covenant with him.
They said, "We see plainly that the LORD is with you; so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,
that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD." (Genesis 26:28-29)
Afterwards, Isaac sent them away in peace. The same day, the servants of Isaac reported that the well they dug had water.
He (Isaac) called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day (Genesis 26:33).

וַיִּקְרָא אֹתָהּ, שִׁבְעָה עַל-כֵּן שֵׁם-הָעִיר בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

This explanation is less explicit than that of Abraham's. Abimelech did visit Abraham to ask him to swear an oath that he would not deal falsely with him. Abraham swore. Later, there was a dispute over a well dug by Abraham. He brought seven ewe lambs שֶׁבַע כְּבָשֹׂת to Abimelech as a witness that he had dug the well (Genesis 21:30). Notice that the word seven is the same as swear.
Therefore that place was called Beersheba; because there both of them swore an oath (Genesis 21:31).

עַל-כֵּן, קָרָא לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא--בְּאֵר שָׁבַע: כִּי שָׁם נִשְׁבְּעוּ, שְׁנֵיהֶם

The reason of swearing an oath is the same. The dispute over wells is the same. The visit from Abimelech to demand an oath is the same. Thus the status of being a patriarch has been established, though without battles and bargaining and less colourful.

Dear Lord, Isaac was less fortunate. Yet, he remains a prototype of Yours. May we be able to show, as least as a prototype of Yours to our neighbours. Amen.