Understanding the lives of the people featured in the Bible can help Christians understand God’s plan for their own lives and the world. Some of them led exciting lives as kings, travelling hundreds of miles and exploring other cultures, or performing miracles to bring glory to God. Others live much quieter lives, with only one or two moments that shine with God’s presence compared to others.

One of the great patriarchs of Israel was Isaac, son of Abraham and father of Jacob. Compared to the Father of Nations and a man who wrestled with God, Isaac can be easily overlooked. Careful study shows a character whose life foreshadowed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, teaches faith in things unseen, and serves to show the importance of good parenting. Isaac may not have called down fire from Heaven or parted the Red Sea, but he loved his God and is someone to whom believers today can relate.

Who Was Isaac?

The Book of Genesis details the entire life of Isaac. He was a miracle child, greatly desired by his parents Abraham and Sarah. They were advanced in years, and never had children. Sarah was ninety and Abraham was 100 when he was born. Isaac was such a miracle, that Sarah laughed at the very idea that she would have a baby when a messenger from God told Abraham about it:

“Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?’” (Genesis 17:11-12).

Her despair reached such depths she encouraged Abraham to have a child with her handmaid Hagar, who conceived a son named Ishmael. After Isaac’s birth, tensions began to build between the two women and the half-brothers. At Sarah’s encouragement, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away, with God’s promise that He would take care of them. 

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At a casual glance, looking at the Bible from an earthly frame of mind, God’s behavior and character can appear different in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament.  Many dismiss and reject God and a Biblical worldview because of a perception that God is only benevolent and kind in the second half of the book, while displaying a violent and wrathful temperament in the first half. Jesus seems so kind as He heals the blind and raises Lazarus from the dead, while Jehovah sent a cataclysmic flood to wipe out humanity and seemed to allow people groups to be eliminated on a whim.

Further study about the character of God, man’s sinful nature, and God’s overall plan for bringing humanity closer to Him and His character reveals that God’s nature has remained consistent, loving, and holy. God is not violent, rather, both a merciful savior and a righteous judge simultaneously.

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The Book of Revelation gives many wondrous glimpses into the future. It is full of images that chill and terrify, as well as uplift and give great hope to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John wrote down everything shown to him through visions while he lived in exile on the island of Patmos. One of those visions was of the greatest wedding feast to ever occur, known as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. In attendance are countless multitudes from every corner of the world, and the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus. After being shown this prophecy, John was told what it was.

“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’” (Revelation 19:9). This feast will take place when all of the church, often compared to a bride, has been taken up to Heaven, with everyone united with their Savior, the bridegroom.

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Many Christians love the story about how they came to faith in Jesus Christ. They enjoy letting others know about how the burdens of their sins left them, taken away by the love of God.

Certain words carry weight and significance in Christian culture and the lexicon. One of the words believers use to describe this experience is “redeemed.” When someone experiences the joy of salvation, part of that elation stems from realizing the price of the sins they committed has been paid by another, and they are free from sin and shame. Because of this freedom, Christians can have a relationship with their Creator and Savior.

Jesus redeemed people from the punishment of their sins to have an eternal relationship with Him, serve Him in this life, and be free from the temptations of the flesh.

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The Mark of Cain was most likely a physical mark left by God on Cain’s head, which demonstrated to the world He had God’s protection; ultimately, the Bible does not need to go into more detail, because what the specific mark was is not important, rather the love of God’s forgiveness and mercy is the important message.

No matter what difficulties appear in an individual’s life, Romans 8:37 reminds readers that they are "more than conquerers," because Jesus has already ensured their eternal salvation. God wants to be Father to all, and it is okay to cry out to Him as a child. Being an heir means having intimate access to the Father.

God is so big, so good, and so beyond the mortal mind. There are many ways for people to learn more about God, and yet He is still so incomprehensible. One of the many attributes of God that makes Him so big is His holiness. It is an abstract idea that people understand is related to goodness, that sin offends Him, and that it is something to which each person should aspire. Holiness is the natural state of God and the opposite of man’s sinful nature. Holiness is the state of perfection, being fully sanctified, and set apart. 

What Does Holy Mean?

Holiness can be an abstract concept because it is so foreign to human nature. People turn to sin and darkness, making themselves strangers to God and His holy nature. It is the opposite of sin – goodness, love, and wisdom.

To demonstrate what it means to be holy, God first set apart the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be a holy nation to demonstrate to the world what it meant to live holy and for God. He instituted the law to show what was right and wrong, as well as to institute rules to help keep people clean, saying, “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground” (Leviticus 11:44).

Of course, Jesus would later clarify that it is not what someone brings into their body that defiles them and makes them unrighteous, but what comes out of the mouth and the heart. Today, striving for holiness means having a relationship with God defined by obedience to His will and being shaped to have His character; “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

Being holy makes the believer set apart from the evils of the world and useful for His kingdom.

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Biblical guidance is something that Christians hold in high esteem. They want to live according to God’s precepts, under His guidance, and righteously. For varying reasons, some individuals have a crisis of conscience about the food they eat. Whether they wish to give up meat, eat in alignment with Jewish customs, or other personal decisions, they want to know what the Bible says about godly behavior, including whether or not meat is okay to eat.

Should people take a life if they don’t have to? Does the Levitical law apply to the church? Was man even meant to consume flesh in the first place? The Bible does address these questions, though sometimes it is indirectly.

Though humanity may not have eaten meat in the Garden of Eden, the Fall changed everything, and man’s ability to have a relationship with God was altered. To be clean before God, they had to be clean physically as well, but the blood of Jesus cleanses man thoroughly. Man’s relationship with God changed his relationship with meat.

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God’s Word is straight-forward. There is no codex to these numbers; they are numbers God chooses to use to communicate to His people. The number three tells us about Him. It is a holy number that relates to harmony and new life, as well as the triune nature of God.

The mustard seed in Jesus’ example symbolizes the potential in faith. When a believer begins their journey, they have just begun to learn about how much God loves them, how much He wants to do for them, and all that He has for them. By following God’s plan, Christians will do great things for Him, even with the small faith they have at the beginning of their walk.

One of the great hurts in the world is the plague, a great manifestation of how the whole earth is broken by sin. Disease, famine, or swarms of pests are all problems that cycle through from time to time, but when they reap abnormally high levels of destruction, they cement their place in local or sometimes global history as a plague. People suffer, and it seems pointless.

The Bible is not silent on the topic of plagues; in fact, it seems replete with them. Some of the most memorable moments in the history recorded in the Bible are plagues. Throughout the Old Testament, plagues reflect a people’s standing with God, though after the death and resurrection of Christ, they become reminders of how fallen the world is, and that He will be coming again.

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The root of evil is rebellion against God, His nature and His will. People cave into their fleshly desires, whether instinctively or intentionally, when they set themselves against God. The Bible makes it clear that God is love; He is the source of love, the giver of true life, and because of that love will continue into eternity, since He is eternal.

Hate is the sinful opposition to that love. It is the driving force behind much of the wicked action people take. Sometimes it is hating others, hating a process, or hating oneself.

God’s Word has much to say on the topic, emphasizing its toxic influence, pernicious nature, and how much it hurts the Lord. It is a selfish emotion that sets man against his creator and his brethren, damaging everything it touches because it allows people to see their fellow man as not also made in the image of God; to know the love of God is to be touched by true love, and embracing that enables people to overcome the fleshly drive to hate, and become more Christ-like.

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Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” There's some debate about what exactly this verse means, if it's positive or negative. But one thing is for certain: Christians influence one another all the time. So, are you influencing your brothers and sisters for better or worse?

What drives people? There are some who say it is the material urges of survival, others say anger and hate. However, love of country, love of family, even love of self can rally people to powerful action, even if that love is misplaced.

The Bible says that mankind is made in the image of God, and that God is love. Its pages are full of people driven by love, responding to love, and obeying God in love. If Jesus Christ is the primary subject of the Bible, then love is the theme. The greatest act of love in history was when Jesus Christ died to pay for the sins of the world.

The word love appears in the Bible hundreds of times, and though it is not the most used word in the Bible, it is one of the central themes and driving forces of God’s Word.

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