Genesis 25
Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 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. 9 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.[a] There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Ishmael’s Sons
12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[b] all the tribes related to them.
Jacob and Esau
19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.
Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram[c] and sister of Laban the Aramean.
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. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.
23 The Lord said to her,
“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.”
24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.[d] 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.[e] Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[f])
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 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.
Footnotes
- Genesis 25:10 Or the descendants of Heth
- Genesis 25:18 Or lived to the east of
- Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
- Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
- Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.
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?
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