Isaac and the God of the Superlatives

   Text: Gen 16:12-14, "Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, ¹³ and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; ¹⁴ for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him." 

   Does God bless? A definite "Yes!"  in our text, God blessed Isaac in three ways.  First, Isaac had a huge bumper crop.  The text says he reaped 100-fold.  Second, he not only became rich, he continued to grow richer and richer; so rich, in fact, that he became wealthy.  And thirdly, he had such a vast herd of cattle that even the people of the land envied him.  Our God is a God who loves to bless, and bless abundantly.  Is there a reason for God blessing him?  Isaac was a weak man, a man with many failures.  But there is one beautiful characteristic in the life of Isaac: wherever he went, he built altars to the Lord.  He had placed the Lord at his right hand, so to speak.  Place your priority on where it should be: on the Lord Almighty.