A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
GENESIS 25:19-34
Lesson #40
THOSE CHOSEN AND THOSE NOT CHOSEN
- Memory verse: Mat 16:26
- According to the sequence of chapters in Genesis, Abraham had died, and we now consider Isaac and his sons.
- In fact, Abraham did not die until after Jacob and Esau were born.
- Isaac was 60 years old when Esau and Jacob were born (25:26) and Abraham had been 100 years old when Isaac was born (21:5).
- Abraham lived to be 175 years old (25:7).
- Read Gen 25:19-23 The birth of Esau and Jacob
- In faith Isaac prayed (25:21) for many years before Rebekah became pregnant with Esau and Jacob.
- Isaac’s father, Abraham, had told Isaac about the promises of God relating to the land and to a multitude of descendants.
- Rebekah also prayed during her difficult pregnancy (25:22)
- She asked God why the struggle within her.
- God’s sovereign choice:
- God reserves the right to choose whom He will.
- Read Rom 9:10-24
- God chose Jacob and not Esau not because Jacob was any better than Esau. God chose the Jews originally and not the Gentiles, not because the Jews were any better.
- God chooses believers to serve him, not because we are better than other people.
- The difference is that we humbled ourselves before God, opened our hearts, and invited Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.
- The prophecy (Gen 25:23)
- Both Esau and Jacob would produce great nations.
- Jacob, produced the 12 tribes of Israel.
- Esau produced the Edomites that persecuted the Jews through history.
- Two kinds of people would result: Those that follow God (from Jacob) and those that do not (from Esau).
- One people (from Jacob) would be stronger than the other people (from Esau).
- Jacob’s descendants (Jews) would be blessed by God and remain a viable ethnic group through history.
- Esau’s descendants (Edomites) would eventually disappear as a separate people.
- The elder (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob).
- Both Esau and Jacob would produce great nations.
- The problem:
- Inheritance legally went to the eldest son.
- Esau was the eldest son.
- By prophecy, God is saying that He will set aside the usual legal system of man to exercise His sovereign choice.
- Most of the great men of the Bible, were not the firstborn:
- Joseph, Judah, Moses, David, etc.
- In faith Isaac prayed (25:21) for many years before Rebekah became pregnant with Esau and Jacob.
- Read Gen 25:24-26
- It is interesting how many times in the Bible God presents a duality of people in the Bible to contrast each other so as to present us with spiritual truth.
- Cain and Abel: Two ways man seeks to approach God:
- By the works of his hands or by the blood of animals.
- Only by the shedding of blood can man approach a holy God.
- Abraham and Lot: Two ways believers seek to follow God:
- By obedience through faith or by worldly compromise.
- Only by obedience through faith will God guide the steps of a believer.
- Isaac and Ishmael: Two ways man seeks the promise of a blessed inheritance in life:
- By letting God teach you and work in you or by the attitudes and actions of the flesh nature.
- The true blessings of God come to your life when you let God work in you as a true son.
- King David and King Saul: Two ways a nation seeks blessing:
- By waiting on God’s perfect time in God’s way or by fulfilling man’s timing in man’s way.
- Eternal blessings come by seeking God’s perfect timing in God’s way.
- Jacob and Esau: Two ways to accomplish longevity for your people:
- By loving the things of God or by hating the things of God.
- Longevity spiritually and materially occurs when you love the things of God more than the things of the world.
- Cain and Abel: Two ways man seeks to approach God:
- Esau, the firstborn
- His name means = hairy.
- Because he was “red” when he was born, and because he sold the birthright for a bowl of “red” stew, Esau was also called Edom. Edom is a land located to the east of the Promised Land. The hills were red in color. This is the land where Esau’s descendants settled.
- Red also gives us a picture of rebellious anger. This was the character of Esau.
- Remember that Biblical names portrayed prophetically something of the character of the person.
- Esau, therefore, is a prefigure of the unbeliever who is rebellious against God and despises spiritual things.
- Read Heb 12:16-17
- It is interesting how many times in the Bible God presents a duality of people in the Bible to contrast each other so as to present us with spiritual truth.
| Esau | The unbeliever |
| He despised his birthright
Gen 25:34 |
They despise spiritual things
Rom 1:21 |
| He sold his birthright cheaply
Gen 25:32 |
They become fools selling out the things of God. Rom 1:22 |
| He sold his birthright for temporary fleshly gratification. Gen 25:34 | They give up godliness for the temporary pleasures of the flesh. Rom 1:24-25 |
| Gratification of his fleshly desire became the most important priority in life
Gen 25:34 |
The flesh nature and its desires become the guiding factor in their lives
Rom 1:29-32 |
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- Jacob, the second born, chosen by God
- His name has 2 meanings, “grasper, or supplanter” and “God protects”.
- He was seen as a grasper because in birth he grabbed the heel of his brother.
- As we shall see in further study of Genesis, his character was one of a grasping opportunist seeking to put down others (supplant them) in order that he would be supreme.
- Neither of these two men has a character that you would think God would choose.
- However, as we shall see, God does not choose according to the goodness of the person.
- God chooses according to one’s openness to change.
- We will see God miraculously change Jacob from a “supplanter” to one that “God protects”.
- Jacob, the second born, chosen by God
- Read Gen 25:27-34 The sale of the birthright
- What was the birthright and why was it so important?
- The birthright was the legal right of material inheritance that gave a double portion to the firstborn. It insured the favor and wealth of the firstborn for the next generation. It also meant tribal leadership.
- We have seen that God chose Jacob over Esau.
- However, Jacob did not wait for God to provide the way.
- He “supplanted” Esau by taking advantage of the opportunity and his brother.
- A chart of the personal relationships in this passage:
| Isaac | Rebekah | Esau | Jacob | |
| Attitude: | Loved Esau | Loved Jacob | Despised the birthright | Did not love his brother |
| Action: | Showed favoritism | Showed favoritism | Sold his birthright for a bowl of stew | Took advantage of his brother’s weakness |
- Application and discussion:
- It is easy to love those who are most lovable and most responsive to our love, but God would have us not show favoritism.
- Both Isaac and Rebekah were wrong in their attitudes and actions. It is never productive for parents to show favoritism toward one child as opposed to another. We will see later in Genesis the consequences of this attitude.
- Both Esau and Jacob were wrong in their attitudes and actions.
- The important principle here is that God can change any attitude that is submitted to him.
- And He can show you how to change your actions when you allow Him to first change your attitudes.
Homework
Genesis 26
- Application of Gen 25:19-34
- Consider your own family relationships. Do you find yourself preferring one of your children or grandchildren over others?
- Explain your attitudes and actions:
- Ask God to forgive you. Ask him to show you how to treat those in your family equally with love. Write your new plan of action.
- Preparation for Gen 26
- Read Gen 26:1-5 The covenant confirmed to Isaac
- What was the test of Isaac’s faith?
- How did he respond?
- Read Gen 26:6-16 Isaac and Abimelech
- Recall the two similar incidents with Abraham in Gen 20:1-18 and Gen 12:10-20.
- Do you see any reason why this incident is repeated with Isaac?
- Read Exo 20:6 Exo 34:7 Num 14:19 Deu 5:9
- What spiritual truths do you discover?
- Recall the two similar incidents with Abraham in Gen 20:1-18 and Gen 12:10-20.
- Read Gen 26:17-35
- Why were Isaac and Rebekah upset over the marriages of Esau?
- Read Gen 26:1-5 The covenant confirmed to Isaac
- Memory verse: John 8:36
