Slices
Prepare
Reflect on what it means to you that you’ve been made acceptable to God... by faith.
Bible passage
The death of Abraham
25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he 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 hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he 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 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Jacob and Esau
19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.
Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ So she went to enquire of the Lord.
23 The Lord said 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 elder will serve the younger.’
24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’
32 ‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’
33 But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
Explore
Abraham must have been 160 years old when the twin grandsons were born. There’s no suggestion that he ever met them, but they were well provided for because, on his death, Abraham left everything to his son, Isaac (v 5).
But their futures turned out very differently from what their grandfather might have planned. Could Abraham have anticipated a repeat difficulty over conception (v 21), the birth of surviving twins (v 22), conflict from the start (v 22), two boys so different from each other, favoured by different parents (v 28), the elder son having little interest in his birthright and inheritance (v 34)?
Probably not, but this demonstrates a pattern that flows throughout history. God chooses and uses the unexpected, the outsider, often the weak and vulnerable. How many biblical examples can you think of where a younger son plays a central role in salvation history? Check out 1 Corinthians 1:27,28. Jacob, who purchased an inheritance that was not his by right, had inadvertently fallen in with God’s choice. The first became last and the last first.
This is truly profound. The apostle Paul wrote that keeping the law or having the right background does not make anyone right with God.
Respond
Thank God for people in the Bible, as well as Christians you know, who have received God’s acceptance which, humanly speaking, would not have been their birthright.
Deeper Bible study
Thank God that he has given you all that you need that pertains to life and godliness.1
Caution must be exercised when we are tempted to compromise honesty and integrity. It usually has a way of jeopardising future blessings. The price of integrity and walking uprightly before God can never be overstated, nor should it be underestimated. The annals of history are littered with the anguish of those who lived for the moment.
Scripture gives three powerful descriptions relating to Abraham’s later life: a good age, an old man and full of years (v 8). Abraham had learnt challenging lessons on his way to becoming Israel’s esteemed patriarch;2 his integrity and name are revered to this day. The Jewish people honour him as father of the Jewish nation. Christians honour Abraham as the father of faith.
Rebekah is pregnant with twins (v 22) and the Lord prophesied to her the character of her children (v 23). Isaac’s love for Esau and Rebekah’s for Jacob are flawed with a cruel irony yet to be realised (v 28). That Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew is a striking example of instant and momentary gratification, an act that carried long-term and irrevocable consequences. Living up to the meaning of his name, ‘grabber’ (v 26), and his own desire for instant gratification, Jacob exploited Esau’s exaggerated vulnerability and grabbed the birthright from him (vs 29–34). Even though it was prophesied (v 23), Jacob took matters into his own hands to fulfil God’s promise. We will never know what would otherwise have happened – all we can know is that God’s purposes would be fulfilled. In the vignette between Jacob and Rebekah,3 Jacob forfeited his integrity, his character and God’s favour.
Lord, help me to retain my integrity when faced with choices of serious compromise. I pray that those in public office may be protected from the lure of instant gratification.
1 2 Pet 1:3 2 Gen 23:6 3 Gen 27:6–17
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ruth 3,4; Psalm 45
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Shine, our resource that equips young people to share their faith at school. Please pray for Christian young people during the isolation period, that their faith would remain strong and be an inspiration to their non-Christian friends at this time.
