Genesis 25

In our study of Genesis, we have seen two consistent threads of truth introduced in the first chapter and continuing through subsequent chapters. We are learning about the powerful Person of God and being reminded of how he personally works in the lives of his people. The promise given in Genesis 3:15 that God would send One to crush Satan has now developed into the story of the people through whom the One who will accomplish this comes. In Genesis, this family line is known to be blessed by God and is relatively small. The land that God promised them is occupied by other countries. God’s people are wanderers in the land, moving from place to place.

Abraham, the father and founder of the nation through which the One who will crush Satan’s head will be born, buried his wife, Sarah, and took another wife, Keturah. The status of their relationship is not fully explained, but in 1 Chronicles 1:32, she is called Abraham’s concubine. Before he died at the age of 175 years old, Abraham gave gifts to all his sons, fathered through concubines, and sent them eastward to make their own way. According to the laws of the ancient Near East, a father could designate his heir. The great nation God promised to build would come through Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac, to whom “Abraham gave all he had…” (Genesis 25:5). After Abraham died, Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham had buried his wife, Sarah. Death is a solemn reminder to us of humanity’s frailty and finiteness on earth. Even those of great faith, like Abraham, had to face the final enemy. And it is a reminder that God continues to write his story in people through the generations.

The descendants of Ishmael are listed in Genesis 25:12-18. His clan settled east of Egypt toward Assyria. Ishmael died when he was 137 years old. Now, the story of Genesis turns to Isaac and his wife, Rebekah.

Isaac was forty years old when he and Rebekah married. For twenty years, they tried to have children but were unsuccessful. It is interesting that all the patriarchs of Israel—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—had challenges producing an heir. God was reminding them that he was the One writing their story using his timeline. Isaac talked to God about the situation, no doubt, for many years. And in God’s timing, “the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived” (Genesis 25:21).

Rebekah’s pregnancy was difficult. She was carrying twins, and the “children struggled together within her…” (Genesis 25:22). The Hebrew word translated “struggled” normally means to “mistreat, oppress, shatter, smash, strike down.” Two things here to note. First, this word describes the relationship that these two brothers will have. Second, the struggling resulted in much pain for Rebekah. She talked to God about her concerns and asked, “Why is this happening to me?” (Genesis 25:22). God told her she was carrying what would be the founders of two nations that would live in conflict.

Genesis 25:23
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”

The first son that was born is described as red, “all his body like a hairy cloak” (Genesis 25:25). They called him Esau, which means “red.” The second son was holding on to Esau’s heel at birth, so they named him Jacob, which means “take by the heel.” Scholars note that this name would have conveyed an affectionate thought to Isaac and Rebekah. Later, it would be used in a negative sense as one who grabs another by the heel to trip them up or deceive.

In the Near Eastern culture, the firstborn received the position of inheritance and family leadership. But God had another plan. He sovereignly chose the older to serve the younger. Throughout history, Israel would refer to this verse to recall that God had given them, Jacob’s descendants, priority over their enemy Edom, Esau’s descendants.[1] In the New Testament, Paul uses this passage to discuss the doctrine of election (Romans 9:11-12). We will dig into that when we study Romans.

As the boys grew, Esau became an outdoorsman, a skillful hunter. His personality and skills endeared him to his father, who loved to eat wild game. Jacob was beloved by his mother. He is noted as a “quiet man, dwelling in tents.” The Hebrew word for quiet means “well-behaved,” “thoughtful,” “stable.” Dwelling in tents described a person who was “civilized,” however, some commentators note that what seem to be upstanding characteristics describe a person who is looking to make his move. Jacob didn’t have to wait long.

Jacob loved to cook. One day, he was cooking a big pot of stew. The Hebrew word is nazid, a thick, boiled stew usually made with lentils and vegetables spiced with various herbs.[2] Esau had been out hunting and came in from the fields tired and famished. Esau said, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Genesis 25:30). When Esau says, “Let me eat,” the words convey gulping down food. The rabbis used this word to “describe the activity of cramming food down the throat of an animal.”[3] Here is a telling picture of Esau’s personality. He was brash, impatient, impetuous, and impulsive. And we get a picture of Jacob’s personality as well. Taking advantage of Esau’s dramatic request, he promised stew in return for Esau’s birthright.

The birthright was a significant privilege. The son with the birthright was the firstborn who enjoyed favored status. In biblical history, the firstborn received a double portion of inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:17). Birthrights could be transferred. The Archeology Study Bible describes a note in the laws from Mesopotamia where a man exchanged his birthright for three sheep.[4] Esau’s response to Jacob’s demand vividly illustrates Esau’s nature.

Genesis 25:31-34
Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.”  Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau treated his birthright as worthless and unimportant. He was willing to transfer his privileged position and inheritance for a bowl of stew! And Jacob was not merely innocent in the story. One commentator sums it up like this:

The conclusion to the episode provides a retrospective assessment of Esau’s decision: he “despised [bāzâ] his birthright.” The term bāzâ indicates “to undervalue” and may indicate a range of intensity, from neglect to utter scorn for someone or something (cf. Num 15:31; 1 Sam 17:42; Prov 15:20; Mal 1:6). By this incident the author implies that Esau’s decision regarding his religious heritage disqualified him to succeed his father. Yet the passage hardly commends Jacob’s actions to the reader….^[5]

There is much to learn from the interaction between Esau and Jacob. Their actions become more intense and consequential in chapter 27.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 25. As you read the passage, observe Esau’s brashness and flippancy about the important things of life. What is God teaching you through Esau?

Talking to God
Prayer is simply talking to God. We go to him with our joys and sorrows, our fears and questions, our pleasures and pain. In today’s passage we saw that those who faced challenges in life turned to God. As you talk with God today, ask him to reveal if you are treating the important things in your life with impulsiveness and impatience. Are you treating God’s gifts to you in a flippant manner?

Have Questions?
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[1] Allen P. Ross, Creation & Blessing (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 439.
[2] James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 44.
[3] Ross, Creation & Blessing, 450.
[4] The Archeology Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2017), 48.
^[5] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 395.