What is the Fear of Isaac?

Response

The Fear of Isaac is a lesser-known name of God in the Bible, appearing only once in Genesis 31.

Jacob refers to God as the Fear of Isaac in this instance. The context is Jacob’s departure from his uncle Laban after serving him for twenty years. Jacob recounts the harsh treatment he endured: Laban deceived him, cheated him, and altered his wages repeatedly, saying, “I have been in your house for twenty years: I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your livestock, and you changed my wages ten times” «Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. », (Genesis 31:41). Jacob faced numerous hardships: “The heat consumed me by day, and the cold by night, and sleep fled from my eyes” «Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. », (Genesis 31:40). Additionally, Jacob had to bear any losses in business so Laban wouldn’t suffer. Despite this, God blessed Laban because of Jacob.

Jacob’s perspective on both God and Laban is clear: “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty-handed” «Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight. », (Genesis 31:42). Laban, driven by greed, sought to take everything Jacob had; in Jacob’s eyes, only God prevented Laban’s deceitful plan from succeeding.

To resolve their conflict, Jacob and Laban set aside their antagonism and made a mutual covenant that neither one would do harm to the other. Jacob sealed the covenant with “an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac” «The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. », (Genesis 31:53), and then he offered a sacrifice to the Fear of Isaac (verse 54).

In this passage, Jacob refers to the Lord God by three titles: “the God of my father,” “the God of Abraham,” and “the Fear of Isaac.” By calling God “the Fear of Isaac,” Jacob was acknowledging that his father, Isaac, feared God and worshiped Him exclusively. Yahweh is described as “the fearsome God of Isaac” (NLT) or “the Feared One” (AMP) and was the object of Isaac’s worship. It’s noteworthy that Jacob does not refer to God as the “Fear of Abraham”—“Abraham was dead, and gone to that world where there is no fear” (Joseph Benson, Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments). In heaven, Abraham knew no fear, because “perfect love drives out fear” «There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. », (1 John 4:18).

Jacob was justified in addressing God as the Fear of Isaac, and Isaac was right to have a holy reverence and godly fear. Jesus said, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” «But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. », (Luke 12:5). Throughout the Bible, the fear of God is consistently upheld as appropriate.

ate and wise:

“The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread” «Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. », (Isaiah 8:13).

“For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods” «For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. », (1 Chronicles 16:25).

“It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?” «Thou, even thou, art to be feared: And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? », (Psalm 76:7).

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” «The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding. », (Proverbs 9:10).

The Fear of Isaac is the One who made heaven and earth by His great power «Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: », (Jeremiah 32:17), who “displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm” and “never lets the guilty go unpunished” «The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. », (Nahum 1:3, NLT), and who “watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth” «The LORD is in his holy temple, The

The LORD’s throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men. », (Psalm 11:4, NLT). In fearing God, Isaac submitted to Him, reverently served Him, and regarded Him more highly than anyone else.

The Fear of Isaac is still on the heavenly throne, and He should be our Fear as well.