The Story of Isaac, Abraham’s Son

亚伯拉罕的儿子以撒的故事

以撒是亚伯拉罕和撒拉的儿子，是上帝应许的，是他们晚年出生的。 亚伯拉罕非常爱他的儿子。 当以撒成长为一个小男孩时，上帝通过告诉亚伯拉罕将他的儿子献上作为燔祭来考验亚伯拉罕。 亚伯拉罕虽然心中充满悲痛，但还是毫不犹豫地顺服了上帝的话，带着以撒上了山。 亚伯拉罕虽然很受伤，很困惑，但他相信上帝会提供一条出路，他不会失去儿子。

亚伯拉罕捆绑以撒的时候，主的使者拦住了他，说：“不要对这孩子下手，”他说。 “不要对他做什么。 现在我知道你敬畏上帝，因为你没有将你的儿子，你的独生子不给我。”

上帝为亚伯拉罕和以撒预备了一只公羊作为燔祭。 亚伯拉罕筑了一座祭坛，并把这个地方命名为耶和华以勒，意思是“耶和华必预备”。

许多年后，当以撒到了结婚的年龄时，亚伯拉罕召来了他最可靠的仆人，并在这个时候中赋予他一项重要的工作。 他吩咐仆人为他的儿子在一个合适的家庭中，物色一位愿意和他一起献身事奉上帝的妻子。

仆人来到一个叫拿鹤的小镇，在一个井旁停下来祷告说：“主啊，我主人亚伯拉罕的上帝，求祢使我今天成功，向我的主人亚伯拉罕施恩。 看啊，我站在这泉水旁边，镇民的女儿们都出来打水了。 当我向哪一个女子说，‘请你拿下水瓶来，给我水喝，她若说，请喝，我也给你的骆驼喝’，愿那女子就作祢所预定给祢仆人以撒的妻。这样，我便知道祢施恩给我主人了。”

正当他祷告时，一位名叫利百加的妇人来到井边。 她非常漂亮，出身于一个合适地家庭。 仆人对她说：“请把你罐子里的水给我。” 利百加不仅给他水喝，还为他的骆驼打水。 仆人观察她，见主成就了他的祷告，就赞美主。

他去了她的家人，告诉他们他的祈祷和发生的事情，问丽百加是否愿意和他一起。 她同意了，她的家人说：“这件事是从主来的； 带着她去吧，让她照主所吩咐的话成为你主人儿子的妻子。” 圣经《创世记》告诉我们，利百加和仆人一起去了，她嫁给了以撒，他非常爱她，当他的母亲撒拉去世时，她安慰了他。

以撒和利百加有两个儿子 - 大儿子是以东和亚玛力人的父亲以扫，以及后来被称为以色列的雅各。 利百加快要生产的时候，心里有一种奇怪的挣扎，她很担心。 为了回应她的祈祷，主向她启示说，她将有一对双胞胎，每个孩子都将成为一个独立国家的领袖。 一个国家会比另一个国家强大，大孩子会为小孩子服务。 有一天，弥赛亚将通过以色列诞生，履行与亚伯拉罕所立的约，并为全人类重建与天父的爱的关系。


讨论问题：

Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, promised by God and born to them late in life. Abraham loved his son very much. When Isaac grew to be a young boy, God tested Abraham by telling him to take his son and offer him as a burnt sacrifice. Though filled with sadness and grief, Abraham obeyed God's words without hesitation and took Isaac to the mountain. Though he was very hurt and confused, Abraham had faith that God would provide a way out and that he would not lose his son.

At the moment that Abraham tied up Isaac, the angel of the Lord stopped him and said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

God had provided a ram for Abraham and Isaac to sacrifice as a burnt offering. Abraham built an altar and named the place Jehovah-jireh which means "the Lord provides".

Many years later when Isaac was of age to be married, Abraham called for his most dependable servant and bestowed upon him an important job in this story.  He commanded the servant to search out and find his son a wife from a good family that would join him in devotion to God. 

The servant traveled to a town called Nahor and stopped by a well to pray, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this, I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

As he was praying, a woman named Rebekah approached the well. She was very beautiful and from a good family. The servant requested to her, “Please give me water from your jar.”  Rebekah not only gave him water to drink, she also drew water for his camels. The servant observed her and saw that the Lord had delivered his prayer, and he praised the Lord.

He went to her family and told them about his prayer and what had happened, asking if Rebekah would join him. She agreed and her family said, “This is from the Lord; take her and go, and let her become the word of your master’s son as the Lord has directed.”  Genesis tells us that Rebekah went with the servant and she married Isaac and he loved her greatly and she comforted him when Sarah, his mother died.

Isaac and Rebekah would have two sons- Esau, father of the Edomites and the Amalekites, and Jacob, who would later be called Israel. When Rebekah was about to give birth, she felt a strange struggle within her, and she was worried. In answer to her prayer the Lord revealed to her that she would have twins and that each child would become the leader of a separate nation. One nation would be stronger than the other, and the older child would serve the younger. Through Israel, the Messiah would one day be born, fulfilling the covenant made to Abraham and reestablishing a loving relationship with the Father for all mankind.


Discussion Questions: