Genesis 21:8 “And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.”

In Genesis 21, Abraham and Sarah have a child called Isaac.

It’s a massive moment in their lives, and history, because he is the child that God promised Abraham right back at the start of his journey of faith.

All the promises that God made to Abraham were contingent upon him having this child, so having Isaac was kind of important.

Problem was… Abraham’s wife was barren the whole way along! And so Abraham’s faith in God’s word was truly tested, and God changed him and Sarah on that journey to this moment.

When they had finally had Isaac, he was a miracle child, something only possible through God.

And in this chapter God did “as he had said” and “as he had spoken”… and Sarah had a child “at the set time”. It’s never in doubt if God said it!

And then Abraham raised this child “as God had commanded him”… and that should be all our attitude and action as believers… if we are truly saved, we should want to obey God’s commands. That’s called being a Christian! “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

And then the verse quoted above deals with Isaac growing and being weaned, and although it may seem like a nothing verse, it actually teaches us many things about our own spiritual growth.

If you’re saved, having repented of your sins, trusted in Christ, and you are born again… you are an Isaac! You’re a child of promise, and God’s promises are yours… in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said “ye must be born again”, and our new birth is just like Isaac’s birth was in this chapter. It’s just as miraculous, powerful and necessary to inheriting and receiving God’s promises to us.

Have you been born again? Conception and birth of that new person in you begins with the seed of God’s word being planted in your heart, through the gospel, in combination with the power of Holy Spirit “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

God’s word still has as much creative power as in Genesis 1:1… no matter how barren the case right now! And that’s why we preach to people the gospel “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth”

And if you were receptive and now born again, that’s wonderful… and now that new person has to grow! As baby Isaac grew on milk from his mother, so we grow on milk also! “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”

Our diet is beautifully simple as our new life is built upon the wonderful foundational truths that will shape our journey. And we are quite dependent for nourishment early on, and that is fine.

… But we are born to grow and go, we are not meant to stay babies forever “That we henceforth be no more children…” Because it is not natural, normal or healthy if a newborn baby does not grow.

Like with every baby, there is a time where we must be weaned and our diet changes. Because it might be normal if you’re breast feeding at 6 months, but not at 6, 16 or 60 years.

And the church is meant to be able to assist the growth of a young Christian, and it’s wonderful if it is able to do that, as it should, to help people get actual saved and into the Bible for themselves.

Church is meant to point to God’s word… not to manipulate vulnerability and dependency to make believers dependent on them for their own relevance, finances, pride and power. We are not called to make anyone disciples of ourselves. It’s a celebration when a young Christian begins to draw from God’s word for themselves, weaned off dependency on others. Because Jesus said “follow me”.

Remember, the Bible calls God “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac…” you see, Isaac had to make the Lord his own God. Yes, the Lord was his father’s God… but the Lord had to be his God for himself. Much of the problems in Christianity arise from not having a true personal walk with God.

It might sound a bit rude, but as a Christian, you cannot be on someone else’s tit your whole life, and that’s not what we should be wanting to create in others also. If you’re a Christian, point others to Jesus Christ of the Bible! “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

And then there is going to be strong opposition in all of this also, because if you read on, at the time of great celebration when Isaac was weaned off his mother… he experienced great mockery and persecution also. But that’s a topic for another time!

In the meantime, salvation and growth as a Christian is a feast. Salvation is the best thing ever happened to me and the best things I’ve had in my life has been seeing others get saved and following Christ for themselves too. It’s a feast! God is good! “therefore let us keep the feast”, enjoy your salvation, and celebrate others growing in Christ also!

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