Lesson 54 From Barrenness to Twins! Genesis 25:19- 24

Rebekah Brings Forth Two Nations

Genesis 25:19–24 (ESV)

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.

This is beginning to sound very similar to what we have heard before. That is, there is barrenness on the part of the mother of a promised and blessed seed of the Abrahamic covenant. I am speaking of Sarah and Rebekah both. After about 20 years of marriage, they are thinking, “we are not getting any younger. We need a baby!” Boom, God sends them 2(two). Rebekah’s dad, Bethuel and her brother, Laban are still in the picture, even though living far away (they were considered Aramean/ or Syrian as the King James Version says). Here the Lord answers Isaac’s prayers sooner than He did for Abraham, his father.

The struggle of childlessness is real and when the kids finally come, it is prophesied that there would be an on-going struggle between the two boys inside of Rebekah. This is a recurring theme for man-to-man relationships in Genesis:

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (A. The Birth of Jacob and Esau (25:19–28))

The conflict between brothers is not a new motif in Genesis. Already in chapter 4 the struggle between Cain and Abel has foreshadowed a whole series of such conflicts within the book: the sons of Noah (9:20–27), Abraham and Lot (13:7–12), Isaac and Ishmael (21:9), Jacob and Laban (29–31), and Joseph and his brothers (37–50). Such an emphasis on “enmity” and struggle appears to stem from the first words of judgment in the book, namely God’s statement: “I will put enmity between … your offspring and hers” (3:15).

God’s will can be accomplished in spite of our not being able to get along. There was not only a wrestling match going on inside of Rebekah but the Bible highlights the atmosphere of competition between these two boys as saying the elder shall serve the younger. Talk about uneasiness, this is it. Meaning, the new parents are going to have their hands full. Isaac seems overshadowed by his father and his kids throughout his life. Actually, there is nothing wrong. He spent many years of his adulthood and childhood being overshadowed by his own father. Sometimes fathers who are bigger than life have footsteps that are difficult to replicate. It could be that he was uncertain of his position, but he stuck it out. Yes, he did, waiting on God for the perfect plan and not jumping ahead of God like his dad did several times.

It has been suggested that perhaps Isaac was also too casual about God’s plan for him. He may even be overshadowed by Rebekah. One thing is certain, they both prayed for those babies! I am glad this is notated on the Bible pages. It was not a singular prayer and it was not a singular answer. Pray on dear children of God, your birth pains may not be actual children, but the vision you have for an answer will not be thwarted when it is wrapped up in two strong requests from a husband and wife. Verse 21 Isaac prayed and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah conceived. That’s good stuff. Then, because of the struggle going on inside of her between the twins, is like harassment going on amongst them. They were picking on each other before they breathed air on earth. They just couldn’t tattle on each other in the womb by saying , “mom, Esau is picking on me, or Jacob keeps grabbing my heel.” The struggle lasted until adulthood.

A new word on the promised seeds in her belly. vs.23

English Standard Version (Chapter 25)

23 And the LORD said to her,“Two nations are in your womb,and two peoples from within you shall be divided;the one shall be stronger than the other,the older shall serve the younger.”

The new word from the Lord for Rebekah is that there are two nations, and two people inside of you. That means there are new and distinct children coming. Also revealed that the younger child, though, weaker, will be served by the older stronger child.

The term nations is significant. It is none other than the Israelites from Jacob and the Edomites from Esau. It is interesting to note that the struggle against Israel has never stopped. The reason being is that the Savior of the world came through Israel. It is more than a struggle. It is outright hostility. Our headlines each day deals with antisemitism of one form or another.

Verse 24 almost makes it sound like they were surprised there were twins at birth...”behold, there were twins in her womb.” Let’s see what else we find.

Sibling Rivalry and Parent Partiality 25:25-28

English Standard Version (Chapter 25)

25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

This is a story of bad parenting. Of course this is before James Dobson wrote any books on raising children. As we read this we can take notes on what goes on. Dad loved the oldest and Mom loved the youngest. It was split right down the middle. Jacob was probably a lot like his Dad, but that seemed to push Isaac away instead of getting them closer. Let’s think about Esau. He was a skillful hunter, and a man of the field. He could have easily been a resident of Michigan. He would have fit in here. If he posted in a dating website he would probably tell the young ladies to send a picture of their boat. Then it says, Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. There is nothing wrong with that. We can say he was the strong, silent type. Maybe he enjoyed walks on the sand at sundown. He knew how to say sweet things that his mom loved to hear. But this blatant partiality drove the children apart(remember the struggle was foretold) and eventually there was a split in the family because Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells Out to Jacob 25:29- 34

English Standard Version (Chapter 25)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Here’s where we find the strength of character in the two young men. There wasn’t much if any in either one. The supposedly “strong one” sold out of his birthright for a bowl of stew and the seemingly “weak one” did the cooking and conniving. Red stew was made of lentils, herbs, onions and meat. So, it smelled pretty good, even though the KJV calls it pottage. The account is quick and to the point. Here’s my birthright for a bowl. Both boys despised who they were because Dad and Mom made it a contest of boy against boy for their affection so the boys drifted to the one who gave them attention. Good parenting does not alienate family members, it gathers them in. Kind of like the lost sheep. Go out and get them and bring them back in if they have drifted from you. Let children know who they are in God and in your life. Affirm this position as much as you can. It is never too late to tell all the kids, they mean the world to us.