Genesis 25

Timeline review:

2236	Birth of Terah	Gen 11:24
2166	Birth of Abram	Gen 11:27
2091	Abram departs from Haran	Gen 12:4
2066	Birth of lsaac	Gen 21:2; cf.21:5
2031	Death of Terah	Gen 11:32
2029	Death of Sarah (approx 127)	Gen 23:2
2026	Marriage of Isaac	Gen 25:20
2006	Birth of Jacob and Esau	Gen 25:26
1991	Death of Abram	Gen 25:7
1966	Marriage of Esau	Gen 26:34



Gen 25:1-6 ESV) Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2  She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5  Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.



• This occurs three years after Sarah's death. There is no prohibition on remarriage
• It is certainly possible for Abraham to have had six sons in that time.
• It does not violate any commands
• Why does God mention this in his account of the story to Moses?
• It provides context for the people in the area and where they came from
• Also, it will provide context for later events in the story (eg. The Midianites)  … THERE IS A REASON
• Moses' wife Zipporah was a Midianite
• In context, to the east probably refers to Arabia.
• Only the Midianites seems to arise to a settle nation
• These were probably Bedouin tribes
• APPL:  When you read scripture, remember everything has a purpose, you may not see it or understand it now, but if you keep walking with God, He will make more and more things clear to you (Matt 25:29)


• Review Abraham's Genealogy Table of Nations
• Caananites were Hamitic
• Shem is where we get Semitic
• Heber is where we get Hebrew, and so Abraham was both Semitic and Hebrew (Review BPD)
• Aram was a son of Shem (Syrians, Lebanese)
• Many of the Arab nations today are Semitic, but not Ebers


Gen 25:7-11 (ESV) These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.



• Observations?
• Isaac and Ishmael, at this point, are still friendly and least keep in touch
• "Gathered to his people" refers to the place in Sheol where the dead go (also called Abraham's bosom in the NT)
• Isaac would have been 75. Jacob and Esau would have been 15 years old
• The story for a period of time will unfold at Hagar's well


Genesis 25:12–18 (ESV) — 12 These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) 18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.



• First, we are given the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, descended from these 12 tribes
• Next, we are given the descendants of Isaac, which is Jacob and Esau. From Esau will come the Edomites and from Jacob will come the 12 tribes that make up the nation Israel


Gen 25:19-26 (ESV) These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to be his wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 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. 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."

24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 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.



• How long was Rebekah barren?
• Look at verse 20 and verse 26
• 20 years
• What feature is prominent in this passage (remember last week)?
• Prayer is employed by Isaac for his wife (v21)
• Rebekah prays about God's will (v22)
• At this point, in a very short description we have the start of  a parallel story to Abraham (we will see more next week)
• Childless
• Seeking God in prayer
• God answers in his time (making it supernatural by the late response)
• God speaks to "Rebekah" -- before God spoke to primarily Abraham
• God has blessed them
• Potentially here is where things got sidetracked
• Isaac knew God's will for his sons from Rebekah
• But what does Isaac do?
• Isaac uses his stomach (his appetite) to decide (see next verses)
• Names (look up Hebrew meanings)
• Esau means “hairy one” and Jacob “El will protect.” (Hamilton)
• The Hebrew ya’aqob (“Jacob”) is similar to ‘aqeb (“heel”). From Jacob’s grasping Esau’s heal at birth came the nickname “heel-holder” (i.e., one who outwits by trickery) “just as in wrestling an attempt may be made to throw the opponent by grasping the heel.”(Keil and Delitzsch)
• APPL:  How are we doing in our Christian walk? Do we know God's will, but are letting our appetites decide our direction? That is the first step toward failure


Gen 25:27-34 (ESV) 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.

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.



• What is God's purpose of this part of the story?
• It reveals Isaac's motivation
• It reveals problems in the family
• Isaac & Rebekah played favorites. This is always a dangerous thing in a family
• Esau let his appetite rule his life, and maybe even his idea about what it meant to be a man
• Jacob bargains with people to swindle them (He didn't need to steal the birthright, God had already promised his blessings)
• Why does Jacob do this? What was he really after? Was it wealthy or maybe something much more?
• I think Jacob wanted his father's love
• I think having the birthright was reaching for what his father would not give him
• APPL:  What is really the most important thing to us?  Is our relationship with God important or just something we do on the side?