Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20000102.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part III - God's Ongoing Program Of Countering Man's Apostasy At Babel
P. Round Fifteen - Trusting God When The Human Support Pillars Depart
(Genesis 25:1-11; 24:67 with 62)
  1. Introduction
    1. When we loose a spiritual giant by way of his or her passing from this life or by way of that one's moving to another part of the world, we often feel that a great void is left in our lives. The same goes for the loss of a parent or sibling due to death or their moving to another part of the world.
    2. The fact remains that spiritual giants and other human support pillars are transitory. We need insight and direction on what to do in addressing the void that such losses create when they do occur.
    3. At both Sarah's and Abraham's passing, Isaac functioned in a way that instructs us on the direction to take in addressing the void left by the loss of our family or spiritual mentor support pillars:
  2. Trusting God When The Human Support Pillars Depart, Genesis 25:1-11; 24:67 with 62.
    1. Isaac's development years were marked by repeated losses of family and other spiritual support pillars:
      1. He lost contact with his half-brother, Ishmael for the sake of the covenant's preservation, Gen. 21:8-14.
      2. He lost his beloved and godly mother, Sarah through death, Genesis 23:1-2.
      3. He lost contact with more half-brothers brothers after Abraham married and had more sons, Gn. 25:1-6
      4. Finally, he lost his father in death, leaving himself and Rebecca to bear the family torch, Gen. 25:7-8.
    2. What is of note to us is that when Abraham next died, Isaac joined the formerly-estranged Ishmael to bury his father, indicating they had reconciled, Genesis 25:7-10; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV ftn., Genesis 25:9.
    3. This event coupled with the following additional observations reveals Isaac sensed a loss of family and other human support pillars in his development, and we note how he effectively handled it as follows:
      1. Right after Abraham's death, Isaac dwelt by the well of Lahairoi (Gen. 25:11) where Ishmael's mother, Hagar had found God's help when all was void for her in the desert (in fleeing from Sarah), Gn. 16:6-14
      2. For Isaac, this spot was habitually used to redirect his sense of loss of human supports, teaching him to depend on the Lord to fill the void he felt from losing such supports (as follows):
        1. When Isaac lost his mother, he focused on meditating at the well of Lahairoi, G en. 21:33-34; 23:1-2; 24:67 with 62: (a) We know that before his death, Abraham lived for a long time at the well of Beer-sheba, Gen. 21:33-34. We assume that Isaac lived with him during this time as well. (b) However, when Sarah died, Isaac spent time dealing with the loss of his mother by meditating at the well of Lahairoi, and actually dwelt in the area, cf. Genesis 23:1-2; 24:67 with 24:62:
        2. His dwelling at well of Lahairoi also helped Isaac deal with the death of his father, Genesis 25:1-11: When Abraham died, Isaac used the well of Lahairoi to handle his void like he had with his mother's passing: he lived there, drawing from its lessons of the past .
        3. The fact that this well was a turning point for the welfare of Ishmael whom Isaac joined at his father's funeral implies Isaac drew solace from the well's lesson on the split with each of his half-brothers! (a) Apparently after Sarah's death, Abraham took another wife, Keturah, who had been his concubine, Genesis 25:1; Bible Knowledge Commentary, O.T., p. 68. (b) Through this union, more sons were born who fathered a number of Arab peoples, Gen. 25:2-4, Ibid. (c) However, aware that God wanted only Isaac as the promised heir, Abraham sent all these other sons away as he had sent Ishmael, Gen. 25:5-6. (d) Since Isaac apparently drew solace over the split with Ishmael at the well of Lahairoi, he undoubtedly used its lesson to handle his grief in separation with Keturah's sons!
        4. The well's name, "Lahairoi" literally means, "Well of the Living One Who Sees Me," Ibid., p. 57!
        5. Isaac thus found this well consoling and directing him with the insight that God was aware of his sense of void as the Living God Who fills the void of those who lose human pillar supports!
Lesson: Isaac dealt with the LOSS of his family support pillars by making GOD his Pillar INSTEAD.

Application: To deal with the sense of emptiness upon the loss of other human support pillars in our lives, God wants us to shift our dependency for fulfillment away from these support pillars that we knew in the pas t to see in Himself our truly ABIDING Rock of Support, Sustenance and Fulfillment!