Genesis 25-28: Esau Sold His Birthright; God’s Promise To Abraham Reiterated To Isaac; Third “She Is My Sister” Occurence; Jacob Stole Esau’s Blessings; Esau Got Bitter He Wanted To Kill Jacob; Jacob Sent Away To Padan-Aram

Pentateuch by Ralph Levy

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Birthright: the right of the first born gets the largest portion of the inheritance and the family heritage will pass through whoever has the birthright.

Gen. 25:29 Jacob cooked the stew; Esau was famished and tired

:30 Esau asked Jacob for stew

:31 Jacob asked for the birthright in exchange

:32 Esau did not care for the birthright so he sold it to Jacob

Heb. 12:16 Esau did not value what he has been given

Gen. 25:33 birthright sold

:34 Jacob gave the stew and bread; Esau despised his birthright

There are two sides of the story: Jacob the trickster; Esau the weak-willed.

Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup.

Esau and Edom: they became very bitter.

Lesson #1: don’t despise your birthright

Lesson #2: do not be bitter; don’t allow bitterness to cause you trouble. If somebody does you wrong, that’s part of life. Getting bitter will just end you up being the big loser.

Gen. 26:1 There was famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

:2 the LORD appeared to Isaac and told him not to go to Egypt and assured him that He will show him the land where to dwell.

:3-4 promise to Abraham reiterated to Isaac: “And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto your seed all these countries; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Gen. 12:7, 13:15, 15:18, 15:5, 22:17 (promise of God)

:5 reason why He gave the promise? “Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

Abraham did not have the written laws but God made known to Abraham everything.

Dt. 11:1 same words

:6 Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

:7 the third “she is my sister” occurence; same mistake: for he feared to say Rebekah is his wife lest they kill him for she is beautiful.

:8 Isaac showing endearment to his wife and Abimelech saw from a window and figures out that she is his wife.

:9 Abimelech called Isaac and confronted him why he said she is his sister. Isaac told him the reason.

:10 Abimelech was concerned that his men could have lain with her and brough the guilt on them.

:11 Abimelech, ironically, charged his people that whoever touches her would be put to death.

:12 Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year a hundredfold and the LORD blessed him.

:13 he became prosperous

:14 and the Philistines envied him.

Pr. 27:4 envy

:15 the Philistines filled all the well Abraham’s servants digged (sabotage to stop the growth of prosperity)

:16 Abimelech asked Isaac to get out of the place because he was much mightier

:17 Isaac departed and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there.

:18 He dug wells again and called their names after by which his father called them.

:19 the servants dug and found there a well of springing water.

:20 the herdsman of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek (quarrel); because they strove with him.

:21 another was dug and named Sitnah (enmity) and moved to another place

:22 and dug another well and for this he strove not and he called it Rehoboth (wide open spaces) and he said, For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

:23 and he went up from there to Beer-sheba.

:24 and the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I the God of Abraham your father: fear not, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Theophany: the appearance of God

:25 he built an altar and pitched his tent there and dug a well.

:26 Then Abimelech went to him in Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain. (He brought witnesses)

:27 Why did you (Abimelech) since you sent me away?

:28 Abimelech offered a covenant (parity covenant)

Parity because they are both human

:29 we’re not going to attack each other (the covenant)

:30 made them a feast (ate together)

Abimelech seems to be a dynastic name like “king” or “pharaoh”

:31 they departed in peace

:32 Isaac’s servants told of the well they dug

:33 and called it Shebah (well of the seventh) therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day

:34 and Esau was 40 years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hitite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hitite:

:35 which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Esau marries outside of the covenant community

Gen. 28:8 later on he marries inside the covenant community.

Gen. 27:1 Isaac was very old and his eyes were dim; he called Esau.

:2-4 he asked Esau to hunt for a venison and cook it as Esau’s manner that Isaac may eat and bless Esau.

:5 Rebekah heard what Isaac told Esau

:6 she called Jacob

:7 what Isaac told Esau

:8 so Rebekah asked Jacob to obey her

:9 and get two good kids from his flock to make Isaac his request

:10 so Jacob will bring it to his father so Jacob will be blessed.

:11 Jacob countered that Esau was a hairy man and he was a smooth man

:12 and Isaac will ultimately feel him and perceive him to be a deceiver and curse him instead of a blessing.

:13 Rebekah insisted and that the curse be on her instead.

:14 and so Jacob brought her the goats and Rebekah cooked such as Isaac loved.

:15 and took goodly raiment of Esau and put them upon Jacob

:16 and put the skins of the kids of goats upon his hands and upon the smooth neck

:17 and gave the savory meat to Jacob to give his father

:18 and he approached Isaac and Isaac asked who he was

:19 and Jacob lied saying he was Esau and that he had done according to what his father asked of him. Isaac asked him to sit near him that he may eat and bless whom he supposed to be Esau.

:20 Jacob asked how it was possible that he came so soon and Jacob used God saying that it was Him who brought it to him.

:21 Doubting, Jacob asked to feel him that he may know whether it was really Esau or not.

:22 Jacob went near and Isaac said it was Jacob’s voice though the hands are of Esau.

:23 Isaac did not doubt his hands because it was hairy so he blessed Jacob.

:24 Jacob still asked “Are you my very son Esau?” to which Jacob answered, “I am.”

:25 He finally asked for the stew that he may eat and bless whom he thought of as Esau. He was also brought wine and drank.

:26 Isaac asked him to kiss him.

:27 He came near and kissed his father: and he smelled the smell of Esau’s raiment, and blessed him, and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of the field which the LORD had blessed.

:28 “Therefore God give you of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

:29 “Let people serve you and nations bow down to you: be lord over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you: cursed be every one that curses you and blessed be he that blesses you.”

:30 As soon as the blessing was given, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from Isaac’s presence, that Esau came in from his hunting.

:31 He also made savory meat and brought it to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s venison, that your soul may bless me.

:32 Puzzled, Isaac asked who he was. “I am your son, your firstborn Esau.

:33 Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said, “Who? Where is he that has taken venison, and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

:34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father.|

:35 “Your brother came with subtlety, and has taken away your blessing.”

:36 Esau said, “Is not he rightly named Jacob? For he supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing. Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

:37 “Behold I have made him lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do not unto you, my son?”

:38 “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

:39 And Isaac answered, “Behold, your dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

:40 “And by the sword shall you live, and shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass when you shall have the dominion, that you shall break his yoke from off your neck.”

:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing Isaac gave Jacob: and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.”

:42 Rebekah learned about it and warned Jacob that Esau meant to kill him.

:43 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee you to Laban my brother to Haran;

:44 “And tarry with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turn away;

:45 “Until your brother’s anger turn away from you, and he forget that which you have done to him: then I will send, and fetch you from there: and why should I should I be deprived also of you both in one day?”

:46 Rebekah suggested to Isaac the she was worried Jacob might get a wife from the daughters of Heth (since they are in the land of Heth).

28:1 So Isaac called Jacob and told him not to marry a Canaanite.

:2 Instead, to go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel and take a wife from the daughters of Laban, Rebekah’s brother.

:3 and Isaac blessed Jacob that He makes Jacob fruitful, and multiply him, that he may be a multitude of people

:4 and give Jacob the blessing of Abraham, to him, and to his seed with him, that he may inherit the land where he is a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.

:5 Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

:6 When Esau saw Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him to Padan-aram so as not to take a wife from Canaan

:7 And Jacob obeyed

:8 And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not pleased his father

:9 So he went to Ishmael, his father’s brother, and took Mahalath to be his additional wife, the daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebajoth.