By now, Sarah has died, Abraham has taken another wife, Keturah, and had six children by her.
Abraham bequeathed all he had to Isaac, and presented gifts to the sons of his concubines.
Later, he sent those other sons eastward, away from Isaac. Finally, at the age of about 175, Abraham "breathed his last and died in ripe old age, an old man and satisfied; and he was gathered to his people."
Abraham bequeathed all he had to Isaac, and presented gifts to the sons of his concubines.
Later, he sent those other sons eastward, away from Isaac. Finally, at the age of about 175, Abraham "breathed his last and died in ripe old age, an old man and satisfied; and he was gathered to his people."
Isaac is married to Rebekah by this time, and he prays:
"And Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived."
Another prayer, another answer from God. This time "Yes" -- with a surprise.
This prayer spans a couple of topics:
- Prayer on behalf of another (intercession) - in this case husband for wife
- Prayer concerning children
One interesting point, which may come into play as we look at prayer in the scriptures: we are not told Isaac's prayer - we are told the subject of his prayer, but not the contents of the prayer.
This prayer was definitely answered with a "yes", but what a strange bonus. I don't think Isaac requested exactly this even though we are not told what his exact prayer was, but God is fulfilling His plan and answering prayer as expected. In verse 22, Rebekah has an inquiry for the Lord, and she is answered. Is this conversation with God a new prayer or a continuation? Was she asking God why he was answering prayer in this way, to make sure that God knew what he was doing? Or is it more a concern about what is happening to her? She got quite an answer and asked no more. Just accepted, I guess grateful that the prayer was answered. From this lesson until discussion, I am taking away that God answers prayers to fulfill His plan, and acceptance and gratefulness should be part of our response even when the response seems puzzling.
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