Fear of Isaac

 

 

Gen 31:42

I’m going to be honest. As I read through this passage, I’m stumped. Nothing jumps right out as the obvious teaching I am supposed to grasp from the name of God in this verse. So I look farther back to get more context, I read the entire chapter. I now understand the story better but I am still not clear on the meaning of the “fear of Isaac”. I can’t find where this term is used again in the Bible accept for later in this chapter in vs 53 where it is used the same way as in vs 42.  I don’t find vs 53 to be  any more clarifying than vs 42. I think on the phrase literally for a few days and the life of Isaac, earlier in Genesis. I can string together some ideas about what Isaac experienced with God in his lifetime, but I am still unclear if I am on the right track or not. I decided to look into some writings of people much more studied than me to see what they discovered and interpreted about this name of God.

Jacob uses the phrase “fear of Isaac” as he is talking to his Uncle Laban. If you remember, Jacob went to Laban to seek a wife, and Laban cheated him at just about every turn. Laban had him work for seven years to earn Rachel and then tricked him at the wedding and actually gave Jacob Rachel’s sister Leah instead. Jacob worked for another seven years to earn Rachel, finally get her in marriage. Then Laban kept changing the rules on the “wages” of livestock that Jacob was managing for him. Laban changed the rules when he saw that Jacob was growing wealthy instead of himself. Every time Laban changed the rules, God changed the outcome to benefit Jacob. After Jacob’s time with Laban had been served and Laban’s wealth had grown under Jacob’s care, God told Jacob it was time to leave Laban and his land and go back to his home country with his wives, children and livestock. Jacob knew that Laban wouldn’t want him to leave because Jacob was making Laban wealthier every day, so he packed up his family secretly and headed for home when Laban was out of town. When Laban returned home and discovered Jacob had left, he gathered up a posse and pursued Jacob. The night before Laban reached Jacob, God came to Laban in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you, leave Jacob alone!” Laban tells Jacob that he shouldn’t have left without warning and that Jacob missed out on all of his goodbye parties and send offs, Jacob knows Laban is lying and they get into a fight. The argument culminates in vs 41 with Jacob saying, “For twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for 14 years earning your two daughters and then six more years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times! In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side-the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac-you would have sent me away empty handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why He appeared to you last night and rebuked you.”

Laban had taken advantage of Jacob, but God overruled. Jacob using the phrase “fear of Isaac” was a reminder to Laban that Jacob was being divinely protected. Fear is also a feature of respect. Those who fear God have more regard for Him than for anyone else. To fear Him is to hold Him in such high regard that all other relationships pale in comparison. This fear is actually an expression of devotion to Him, the awe and reverence kind of fear. “The fear of Isaac is our Fear as well. Because Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead, He has eliminated the terror of punishment for sin so that we can love God above all. This is fear of the Lord.” Dr John Koessler