Isaac And Rebekah Series

November 16, 2024

Last week we concluded the story of Abraham and Sarah with a bridge that included the genealogies of 2 of the 3 branches of his family: the children of Keturah and the children of Ishmael.

Today we begin with the “account of Abraham’s son, Isaac.”

Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah but they had no children. Unlike his father, Isaac appears to have not taken additional wives or concubines in an effort to find a quick fix for this problem. Perhaps that is one lesson he learned – having more than one wife is never going to end well.

20 years went by and the Bible tells us that Isaac prayed on behalf of Rebekah and Yahweh answered his prayer.

Right from the start we know that Isaac and Rebekah are going to be in for a bumpy ride because “the babies jostled with each other in her womb.” The word jostled (NIV) or struggled (NKJV or NASB) or fought (CJB) literally means “to crush.” They struggled against each other so much, in fact, that Rebekah said, “if it’s going to be like this, why be pregnant?” So, she went to Yahweh and they had a conversation:

Genesis 25:23 - And Yahweh said to her, "Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples shall be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger."

A word about Predictive, Prescriptive and Apocalyptic prophecy:

• Predictive Prophecy – God’s foreknowledge of future events based on what he knows and not because he causes it to happen.

• Prescriptive/Conditional Prophecy – Not all prophecies are inevitable. Sometimes they are warnings of what might happen if an individual or group continues down a chosen path. Conditional prophecies include the elements of human choice and accountability.

• Apocalyptic Prophecy – This type of prophecy is NOT conditional. They reveal God’s unchangeable plan for the resolution of the sin problem.

In our story today, Predictive Prophecy was employed.

The 1st son was born. He was red and hairy all over “like a garment” so they named him Esau.

As the firstborn son, Esau automatically held the “birthright.” In the Bible, the birthright symbolized inheritance, authority, and blessing. The birthright gave “head of household” status to the firstborn son, which included a double portion of his father’s estate. Additionally, the birthright placed upon the firstborn the responsibility of becoming the family’s leader and caretaker. The birthright represented both material blessings and spiritual responsibilities and in the case of Abraham’s family, a continuation of the Covenant.

The 2nd son was not far behind. As a matter of fact, when he was born, his little hand had hold of the heel of his older brother. They named him Jacob, “heel grabber – to trip or over throw”

And so the battle begins.

The Bible tells us that Isaac loved Esau more because he was a hunter, “a man of the field,” masculine and outdoorsy. He provided Isaac with fresh game.

Rebekah, however, loved Jacob more because he was a home body and had a gentle-peaceful spirit.

Twin brothers who looked very different, had very different personalities, chose very different professions and who were treated very differently by their parents….. Excellent! Better put Dr. Phil on speed dial!

Esau sells his Birthright – Genesis 25:29-34

Years went by….

One day Esau came in from hunting. He was exhausted and “starving.” Jacob was cooking some red stew over the fire when Esau came into camp.

“Give me some of that red stew you’re cooking because I am exhausted and starving!”

(that is why Esau was called Edom “red”)

Jacob saw his chance. After all, Yahweh had said that he would rule over his brother, why not give Yahweh a little help.

“No problem, dear brother…. How about we do a deal. A bowl of my stew for your birthright.”

“I am about to die here!! What good is my birthright to me if I am dead?”

“Great! Do we have a deal?”

“Deal”

So, Esau swore that the birthright now belonged to Jacob.

This exchange symbolized the value Esau placed on the birthright….. He sold it for one bowl of red lentil stew.

What he did next demonstrated his shortsightedness and disdain for his birthright – he ate, drank, got up and left.

Chapter 26 contains the only story devoted exclusively to Isaac. It is possible that the story occurred in the 20 years prior to Esau and Jacob’s birth. The Philistines certainly would have realized her status had the children already been born.

There was another famine in the land. Isaac went to Gerar, to the land of Abimelech, king of the Philistines (not likely the same Abimelech in Abraham’s story – Abimelech was probably a dynastic name).