Romans 9:7,8 – In Isaac shall your seed be called

Neither that Abraham’s seed are all children, but “In Isaac shall your seed be called.” That is, that the children of the flesh, not these are the children of God, but the children of the promise He is reckoning for the seed.

Being an Israelite is more than just descent. Besides Isaac, Abraham had seven other sons, of which Ishmael was the best known and also the oldest (see Gen.25:1-6). All of them were “seed of Abraham” from a biological standpoint, but only one of them was reckoned as such. For Isaac alone was a child of promise. Through Isaac, God’s promise to Abraham would continue.

Here too, as so often, we see how much God ignores and sets aside the line of “the flesh”. As many children as Abraham may have fathered, only one of them bore the promise. That is not to say that Abraham’s other children are uninteresting to God or do not share in the blessings. On the contrary! After all, God would bless all families of the earth through the seed of Abraham (Gen.12:3). The blessing God intends to give is all-inclusive. But the channel or instrument He uses is specific and exclusive. Through Isaac and no one else.

Delen: