Abraham still had to learn one last lesson. This lesson was actually the lesson he had already learned. In order for God to be the God of Abraham, he had to know God as the Father. There was no question about Isaac; he was indeed given by God and indeed a son according to His promise. But what was Abraham's relationship with Isaac? The deep lesson that we have to learn before the Lord is that we cannot get ourselves directly involved with any of the things that God has given to us. God does not allow us to have a direct relationship with them. It is wrong to acquire something by the flesh, but it is equally wrong to hold on to what is acquired through the promise with fleshly hands. Indeed, Isaac was given by God, but what was Abraham's relationship with Isaac?
In begetting Isaac, Abraham learned that God is the Father. But he still had to learn one more thing. God was the Father before Isaac was born, but was He still the Father after Isaac was born? This is the condition that many Christians face today. Before their "Isaacs" are born, they realize that God is the Father. But after their "Isaacs" are born, their eyes turn to their "Isaacs." They think that their "Isaacs" will fulfill God's promises, accomplish God's goal, and bring in God's work. They think that they have to treasure their "Isaacs," care for their "Isaacs," and raise up their "Isaacs"! God is put aside after their "Isaacs" are born. All of their thoughts are on their "Isaacs," and God becomes nothing to them. However, we have to see that God is the Father. He will not allow our thoughts to be centered on our "Isaacs." God is the Father. He cannot be limited by time. Before Isaac was born, God was the Father. After Isaac was born, God was still the Father. Whether or not God's promises would be fulfilled depended on God, not on Isaac.
Isaac was a gift from God. Here lies our greatest danger before the Lord. Our hands are empty before we receive any gift; thus, we can fellowship and communicate with God. But after we receive the gift, our hands become full, and we do not fellowship or communicate with Him anymore. When our hands are empty, we fellowship with God with empty hands. But when our hands pick up the gift, we become satisfied with the gift in our hands, and we stop fellowshipping with God. God must teach us a lesson: We should put the gifts aside and live totally in God. Before man's flesh is dealt with, he always lives according to God's gift and neglects God Himself. However, this is something that God never endorses.
The begetting of Isaac was one experience that Abraham had. We can say that this was a very precious experience for Abraham. But God does not give us an experience so that we may sit on it for the rest of our lives. We have to realize that our source is God, not experiences. The begetting of Isaac was indeed an experience, but the experience itself was not the Father. It was an experience, but it was not the source. The problem is that once we acquire an experience concerning Christ, we hold on to that experience and treasure the experience, while at the same time, we forget that God is the Father. God will not allow this to happen. He has to show us that our experience can be dropped but He cannot be dropped. Isaac is dispensable, but we cannot be separated from the Father even for a moment.