Ge 27:41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
43 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
44 "And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away,
45 "until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?"
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"
Ge 28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
Ge 28:2 "Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.
Moses is explaining the origin of the rift between Israel and Edom. It started with Jacob and Esau. Just as Esau was angry at Jacob so Edom was angry with Israel.
Moses also shows how Rebekah despised the daughters of Heth. Heth was a descendant of Canaan, and so, therefore, the daughters of Heth were Canaanites. Moses is showing his original Israelite readers here not to marry Canaanites.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Ge 27:1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am."
2 Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
3 "Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
4 "And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
7 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'
8 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
9 "Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
10 "Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.
12 "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing."
13 But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me."
14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went to his father and said, "My father.' And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"
19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me."
20 But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me."
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.
24 Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."
25 He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."
27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"
30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me."
32 And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."
33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, "Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him-and indeed he shall be blessed."
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me-me also, O my father!"
35 But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing."
36 And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"
37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?"
38 And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me-me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck."
The point that Moses wants to show here to his original Israelite readers is the fact that Jacob, their father, was the recognized recipient of the blessings that God promised to Abraham. In this story, Isaac and Esau eventually acknowledged it. Rebekah and Jacob schemed for what was rightfully Jacob's.
Actually, the blessing was Jacob's by divine decree and prophecy (see Gen. 25:23) and by human purchase (see Gen. 25:31-33).
Isaac obviously knew of the prophecy (Rebekah surely must have told him about it) but still determined to give it to Esau. He was out of God's will. Esau had no just claim to the blessing because he already sold the birthright to Jacob previously. Rebekah, believing in the prophecy, had the right desire but employed wrong methods to attain it. She could not wait on God to act. Jacob, like her mother, had the right desire but employed sinful means.
All along, all knew of the fact, that the blessing rightfully belonged to Jacob. God overruled their unbelief and sin and used it to accomplish His decree and prophecy.
Moses is tracing the line of blessing from Isaac to Jacob which eventually came to Jacob's descendants, the Israelites.
2 Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
3 "Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
4 "And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
7 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'
8 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
9 "Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
10 "Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.
12 "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing."
13 But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me."
14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went to his father and said, "My father.' And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"
19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me."
20 But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me."
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.
24 Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."
25 He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."
27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"
30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me."
32 And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."
33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, "Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him-and indeed he shall be blessed."
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me-me also, O my father!"
35 But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing."
36 And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"
37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?"
38 And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me-me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck."
The point that Moses wants to show here to his original Israelite readers is the fact that Jacob, their father, was the recognized recipient of the blessings that God promised to Abraham. In this story, Isaac and Esau eventually acknowledged it. Rebekah and Jacob schemed for what was rightfully Jacob's.
Actually, the blessing was Jacob's by divine decree and prophecy (see Gen. 25:23) and by human purchase (see Gen. 25:31-33).
Isaac obviously knew of the prophecy (Rebekah surely must have told him about it) but still determined to give it to Esau. He was out of God's will. Esau had no just claim to the blessing because he already sold the birthright to Jacob previously. Rebekah, believing in the prophecy, had the right desire but employed wrong methods to attain it. She could not wait on God to act. Jacob, like her mother, had the right desire but employed sinful means.
All along, all knew of the fact, that the blessing rightfully belonged to Jacob. God overruled their unbelief and sin and used it to accomplish His decree and prophecy.
Moses is tracing the line of blessing from Isaac to Jacob which eventually came to Jacob's descendants, the Israelites.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Ge 26:34 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.
35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
Here we are shown the defiance of Esau. He surely must have known that God made a thumbs down sign against these people for their wickedness (Gen. 15: 16-21). He surely must have known about his grandfather's (Abraham) concern that his father (Isaac) should not be married to these women (Gen. 24:3) and yet here he shows his lack of interest in his family's special place and calling in God's program by marrying these Canaanites (the Hittites were one of the Canaanites).
Moses is showing his Israelite readers about Esau's attitude to God's covenant blessings promised to his fathers. He is not committed to it. Therefore the line of blessing is to go to Jacob.
35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
Here we are shown the defiance of Esau. He surely must have known that God made a thumbs down sign against these people for their wickedness (Gen. 15: 16-21). He surely must have known about his grandfather's (Abraham) concern that his father (Isaac) should not be married to these women (Gen. 24:3) and yet here he shows his lack of interest in his family's special place and calling in God's program by marrying these Canaanites (the Hittites were one of the Canaanites).
Moses is showing his Israelite readers about Esau's attitude to God's covenant blessings promised to his fathers. He is not committed to it. Therefore the line of blessing is to go to Jacob.
Ge 26:26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army.
27 And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?"
28 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,
29 '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.'"
30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
31 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.
32 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."
33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
Moses is encouraging his fellow Israelite readers here that God can provide for them ("We have found water") and cause them to live in peace with their neighbors, yes even with those who hate them. He used the story of their forefather Isaac to illustrate and demonstrate his point. This was to stir Israel on to obedience and claim the promises that God made to them:
De 28:12 "The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
De 28:10 "Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
De 28:13 "And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
27 And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?"
28 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,
29 '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.'"
30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
31 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.
32 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."
33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
Moses is encouraging his fellow Israelite readers here that God can provide for them ("We have found water") and cause them to live in peace with their neighbors, yes even with those who hate them. He used the story of their forefather Isaac to illustrate and demonstrate his point. This was to stir Israel on to obedience and claim the promises that God made to them:
De 28:12 "The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
De 28:10 "Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
De 28:13 "And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Ge 26:15 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.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we."
17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 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.
19 Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.
20 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.
21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah.
22 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."
Moses is showing his Israelite readers here that just as nothing and no one was able to hinder Isaac from being blessed so nothing and no one can hinder God's blessings to Israel. The Lord Himself will make room for them in the land and bless them there.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we."
17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 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.
19 Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.
20 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.
21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah.
22 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."
Moses is showing his Israelite readers here that just as nothing and no one was able to hinder Isaac from being blessed so nothing and no one can hinder God's blessings to Israel. The Lord Himself will make room for them in the land and bless them there.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Ge 26:7 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."
8 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.
9 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.'"
10 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."
11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.
13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;
14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
The whole point of these verses is this---Moses is highlighting God's faithfulness to his Israelite readers through the life of their forefather Isaac. Back in verse 3, God assured Isaac: "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you..."
Moses intentionally recounted the parallel events of Abraham's life and Isaac's life to show that in both lives God was faithful. The point is this----"He could be just as faithful to you Israelites who are their descendants."
This should encourage them to be faithful to God in response and not turn to other gods.
8 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.
9 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.'"
10 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."
11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.
13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;
14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
The whole point of these verses is this---Moses is highlighting God's faithfulness to his Israelite readers through the life of their forefather Isaac. Back in verse 3, God assured Isaac: "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you..."
Moses intentionally recounted the parallel events of Abraham's life and Isaac's life to show that in both lives God was faithful. The point is this----"He could be just as faithful to you Israelites who are their descendants."
This should encourage them to be faithful to God in response and not turn to other gods.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Ge 26:1 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.
2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.
3 "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.
4 "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;
5 "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
Moses here is showing his Israelite readers the need to stay in the land which God promised them. He was using the story of Isaac to encourage them to do so. He was like saying: "Even your father Isaac stayed in the land and did not return back to Egypt."
Just as Isaac was blessed in the Promise Land so God will bless Israel in the land. Although, at this point in time, the land (particularly in the area of Gerar) was occupied by the Philistines, a time will come when they will possess it.
Moses also encouraged his Israelites readers to obey God by showing them the example of Abraham.
Moses' point---stay in the land, obey God there and be blessed.
2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.
3 "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.
4 "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;
5 "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
Moses here is showing his Israelite readers the need to stay in the land which God promised them. He was using the story of Isaac to encourage them to do so. He was like saying: "Even your father Isaac stayed in the land and did not return back to Egypt."
Just as Isaac was blessed in the Promise Land so God will bless Israel in the land. Although, at this point in time, the land (particularly in the area of Gerar) was occupied by the Philistines, a time will come when they will possess it.
Moses also encouraged his Israelites readers to obey God by showing them the example of Abraham.
Moses' point---stay in the land, obey God there and be blessed.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Ge 25:27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.
28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom.
31 But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day."
32 And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?"
33 Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Moses is showing here the different ways of life and values between Esau and Jacob as the nations Edom and Israel will eventually be.
Their ways of life:
Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.
Their values:
Esau was poised and privileged to be next in line as far as the blessing of the birthright was concerned. He was Isaac's firstborn son and loved by him. The birthright carried with it both material and spiritual blessings.
But Esau did not value the blessings of the birthright. He gave it away casually in exchange for a stew. There are people who see no value in spiritual things. They are faithless and unbelieving people. Jacob, on the other hand, valued it and desired for it.
Moses here is explaining as to how Jacob and the nation that came out of him (Israel) possessed the blessings promised by God to Abraham and to Isaac.
28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom.
31 But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day."
32 And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?"
33 Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Moses is showing here the different ways of life and values between Esau and Jacob as the nations Edom and Israel will eventually be.
Their ways of life:
Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.
Their values:
Esau was poised and privileged to be next in line as far as the blessing of the birthright was concerned. He was Isaac's firstborn son and loved by him. The birthright carried with it both material and spiritual blessings.
But Esau did not value the blessings of the birthright. He gave it away casually in exchange for a stew. There are people who see no value in spiritual things. They are faithless and unbelieving people. Jacob, on the other hand, valued it and desired for it.
Moses here is explaining as to how Jacob and the nation that came out of him (Israel) possessed the blessings promised by God to Abraham and to Isaac.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Ge 25:19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac.
20 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.
21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 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.
23 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."
24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.
26 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.
Moses' whole point here is to show his Israelite readers that their destiny as a nation was divinely arranged even from the birth of their father Jacob. God allowed Rebekah to be barren for twenty long years to demonstrate upon the miraculous conception and birth of both Esau and Jacob that the whole thing was supernaturally designed.
Moses is showing his Israelite readers that their destiny as a nation is that of greatness. "One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."
He is also showing his Israelite readers here that their tension, conflict and struggle with the Edomites started all the way back in the womb of Rebekah. But they are destined to prevail over them.
20 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.
21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 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.
23 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."
24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.
26 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.
Moses' whole point here is to show his Israelite readers that their destiny as a nation was divinely arranged even from the birth of their father Jacob. God allowed Rebekah to be barren for twenty long years to demonstrate upon the miraculous conception and birth of both Esau and Jacob that the whole thing was supernaturally designed.
Moses is showing his Israelite readers that their destiny as a nation is that of greatness. "One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."
He is also showing his Israelite readers here that their tension, conflict and struggle with the Edomites started all the way back in the womb of Rebekah. But they are destined to prevail over them.
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