Loving One Without Hating the Other

Scripture: Now Isaac was returning from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev region. In the early evening Isaac went out to walk in the field, and looking up he saw camels coming ... Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done. And Isaac brought [Rebekah] into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah to be his wife. Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death. Genesis 24:62-63,66-67

Observation: Isaac is the most obscure of the three patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even his betrothal is about Abraham requiring he marry someone from his family and not a Canaanite. This may be the first insight into him, and that insight is ... he is sad about the death of his mother, and in his sadness he spends his evenings walking alone near the location connected with his half-brother and the slave-woman Hagar.

This seems like an odd location for Isaac to live, as it is associated more closely with a period in which Abraham and Sarah were confused about the Lord's promises in his life. The result was the anger of Sarah, whom Isaac now morns. Isaac now spends his evenings visiting the well where Hagar received words of encouragement, was told to return to Sarah, and thus the young Isaac would have known Hagar and Ishmael, yet there would always be an element of discomfort in their relationship.

Isaac seems to have big emotions. He is clearly grieving his mom's death, but also seems to have a connection to the slave woman whom his mom grew to dislike. He will eventually love his oldest son greatly, and thus will be emotionally distraught when tricked by the younger son into misplacing his blessing, yet will allow his blessing to stand with the younger. Isaac, it would appear, had the capacity to love deeply, but at the same time not 'hate' anyone who was different or even in conflict with that which he loved. The result seems to be a prevailing peace, as Isaac will seemingly live his life in Canaan without significant conflict with any of the other people around him.

Application: So much of our "issues" today in society evolve from the 'us vs. them' setup of ... everything. Many, many of us feel we belong to a people-group - by race, political party, gender, country, or even some relatively small opinion on a singular topic - and we develop two emotions around this position. First, we love our group. Second, we hate the other group. This creates so much division in society that conflict seems unavoidable.

I wish we could all understand Isaac's example. Isaac clearly had deep love, but with regards to the forces that were not the things and people he loved deeply, he felt ... love also, or at least some level of connection and understanding. And if that shift in attitude toward the "other side" could create an air of peace, how greatly that could improve all our lives, so much more than any effort to influence or change others into another way of thinking.

Yes, there are ideals that are wrong and to be resisted. I do hope I don't hate people with those ideals, however.

Prayer: Lord, our society is so divided, in so many ways. May I have the heart of Isaac, even if it means appearing naive to the world. I would much rather be at peace following your ways and wise by your standards, than be thought of well by earthly standards while embroiled by the conflicts of this world. Amen.