Genesis 25

Descendants of Abraham through Keturahverses 1-4

 Then again Abraham took a wife – and her name was Keturah

            and she bore him Zimran – Jokshan – Medan – Midian

Ishbak  – Shuah

And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan – and the sons of Dedan

were Asshurim – Letushim – Leummim

And the sons of Midian

            Ephah – Epher – Hanoch – Abida – Eldaah

All these were the children of Keturah

Isaac inherited the estate of Abrahamverses 5-6

    And Abraham gave all that he had

to Isaac

BUT to the sons of the concubines

whom Abraham had

Abraham gave gifts – and sent them away from Isaac his son

            while he yet lived – eastward – to the east country

Death of Abrahamverses 7-11

 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived

            an hundred threescore and fifteen years (175 yr. old)

THEN Abraham gave up the ghost – and died in a good old age 

and an old man – and full of years

                        and was gathered to his people

And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah

in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite

which is before Mamre [Hebron]

The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth

            there was Abraham buried – and Sarah his wife

And it came to pass after the death of Abraham

that God BLESSED his son Isaac

                        and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi

Descendants of Ishmaelverses 12-18

 Now these are the generations of Ishmael – Abraham’s son

whom Hagar the Egyptian

Sarah’s handmaid bore unto Abraham

And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael

by their names – according to their generations

The firstborn of Ishmael – Nebajoth -Kedar – Adbeel – Mibsam

Mishma  Dumah – Massa – Hadad – Tema – Jetur

Naphish – Kedemah

These are the sons of Ishmael – and these are their names

by their towns – by their castles

TWELVE princes according to their nations

And these are the years of the life of Ishmael

an hundred and thirty and seven years

and he gave up the ghost – and died

            and was gathered unto his people

And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur – that is before Egypt

as you go toward Assyria

and he died in the presence of all his brethren

Isaac married at forty years of ageverses 19-20

 And these are the generations of Isaac- Abraham’s son

Abraham begot Isaac – and Isaac was forty years old

when he took Rebekah as his wife

            the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan-aram

                        the sister to Laban – the Syrian

Rebekah pregnant with twinsverses 21-23

 And Isaac ENTREATED the LORD for his wife

BECAUSE she was barren

and the LORD was ENTREATED by him

            and Rebekah – his wife – conceived

And the children struggled together within her – and she said

If it be so – why am I thus?

and she went to INQUIRE of the LORD

And the LORD said to her – TWO NATIONS are in your womb

and TWO MANNER OF PEOPLE shall be

separated from your bowels

and the one people shall be stronger than

the other people

            and the ELDER shall serve the YOUNGER

Isaac sixty years old when twins are bornverses 24-26

 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled – BEHOLD

there were TWINS in her womb

And the FIRST came out RED – all over like a hairy garment

and they called his name ESAU

And after that came his brother out

and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel

and his name was called JACOB

            and Isaac was threescore years old

when she bare them

Esau = hunter while Jacob = home bodyverses 27-28

 And the boys grew – and Esau was a cunning hunter

a man of the field

And Jacob was a plain man

dwelling in tents

And Isaac loved Esau – because he did eat of his venison    

            BUT Rebekah loved Jacob

Esau came home hungry and asked Jacob for foodverses 29-34

And Jacob sod [boiled] pottage – and Esau came from the field

and he was FAINT – and Esau said to Jacob 

Feed me – I pray you – with the same red pottage

            FOR I am FAINT

                        therefore was his name called Edom

And Jacob said

Sell me this day your BIRTHRIGHT

And Esau said

BEHOLD – I am at the point to die

and what profit shall this BIRTHRIGHT do to me?

And Jacob said – Swear to me this day

and he swore unto him

and he sold his BIRTHRIGHT unto Jacob

THEN Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils

and he did eat and drink and rose up and went his way

THUS Esau despised his BIRTHRIGHT

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 21      And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. (6279 “intreated” [‘athar] means to burn incense in worship, intercede, or pray)

DEVOTION:  All those who grew up in a home with more than one child have had the same problems that Esau and Jacob had. Usually, one parent favors one child over the other. Too often children can tell who the favorite is.

Here we have a family with twins. In that culture the first born received a double portion over all the other children. Esau was loved by Isaac while Jacob was loved by Rebekah. That was a problem.

Esau was a man’s man while Jacob was a home body who liked to cook. Esau was out hunting while Jacob stayed at home. They had two different personalities. It caused problems between them and between the parents. Parents should try to love all of their children equally. This is not always easy. Even parents have personality clashes with their own children.

We have the beginning of the godly line from Abraham. Abraham was given a promise by the LORD that in Isaac his covenant promise was going to be fulfilled. Isaac waited twenty years for children. He asked the LORD to open the womb of Rebekah, so that, she could have children. The LORD heard his prayer and granted his request.

When the children were growing in Rebekah’s womb, she knew something was different. She went to the LORD in prayer and asked HIM what was going on. HE replied that there were two nations and two manners of people in her womb. The twins were going to follow two different directions. One was going to follow the LORD. The other was not. Rebekah prayed and God answered with the fact that the older was going to serve the younger.

Isaac prayed for his wife. Are we praying for our spouse? Are we praying for the right things for our spouse? Sometimes we pray for the wrong things in our homes.

We also see that Isaac and Rebekah had different ideas regarding these two children. Do we treat our children the same? Do we love our children over our spouse? The wife is to be a helpmeet for her husband. The two are to work together in raising the children. The two are help each other with areas in their lives that are weak.

If the parents are divided, it causes all kinds of trouble for the children and the home. Christian parents let’s work together regarding the home, children and spiritual development. The discipline of the children has to follow Biblical guidelines, not the guidelines of our culture. Husbands are to be honored by the children. If the wife causes the children not to honor the father, that causes major problems in the home and in the future of the children.

Here we have an example of the wife, Rebekeh, favoring the younger son. In a few chapters we can see the end results of this relationship. God knew what was going to happen but that doesn’t give parents the right to work against each other.

God has a plan for marriage and children. The parents to be a team and make decisions that agree with one another. The children are to honor both parents. The husband is to make sure the children listen to the mother. The mother is to make sure the children honor the father. The father has to answer to the LORD for the outcome of the home.

CHALLENGE: If one or both are not working together to raise the children – REBELLION happens!!! Are we going to prayer about our relationship to each other as a married couple? Are we working as a team to raise the children?

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 23      And the LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels: and the one people shall be stronger than the other people: and the elder shall serve the younger. (3816 “manner of people” [laom] means nation, ethic community, or a population group of a general kind)

DEVOTION:  The LORD talked with Rebekah before the birth of her sons. HE told her that she was going to have twins. HE told her that there were two different nations in her womb. HE told her that these two brothers would fight against one another in the future.

Finally, HE told her that the older brother would serve his younger brother. In other words, the LORD was going to bless the younger brother more than the

God has a choice in all HIS dealings with those who are born into this world. HE older brother knows what choices the individuals are going to make before they make them. Does that mean that God causes people to make bad choices? NO!! It means that HE knows that they are going to make bad choices because HE lives outside of time and knows the beginning and the end of each person who comes into this world. HE knows it before they are born. HE is omniscient. Humans are not.

So here we have a mother with information from the LORD that apparently Isaac didn’t know. He never seemed to ask the LORD about how he should treat his sons.

Fathers need to go to the LORD for help in how to raise their children in the LORD. Each child has a special bent to them and a father should ask the LORD to know how to raise them so that they honor the LORD and them. Mothers need to do the same.

Each parent is important in raising their children. There should be a united front in dealing with each child. There should be house rules that all must obey. There should be a good division of labor in the home so that all learn to do all the chores that need to be done before they leave the house to start their own households.

CHALLENGE:  Parenting is tough. Receiving guidance from the LORD is important if we are going to see the LORD honored in future generations.

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: 28      And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. (157 “loved” [’ahab] means to like, to endear, to have a great affection or care for or loyalty towards, to desire, to breath afer anything or human love for another)

DEVOTION:  One of the great problems in every home is favoritism. One parent liking one child over the other. Then if you have two parents with their favorites it can cause a lot of sibling rivalry.

Sometimes it seems that parents both love the youngest more than any other child. This is not always true. It just happens that the first children wear out the parents to the point that they have used all their energy raising the older children that they just don’t have the energy left to discipline the same as they did the oldest. It is not that they love the youngest the most it is that they have finally realized that some things are not as important as they thought they were when they were first raising the oldest.

Here we find two children that are the same age and they were born at the same time. Twins are a whole new story. Each one is unique and different. So here we have a mother loving the child that is a stay at home individual while the father loves the one who will go hunting and fishing with him.

We have two different personalities in one family. How does this happen? We can blame the grandparents. NO!! We have to ask the LORD to help us treat each of our children the same. We are to love them the same. We are to help them the same. We are to be there for them as much as possible the same.

It can’t always be done that way but parents have to try to be consistent with each child and each set of grandchildren when they come along. It is not easy because we are still human who tend to have favorites but that is not what should be done to the point that everyone knows who our favorites are.

CHALLENGE:  The answer is PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 31      And Jacob said, Sell me this day your birthright. (1062 “birthright” [bakowrah] means an inheritance coming by right of birth, right of the firstborn, first offspring, primogeniture, rank, or firstling of man)

DEVOTION:  Esau came in from the field starving. He needed something to eat fast or he thought he would die. Well, Jacob took advantage of the situation and offered him some of his red pottage. He was cooking something that Esau needed immediately.

Now Jacob was called a supplanter, schemer, deceiver because he was willing to take anything he could get any way he could get it. He had an opportunity to get the inheritance of the first born which was a double portion of his father’s estate.

Too often we can take advantage of people who are in need. We can buy things from them for below cost because they need money right away instead of given them a fair price for what you are buying. Some believers will say that it is just good business sense to take advantage of someone while they are down. That is wrong thinking.

Jacob had this type of thinking and the LORD had to teach him lessons in the future to help him learn that that isn’t the way those who follow HIM were supposed to act.

When we see someone who is down and needs help we need to offer it with no strings attached. We are to be encouragers especially to those who are going through tough circumstances. The LORD will honor us if we act appropriately especially with fellow believers.

Jacob would have his name changed later after he learned some lessons. What would our name be changed to now if the LORD were to rename us? Would our name mean something better than our present name? Remember names were important in the culture of the day.

CHALLENGE: Think twice before you try to take advantage of someone who is going through a rough time. We need to think more than that if we are taking advantage of a fellow believer.

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:34       Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.(959 “despised” [bazah] means 1 to despise, hold in contempt, disdain. 1a (Qal) to despise, regard with contempt. 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to be despised. 1b2 to be despicable. 1b3 to be vile, worthless. 1c (Hiphil) to cause to despise. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)

DEVOTION:  Have you ever done anything that you lived to regret later?  Maybe it was a hasty decision that you wish you hadn’t made.  Maybe it was words out of your mouth that you wish you hadn’t spoken in a fit of anger.  Maybe it was hurting someone who you otherwise truly love.

In any case, Esau was a man of the moment.  He did not look at his future, but was willing to give up something that was rightfully his in exchange for something right now.  Our country is full of Esau’s who are willing to charge things in order to have just “a simple monthly payment.”  This is a statement that we are not concerned about our future welfare and are not willing to defer our immediate gratification to have something which we could postpone our purchase of.

This is also an issue in healthcare.  We are told that our bodies are the temples of God, yet we abuse them (and at this time of the year we are making and breaking resolutions about how to get back on track).  We all know about the dangers of alcohol and tobacco, yet wait for something to happen to our bodies before we are willing to change our bad habits.  We know that we should lose weight, get more exercise, or eat better, but wait for the doctor to tell us what to do (and then ignore it).  We know the dangers of pornography and sex outside of marriage, yet continue to engage in it.

All of these things show that we take for granted what God has given us, and are the same root motivation and response as Esau had when he despised his birthright.  We need to take God’s directions for our lives seriously.  He has given us His gracious gift of a good life and a strong body, and we need to take steps which show that we are not simply seeking immediate gratification in any area of our lives.

CHALLENGE:  Have you abandoned your New Year’s resolutions already?  If so, then get an accountability partner and ask them to help you with keeping them.  Ask God to show you how to be a better steward of your body.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Isaac entreated the LORD regarding Rebekahverse 21

LORD answers with twinsverse 22

Rebekah inquired of the LORD regarding twinsverse 22

LORD replies to Rebekahverse 23

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Godverse 11

God blessedverse 11

LORDverses 21-23

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Wife of Abraham: Keturahverses 1-4

Children:

Zimran

Jokshan

Medan

Midian

Ishbak

Shuah

Jokshan’s children

Sheba

Dedan

Asshurim

Letushim

Leummin

Midian’s children

Ephah

Epheer

Hanoch

Abidah

Eldaah

Children of Keturah

Abraham gave all to Isaacverse 5

Abraham gave gifts to sons of the concubines

and sent them awayverse 6

Abraham lived 175 yearsverse 7

gave up the ghost

Isaac and Ishmael buried Abrahamverses 9, 10

with Sarah his wife

Isaac dwelt in Lahai-roiverses 11, 19-27

Took Rebekah as wife at age 40

Daughter of Bethuel the Syrian

Sister of Laban the Syrian

Intreated the LORD for son by Rebekah

Rebekah conceived

Inquired of the LORD

LORD revealed

Two nations : Twins

Elder shall serve younger

Esau the older: hairy

Jacob

Isaac was 60 years old at birth of twins

Ishmaelverses 12-18

Mother was Hagar the Egyptian

Sons:

Ishmael firstborn: Nebajoth

Kedar

Adbeel

Mibsam

Mishma

Dumah

Massa

Hadar

Tema

Jetur

Naphish

Kedemah

Twelve princes

Ishmael lived 137 and died

Egypt

Assyria

Esauverses 27-34

Cunning hunter

Isaac loved because of venison

Esau faint wanted Jacob pottage

Edom

Sold birthright for pottage of Jacob

Despised his birthright

Jacobverses 27-34

Plain man

Dwelling in tents

Rebekah loved

Had pottage when Esau came for field

Price of pottage was birthright

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Selling your birthrightverse 33

Despise birthrightverse 34

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Blessedverse 11

Intreated the LORDverse 21

Enquire of the LORDverse 22

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Gave up the ghostverses 8, 17

Diedverses 8, 17

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QUOTES regarding passage

Apparently, the firstborn son received special honor because he symbolized his father’s power and potency (cf. 49:3; Deut 21:17). Precisely what the “birthright” consisted of for Esau and Jacob is unknown, although in Mosaic law the “right of the firstborn” (mišpat habbĕkōrâ) entailed a “double share” (pî šĕnayim) of the father’s bequest (Deut 21:17). (Mathews, K. A. (2005). Genesis 11:27–50:26 (Vol. 1B, p. 393). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)

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Though Jacob was not righteous, he was not in this instance deceptive. He was open and obvious, but he was unscrupulous. He must be given credit for knowing what was of value and going after it. Esau, however, was totally “godless” (“profane,” kjv; Heb. 12:16.) (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Certainly the profane nature of Esau was a warning for Israel. It is wrong to sacrifice spiritual provisions to satisfy one’s physical appetites. This is a question of priorities. Esau saw only food; and he did whatever was necessary to get what he wanted (cf. Eve and the food on the tree, 3:6). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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25:31 birthright. A double portion of the inheritance (Dt 21:17) and the right to be family chief and priest (Ex 4:22). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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The twin boys were opposite each other in appearance and temperament. The first boy was hairy and was named “Esau” (hairy); later his connection with the red pottage gave him the nickname “Edom” which means “red” (v. 30). Jacob’s laying hold of Esau’s heel (as though to catch him and trip him) gave him the name “Jacob”—the “heel-gripper” (supplanter, schemer, deceiver). Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home; Esau was a man of the world, full of vigor and adventure. Alas, Esau had no spiritual appreciation. He would rather feed his body than enjoy the promises of God. Of course, Jacob’s scheme to get the birthright showed that he doubted that God would fulfill His promise of 25:23. “Faith is living without scheming!” Esau despised his spiritual privileges as the firstborn (see Deut. 21:17 and 1 Chron. 5:1–2); he chose the flesh, not the Spirit. We never read of Esau having a tent or an altar, and 26:34–35 indicates that he loved worldly women. Hebrews 12:16 describes Esau as “profane” which means “of the world, common” (La., profanus—“outside the temple”). Like many people today, Esau was a success in the world and a failure with God. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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Ezra 4
The king orders a halt to the temple restoration.
INSIGHT

There is a common misconception in the Christian world that if you are doing the Lord’s will, you will not suffer hardships for it. The example of the Jews rebuilding the temple certainly does not support that supposition. The Lord clearly intends for them to rebuild the temple, yet they suffer opposition the entire time. It is not necessarily a sign of God’s displeasure when work begun for Him fails. There may be other reasons for the failure, which are hidden in His sovereignty. That is why it is so important to be in fellowship with Him. If something we are doing fails, we have confidence that it is not because of our sin, but His sovereignty.  (Quiet Walk)

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GOD ACTING IN HISTORY

We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.Acts 2:11

God’s plan is carried out by His acting in history. This is a vital point. Christianity is not primarily teaching; it is a recorded history. Christianity is not urging men to think and to try to delve into the mystery and to discover the truth about God. It says, “Listen, this is what God has done.” Is that not what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem? Is that not what the people said about the apostles when they began to speak with other tongues? “What is this?” they said. “We do hear them speak in our tongues”–what?–“the wonderful works of God.” Not the thoughts of God but the works of God, the things that God has done.
And that is the message of Christianity. Here it is: “Now after that John was put in prison” (Mark 1:14); that is a fact of history, an event in time, just as Julius Caesar landed in Britain in 55 B.C. So at a given point in time John the Baptist was thrown into prison, and at that moment Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled.” “Listen to Me,” He said, “it has happened, it has come.” Now what does this mean” It means that your salvation and mine depends not upon our thoughts, nor upon our discovery of truth, but entirely and utterly upon something that has literally happened in this world almost two thousand years ago.
So we preach to this atomic age, and this is what we say–not “Come and join us on the uncharted ocean, and help us take soundings in order that we may arrive ultimately.” No; we say, “Look back, look back; go back two thousand years, to the first century. Listen: ‘When John was thrown into prison Jesus came and said….'” That is it. In other words, our salvation depends not upon our understanding but upon what God has done in Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Our salvation depends not upon our understanding but upon what God has done in Christ.

             (From The Kingdom of God, p. 19, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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The Powers of God
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
In these days of rampant humanism, blatant materialism, and effete religionism, the very concept of an all-powerful God who created, controls, and judges all things seems anachronistic, but God is still there and is still the Almighty.
Three Greek words are translated “power” in Scripture— exousia (“authority”), dunamis (“ability”), and kratos (“strength”). Each is attributed in unlimited extent to God the Creator as incarnate in Christ the Redeemer. “All power [‘authority’] is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). “For thine is the kingdom, and the power [‘ability’], and the glory, for ever” (Matthew 6:13). “That ye may know… the exceeding greatness of his power [‘ability’] to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power [‘strength’], which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power [‘authority’], and might, and dominion” (Ephesians 1:18-21).
He is the “Almighty God” of Abraham (Genesis 17:1), “the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28). “Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3).
God can do whatever He pleases, except anything contrary to His nature. He “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), for He is “the truth” (John 14:6). His inspired Word is inerrant—“the scripture of truth” (Daniel 10:21). We can be certain that He did not “create” the world by evolution, for that would be contradicted both by His infallible Word and by His omnipotence. Being all-powerful, God would surely not create by such a cruel, inefficient process as evolution. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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A hospitable church is one where people are accepted for what they are, not for what we want them to become. (p. 167, Developing Leaders for the Small Church)

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