GENESIS 25 -- Abraham’s Death; Jacob and Esau Born to Isaac

Abraham’s latter life and death.

Verses 1-4 tells us Abraham marries again and has many children by Keturah.

“Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.”

AND WE SEE SOMETHING AMAZING HERE…ALMIGHTY GOD HAD PROMISED TO RESTORE HEALTH AND LIFE TO ABRAHAM’S BODY & HIS SEED IN ORDER TO PRODUCE ISAAC, THE SON OF PROMISE, BUT YOU NOTICE, IT WAS NOT TEMPORARY…EVEN VERY OLD, ALMIGHTY GOD SUSTAINED ABRAHAM’S VIGOR AND HIS SEED.

Verses 5-6 tells us that Abraham is careful to SET ISAAC APART as the child of promise.

“And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.”

Abraham gave ALL…Abraham gave NOT ONLY HIS WEALTH to Isaac BUT he GAVE THE LAND GOD HAD PROMISED HIM TO ISAAC & ABRAHAM sent HIS OTHER CHILDREN eastward, AWAY FROM Isaac his son.

Verses 7-11 tells us of Abraham’s death and burial.

“This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.”

Abraham passes from the scene, being one of the most important men of the Bible. He is mentioned 70 times in the New Testament alone. ONLY Moses is mentioned more times, 80 times in the New Testament.

BIBLE SCHOLAR CLARKE gives a good eulogy of Abraham. He says, “Above all as a man of God, he stands unrivaled; so that under the most exalted and perfect of all dispensations, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is proposed and recommended as the model and pattern according to which the faith, obedience, and perseverance of the followers of the Messiah are to be formed. Reader, while you admire the man, do not forget the God that made him so great, so good, and so useful. Even Abraham had nothing but what he had received; from the free unmerited mercy of God proceeded all his excellences; but he was a worker together with God, and therefore did not receive the grace of God in vain. Go thou, believe, love, obey, and persevere in like manner.”

Verses 12-18 tell us of the life and descendants of ISHMAEL.

“Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.”


Verses 19-26 tells us of the children of Isaac: Jacob and Esau.

“This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.”

Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife…you notice EVEN the son of promise does not come into the promise easily. It only comes through waiting and prayer. But the prayers of a husband for his wife have a special power.
Even so, it was some 20 years until they had children (Genesis 25:20; 25:26), and these were the only TWO children born to Isaac and Rebekah.

Rebekah did NOT GO TO A DOCTOR, SHE WENT TO THE MASTER PHYSICAN, she went to TALK TO the Lord…As Rebekah sought God, the Lord spoke to her regarding the sons within her womb.

In connection with God’s eternal word (as is the case with Rebekah here), God gives a unique gift to perfectly listen, a gift given only in connection with the revealing of His written, eternal word.

Two nations are in your womb…What God says is simple. She has twins within her. The twins will each father nations. One shall be greater than the other, and the younger will be greater than the older.

The truth of the unseen promise is fulfilled by something that could be seen. God’s word was true. When the time came for them to be born, there were in fact twins in Rebekah’s womb.

And the first came out red…Circumstances surrounding the birth of each child were responsible for their names. Esau refers to the hairiness of the first-born child. Jacob refers to the way the second born was holding on to the heel of his brother.

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH…Additionally, the idea of a “heel-catcher” meant something in that day. It had the idea of “trickster,” “con-man,” “scoundrel,” or “rascal.” It WAS NOT a compliment.

And the older shall serve the younger…YOU NOTICE God chose to go against the NORMAL WAY of the younger serving the older. In Romans 9:10-13, Paul uses this choice of Jacob over Esau before their birth as an illustration of God’s sovereign choice.

God’s CHOICE of Isaac instead of Ishmael seems more “logical” to us. Yet His choice between Jacob and Esau, regarding which one would be the heir of God’s covenant of salvation, is just as valid, though it “seems” to make less sense.

AND Paul TELLS US God’s choice was not based on the performance of Jacob or Esau. The choice was made when they were not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil.

God announced these intentions to Rebekah BEFORE the children were born (The older shall serve the younger), and repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth.

WHERE?

MALACHI 1:2-3 tells us, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Is it fair for God to love one and hate another, and to choose one and not choose another, before they are even born? We should regard the love and the hate God speaks of here as having to do with His purpose in choosing one to become THE HEIR OF THE COVENANT OF ABRAHAM. In that regard, God’s preference could rightly be regarded as a display of love towards Jacob and hate towards Esau.

BUT NOT HATE AS WE DEFINE IT…The real thought here is much more like “accepted” and “rejected” more than it is like our understanding of the terms “loved” and “hated.”

Our greatest error in considering the choices of God is to think God chooses for arbitrary reasons, as if He were sort of an “eeny-meeny-miny-moe” chooser.

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING HERE…We may NOT BE ABLE TO FATHOM, MUST LESS UNDERSTAND God’s reasons for choosing, and BUT WE CAN KNOW…they are reasons He alone knows and answers to, but God’s choices are NOT…capricious.

Verses 27-28 tells us the DIFFERENT characters of Jacob and Esau.

“So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

Like so many siblings in a family, Jacob and Esau were VERY different from each other in their personality and tastes. And as is sometimes the case, WRONG THOUGH IT MAY BE, ISAAC & REBEKAH had a “favorite” child.

Jacob was a MILD MAN: The Hebrew word for mild has the idea of “wholeness” instead of someone who is weak or effeminate. The Hebrew word tam (mild) is used of Job in Job 1:8: Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

Verses 29-34 tells us Esau SELLS his birthright to Jacob.

“Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field: Here, each son acts consistently with his own natural inclination. Esau hunts and Jacob cooks.

Jacob KNEW that the birthright from Isaac & from Almighty God WAS VERY valuable and he wanted it. Esau, though the eldest, did NOT VALUE nor REALLY CARE ABOUT IT.

Passages like Deuteronomy 21:17 and 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 tell us the birthright involved BOTH a material and a spiritual dynamic.

DID YOU KNOW…IN THAT DAY, The son of the birthright received a DOUBLE portion of the inheritance, and he also became THE HEAD of the family and THE SPIRITUAL LEADER upon the passing of the father.

In the case of THIS FAMILY the birthright determined who would INHERIT THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH ABRAHAM.

THAT MEANS THE covenant of a land, a nation, and the Messiah.

I am about to die…Esau’s thought isn’t that he is so hungry that he will die without food. Instead, the idea is “I will die one day anyway, so what good is this birthright to me PERSONALLY?”

Was this unfair of Jacob?
ABSOLUTELY…he is acting like a “heel-catcher.” He is being a trickster or a rascal in taking advantage of his brother.

Jacob WAS guilty of scheming in the flesh to gain something God said was already his. Yet we should remember the far greater blame is placed on Esau, who DISMISSED & DESPISED, THAT MEANS DID NOT CARE OR VALUE his birthright.

WHETHER EITHER KNEW OR REALIZED IT…this was NOT a valid transaction.

WHY?

Because Jacob was buying what was already his, and Esau was selling something that didn’t belong to him.

What birthright might WE despise?

Ephesians 1:3-14 shows us a treasury of riches ours by birthright in Jesus: every spiritual blessing, the blessing of being chosen in Jesus, adoption into God’s family, total acceptance by God in Jesus, redemption from our slavery to sin, true and total forgiveness, the riches of God’s grace, the revelation and knowledge of the mystery of God’s will, an eternal inheritance, the guarantee of the indwelling Holy Spirit right now.

Thus Esau DESPISED his birthright.
Esau’s character as a fornicator and profane person, confirmed to us in Hebrews 12:16, shows God was entirely CORRECT in choosing Jacob over Esau to carry on the birthright, even though Jacob was younger.

THE GOD WHO SEES ALL…KNEW….AND though Esau’s character was NOT the basis for God’s choosing (He chose Jacob over Esau before they were born), Esau’s character showed the ultimate wisdom of God’s choice of JACOB.


GENESIS 26-- Isaac Sins Like Abraham

THIS CHAPTER CONFIRMS THE ADAGE…THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY WILL REPEAT IT!

ISAAC MAKES THE SAME MISTAKE AS Abraham.

Verses 1-5 tells us God proclaims the covenant to Isaac.

“There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father…In HUMAN theory, it was possible for the covenant “die” with the passing of Abraham, but God was TRUE & STEADFAST to His word. The covenant God made with Abraham was not only unto Abraham, but unto ALL OF HIS DESCENDANTS also, told to us in Genesis 17:7-8. This fulfills a specific promise made in Genesis 17:19.

Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge…God says that He kept the covenant because of Abraham’s obedience. Yet a close look at Abraham’s life shows that his obedience wasn’t ALWAYS complete or constant.

SO HOW CAN GOD SAY THIS?

God can say this of Abraham because Abraham was declared righteous BY FAITH in Genesis 15:6, and as far as God is concerned, ALL HE SEES IN Abraham is the righteousness of Jesus.

HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT?

Verses 6-9 tells us Abimelech takes Rebekah because Isaac says she is his sister.

“So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’“

Right here…Isaac went from such a high spiritual experience with a face to face with ALMIGHTY GOD, A PROMISE, & A COMMAND in Genesis 26:1-5...to such BLATENT SIN because of the weakness of his own flesh, and also because of the bad example of his father.

Peter, with his confession and wrong counsel to Jesus, is a perfect example of how sin can follow upon an outpouring of God’s blessing. Well 1 Corinthians 10:12 DOES SAY AND DOES REMIND US: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

The Bible DOES NOT TEACH that we are bound by “GENERATIONAL CURSES,” but it is often the case that the SINS/FLAWS of the fathers ARE REPEATED in the children, because those sins of the flesh have been nurtured in that environment.

There was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife: When Abimelech saw this (the KJV has an interesting translation here, saying Isaac was sporting with Rebekah), he put two and two together and understood the true nature of their relationship.

Verses 10-11 tells us Isaac is rebuked by a pagan king, even as his father was.

“And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death: DO YOU NOTICE….EVEN as God protected his father, even in the midst of sinful conduct, Isaac was protected too.

THIS TELLS US AND SHOWS US….ALMIGHTY GOD DOES NOT CHANGE…EVEN THOUGH HIS CHOSEN…SLIP, FALTER, AND SIN…..ALMIGHTY GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL…REMAINS PROTECTIVE, AMEN?


Verses 12-14 tells us Isaac becomes wealthy, as Abraham was before him.

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.”

Then Isaac sowed in that land: Prosperity came to Isaac as the blessing upon his HARD work. He probably received enough of an inheritance from his father that he did not have to work, but did nonetheless, and God blessed it.

Verses 15-23 tells us Isaac handles disputes concerning wells with the natives, until he moves to Beersheba.

“Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them. Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Then he went up from there to Beersheba.”

He called the name of the well Esek: The FIRST well was named “contention,” because it made others jealous. The NEXT well was named “opposition” for similar reasons. But the THIRD well was named “roominess,” because it was far enough away to not be a problem.
Then he went up from there to Beersheba…God USED the conflicts to LEAD Isaac BACK to Beersheba, where Abraham had been before. God doesn’t want us to live in contention and opposition, but they can be used by God to lead us to the place where He WANTS US to be.

Of course, none of this lessens the responsibility those who unjustly opposed Isaac had to God. God used their sinful contention against Isaac, but it was still sin.

Verses 24-25 tells us God again confirms His promise to Isaac for Abraham’s sake.

“And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

For My servant Abraham’s sake…God keeps His covenant with us for Jesus’ sake too.

Verses 26-31 tells us The natives make peace with Isaac because the Lord is with him, just as happened with Abraham.

“Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’“ So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.”

Verses 32-33 tells us God’s blessing for Isaac in the form of a well.

“It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.”

We have found water: Abraham was a man of altars, and Jacob would be a man of tents. But Isaac was a man of wells, and he knew God’s constant provision. He also knew God could provide in many different ways, NOT just one.

Verses 34-35 tells us Esau marries and grieves his parents.

“When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.”

They were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah…Again, this shows Esau’s character as a fornicator and profane person as is confirmed to us in Hebrews 12:16.

So many GREAT THINGS our TRIUNE GOD has to say and show us with ISAAC, THE SON OF PROMISE.

ALMIGHTY GOD DOES NOT CHANGE.
ALMIGHTY GOD'S PROMISES NEVER DIE, FADE, AND END.
ALMIGHTY GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN.
ALMIGHTY GOD CALLED ABRAHAM, A RIGHTEOUS MAN WHO KEPT HIS COMMANDMENTS AND HIS ORDERS AND HIS DIRECTIONS...even though we KNOW ABRAHAM WAS HUMAN. HE WAS FLAWED, HE SLIPPED, FAILED, DISOBEYED, AND SINNED...BUT BECAUSE OF ABRAHAM'S BY FAITH COVENANT WITH HIM & THE PROMISED MESSIAH....ALMIGHTY GOD SAW ABRAHAM WAS PURE AND RIGHTEOUS.

SO TOO ARE WE PURE AND RIGHTEOUS IN ALMIGHTY GOD'S EYES BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH, BELIEF, ACCEPTANCE AND TRUST IN HIS PRECIOUS SON JESUS CHRIST!

STAY BLESSED IN OUR JESUS!