LESSON 14
Genesis for Today: Chapters 24-25
by Herb Drake

Copyright (c) 1998, 2020, Herb Drake.

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Isaac and Rebekah

When the time comes for the promise to extend to the next generation, Abraham tasks his chief servant (probably Elezear if 15:2) and makes him swear to find a wife for Isaac from among the family of his youth in Haran. He will not settle for a Canaanite woman, so the solumn oath is invoked. Like the "cutting" of the covenant in Chapter 15, the swearing of an oath is a common ritual about which little is understood.

The servant requests a sign from God so that he could recognize the woman intended for Isaac. The sign is a difficult one because camels drink a great deal of water, but Rebekah appears and fulfills the requirements of the sign. She is related to Abraham's brother's wife, a family that we encountered before at the end of Chapter 11. When Rebekah extends the requested hospitality to Abraham's servant, he accompanies her to her home and introduces him to her brother, Laban, and her father, Bethuel. Laban's eyes light up at the sight of the golden gifts that Abraham's servant gave to Rebekah, a character trait that will be significant as the story continues in a future chapter. They encourage the servant to stay a while, but he expresses the need for urgency and they let Rebekah, her servant's, and Abraham's servant go. When they meet Isaac, he falls in love with her and they are married.

The Death of Abraham

Abraham lives long enough to re-marry and have six more sons. His wife, Keturah, is referred to as a "concubine" in some translations, but it was not uncommon for the wifes of widowers be referred to in this manner. The sons of Keturah are given gifts and sent away, none receiving an inheritance. Isaac was the heir to everything Abraham had.

When Abraham dies, the text assures us that he was an old man "full of years." He is put to rest by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave at Machpelah, next to Sarah's grave. As often happens today, death brings families back together.

God gives a blessing to Isaac, which assures us that Isaac will now be the promise bearer.

A Postscript on the life of Abraham and Sarah

• They were Daring. They left home at an age where most couoples would b expected to have conservative attitudes and an unwillingness to pull up roots.
• They had Self-Denial. They were willing to give up their homeland, family, and even Isaac.
• They were Disciplined. They stayed on task. Alghouth there were some lapses early on, they lived in Canaan a full 100 years, faithful to one another.

Ishmael's Descendants

Abraham's death is a logical place to insert a follow-up on the progenyof Ishmael and Hagar . When Ishmael dies, he leaves behind twelve sons ("princes" in 25:16).

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

The "barren wife" theme re-appears with Rebekah, and because she is well into her forties, this constitutes a threat to the promise. After the couple prays, God gave her twin boys who strugged with each other even while still in the womb. The LORD says to her that the twins will both head great nations, that one will be stronger than the other, and that the elder will serve the younger.

When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, Esau is the fisrt to emerge. He is hairy and has red skin, so he was named "Esau" ("hairy"), and later, "Edom" ("red"). When Jacob is born, he is grasping Esau's heel and is given a name that resembles "heel." The message conveyed here is that Jacob was trying to reverse the birth order even while still in the womb!

The Birthright

The twin brothers share little in common. Esau became a hunter, which endeared him to Isaac because of the pletiful game the boy brought to the table. Jacob, we quickly discover, is a clever manipulator who is favored by his mother. He waited until his brother was hungry, and then exchanged some tastey stew for Esau's birthright. Esau was so eager for the food that he "gulped it down" (Heb. "akal," which is an hapax logomenon usually translated "ate"). Incredibly, he has no idea that the birthright will have when it is time for Isaac to bless his first-born son. We are told that he "despised" (Heb baza, which can also be translated "worhtless") his birthright.

Chapter 25 thus ends with a message for us: Are there times when we throw away something important in order to gain some trivial, short-term, end?

Genesis 22-23 | Genesis 26-27