Moses keeps things moving right along as we enter a new section in the Book of Genesis. He wants us to keep looking ahead and not to think that we've arrived at the end of the story.

Abraham has died – Abraham who had figured so prominently in recent chapters – and now we are about to find out what happened next in God's slowly unfolding plan of redemption. And yet Abraham does not immediately disappear. As we read the opening of this new section with those now familiar words "These are the generations of…" Moses takes care to emphasize that Isaac is indeed Abraham's son – twice in the opening verse this idea is repeated.

Moses is moving the story along but we are not to forget hat the promises given to Abraham do not end with his death. Those promises continue to his son Isaac. And lest the reader be tempted to think that Isaac the Son of Promise, is indeed the Seed of the Woman, Moses quickly moves on to Isaac's own offspring.

Isaac and Rebekah

We have previously seen that Isaac was the child that the LORD God had promised would be Abraham's heir. We have seen how God has watched over him and how He intervened in order to provide him with a wife. Rebekah belonged to Abraham's clan and as left her family in order to marry Isaac she left with words of blessing ringing in her ears:

Gen.24:60 “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them!”

She was young and strong – surely everything looked rosy ahead.

But it wasn't like that at all! Isaac and Rebekah were in the centre of God's will and purpose but that did not guarantee an easy life for them. How easily we find ourselves thinking that blessing would follow automatically if only we did the right things etc!

"These are the generations of…" means "What happened next" and for a time nothing did! Once again there is a problem of childlessness in God's plans.

Isaac and Rebekah knew the promises of God – Isaac's own offspring are mentioned by the LORD before he has even been born himself (17:19) and yet still Rebekah was barren. No children had come in the first twenty years of marriage!

The problem is brought to an end by prayer. How long did Isaac pray for his wife? How earnestly did he plead those promises of God that had spoken of his offspring? The text doesn't tell us. But surely Isaac didn't wait 20 years before praying. It's good to note Isaac's response. He could have sat back and reasoned with himself that God had promised therefore it must come about, he didn't need to concern himself about it all. But that is not the Bible way. When God makes promises His people are to take heart and pray for their fulfilment. God makes His promises but so often He sets His people praying as the means by which He will keep those promises.

We should also perhaps take note that as God works towards the final accomplishment of His plans He here underlines that His plans will not be achieved by mere human effort – as He had intervened in Sarah's case so He does again in Rebekah's – salvation is of the LORD!

How imply Moses records it for us: v.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."

How thrilled the two of them must have been! But the pregnancy was a terrible experience for Rebekah. Once again the fact of being in the centre of God's will is no guarantee of ease and tranquillity!

Rebekah's Pregnancy

To say that Rebekah's pregnancy was not an easy one would be an understatement. It was uncomfortable and painful. In fact it was so painful that she despaired even of life itself as the children she is carrying fight it out within her. So tough and unusual was the whole experience that she takes herself off to enquire of the LORD just what is going on.

Moses doesn't go into detail about just what was involved – did she visit a prophet or a seer? Did she pray herself? Were words given to her directly from God or did He use some other intermediary? We know that "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets," Heb.1:1 – however He did it the LORD had no difficulty in communicating with Rebekah.

The Lord's answer to Rebekah explained both what was taking place inside her womb and declared that this was merely the start of a rivalry that would continue in life and down through the years as her twin boys grew to become separate nations. I wonder whether Rebekah was comforted by the explanation she received?

In describing the tussle and the struggle the LORD also declared who would come out on top in the end. "The older shall serve the younger". This went against the cultural norms of the day. The first born was considered to have special rights and privileges – the younger was deemed weaker and less significant. But once again the LORD chooses to go against the normal human of doing things – it's as though He wishes to drive home that salvation is only of the LORD.

We find God frequently overturning the normal pattern of human priorities: the younger Abel was chosen over his brother Cain; the younger Isaac rather than Ishmael, now again in the choice of Jacob and not Esau. It will show itself again in the choice of a younger Joseph over his brothers, a younger Ephraim over Manasseh, a younger David over his brothers, the younger Solomon over his brother Adonijah. It will show itself supremely in our Lord Jesus Christ in the NT – born in a stable, brought up in despised Nazareth, poor and lowly – yet this was the Seed of the woman! And then Jesus chooses lowly disciples to send them out into the world to be His representatives! As Paul put it:

1Cor.1:27-29 "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

The message for us in this oracle that the LORD gave to Rebekah is that even though the embattled church may appear weak and despised yet in God's purposes she will prove victorious by His grace. What an encouragement! Let's not lose sight of it!

The Twins are Born

Just as the LORD had said Rebekah was carrying twins and at last they are born.

Moses gives an unusual amount of descriptive detail concerning these two boys both at birth and as they grow up into manhood. It would seem as though he is concerned to emphasize the differences between them.

Esau is born first. The physical description is not flattering. He is described as being hairy and red all over.

As he grows up he is portrayed as a man of the wilds – but we mustn't read this as though he were some kind of rugged out-door hero. He is a man very much tied to the earth with its physical appetites. He is a man who wants instant gratification and is unconcerned about the higher things in life. In particular coming from the line of promise he shows a total disregard for the privileges involved. Esau is a sensual materialist – or less politely an oaf!

Next comes Jacob. At first he's not described physically – we'll learn later that he was a smooth and quiet man – here our attention is focused upon his action. He is grasping at his brothers heel. He is striving for supremacy even in the womb and he will go on striving by hook or by crook to get on. We read too that as he grew up he "dwelt in tents". We're tempted to read that as a contrast with Esau – Esau loved the open fields but Jacob was a home-loving boy. But that probably isn't what we meant to understand by this description especially as we're not told where Esau did dwell. It's more likely that we have a hint here of a more long term interest in the blessings promised by God. After all we have been told that both his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham dwelt in tents in the Land of Promise!

What are we to make of these descriptions? The two brothers are very different. Are we to find the reason for God choosing the younger in preference to the older in the respective qualities of the two men?

The answer to that must be no. This episode is quoted in the NT as an illustration of sovereign grace – God's free choice is in no way based upon human merit.

So what then?

Well let's realize just what rotten material God has to work with. We like to imagine that we have a lot to offer God don't we? But here with these two brothers born into the line of promise we are confronted with reasons for not choosing either of them. Moses is concerned to show that Esau was totally unworthy of any spiritual blessing and yet the cold scheming twister (that is the meaning of Jacob's name) is hardly any better. But unpromising material does not stop God accomplishing His purposes. The promises of God will pass through Jacob's line but they are promises of grace and not the reward of merit!

The Matter of the Birthright

We come now to the matter of the birthright. The eldest was entitled to a double portion of his father's inheritance – it was a position of honour and privilege. It should have been esteemed appropriately. Esau did not. Jacob on the other hand did esteem it of great value though his chosen means of pursuing it are hardly praiseworthy.

Esau is an unspiritual oaf. That is as plain as a pikestaff. He is a coarse man. Coming in from the fields he longs to satisfy his physical hunger – he can't wait – he takes one look at Jacob's pot of red lentil soup and wants to eat straight away. Our translations sanitize what he says – the AV makes him sound really quite polite: v.30 "Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint:" What he actually said was more like: "Give me some of that red stuff right now so I can gobble it down."

Jacob is a cold schemer – he's been looking for ways to get one up on his brother and now he sees an opportunity. He takes advantage of the hunger of his brother and drives a hard bargain. He asks for the birthright in exchange for some stew.

Extra-biblical sources carry some information about the practice of selling ones birthright – in effect a selling of part of ones inheritance. The price was three sheep. Jacob got a real bargain – he only paid with a bowl of lentil soup!!

Esau is pushed by Jacob to commit himself by an oath – the significance of this is that it couldn't be undone subsequently. Jacob has his plans well-worked out and he drives home his advantage. It wasn't difficult – Esau had little long-term appreciation of the blessings of the covenant and is described here as "despising his birthright". He will later lose his father's blessing too.

The NT commentary on Esau is not sympathetic towards him either. The writer to the Hebrews describes Esau as an unholy man who sold his birthright for a single meal! He is then held up as an example and a warning to us not to despise spiritual matters:

"For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." Heb.12:10

What a warning this is and one we should take to heart. The attitude of so many is like that of Esau summed up perhaps for us in the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:19-20:

"And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’"