Following the death of Sarah (Genesis 23), Abraham and Sarah’s son of promise (Genesis 15), Isaac (Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7), took Rebekah as his wife (Genesis 24). Abraham was beginning to see God fulfill His unconditional and everlasting covenant (known as the Abrahamic Covenant) which promised that through him would come a great nation/land (12:2a; 15:7), a great blessing (12:2b), and a great name (12:2c). Now that Abraham owned some land in Canaan and Isaac had taken a wife, God’s covenant promise was becoming reality. After Sarah’s death, Abraham took Keturah (a concubine) as his wife and she had many sons (25:1-4). In order to ensure that Isaac would be the heir of God’s promise, Abraham gave Isaac all that he had (25:5) and then gave gifts to the other sons and sent them east of Canaan where they established various Arab tribes (25:6). Abraham then died at the age of 175 and was buried by his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, in the cave of Machpelah where Sarah was also buried (25:7-10). ”And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac” (25:11).
Moses then provides some details concerning the genealogies of Ishmael (25:12-18) and Isaac (25:19-34). Although God kept His promise to give Ishmael 12 princes in his lineage (17:20-21), the focus centers on Isaac and his descendants. Rebekah, much like Isaac’s mother Sarah, was barren and Isaac pleaded with the Lord to give his wife a child (25:21). God granted his request and she conceived twins, “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” (25:22). The Lord explained the struggle to Rebekah saying, “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” (25:23). Rebekah eventually gave birth to twins somewhere around 2000 BC. Esau, the firstborn, was red and hairy but as he was being born his twin brother, Jacob, “took hold of Esau’s heel” (25:24-26). The circumstances surrounding their birth prepared the way for much divisiveness between the two brothers throughout their lifetime. The distinctiveness of the two sons was quickly evident. ”Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents” (25:27). Not only did their unique personalities cause problems in their relationship, but also the fact that Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob (25:28).
Jacob and Esau’s struggle came to a climax when Jacob was cooking stew one day and Esau arrived from the fields tired and weary (25:29). Esau requested that Jacob feed him some of the red stew (25:30), but Jacob cunningly used Esau’s hunger as an occasion to buy his birthright (25:31). Esau, ignorant of the spiritual value of the birthright, willingly gave up a double portion of his inheritance and his right to be the family chief and priest because of his hunger (25:32-34). Esau’s lack of respect for his birthright reveals his true nature as a godless person (Hebrews 12:16).
Dear God, may I be aware of the things that are truly important.
