Genesis 25

Genesis 25 – February 27 

Today we are going to see the passing of the torch of the covenant from Abraham to Isaac and subsequently to Jacob. That will be the main focus of our notes today. However, I am going to add a supplementary note regarding questions that people often ask regarding Abraham’s other children that we learn about in this chapter. Let’s begin by considering the arrival of Jacob and Esau.

I can’t imagine being pregnant. I have seen recently that they have these machines that can simulate the pain of childbirth and they hook men up to them and show them what their wives are about to go through. I can’t even imagine what it must be like having a human being living inside of your belly. But Rebekah knew something unusual was taking place. There was something more than just cute little kicks, baby hiccups, or a big baby stretch that was happening. There was a war happening within her womb.

Esau was flippant with the things of God and filled with hatred and rage when Jacob stole his blessing. Jacob was a liar and a cheater. Yet eventually God will work in Jacob a change of heart. He never leaves Jacob. He continually disciplines him and transforms him, until by the end of his life he is filled with faith. So, you should see that not all who are of Isaac are of Isaac. Not all who are biologically descended receive the spiritual blessing. 

So why did God choose Jacob? Let’s try to narrow down the reason. 

  • Was it because Jacob was a better person? No, because the decision was made before they had ever done anything. They were not even born when God declared that the older would serve the younger. It was definitely not by merit
  • Was Jacob chosen because of tradition? No, because the tradition was that the older would rule over the younger. And the younger would serve the older.
  • Was Jacob chosen because of his bloodline? Obviously not, because these two had the same parents and even shared a womb. They were not just roommates, they were wombmates.
  • God chose him for a reason that is not revealed until much later in the NT.

Jacob would go on to be the heir of the promises. Even though verse 28 shows us that Isaac preferred Esau, we will later see how God even uses Jacob’s sin to result in the blessing being transferred to Jacob, and how God will also renew the covenant with him directly. Then, God would give Jacob 12 sons which become the 12 tribes of Israel. And through this line, God would send Jesus who would save His people from their sins. 

Esau on the other hand becomes the nation of Edom. Edom becomes the enemy of the Jews. God always gave victory to Israel over Edom, for the older would serve the younger. In some sense, Esau’s descendants are going to take up the mantle of the serpent, and Isaac’s line will result in the seed of the woman that crushed the head of the serpent. Perhaps the most well-known Edomite in the Bible is Herod the Great. He was made a puppet king by the Roman government. He made it his mission to kill the promised Messiah. He attempted it by wiping out every child under the age of 2 in the town of Bethlehem. Roughly 30 years later, Jesus stood before an Edomite, the grandson of Herod the Great. This Herod would cut off the head of John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest man ever born of woman. Herod would then stand in judgment over Jesus, and approve of His death. In that trial, Jesus did not even utter a single word. It was the appearance of victory. But the death of Christ would be the death blow to the serpent. The serpent bruised Jesus’ heel, but Jesus crushed his head. 

 

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Bonus Notes!

There are many people who have become confused or troubled by the additional children of Abraham that are mentioned in Genesis chapter 25. Allow me to explain what I believe is going on here. Let’s begin by taking a step back and reviewing the promise that God had made to Abraham to make him into a great nation.

Genesis 18:17-19

The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

The question that we need to be asking is this. Are these other children of Abraham also heirs of the promise? We can see that Abraham did not believe they were, for he gave them gifts, but not an inheritance. 

Were these children born before or after Isaac? There are some who would argue that Abraham fathered these kids long after the birth of Isaac. However, I don’t think that is the case. I believe that these children were born through Keturah in Abraham’s younger days, but only after the death of Sarah did Abraham make Keturah an official wife. Allow me to present 3 reasons why I think this is the case. 

  1. Chronology

Chapter 25 of Genesis is not in chronological order. In verse 20, it says that Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. Which means Abraham was 140. Then, they were unable to have children for 20 years. This means that Abraham was 160 when Jacob and Esau were born. According to verse 7, Abraham died when he was 175. So, if we are doing the math, Jacob and Esau were already 15 years old when Abraham died. Yet, the author intentionally places the events of the story out of order. Moses was not being sloppy when forming these paragraphs. The Holy Spirit did not make a chronological error. Rather, Genesis 23 through the beginning of 25 is designed to be a narrative transition where we close the focus on Abraham and now look forward to Isaac and Jacob. Since we know that this chapter is not intended to be chronological, I think it is acceptable to argue that the fathering of these other children is anachronistic. That is to say, it is informing us of something that had already happened much earlier in Abraham’s life. 

  1. Abraham’s Limitations

Abraham fathered Isaac when he was 100 years old. When Sarah died, Abraham was 137. This is how Hebrews 11:12 describes Abraham when he was 100. “Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” This means that if Abraham did start over with a new wife after the death of Sarah, then he was already at least 37 years past the point of being “as good as dead.” It is very clear throughout the earlier chapters of Genesis that Abraham and Sarah were both well beyond the age or capability of procreation. Although it is absolutely possible that God gave Abraham the ability to have children even into his 14th and 15th decade of life, I think that this interpretation flies in the face of the miraculous nature of Isaac’s birth. 

  1. Keturah the Concubine

Keturah was likely a concubine. Then, after the death of Sarah, she became his wife. This is a confusing notion to our modern sensibilities. A concubine was a woman who was brought under the protection of a wealthy man, and who would serve him by increasing the size of his household. More children meant more workers. We look at children as an expense, but in those days, children were looked at as a long-term investment strategy. They became part of the household but did not receive any of the father’s inheritance. Concubines were also often gifted to wealthy individuals by foreign leaders. That is why you often saw kings in the early stages of the kingdom of Israel having many concubines. It was a matter of diplomacy.

We know from the Word of God that this is not God’s intended design for humanity. Marriage is designed to be between one man and one woman who would develop a one-flesh union and covenant together. And this union is divinely established. As Jesus says in Mark 10:9, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 

If you look at verses 5-6 again, you will notice something interesting.  Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.”

Concerning the children, there are only two categories listed: Isaac, and sons of concubines. Isaac gets everything, the sons of the concubines get gifts. But what about Keturah and her sons? The fact that her children were only given a parting gift seems to be evidence that she was a concubine while Sarah was alive who later became his wife after Sarah died. So why belabor the point? Why not just move on? Here is where this becomes significant. These children were all older than Isaac. Yet, they were not heirs of the promises. The birth order was irrelevant because God had only promised to bless the world through the descendants that came from one particular child, Isaac.

Let’s just say for a moment that I am wrong about the timing of these children’s births. Let’s just say my interpretation is faulty. There is at least one child we know for certain was born before Isaac: Ishmael.  Ishmael actually came to Abraham’s funeral. Verse 9 says, “Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah” Yet, Ishmael was not given the inheritance. He was not the recipient of the covenant. In defiance of the customs of the day, the older was passed over in favor of the younger. I believe this is important because we are going to see a very clear parallel between Isaac and Jacob in this way. Not all who are of Abraham are of Abraham. Not all who are biologically born from Abraham received the covenant promises of Abraham. 

And before we move on, I want you to see one more thing. Verse 6 says, “But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.” Abraham sent these other children back to the place from which God had called him out. This is the same place where he made his servant swear to never take Isaac. In the book of Genesis, moving East is always a physical, geographical metaphor for someone moving away from God. Let me give you a couple of really quick examples.

  • Genesis 3:24 “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” - Why did God block the east end of the garden? Because He kicked Adam and Eve out on the east end of the garden. God removed them from the original sanctuary and cast them out, never to return.
  • Genesis 4:16 – “Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” - Cain is in exile, and he volitionally traveled away from the presence of the Lord. His journey to the east is all about sin and exile. 
  • Genesis 13:11 – “So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.” We all know how poorly this worked out for Lot settling near Sodom.  

People’s movement to the east in Genesis always seems to indicate an intentional movement away from God. So, the picture that is being painted for us is this… God chose one, likely the youngest, of many brothers to bless, and the rest were to be sent away to the east, away from the presence of the Lord. As we will see later on in Genesis, I believe this to be the electing love of the Lord. Isaac became a spiritually minded man (prayed for children) unlike Ishmael because God had chosen him. Not the other way around.

 

 

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