Why do Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob occupy such a special place in the Bible? It is because God wants to select a group of people to come under His name and to make them His people. Beginning with Abraham, God began to gain a people. God had a spiritual beginning with Abraham, and He did something in Abraham for the purpose of showing us the necessary experience that God's people have to go through. All of God's people have to go through the same kind of experiences. He did something in Abraham first, giving him some particular experiences, and through him He conveyed these experiences to all of His people. The nation of Israel is founded upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Hence, God has worked not only in Abraham, but also in Isaac, giving him some particular experiences, and through him He conveyed these experiences to all of His people as well. Similarly, God did some work in Jacob, giving him some particular experiences, and through him He conveyed these experiences to all of His people. The dealings which these three received before God and the experiences they went through culminated in a people of God. Hence, the total experiences of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the experiences that all of God's people should have. The attainments of these three should be the attainments of all the people of God. It is not enough to make us God's people if we merely have Abraham's experience. It is not enough to make us God's people if we merely have Isaac's experience, and it is not enough to make us God's people if we merely have Jacob's experience. We must have the attainments of Abraham plus Isaac plus Jacob before we can become God's people.
God told Isaac, "I am the God of Abraham thy father...I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake" (Gen. 26:24). He told Jacob, "I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed" (28:13). He also told the Israelites, "I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage" (Exo. 6:8). This shows us that the Israelites entered into the inheritance of the three men, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They did not have any inheritance of their own. Instead, they entered into the inheritance of the three men, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Each of these men occupies a particular position before God. Their different spiritual experiences typify three different kinds of spiritual principles. In other words, all the people of God should have the element of Abraham, the element of Isaac, and the element of Jacob in them. Without these elements, we cannot become God's people. God's people must have the element of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All true Israelites and all genuine people of God must say that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors. To say that Abraham is our ancestor is not enough, because Ishmael and his descendants can also say that their ancestor is Abraham. Neither is it enough to say that both Abraham and Isaac are our ancestors, because Esau and his descendents can say the same thing. God's people must say that their ancestors are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob must be included for complete qualification. All three must be together before we can justifiably be a people of God.