Week 32, Day 5: Isaac’s Sons
Today’s Reading: Genesis 25:1-34
Some thoughts from the reading…
Sometimes it is amazing how much information can be covered in just a few short verses. Chapter 25 of Genesis does just that. First, we see that Abraham remarried, and had several children. These children were sent away from Isaac, who received all of Abraham’s inheritance. He was the son of promise, and would receive all that Abraham had (Genesis 25:5-6). We also read of the death of Abraham. Once again, there is not a lot written about his death, other than that he died a good old age, and was buried in the cave of Machpelah by his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. This was one of the most important characters to the Bible story, and yet his death was not sensationalized in the scriptures.
The rest of the chapter deals with Isaac and his wife Rebekah. The theme of the Bible story shifts to this next Patriarch, and the continuing of the fulfilling of the promises that had been made to Abraham. For those 3 promises to continue, there was a need for the lineage to continue. What we find is that Rebekah was unable to have children (Genesis 25:21) so Isaac turned to God and pleaded with Him for his wife. Sure enough, the Lord blessed Rebekah and she conceived twins. But, the children struggled within her (Genesis 25:22) so much that she turned to the Lord and asked what was wrong! God showed her that the two children within her would grow into two nations, and one would be stronger than the other. The prophecy was made that the older brother would serve the younger (which was contrary to the natural realm).
Jacob and Esau were born to Isaac and Rebekah. We are told that Rebekah loved Jacob, and Isaac loved Esau (Genesis 25:28). Perhaps it was this favoritism among the parents that would lead to the strife that would come later for these two boys. As we follow the account, we will see that Jacob will be the son through whom the promises will continue, and will be the father of the Nation of Israel. Esau will also be the father of a nation, the Edomites. However, eventually, the prophecy will be fulfilled that the “older will serve the younger” with the nation of Israel being the more powerful, and the Edom being subservient to Israel.
In Genesis 25:29-34, we see the trickery of Jacob, and his way of stealing the birthright from his brother. Under normal conditions, the oldest son would receive the birthright, even if that son was only a few seconds older than his twin. So, Jacob took advantage of an opportunity where Esau was very tired from working in the fields. Esau asked Jacob to give him something to eat, and Jacob responded that he would give him something to eat, but only if Esau gave up his birthright. Amazingly, Esau traded the birthright for a bowl of stew! This positioned Jacob to receive the greater portion of the inheritance of Isaac, and also set the stage for the fulfillment of the prophecy made concerning these twins. It will be interesting to watch how this impacts the relationship of these men as we continue our study!
Question: Why do you think God did not record more information about the deaths of Abraham and Sarah?
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