The Seed Begins to Multiply
Notes
Transcript
Text: Genesis 25
1 Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites, and the Leummites.
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.
6 But while he was still alive, Abraham 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 total of 175 years.
8 And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and 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 This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes of their tribes.
17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
18 Ishmael’s descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
19 This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,
20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD,
23 and He declared 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 her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.
25 The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau.
26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
28 Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished.
30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 “First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.
32 “Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
33 “Swear to me first,” Jacob said. So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright.
34 Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
PRAY
Review Where We’ve Been in Genesis
Genesis can be divided into two major sections: Chapters 1-11 and chapters 12-50
Four Major Events (Gen 1-11):
Creation (Gen 1-2)
Fall into Sin (Gen 3-5)
Flood (Gen 6-9)
Nations & Tower of Babel (Gen 10-11)
Four Major Men (Genesis 12-50)
Abraham (Gen 12-25)
Isaac (Gen 25-26)
Jacob (Gen 25-36)
Joseph (Gen 37-50)
Today we are concluding the section on the life of Abraham and starting into Isaac’s life. The accounts of Isaac are much shorter than the accounts of the 3 other major patriarchs in Genesis, as the bulk of Isaac’s life is covered in just a couple of chapters. And yet he plays an important role in carrying on the promise of seed through whom blessing will come to the whole world.
One of the major themes that we’ve seen running through Genesis so far is that God is faithful even though people are unfaithful. Even when people fail to trust God and do what He commands, God is faithful and keeps His promises. We’ll see that in our passage again today.
I’ve divided Genesis 25 into 3 sections of descendants:
Abraham’s descendants in v. 1-11
Ishmael’s descendants in v. 12-18
Isaac’s descendants in v. 19-34
With this we see that God’s promises to Abraham are starting to be fulfilled. The land promise is starting to be fulfilled with the purchase of a burial plot back in Genesis 23, and here in Genesis 25, the promise of seed or offspring is starting to be fulfilled.
In this chapter we are introduced to Abraham’s 8 sons as well as 21 of their sons, and at least one other generation is hinted at also.
Based on the ages and genealogies we’re given, we know that Abraham would have still been alive when Jacob and Esau were born (even though his death is recorded before their birth), and I think it’s likely that at least some of Ishmael’s children were also born before Abraham died.
So Abraham likely got to personally see at least a dozen of his descendants, and possibly 20 or more in his lifetime. Still not close to the number of stars in the sky, but the family is growing.
Another important thing we’re going to see in this chapter is that even though Abraham had many descendants, only one was the chosen seed through whom blessing would come for the world.
God chose Isaac as the son of promise, even though Ishmael was born first. And then, …
God chose Jacob as the son of promise, even though Esau was born first.
When we get to Jacob’s children, we will see the same principle at work also as God chooses his 4th son Judah to be the one through whom blessing will come for the world.
Abraham’s Descendants (v. 1-11)
Abraham’s Descendants (v. 1-11)
6 More Sons (8 Total)
1 Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites, and the Leummites.
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
The Scripture doesn’t tell us why Abraham took another wife or when this happened, it just records the name of his wife Keturah and her 6 sons.
So altogether Abraham had 8 sons.
The names Midian, Sheba, and Dedan show up several times later in Scripture, but we don’t know much about the other descendants here.
But God had told Abraham that nations would descend from him, and we see this beginning to come true here. God said to him in Genesis 17:6, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.”
Priority of Isaac
But Isaac was the son of promise. God had told Abraham in Genesis 21:12, “through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” The singular offspring through whom all families of the earth would someday be blessed would come through Isaac. The seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head will come through him.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.
6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
Why did Abraham leave all his possessions to Isaac?
God had blessed Abraham with great wealth, as Abraham’s servant had acknowledged in Genesis 24:35–36: “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.”
God had told Abraham that Isaac was the son of promise, and Abraham demonstrates faith and obedience by entrusting all his things to his son Isaac.
How does this point toward Christ?
This statement is also similar to a statement David makes later regarding the Messiah, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
In Psalm 2:8, God says to David and to David’s greater son, the Messiah, “Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.”
Hebrews 1:2 says that “In these last days [God] has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things…”
Jesus Christ is the ultimate promised seed of the woman, the one through whom blessing has come for the whole world. And just as Isaac received everything as an inheritance from his father Abraham, God the Father gives all things as an inheritance to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why did Abraham send his other sons away?
They may be a threat to Isaac and to the fulfillment of the promise
A spiritual threat drawing his heart away from God
Or a physical threat putting him and his family and the land in danger.
What’s the significance of the east?
Moving East in the Bible usually indicates moving away from God and His place of blessing.
Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden to the East (Gen 3:24)
Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in Nod, east of Eden (Gen 4:16)
After the flood, people traveled east to build the tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-2)
When Lot separated from Abraham, he moved toward the east and ended up in Sodom (Gen 13:11)
So again, this language is showing us that these other descendants of Abraham are not part of God’s promise, and they have moved away from His blessing.
Abraham’s Death
We briefly mentioned Abraham’s death when we talked about Sarah’s death in Genesis 23, but we’ll cover it again briefly here.
7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years.
8 And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and 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 This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
How does Abraham’s lifespan compare with previous and later generations?
Nahor, Abraham’s grandfather, lived 148 years.
Terah, Abraham’s father, lived 205 years.
Isaac, Abraham’s son, lived 180 years,
Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, lived 147 years.
Joseph, Abraham’s great-grandson, lived 110 years.
A long life, full of God’s blessing
God had promised Abraham in Genesis 15:15, “You… will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.”
Now that promise is fulfilled in Genesis 25:8: “And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people.”
Significance of burial in the promised land
Genesis 25:9 tells us that “His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.”
Again, this shows Abraham’s faith in God’s promises. His desire to be buried in the promised land showed his hope of a resurrection — that someday God would fulfill His promise completely so that Abraham himself would enjoy the promised land.
God’s Faithfulness Carries On
11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
Death does not annul God’s promises or faithfulness
God’s faithfulness continues to the next generation
Application:
Do your part to pass on God’s blessing to the next generation, but trust Him to be faithful in carrying out His good purpose even after you’re gone.
In 100 years, if the Lord tarries, we’ll all be dead and buried. Will God’s promises and purposes still continue without us here?
Trust God for future faithfulness.
God can be trusted to keep His promises.
For the people of Israel who originally received this writing, God’s past faithfulness served as an encouragement to trust Him for future faithfulness.
We also can look back at God’s past faithfulness to us and even in previous generations as a sign of how He will continue to be faithful in the future — for the rest of our lives and beyond.
Ishmael’s Descendants
Ishmael’s Descendants
Multiplying Seed
12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes of their tribes.
17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
God blessed Ishmael with many descendants even though he was not the son of promise. This fulfills God’s word to Abraham in Genesis 17:20
20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
God also said,
13 But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
God blessed Ishmael for Abraham’s sake.
Hostility from Ishmael against his other family members
18 Ishmael’s descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
Ishmael did not respond properly to God, but instead became an enemy of God’s people and part of the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15).
Isaac’s Descendants
Isaac’s Descendants
Background Info
19 This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,
20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
The Problem of Barrenness
21 Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
The barrenness of Rebekah points
Back to Sarah in Genesis 11:30 “30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.”
And it points forward to Rachel (and others later in Scripture) Gen 29:31: “When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.”
Barrenness — a dead womb — means the end of the family line. How will God’s promise be fulfilled if Rebekah cannot conceive a child?
This point also reminds us of God’s sovereignty over life and conception. God is the one who chooses when to allow or not allow a child to be conceived, according to His good purposes.
Application:
How do you think it made Isaac, and especially Rebekah, feel that they were unable to have children? In Scripture we find other barren women expressing sorrow, shame, envy, and even bitterness because of their barrenness. Or in the case of Sarah, we saw her take things into her own hands to try to fulfill the desire she had for a son (that didn’t work out so well).
Have you ever had a desire that was unfulfilled?
A child
A relationship
A friendship
A job
A house
If we’re honest, many times in life we have desires that are left unfulfilled. Dreams that never seem to come true.
How do we respond in such times? Do we…
Grieve
Feel shame
Envy what others have
Grow bitter against God
Try to solve the problem in our own sinful way
How should we respond?
Isaac and Rebekah here serve as examples of how to deal with an unfulfilled desire: They prayed.
The Prayers of Isaac and Rebekah
21 Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD,
Isaac prayed for his wife — He took the problem to God. He takes initiative and serves as a godly leader for his wife.
God responded to Isaac’s prayer by enabling Rebekah to concieve; again, this reminds us that life and conception are the work of God. He is the one that opens and closes wombs.
Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD — because of the struggle in her womb between the twins, she goes to inquire of the LORD, to ask for God’s help. This seems to indicate that she did so by means of a prophet (maybe Isaac?).
God Answers with a Surprising Revelation
23 and He declared 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.”
Her twin sons will become 2 nations
The natural order would be reversed, as the younger son would be prominent and have a higher rank than the older.
This revelation from God leads us to understand the truth of …
God’s Sovereign Election
23 and He declared 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.”
God does not do things the way people do things. His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.
He often chooses the younger, the weaker, the less important, rather than the older, wiser, stronger, more important.
As Paul also says in 1 Corinthians,
26 Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
28 He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,
29 so that no one may boast in His presence.
God chooses those the world would not choose in order to demonstrate His power, wisdom, greatness, and goodness.
And Paul tells us in Romans that this message from God to Rebekah is an example of the sovereign grace of God in election.
10 Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
11 Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand,
12 not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
13 So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
Paul’s application of this historical event in Genesis has to do with our salvation; just as God’s choice of Jacob over Esau had nothing to do with them or anything they had done or would do, so also our salvation is not owing to who we are or what we’ve done, but to the mercy of God.
We are not saved ultimately because of our own will or effort, but because of God’s sovereign mercy and grace in choosing us and bringing us to Himself.
This ought to humble us and cause us to bow in worship before God.
If we have received His mercy and grace, it is not because of anything in us, but only because of His choice to be merciful and gracious to us.
How do you think about and talk about your salvation? Does the way you talk primarily emphasize yourself or God?
The Scripture is clear: All the credit, all the honor, all the glory goes to God, not me, for my salvation. It is not because I’m better, wiser, or more clever than others who have not received His grace.
It is because of God’s sovereign choice to rescue me even though I didn’t deserve it. He gets all the glory, all the praise for His sovereign grace in my life.
So God chose Jacob, and not Esau, as the one through whom the promised seed would continue.
The Birth of Jacob and Esau
24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.
25 The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau.
26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
Esau is noted for being hairy (this will be important later)
Jacob is noted for grabbing his brother’s heel (which is the basic meanin of his name — heel-grabber/supplanter/deceiver — (see Genesis 27:36 “Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated [Jacobed] me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.”…)
Isaac was 60 when the twins were born, meaning he and Rebekah waited 20 years, just like Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years, for the fulfillment of God’s promise.
The Dysfunction in the Family
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
28 Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Characteristic of the boys
Esau — outdoorsman, hunter
Jacob — reserved, dwelling in tents
Favoritism from Isaac and Rebekah
Isaac favored Esau because of his appetite for meat
Rebekah loved Jacob (maybe because he helped around the house?)
The Craftiness of Jacob
29 One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished.
Did Jacob do this intentionally?
Jacob was taking things into his own hands, seeking to accomplish God’s plan in his own way, by taking advantage of his brother.
Rather than sharing his food, he demands his brother’s birthright.
31 “First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.
33 “Swear to me first,” Jacob said. So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright.
What is the birthright?
Commentator Allen Ross writes,
“The birthright [is] the portion of the heir who will carry on the line of the promised seed… The birthright [involves] the abiding, spiritual heritage.”
The Worldliness of Esau
29 One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished.
30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 “First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.
32 “Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
33 “Swear to me first,” Jacob said. So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright.
34 Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau was governed by his passions
He demanded some “red red” so he was nicknamed Red.
A single meal was more valuable to him than his birthright.
The language of v. 34, “He ate and drank and then got up…” is almost the same as what we find in Exodus 32, at the story of the golden calf: Exodus 32:6 “6 So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.”
The same verbs are used in Hebrew to connect Esau to the idolatrous Israelites and show us that what Esau is doing here is that he is committing idolatry. He is valuing temporary physical satisfaction over long-term spiritual blessing; he is ascribing worth to a meal rather than to God and His purposes. Esau is an idolater.
16 See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.
17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Esau was only interested in fulfilling his passions — hunger, sexual desire, and desire for possessions.
The spiritual significance of the birthright and blessing meant nothing to him. He only cared about satisfying his worldly desires.
The dysfunction of the chosen family highlights God’s grace and faithfulness.
God will fulfill His promises to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, not because of their perfect obedience, but in spite of their many failures.
This is a repeated theme in Genesis —
God is faithful even when His people are not.
God is faithful even when His people are not.
And because God is always faithful to His promises,
Let us seek to
Know Him,
Trust Him,
Love Him, and
Obey Him more.
I’d like to end with a couple of verses from Isaiah 60 that connect with this passage and show us more of God’s plan and purpose for the nations.
Although Midian and Ishmael and others mentioned in this passage prove to be enemies of Israel, God promises that someday, people from these families who have rejected Him will return and embrace the good news of the Messiah:
Isaiah 60:5–7 “5 Then you will look and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and swell with joy, because the riches of the sea will be brought to you, and the wealth of the nations will come to you. 6 Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD. 7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on My altar with acceptance; I will adorn My glorious house.”
All of these names mentioned in Isaiah were other descendants of Abraham through Hagar and Keturah, and in much of the OT, they were Israel’s enemies; but one day, God promises, people from those nations will worship and praise the LORD and receive His blessing.
By His grace we also share in the blessings of God’s promises which are fulfilled in the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the King from David’s line, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Him, God proves Himself faithful, because in Him, all of God’s promises are fulfilled.
