Aging in the Bible: Isaac — The Old Man Who Could No Longer See
Genesis 25:19–34; 27:1–40; 28:1–5; 35:27–29; Hebrews 11:20
There is something especially poignant about the story of Isaac in his old age.
He had lived longer than Abraham, his father, and longer than Jacob, his son.
He had witnessed God's faithfulness through a remarkable lifetime.
He had been the child of promise, the son born to Abraham and Sarah when they were far beyond the ordinary years of parenthood.
He had known the extraordinary moment when his father took him to Mount Moriah and prepared to offer him as a sacrifice.
He had seen God provide a ram in his place.
He had received Rebekah as his wife through the remarkable providence of God.
Now he was old.
Genesis 27 opens with a simple but heartbreaking description:
"And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see..."
The man who had once looked upon the promises of God could no longer see the faces of his own sons.
But his eyesight was not the only thing being tested.
A Father Nearing the End of His Days
Isaac believed that death was approaching.
"And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death."
He called Esau, his elder son, and asked him to take his weapons, go into the field, and prepare the savory meat that he loved.
Isaac wanted to eat the meal and give Esau his blessing before he died.
There was a problem, however.
Years earlier, before the boys were born, God had told Rebekah:
"The elder shall serve the younger." (Genesis 25:23)
Isaac knew the family history. He knew the promise. Yet his affection for Esau, the son who hunted and brought him the food he enjoyed, appears to have influenced his intentions.
We must be careful here. Scripture does not tell us everything that was in Isaac's mind. But it does show us a family in which parental affection, personal preference, and God's revealed purposes were not always moving in the same direction.
Rebekah overheard the conversation.
She remembered what God had said, and she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She called Jacob, instructed him to bring two young goats, prepared the meal Isaac loved, and dressed Jacob in Esau's clothing. She even covered his hands and neck with the skins of the goats so that his father, who could no longer see, might feel the hairiness of his elder son.
Jacob was uneasy.
"What if my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver?"
His mother answered, "Upon me be thy curse, my son."
And so the deception proceeded.
It is a painful episode in the history of a family that had received extraordinary promises from God.
The Hands of Esau, the Voice of Jacob
Jacob entered his father's tent carrying the food.
Isaac asked a question:
"Who art thou, my son?"
Jacob answered, "I am Esau thy firstborn."
Isaac was suspicious.
"Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not."
Jacob approached, and Isaac felt his hands.
"The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
Even then, Isaac did not recognize him.
He ate the meal and asked his son to kiss him. When Jacob came near, Isaac smelled the garments of Esau and pronounced the blessing.
"Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine."
Then came the words that would shape the future of the family:
"Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee."
Jacob received the blessing intended for Esau.
But the story was not finished.
The Trembling of an Old Man
Esau returned from the hunt.
He prepared the meal and brought it to his father, expecting the blessing.
Isaac asked, "Who art thou?"
Esau answered, "I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau."
The Bible records what happened next:
"And Isaac trembled very exceedingly."
He suddenly understood what had happened.
"Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed."
That final declaration is important.
Isaac did not attempt to withdraw the blessing.
He understood that something larger than his own intentions had taken place. The promise of God, given before the children were born, was moving forward.
Esau wept and pleaded for another blessing.
But the blessing had been given.
There is no need to excuse the deception. Rebekah and Jacob had acted dishonestly, and the consequences would follow the family for many years.
Yet God's purposes were not defeated by the failures of His people.
That is one of the great recurring truths of Genesis.
Abraham had made mistakes. Isaac had his weaknesses. Jacob had been a deceiver. Their families were far from perfect.
But the covenant promises continued.
The Old Man Still Had a Blessing to Give
Here is a detail that deserves our attention.
Isaac did not spend the remainder of his life simply nursing his disappointment.
After Jacob was sent away, Isaac called him again and deliberately blessed him.
Genesis 28:1 tells us:
"And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan."
He sent Jacob away with his father's blessing and the covenant promise that God had given Abraham.
There was no deception this time.
Isaac knew exactly whom he was blessing.
He told Jacob:
"And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
"And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham."
This is a remarkable moment.
The old man's eyesight had failed, but his understanding of the covenant remained.
He could no longer see the road ahead, but he could still point his son toward God's promises.
Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons of Isaac's old age.
We may lose abilities that once seemed indispensable. We may become dependent upon others. We may find that our influence over the circumstances of our families is diminishing.
But we are not necessarily finished.
There are still blessings to give, prayers to offer, and promises of God to pass along.
A Faith That Looked Beyond the Present
The New Testament gives Isaac a place among the heroes of faith.
Hebrews 11:20 says:
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."
Notice those last three words.
Concerning things to come.
Isaac was not merely settling an old family matter. His blessing concerned a future he would never live to see.
He did not know how Jacob's journey would unfold. He did not know the troubles that would arise between Jacob and Esau. He did not know how many years would pass before his family was reunited.
But he believed that God's promises would continue.
The writer of Hebrews remembers Isaac not for his failing eyesight, not for the family deception, and not even for the extraordinary circumstances of his birth.
He remembers him for his faith.
That is an encouraging way to be remembered.
A Long Life Comes to Its End
Isaac lived to be 180 years old.
Genesis 35:28–29 records:
"And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
"And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him."
There is a beautiful detail in that final verse.
Both sons were there.
The brothers who had struggled against one another, whose rivalry had divided their family, came together to bury their father.
We are not told what was said between them. We should not invent a reconciliation scene that Scripture does not describe.
But we know that they stood together at their father's grave.
And perhaps that is enough for us to pause and consider.
Isaac had lived through family conflict.
He had experienced disappointment and uncertainty.
He had made decisions whose consequences were beyond his control.
Yet he died an old man, full of days.
His sons buried him beside Abraham and Sarah in the family burial place.
The promises of God continued.
When Our Eyes Grow Dim
There is something about Isaac's story that speaks particularly to those of us who have reached the later years of life.
We remember when we could do things that now require assistance.
We remember when our bodies responded without complaint.
We remember when our children were young and our responsibilities seemed endless.
Now we may find ourselves depending upon those same children, or upon others, for things we once did without a second thought.
We may also carry memories of mistakes. Isaac's family history reminds us that even people who have known God for a lifetime are not immune to poor judgment.
But our hope does not rest upon a perfect record.
It rests upon a faithful God.
Isaac's eyes grew dim. His strength eventually failed. His life came to an end.
But the covenant promise he had received from his father Abraham was not buried with him.
It continued through Jacob, through the generations of Israel, and ultimately through Jesus Christ.
That is the perspective we need as we grow older.
We are not responsible for controlling the future.
We are responsible for trusting the God who holds it.
We may not see clearly what lies ahead.
We may not understand why some things happened as they did.
We may even wonder whether our remaining years can make much difference.
But we can still bless.
We can still pray.
We can still encourage our children and grandchildren.
And we can still bear witness to the goodness of God.
Isaac's eyesight failed, but the promises of God did not.
That is a good lesson for an old man.
And perhaps an even better one for anyone who is growing old.
THE LORD WILL CARRY US
"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
— Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
The Lord who carried Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through their years has not changed.
He has not forgotten us.
He will carry us, too.
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Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
What have I to dread, what have I to fear?
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
Elisha A. Hoffman, , 1887
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth
upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on
the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms: Deut 33:26-27
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