Genesis 25: 19-23
This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 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. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 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. 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.”
There is a lot to learn from those 5 verses:
1) Isaac prayed for his wife.
Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: Even the son of promise did not come into the promise easily. It only came through waiting and prayer. But before God fulfilled His promise, He waited for Isaac to ask. Husbands and wives should pray for each other.
2) Be persistent in prayer.
The Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived: This prayer was answered, but some 20 years after Isaac and Rebekah first married (Genesis 25:20, 26). Their faith and persistence in prayer was tested and invited to grow through many years. As well, these were the only children born to Isaac and Rebekah.
3) Talk to God when you are worried or concerned.
So she went to inquire of the Lord: Rebekah knew that something was different about her pregnancy. It seemed that something in her body was at war with something else. She had to be worried that something was wrong. The struggle that seemed to take place in Rebekah’s womb made her seek God. As she sought Him, the Lord spoke to her regarding number of children in her womb, their gender, and the destiny of those sons in her womb.
4) Listen for God’s answer.
This is a good time to talk about how God speaks to us today. Of course, we know that God speaks to us through His written Word. But He also speaks to us in other ways.
I am amazed with the clarity that some people have when they say, “Well, God told me...”, and it is usually something that does not line up with His Word. Some people claim to hear His voice constantly; others have heard it once or twice in their lives, while others, like me, only hear Him through an urging in our Spirit.
The problem is that Satan also speaks to us today, and he can mimic God’s voice in such a way that he deceives God’s chosen people.
So, how do we know that it is God talking to us, and not Satan or some other demonic entity?
I simply ask myself a few questions:
Does this message agree with what God’s Written Word says? Or does it suggest something that would violate scripture?
If the Written Word is silent, does it seem like something that Jesus would do?
And, finally, would following the direction that we feel that we have received further the Kingdom of God, or would it damage it?
So, while It is good to desire that the Lord would speak to us, we must realize we do not hear perfectly from God as the Patriarchs did. We can also become far too confident in our ability to hear from the Lord, and forget that it is easy for us to stop listening when God wants to keep speaking.
We may add to what the Lord is saying, or hear it clearly but misunderstand the timing or application of what the Lord says to us. So, when you hear someone today say that God told them something, or that you feel yourself that He did, then ask yourself the questions that I mentioned. If still in doubt, then pray for clarity or confirmation, and God will respond.
Ok, back to what God said Rebekah...
Two nations are in your womb: What God said is simple; Rebekah would give birth to twins. The twins would each father nations. One shall be greater than the other, and the younger will be greater than the older.
Jewish legends say Jacob and Esau tried to kill each other in the womb. Also, every time Rebekah went near an idol’s altar, Esau would get excited in the womb, and when she would go near a place where the Lord was worshiped, Jacob would get excited.
And the older shall serve the younger: In this case, God chose to go against the accepted pattern of the younger serving the older. In Romans 9:10-12, the Apostle Paul used this choice of Jacob over Esau before their birth as an illustration of God’s sovereign choice.
10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.
Paul wrote that God’s choice was not based on the performance of Jacob or Esau. The choice was made when they were not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil (Romans 9:11). God announced these intentions to Rebekah before the children were born (the older shall serve the younger), and repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth.
Malachi 1:2-3 states Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.
On the surface, that seems really harsh. God chose Isaac over Jacob before either could do anything to earn His love or hate. However, the context of both texts is that God, in His infinite wisdom, pre-ordained Jacob to be the heir of the covenant. God knew that Jacob would choose to follow Him as Abraham and Isaac had done. So, in that context, the Malachi scripture probably should have read something like “Jacob I have accepted, but Esau I have rejected.”
God did not hate Esau in the sense of cursing him to a doomed life in either this world or the next. All told, Esau was indeed a blessed man.
Our greatest error in considering the choices of God is to think God chooses for arbitrary reasons, as if His choices were random and senseless. God chooses according to His divine wisdom, love, and goodness. We may not be able to understand God’s reasons for choosing, and they are reasons He alone knows and answers to, but God’s choices are not random or capricious.
The birth of Jacob and Esau. (verses 24 - 26)
So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 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.
There really were twins in her womb: The truth of the unseen promise was fulfilled by something that could be seen. When the time came for them to be born, there were in fact twins in Rebekah’s womb and God’s word was proved true.
And the first came out red: The circumstances surrounding the birth of each child were responsible for their names. Esau referred to the hairiness and hair color of the first-born child. Jacob referred to the way the second-born was holding on to the heel of his brother. Additionally, the idea of a “heel-catcher” meant something in that day. It had the idea of “trickster” or “con-man.” It wasn’t a compliment.
The different characters of Jacob and Esau. (verses 27-28)
So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
a. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man: Like so many siblings in a family, Jacob and Esau were very different from each other in their personality and tastes; and as is sometimes the case, each parent had a favourite child.
b. Jacob was a mild man: The Hebrew word for mild has the idea of “wholeness” or “completeness” instead of someone who is weak or effeminate. The same Hebrew word tam is used of Job in Job 1:8 and is translated as “blameless”. Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So when we are told that Jacob was a mild man, it really means that he was complete, whole, and blameless.
Esau sells his birthright to Jacob. (29-34)
Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Passages like Deuteronomy 21:17 and 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 tell us the birthright involved both a material and a spiritual dynamic. The son of the birthright received a double portion of the inheritance, and he also became the head of the family and the spiritual leader upon the passing of the father. In the case of this family, the birthright determined who would inherit the covenant God made with Abraham; the covenant of a land, a nation, and the Messiah.
I am about to die: Esau’s thought wasn’t that he was so hungry that he would die without food. Instead the idea was, “I will die anyway, so what good is this birthright to me?”
While the Bible doesn’t give us a clear reason of why Esau thought that he was going to die, the historical book of Jasher fills in some of the details. According to Jasher, Esau spotted the wicked King Nimrod also hunting in the same area. Nimrod was evil and cruel, had tried to kill Abraham when he was a baby, and tried to take over heaven and kill God at the Tower of Babel.
Esau saw an opportunity, and hid himself and surprised Nimrod by cutting off his head. Nimrod never saw it coming. Esau also hid and killed 2 guards that were nearby. There was a huge hunting party with Nimrod, and Esau fled, thinking that they all knew what he did and would soon come to kill him for revenge. So when he got home and smelled the stew that his brother was making, he quickly agreed to Jacob’s crazy terms. If he was going to die that day, what did some birthright matter to him if he weren’t around to see tomorrow? (Note: While mentioned twice in the scriptures, Jasher is NOT an inspired book; but a fairly reliable historical one)
Jacob acted in the character of his name, acting like a heel-catcher. Jacob was guilty of scheming in the flesh to gain something God said was already his. Yet we should remember the far greater blame was placed on Esau, who despised his birthright. Martin Luther once said that this was not a valid transaction anyway, because Jacob tried to purchase what was already his, and Esau tried to sell something that didn’t belong to him.
How Esau despised his birthright: Hebrews 12:16 says “lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Esau’s character as a fornicator and profane person shows us that God was entirely correct in choosing Jacob over Esau to carry on the birthright, even though Jacob was younger.
Though Esau’s character was not the basis for God’s choosing (He chose Jacob over Esau before they were born), Esau’s character ultimately showed the wisdom of God’s choice.
Esau thought little of the spiritual heritage connected to the birthright. He valued only material things, so a spiritual birthright meant little to him when his stomach was hungry and he thought death was imminent. Many, if not most people, also place little value on spiritual things.
Spiritually speaking, many today despise their birthright.
Ephesians 1:3-14 shows us a treasury of riches that are ours by birthright in Jesus:
Every spiritual blessing.
The blessing of being chosen in Jesus.
Adoption into God’s family.
Complete acceptance by God in Jesus.
Redemption from our slavery to sin.
True and total forgiveness.
The riches of God’s grace.
The revelation and knowledge of the mystery of God’s will.
An eternal inheritance.
The guarantee of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 2:3 warns us “how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.”
Yet far too many neglect or trade away this birthright for cheap entertainment, momentary popularity, or passing pleasures.
Are you protecting your birthright as a prized possession? Or are you neglecting it because of worldly pleasures or cares?