Genesis 25 Devotional Bible Study

Genesis 25 Chapter Summary

Abraham took another wife after the death of Sarah. Her name was Keturah, and he had sons by her but left the main inheritance of his estate to Isaac. Abraham died at 175 years old, and Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah. 

Ishmael's descendants lived near the border of Egypt and were hostile to all the tribes related to them. Ishmael died at 137.

 

At age 40, Isaac married Rebekah. Rebekah couldn't have children for the first 20 years of their marriage, but Isaac prayed, and God answered his prayer, giving them twin boys. During the pregnancy, Rebekah felt the babies jostling one another in her womb. She asked God why this was happening, and He answered:

 

"Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger."

- Genesis 25:23

 

Esau (Hairy) was the first to come out, followed by Jacob (Deceiver) holding onto Esau's heel. Esau was an outdoorsman and hunter, while Jacob liked "to stay at home among the tents." Isaac loved Esau, and Rebekah loved Jacob.

 

Jacob was making stew one day when Esau came in from the countryside hungry. Jacob told Esau to give him the birthright of the firstborn before he would give Esau any stew, and Esau agreed to the deal! – not valuing his birthright.

 

Are You a Sarah or a Keturah?

Genesis 25:1-4

Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

Keturah was the successful wife. She gave Abraham six children, whereas Sarah struggled to give him one. Yet Keturah is a side note in Abraham’s life. She gets one paragraph after Sarah was one of the main characters for the last 12 chapters.

Here’s the point: In some people’s lives, you’re going to be a main character. You’re going to be integral to that person’s story. You’re going to be “Sarah.” In other people’s lives, you’re going to be a side note, a “Keturah.” It’s through no fault of your own, or anyone else’s. Like Keturah, you might be very successful in what you do for that person – just not that important to them in the long run.

It takes wisdom to understand your importance in someone’s life – and humility to accept it.

 

A Good Old Age

Genesis 25:7-10

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, ¹⁰ the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

Abraham died at a “good old age.” That word “good” in Hebrew is “tov.” It’s the same word God used to say that His creation was good. It means Abraham was blessed to live as long as he did.

Do we see old age as a blessing? Or do we fear it? Do we think only of the health problems and loss of independence we’ll face as we get older?

How can we see our continued years as a blessing from God? If our bodies fail us, how can we set our minds and hearts to serve our Heavenly Father in those last years? How can we prepare ahead of time to be a blessing – rather than a burden – to others as we age?

Getting old isn’t for spiritual wimps. It’s for people like Abraham, who learned to trust God throughout his life so that he was able to stand strong in the Lord when his final days came.

 

Life Continues After You

Genesis 25:11

After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

Simple question: Do you trust God to be with your family after you’re gone? Do you trust Him to be with those who will carry on your work, your ministry, your legacy after you’ve passed? 

God does not stop when you do. The time to rest will come for us all, but God continues working. We need to trust Him and be able to let go when we reach the end of our lives.

Amen?

 

HIS Prayer

Genesis 25:21

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Who was praying? Not the person with the physical problem. It was someone praying for the person with the physical problem. There is power in praying for other people!

Who is the Holy Spirit prompting you to pray for today?

 

Inquiring of the Lord

Genesis 25:22-23

The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her…

I love how Rebecca asked the Lord a direct question, and the Lord answered her! Do you know that you can ask God questions? I often ask Him to confirm if something is true or not. I might have an idea or hear someone say something regarding a passage of Scripture, and I’ll stop and pray, “Is this true?” and He’ll respond in my spirit very definitively.

I challenge you to ask the Lord a question and then wait silently, expectantly, for Him to answer. See what happens!

 

 

Lack of Morals, Lack of Wisdom

Genesis 25:29-34

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.

Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Jacob doesn’t show a lot of concern for his brother here, does he? Rather than trying to meet Esau’s need, Jacob uses Esau’s felt need to take advantage of him!

Is there any way you’re taking advantage of another person when you offer to help them? What needs can you meet without asking for anything in return?

Esau, on the other hand, was extremely short-sighted, and he was exaggerating his felt need. He wasn’t “about to die,” or else he couldn’t have had this conversation. He simply wanted immediate satisfaction and didn’t care about the long-term consequences. He was acting foolishly.

Do you have any felt needs in your life that you’re trying to meet in foolish ways? Are you trading short-term satisfaction for long-term benefit?