The Reason Isaac Was Chosen As Heir Of Abraham

As we already know, Abraham represents God. For this reason, the heir of Abraham comes to represent the heir of God who can inherit the kingdom of heaven. In the bible, we can see three candidates for the heir of Abraham: Eliezer, Ishmael, Isaac. Among them Isaac was the one who was chosen as the heir of Abraham. Then why could he be chosen as heir? This contains a very important message about the heir of God and we have to know the reason.

Since Abraham had no child until his old age, he decided to leave his property to his servant. The servant must have been smart, diligent, and faithful. Abraham must have seen many good things in him and he came to a conclusion that he was good enough to be the heir and head of the household after he died. Even though he might have many good qualities and be qualified to be the heir of Abraham due to his competence, he was not chosen as the heir. It was because he was born out of parents who had been the slaves in the house of Abraham.

The second candidate for the heir was Ishmael who was the firstborn son of Abraham. According to the law of primogeniture of the time, the firstborn son could inherit the property of the father. He was qualified to be the heir of Abraham more than anyone else according to the law. And also Abraham wanted him to be the heir of his household. But God rejected him too with the condition that the heir of Abraham must be born from Sarah, the legitimate wife of Abraham. Since Ishmael was born from a slave girl, he could not be the heir of Abraham.

The last candidate for the heir was Isaac. He was the youngest one and he might not have been as smart or talented as Eliezer or Ishmael. He might not be as handsome as them. Or he might not have been as strong as them. All these qualities did not matter in choosing the heir of Abraham. The only condition was that he must be born of Sarah.

Genesis 17:19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Isaac could be the heir of Abraham only because of Sarah, his mother, who was free. Through this story as parable, God is teaching us about the heirs of God who would inherit the kingdom of heaven. The reason one can become the heir of God is not because of his or her abilities or character. He or she can be chosen as heir of God only because of the spiritual Sarah, God the Mother. The children of God the Mother is called the children of promise like Isaac and they can become the heirs of God.

Galatians 4:28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

We can be the children of God through the free woman, the spiritual Sarah. God the Mother is the reason we could be chosen as children and as heirs of God. Even though we are not the VIPs and men of influence in this world, Mother has chosen us and allowed us to be her children by giving her flesh and blood through the Passover. As Paul said to the saints of the early churches, not many of us were wise or influential when we were called. However, by the grace of God we are called to be children. Let us follow Heavenly Mother to the end with a joyful and thankful mind.