Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai
INTRODUCTION
Last week’s study ended with Isaac marrying Rebekah and the start of a new chapter for Isaac and God’s ultimate redemption plan. In today’s study, we experience some major transitions, the end of Abraham's life, the lineage of Ishmael, and the early account of Jacob and Esau. And from these experiences learn valuable lessons about legacy, generations, and God’s sovereignty in selection.
I. ABRAHAM’S LATER LIFE AND DEATH (Verses 1–11)
• Verses 1-4 Abraham marries again and has many children by Keturah.
At this time Abraham would have been at least 140 years when he fathered six more sons through her. 40 years before this, Abraham was a feeling that he was too old to have children. Many times, we are the ones who limit ourselves.
• Verses 5-6 Abraham is careful to set Isaac apart as the child of promise.
The Bible refers to Abraham’s other sons as the sons of his concubines. So, although he married Keturah, he truly only had one wife, Sarah. Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, as well as the land God had promised to him and set him apart by sending his others sons eastward, away from Isaac). This is the greatest legacy we can leave for our children – setting them apart for the Lord. We see the result in verse 11.
As believers we are called to think about the legacy we are leaving for our children— spiritually and otherwise.
• Verses 7-10 Abraham’s Death and Burial.
He died at a good old age, an old man and full of years: Abraham lived a remarkably long life of one hundred and seventy-five years. By many measures his life was not perfect, but he was a man of faith, who had a real relationship with God, of remarkable obedience, and a true friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7 and James 2:23).
• Verse 11 God Blesses Isaac
Abraham was a great man, but he was only a man. It was time for God’s work to be passed on to the next generation. But God does not entrust His work to someone without equipping them. Scripture reveals that God blessed Isaac—not merely with material wealth, but with divine empowerment to prosper in every dimension necessary to carry on the covenant first promised to Abraham and the ultimate redemption plan for mankind.
II. THE GENERATIONS OF ISHMAEL (Genesis 25:12–18)
• Verses 12-18 God is Faithful to His Promises.
God fulfilled the promise He made to Hagar (Genesis 17:20) Ishmael had 12 sons. With so many sons to carry on his family name, Ishmael was a blessed man. However, he was not blessed with the inheritance of the covenant God made to Abraham. Twelve princes… one hundred and thirty-seven years… was gathered to his people… he died in the presence of all his brethren: All of these descriptions show what a blessed man Ishmael was. Though he did not receive the Abrahamic covenant, God’s blessing and hand was upon him.
III. THE BIRTH OF ESAU AND JACOB (Genesis 25:19–28)
•Verses 19-21 The Conception of Jacob and Esau.
Rebekah was barren, but Isaac prayed, and God answered (v.21). He quickly learned from what happened to his parents and did not wait. There was the promise, the lineage of the Messiah who will deliver mankind, perhaps it was our adversary that was trying to sabotage the promise. Observe that the Bible never mentioned that Abraham prayed to God for a child. But Isaac knew better. He pleaded with God and He gave them twins.
•Verses 22-28 Two Nations Struggled in the Womb.
The struggle that seemed to take place in Rebekah’s womb made her seek God. As she sought Him, the LORD spoke to her regarding number of children in her womb, their gender, and the destiny of those sons in her womb. One shall be greater than the other, and the younger will be greater than the older. He also repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth (Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated, Malachi 1:2-3).
This has caused some people to object, and question the fairness of God making such a choice before Jacob or Esau were born. Yet we should regard the love and the hate God spoke of in Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:10-13 as having to do with His purpose in choosing one of these two to become the heir of the covenant of Abraham.
“A woman once said to Mr. Spurgeon, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.’” (Newell in Romans, Verse by Verse)
The greatest error we make in considering the choices of God is to think He chooses for arbitrary reasons, as if His choices were random and senseless. God chooses according to His divine wisdom, love, and goodness. We may not be able to understand God’s reasons for choosing, and they are reasons He alone knows and answers to, but God’s choices are not random or impulsive.
IV. ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT (Genesis 25:29–34)
Deuteronomy 21:17 and 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 tell us the birthright involves both a material and a spiritual dynamic. The son of the birthright received a double portion of the inheritance, and he also became the head of the family and the spiritual leader upon the passing of the father.
There could only be one heir of the promise not two. And because Esau thought little of the spiritual heritage connected to the birthright, and valued only material things, and because spiritual birthright meant little to him, when his stomach was hungry, he traded it for a meal! Perhaps this was the reason God chose Jacob over him right from the womb; because He being Omniscient knew the kind of person Esau would turn out to be. That he would treat his birthright with levity. Hebrews 12:16 tells us that Esau was profane, selling his birthright for one morsel of food. And regardless of whatever deception Jacob and his mum hatched to get the blessing of the first son from Isacc, it was at this point Esau lost his birthright, not afterwards
Many people place little value on spiritual things. And daily trade spirituality for short-term gratification undermining and undervaluing our spiritual "birthrights"
One subtle instance of this is conforming to the world instead of being set apart. To protect Isaac’s birthright, Abraham set him apart from the sons he got from concubines. But today we hear parents say: “Leave them alone, let them be . . .” But you can only do that when you have indeed trained them in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). Otherwise you expose them to the contaminations of a polluted and depraved world.
CONCLUSION
God is ever faithful to His promises. Even after Abraham's death, we witness those promises continuing to unfold, demonstrating that God's covenant extends beyond the life of a single individual. Remarkably, His blessings sometimes reach those we might not expect—as seen in the case of Ishmael. Though not the child of promise, Ishmael still experienced the overflow of God's faithfulness.
The story of Isaac asking God to open Rebekah’s womb in prayer, reveals a significant shift. Unlike Abraham, who waited passively at times or sought solutions through human effort, Isaac chose to confront the problem through prayer. This teaches us that we are not bound to repeat the negative patterns of those before us. When we recognize destructive cycles or generational issues, we have the authority—by prayer and God’s Word—to break them. This principle aligns with Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:19, where He grants us keys to bind and loose spiritual realities.
Although Esau’s character was not the basis for God’s choosing (He chose Jacob over Esau before they were born), Esau’s character, his impulsiveness and disregard for spiritual inheritance—affirmed the wisdom behind God's decision. As believers, we must guard against making similar exchanges. We must treasure the calling and promises of God on our lives, understanding their eternal significance. The lure of immediate gratification can cost us far more than we imagine—sometimes resulting in consequences that cannot be undone. Let us remain faithful, discerning, and prayerful, so we walk worthy of the inheritance entrusted to us.
