Week of Monday, January 10 – Sunday, January 16
Blessed – Man as Chaplain
“Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.” – Genesis 25:8-11 ESV
Surely you have picked up on the “Blessed” fad. For several years now, that word has populated social media posts and adorned T-shirts, bumper stickers, wall-hangings, etc. I wonder if half the people who post, wear, or hang that stuff truly know what being “blessed” really means. But beyond all the hype is the reality of God’s blessing. Honestly, one of my great desires as a father and a grandfather is for my children and grandchildren to know, love, and serve my God and experience His grace, favor, and blessing.
But if our families are to walk with our God and experience His blessing, they’ve got to see some things in our lives that will impart that desire. That is a big part of a man’s role as Chaplain. What was it that Isaac saw in the life of Abraham that motivated him to say: “I don’t care about what’s down in Egypt, I don’t want what the godless people in this land have to offer, I want to walk with the God of my father and experience His blessing!” For one thing, Isaac watched his father Abraham walk with God through times of trial and testing.
We just read about one of those times back in Genesis 22. After 25 years, God had delivered on His promise to give Abraham a son through whom He would bless the world. And no doubt when Isaac was a little boy, his father Abraham would pick him up and look into his eyes and say: “Isaac, everything God has given me is wrapped up in you. I waited 100 years of my life for you. I love you with all my heart, you’re the apple of my eye.” Abraham had raised him right, he had poured his heart and soul into this boy, and had him by his side always. Yet God asked of Abraham the unthinkable: “Offer your beloved son as a sacrifice.” Talk about a test for Abraham as a Chaplain! For Isaac, it was intensely personal—he was the one about to die! Yet at the last second, God stopped it, and provided a ram for the sacrifice. Isaac saw in his father Abraham a man who didn’t waver, falter, or hesitate to trust and obey God even in the most difficult of circumstances. He saw his father worship God, set up altars, offer sacrifices, and cry out to God in prayer. Do our kids and grandkids see the same in us?
See, God’s blessing is not an accident, nor is it automatic. It is His gracious response to our trust and obedience. Abraham modeled that for his son Isaac. That is God’s call for us as men. Sadly, there’s a shortage of men who will stand as spiritual leaders in the home and say: “As for me and for my house, we will serve the Lord.” But Abraham was such a man, and the Bible says here in Genesis 25:11 that after Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac.
What a consolation for Father Abraham to close his eyes in death, knowing that his son Isaac would be blessed of God! I don’t know about you, but I could close my eyes in death satisfied knowing that my children and grandchildren would be blessed of God after I’m gone. They may never make a million, hold a high office, or be famous, but if they’ll love and live for Jesus, they will indeed be blessed, and I can leave this world a happy man. For me, that’s what it means to be “blessed.”
Blessed – Man as Chaplain
“Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.” – Genesis 25:8-11 ESV
Surely you have picked up on the “Blessed” fad. For several years now, that word has populated social media posts and adorned T-shirts, bumper stickers, wall-hangings, etc. I wonder if half the people who post, wear, or hang that stuff truly know what being “blessed” really means. But beyond all the hype is the reality of God’s blessing. Honestly, one of my great desires as a father and a grandfather is for my children and grandchildren to know, love, and serve my God and experience His grace, favor, and blessing.
But if our families are to walk with our God and experience His blessing, they’ve got to see some things in our lives that will impart that desire. That is a big part of a man’s role as Chaplain. What was it that Isaac saw in the life of Abraham that motivated him to say: “I don’t care about what’s down in Egypt, I don’t want what the godless people in this land have to offer, I want to walk with the God of my father and experience His blessing!” For one thing, Isaac watched his father Abraham walk with God through times of trial and testing.
We just read about one of those times back in Genesis 22. After 25 years, God had delivered on His promise to give Abraham a son through whom He would bless the world. And no doubt when Isaac was a little boy, his father Abraham would pick him up and look into his eyes and say: “Isaac, everything God has given me is wrapped up in you. I waited 100 years of my life for you. I love you with all my heart, you’re the apple of my eye.” Abraham had raised him right, he had poured his heart and soul into this boy, and had him by his side always. Yet God asked of Abraham the unthinkable: “Offer your beloved son as a sacrifice.” Talk about a test for Abraham as a Chaplain! For Isaac, it was intensely personal—he was the one about to die! Yet at the last second, God stopped it, and provided a ram for the sacrifice. Isaac saw in his father Abraham a man who didn’t waver, falter, or hesitate to trust and obey God even in the most difficult of circumstances. He saw his father worship God, set up altars, offer sacrifices, and cry out to God in prayer. Do our kids and grandkids see the same in us?
See, God’s blessing is not an accident, nor is it automatic. It is His gracious response to our trust and obedience. Abraham modeled that for his son Isaac. That is God’s call for us as men. Sadly, there’s a shortage of men who will stand as spiritual leaders in the home and say: “As for me and for my house, we will serve the Lord.” But Abraham was such a man, and the Bible says here in Genesis 25:11 that after Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac.
What a consolation for Father Abraham to close his eyes in death, knowing that his son Isaac would be blessed of God! I don’t know about you, but I could close my eyes in death satisfied knowing that my children and grandchildren would be blessed of God after I’m gone. They may never make a million, hold a high office, or be famous, but if they’ll love and live for Jesus, they will indeed be blessed, and I can leave this world a happy man. For me, that’s what it means to be “blessed.”
- What are you doing to fill your role as Chaplain and encourage your family to know, love, and serve the God you serve? Get started by leading your family to walk with God daily in His word. Text the word “Bible” to 67742 to get started.
- When God sends you through a time of testing, does your family see a man who doesn’t waver, falter, or hesitate to trust and obey God? Isaac saw that in his father and embraced his God. What can you do to facilitate that happening with your family?
- Ask God to help you be a winsome spiritual leader who inspires others to walk with and worship God.