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Jan 22 pandering to the flesh
January 22
22_Pandering to the flesh
Gen 26: 1-5 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
President Abraham Lincoln once remarked, “True discipline is choosing between what we want now and what we need most.” These words resonate through the life of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Isaac was a man who lived in the shadow of an extraordinary father, and had an extraordinary son, Jacob. His life teaches us the cost of indulging the desires of the flesh even while living in the light of God’s covenant.
Isaac’s life began in fulfilment of a miraculous promise. He was the son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. He was a child of laughter and fulfillment after 25 years of waiting on God’s promise. As the beloved son of a man who walked with God, Isaac grew up hearing stories of God’s grace, and of faith, obedience, and the divine covenant. His father’s life experiences became Isaac’s treasury.
He could never have forgotten the day when he was at Mount Moriah. It was a time of both terror and trust. Isaac was no longer a baby or a young child. He must have willingly allowed himself to be bound and placed on the altar. He, as well as Abraham, demonstrated his faith in God through his obedient submission to his father. This deep reverence for God led Jacob, Isaac’s son, to later refer to Him as “the fear of Isaac.”
As Isaac matured, he demonstrated a heart inclined toward God. After his mother Sarah passed away, we see him walking in the fields, meditating. When Rebekah was brought to him as a bride, it marked the end of his mourning and the beginning of a new chapter. He prayed earnestly for Rebekah through 20 years of barrenness, showing faith in the same God who had miraculously given Sarah a son in her old age. His prayer was answered with the birth of twins, Esau and Jacob.
Isaac was also a peacemaker. When in Philistine country, the inhabitants disputed his right to the well that his servants had dug. He chose not to quarrel and instead, he moved away and dug another well. He did this four times, until finally they let him be. He named this well Rehoboth, declaring, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Isaac’s actions reflected a deep trust in God’s providence rather than a reliance on strife to secure material blessings.
Despite these admirable qualities, Isaac had a weakness: his love for food. It seems like a trivial flaw, but indulging the flesh in seemingly small ways can cloud our judgment, topple our priorities, and lead to spiritual compromise. Isaac’s preference for Esau over Jacob was rooted in his appetite for the venison Esau brought him. This favoritism disrupted his unity with his wife. It fostered jealousy between his sons. It led to a chain of events that separated Jacob from his family for twenty years.
Isaac’s love for Esau’s venison may have led him to encourage Esau’s godless lifestyle. Esau became a man driven by his impulses. He did not revere God who had made a covenant with his fathers. He had no sense of responsibility in being part of a family chosen to be a blessing to the world. He did not hesitate to marry idolatrous Hittite women from the surrounding nations, for he had no knowledge of the God of his fathers. Yet Isaac’s foolish and fleshly indulgence blinded him to all this, leaving Esau to chart a path of self-will and rebellion.
The climax of Isaac’s struggle with fleshly desires came when he sought to bless Esau. He knew this was in defiance of God’s revealed will. Rebekah received God’s prophecy that the older would serve the younger even before the children were born. Perhaps remembering this, she masterminded a plan to deceive Isaac into blessing Jacob while Esau was away from home. When Isaac realized what had happened, he was initially shaken. But we note that he submitted to God’s sovereignty. He affirmed the blessing the had given Jacob unawares. He even blessed Jacob a second time, and this time he fully recognized God’s purposes. This moment of surrender reflects Isaac’s true faith in God despite his earlier failings.
Isaac’s later years were marked by the fruit of this faith. He witnessed Jacob’s return in fulfilment of God’s covenant promises. Jacob came back from serving Laban with a large family and great wealth. Perhaps Isaac’s godly influence in his younger years left a lasting impression on Jacob, who boldly declared to Laban, “The God of my father was with me.”
Isaac’s life also had a ripple effect on future generations. Joseph, the great-grandson of Isaac, had Isaac at home for the first 24 years of his life. Hearing the stories of Abraham’s faith and Isaac’s experiences may have shaped Joseph’s own unwavering trust in God. Even in the face of betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment, Joseph held onto the promises of God. At the end of his life, he gave instructions for his bones to be carried back to Canaan. He demonstrated the same faith in God’s promises that had been instilled in him through the legacy of Isaac.
Isaac’s self-indulgence in his appetite for food had far-reaching consequences, causing pain and division within his family. Yet God brought him out through his repentance and faith. Ultimately he is defined by his faith as a man who blessed his sons regarding things to come, honoring God’s plan rather than his own preferences.
Let us examine our lives in this light? Let us search out the small fleshly indulgences that lead us away from God’s will? The appetite for comfort, success, or approval may seem natural and harmless, but they will take precedence over our love for God. Thus, they can disrupt our relationships, derail our spiritual growth, and hinder our testimony.
Like Isaac, God will show us our foolish and sinful compromises and disobedience. If we humbly repent and let go of our desires, aligning ourselves with his way, he will meet us with forgiveness and restoration. The apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:16, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Obeying the Spirit’s voice will ensure that we resist the temptation to satisfy ourselves and bring glory to God’s perfect and acceptable will.
Isaac’s shortcomings did not derail God’s purposes. When we repent, God is faithful to complete the work He began in us. Let us commit ourselves to choosing the will of God over our own wants. His will is our greatest need and good. Like Isaac, let us end well as those who have persevered in faith and walked with God.
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