And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife ... and the Lord granted his prayer. Genesis 25:2

The horn of the diesel train sounded in the distance, awakening me in the dawn of the morning. A horn blast sounded at every crossroad, louder and louder as the engine came near. Then it faded as it passed into the hills on the other side of the city. I then considered the many crossroads that I have had in my life and meditated on the meaning for that very day.

Today across this great land of ours, and other lands of the world, the family as a strong influential, happy and powerful unit seems to be reaching its crossroads at a faster pace. Therefore, each family unit needs to be alert through the entire span of life’s great and exciting journey.

Only a short time ago, and while comparing the crossroads of the biblical family of Isaac and Rebekah, I decided, while glancing at our evening newspaper to thumb through its pages to see what crossroads our modern family may be facing. I selected some articles and posted them on sheets for my file. These were the ones discovered:

"Son gets four months on drug deal."

"Drought is bad or worse than ‘86 ... particularly tough on farmers."

"It’s a bad time when a little old lady is scared to come out on the streets," said Sgt. ____________________ supervisor of ________________ squad. It’s a bad time when children play around needles and drug dealers." "A Vietnamese woman huddles with her children Thursday after the refugees arrived on an island off Hong Kong. The government this week announced a policy designed to stem the influx of refugees."

"Bethel Home for Children ... was ordered closed last Friday when a judge ruled that its residents were subject to physical abuse, medical neglect and detention amounting to imprisonment."

Each of you has observed, in some way, the present crisis of our families in the neighborhoods, cities, and throughout this land.

What about the biblical family, like the one of Isaac and Rebekah, which our Lord created; out of which we have come; what were their strengths and weaknesses? Let’s take a look at God’s biblical family then; and reflect on its meaning for the family now. Obviously, the newspaper articles above have given us just a tiny peep into modern family crossroads.

The text of Genesis 25:19-34 gives us a look at five persons: Isaac, who was Abraham’s son; Rebekah, Isaac’s wife; Esau, older twin; and Jacob, the younger twin, and most important of all, the Lord. The verses tell us of the family of Isaac and Rebekah; the fact was that Rebekah had not conceived a child in their twenty years of marriage. This was of much concern for the early biblical woman, Rebekah, and of course to her husband, Isaac.

Our biblical family’s attitude toward children may be viewed through the opening chapter in the Bible: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion ... over every living thing that moves upon the earth ..." (Genesis 1:27-31) In Genesis Chapter 2:18 we read the explanation of God’s reasoning "Then God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him ...' " The despair of Rebekah and the disappointment of Isaac was caused by the fact that she had not been fruitful and multiplied the family with children.

They, Isaac and Rebekah, were at one of their crossroads. There was no child; what should be done? First, it is notable that this family possessed some qualities which are just as valuable in today’s family:

• A strong prayer life
• Faith and trust in the Lord
• Compassion for each family member
• Impartiality toward each person
• A sense of self-esteem and respect for each other
• Assistance so that the child might have a meaningful vocation

Isaac, as husband, showed commendable reactions. He was sensitive to his wife’s feelings; he was concerned for her because of her inability to become pregnant and therefore, multiply and help people the earth.

His first reaction was to pray to his Lord; "And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife ..." Isaac, as husband, as head of the family, went directly to the source of power in their family, the Lord. Why did he go to the Lord about this? Because of his love for his wife, who was a helper fit for him, suitable to him, meant for him; he undoubtedly felt her despair, her feelings of not being a helper, fit for or suitable to the needs which are satisfied through the birth and life of children in the home. He prayed to God. He prayed for her. He prayed for them.

As it was with Rebekah and Isaac, so it was true with Sarah an Abraham; true of Hannah and Elkanah; and also of Elisabeth and Zacharias. Each woman was barren but late in life became a mother through intervention of the Lord. They gave birth chronologically to Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, and John the Baptizer. So it was that the Lord granted his (Isaac’s) prayer, and Rebekah, his wife, conceived. In each case a crossroad of life was negotiated through prayer.

Shortly after the conception and during the pregnancy, another crossroad was reached, this time by Rebekah. We read, "The children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If it is thus, why do I live?’ " (Genesis 25:22) This is, undoubtedly, an experience that many mothers have expressed in a similar questioning. Many, too, may feel or have felt, as she did in her apparent physical and mental desperation. Spiritually, she decided: "So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her,

‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’ " Genesis 25:22b-23

This crossroad Rebekah reached as the children were growing within her womb and as she reacted to the infants’ movements. I wonder about the words "The children struggled together within her ..." Why was "children," plural used rather than "child" singular? I asked a friend, the mother of twin sons. She said, "I knew there had to be twins because there was too much activity for just one child. The sense, the feeling in the womb that one pair of feet can’t kick that many places, one set of hands can’t cause that much action; I just knew there must be twins."

At the crossroad Rebekah, as did Isaac previously, went to her Lord for reassurance and received such reassurance. It reminds me, as a Christian, of Paul’s words written to the Christians at Philippi; "The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6) Not only did this husband and wife pray but they prayed for faith, believing in the promised power of their God.

What about the next crossroad of this couple’s life, the actual birth?

"When the days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her womb." (Genesis 25:24)

"The first came forth red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they called him Esau. Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand had taken hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them." (Genesis 25:25-26)

This birth was now another crossroad in the life of this family. Esau was so named because of his hairy body and the red complexion. Jacob was so named, many say because he was holding Esau’s heel as he left the womb, Another meaning of Jacob’s name is "to supplant" - take the place of - as Jacob does in the last of this text. However, the name that seems to relate to Jacob’s life more clearly is the one translated to mean, "he (God) grants," or "he (God) protects." Over and over at Jacob’s crossroads he seems to be protected.

So the characters of the boys were different and the parental relationships were different.

The crossroad of partiality or impartiality was a most dangerous choice. Or was it partially suggested by the Lord’s foreknowledge or his predestination? All children are predestined to be God’s people but have been given freedom of choice.

One feels that the Lord’s words to Rebekah were never shared with Isaac, "two nations are in your womb ... the elder shall serve the younger." However, it seems that Rebekah must have shown partiality of action if not of specific word to Jacob, the quiet one, who loved the home surroundings. The textual account tells that Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his wild game as his father had done earlier.

Isaac’s and Rebekah’s positive influence was reflected through the ages even to the crossroads of the New Testament early church. For example, at the healing of the lame man who clung to Peter and John ... "And when Peter saw it he addressed the people ‘Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety, we have made him walk?’ " "The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our Fathers, glorified his servant Jesus ... his name by faith in his name hath made this man strong ..." He too is your Lord, our Lord, at every crossroad.

Then the final crossroad in this lesson occurred. "When the boys grew up ... once when Jacob was boiling pottage, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red pottage, for I am famished!’ ... Jacob said ‘First sell me your birthright.’ Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’ Jacob said ‘swear to me first:’ so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob ... Thus Esau despised his birthright." (Genesis 25:27-34)

Esau lost sight of the long-term goals of life under the pressure of present pressing physical needs. He gave up the lasting values to satisfy the present posing need. He traded off a kind of family last will and testament promised to the older son - for a bowl of stew.

We cannot walk away from our crossroads of life, but we can face them courageously through prayer, faith, compassion, impartial love of our fellow human beings, and personal esteem. Always walking in the strength of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob we find our way in his Son, Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."