Read: Genesis 25
This chapter
concludes the life of Abraham. It begins
by telling us that Abraham married Keturah and had six children with her (v.
1-2). The point is that Abraham had more
children than just Ishmael and Isaac but that he gave all that he had to Isaac
(v. 5). Isaac is the one who received
his flocks and his right to the land of Canaan and the promises of God. In order to keep things civil, while he was
still alive, Abraham gave his other sons gifts and sent them away to the east
country (v. 6). The writer is making it
very clear that only the descendants of Isaac can lay claim to the promised
land! Abraham was 175 years old when he
died (v. 7) and he was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael, in the same cave
where Sarah was buried (v. 9). After his
death, God blessed Isaac and he settled at Beerlahairoi (v. 11).
The text
concludes the life of Abraham by giving the genealogies of his son Ishmael (v.
12-18) who had 12 sons each becoming chiefs of tribes in Arabia, fulfilling the
promise of Genesis 17:20. God had
promised to multiply Ishmael so the writer shows that this promise was kept by
God. Ishmael died at the age of 137
years (v. 17). This dialogue also shows
that these descendants did not live in the Promised Land and that they lived in
hostility (see Gen. 16:12).
The focus of
Genesis now shifts to Isaac, who was 40 years old when he took Rebekah (v.
20). Isaac prayed to the Lord because
she was barren (v. 21) and the Lord answered his prayer and she conceived
twins, who struggled together within her (v. 22). Not knowing what was happening inside her
Rebekah inquired of the Lord who told her that she had two nations in her womb
(v. 23). What was prophesied about Esau
and Jacob we see coming true in their descendants. The Edomites were the offspring of Esau and
the Israelites were the offspring of Jacob.
Jacob had twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel as
one nation. The Edomites and the
Israelites are very different people in manners, customs and religion. Esau was a hunter (v. 27), Jacob was a tent
dweller (v. 27) who kept sheep and cattle.
Although history shows that the Edomites started out as more powerful
than the Israelites, eventually David (an Israelite) made an entire conquest of
the Edomites and they served the Israelites for 150 years. After many years the Edomites were
incorporated among the Jews. We will see
in future chapters that the relationship between these twin boys was largely
hostile. It is interesting to note that
the twins were born when Isaac was 60 years old, 15 years before Abraham
died. The text also tells us about
Esau’s hairy body and Rebekah’s love for Jacob – which will come into play in
future chapters.
The chapter
concludes with Esau, the oldest twin, selling his birthright to his younger
brother for a bowl of stew (v. 33). It
appears that Esau was so extremely fatigued that he thought he was going to die
without immediate refreshment (v. 30).
The birthright was a matter of great importance in the ancient world and
this transaction proves that it was transferable between children. The birthright would have included being
consecrated to God, receiving a special honor from your parents, receiving a
double portion of goods from the father and succession of the family line. In Hebrews 12:16, Esau is called a profane
person for selling his birthright. His
mind was not on spiritual things as he did not see that the birthright was
linked to God’s promise to Abraham. But
we can’t let Jacob off the hook too easily.
What kind of brother wouldn’t freely give his famished brother a bowl of
stew? This shows the deceptive and
selfish nature of Jacob as he exploits his brother. We see these qualities in Jacob until he has
an encounter with God later in Genesis.
Prayer and Journaling
1. Only
the descendants of Isaac can lay claim to the Promised Land! This was God’s way back then and it is still
God’s way today. Sometimes we may not
understand God’s ways but that does not make God’s ways unjust or unfair. As the Creator of the world and as the
Creator of humanity, He gets to formulate the standards of morality and he gets
to determine what is right and what is wrong.
It is our job to obey and not debate the truths of His Word. Ask the Lord to show you if there are any
Biblical laws which you struggle understanding or living by. Then, commit to following the ways of the
Creator God and commit to asking Him to help you to understand His ways and
trust in them.
2. Isaac
was 40 when he married Rebekah and was 60 when the twin boys were born. This means that they were married over 19
years before she conceived. That is a
lot of years to pray for a child! But
God kept His promise of making Abraham a nation by giving Isaac not just one
son, but two sons. Are there any things
in your life that you feel you have been praying about for a long time? Ask the Lord to grow in you a deep trust in
His timing for answering your prayers.
Also pray that He will show you how to pray according to His will,
through listening prayer. Then ask Him
if there is anything else that He wants to say to you about this prayer request
today.
3. Rebekah
inquired of the Lord and He answered her.
This is the first instance of a woman inquiring of the Lord in the
Scriptures. Women have full access to
the Lord! Thank God for the equality
that He has established between men and women.
Thank Him for the opportunity to lead your family, to volunteer in the
church and to be a minister in His Kingdom!
Ask Him to show you what a next step is for you in each of these
areas.
4. Isaac
loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob (v. 28).
This inexcusable parental attachment to one child in preference to
another will have consequences as the family will become divided and in
opposition with itself. Many evils will
result in the descendants of both families because of these foolish
attachments. If you have more than 1
child, ask the Lord to show you if you hold any preferences of one child verses
another. Often parents are blind to the
subtle ways that they favor the compliant child over the child that requires more
attention, or the subtle ways the favor one gender over another. Ask the Lord to open your heart to His truth
about this today. Listen in prayer,
asking Him to show you want He wants to show you about favoritism. Ask Him to show you patterns of favoritism in
your family history and in the family history of your children’s father. Pray against any generational
strongholds. Commit to loving each child
and in growing to appreciate their differences.
