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Genesis 25.29 – 26.1-16
February 26th 2023
So, we left off with reading verse 28 where it said Isaac loved Esau (because He ate of his game) and Rebekah loved Jacob.
Let’s continue to read at verse 29 of chapter 25
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
And we will cover these passages before moving on – so back to verse 29
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
The term sod means to boiled and most people familiar with the cuisine of that day and age believe that he was boiling what was in all likelihood lentiles, perhaps red beans cooked with onions, garlic and olive oil.
My parents are both LA natives who married super young and lived in neighborhood where they had Syrian neighbors.
My dad would go off to work and leave his 14 or 15 year old bride home with nothing to do and so she became friends with this Syrian family and it was the matriarch, Mary, who took my mom in and taught here how to be a wife – especially in the area of cooking.
Now, of course, she was taught Syrian dishes and by the time I came along these dishes were part of our family traditions.
One of these dishes, which Mary claimed was of Syrian origin but it seems it came from that entire area including Canaan and Lebannon was something we called, Shedroe.
The Lebannese call it MUJADARAH but for some reason my parents called it Shedrow. But Mary told my mother that this was the exact recipe for the pottage that Esau bought from Jacob.
I grew up LOVING this dish, and so my Mom taught Mary how to make it, and Mary has passed this down to my daughters.
Well here this morning in Salt Lake City Mary came home from work and made a batch of shedrow – which is essentially lentiles, onion, salt and pepper with seasoning like garlic. Rice is often added but this batch includes only the pure pottage mix. Our live audience is eating it now.
But not only Mary the Syrian but many biblical scholars also identify these ingredients as central to the culture and as existing all the way back to this story – in some form or another.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
We can’t say how dramatic Esau was being in his claim of being “faint.” Perhaps he was in the verge of death or perhaps he was just famished but whatever it was he hungry.
However extreme, the pottage was red in color, which was probably due to the color of the lentils and the passage says that because of this (and probably because of His own natural coloring we read about last week), he was named Edom, which is the Hebrew word for, red and is the same word as Adam, who too was a read head.
Jacob, always the opportunist, and in hearing of his twins desperation says (verse 31)
31 Sell me this day thy birthright.
Now, what exactly this birthright looked like or was there to physically sell there have been numerous comments and ideas. I think Danny last week asked how the transaction actually went down.
We don’t really know. To be honest, we don’t fully understand what that birthright really entailed.
What we generally accept about the one who possessed it in that day was it was given to the oldest male, who was known as the primogeniture or the state of being the first born child son.
In many cultures this first born would typically have the rights to more of the estate the parents left upon death (a double portion), would have some authority (and even superiority) over the rest of the family even when the parents were alive. He would often get a special blessing from his father, and in the case of the nation of Israel (or in the early days of its establishment) the primogeniture often held the role of the family priest if the father was too old or died.
This all was the case before the family of Aaron overtook that role in the Nation of Israel.
Some suggest that almost everything except the double portion part was just assumed by the primogeniture and not fixed by any law anciently.
However, there is plenty of scriptural evidence that God Himself wanted
the firstborn consecrated to Him (Exodus 22:29) and
they were next in line for the honor extended to their parents (Genesis 49:3) and
(as stated) they had a double portion of their father’s goods, (Deuteronomy 21:17),
They succeeded him in the government of the family or kingdom, (2nd Chronicles 21:3)
they initially had the sole right of conducting the service of God in both the tabernacle and temple; and hence the tribe of Levi, which
was taken in lieu of the first-born, assumed that right according to (Numbers 8:14-18).
So, it goes without saying that the birthright was a matter of very great importance in families then but how was it actually transferable from one to another as Danny asked and in this case of Esau and Jacob?
It appears from most of the things I consulted that the birthright was made official “through the fathers blessing” which was reserved for only the primogenitor and this sort of sealed the deal – along with word of mouth oaths sworn between the interested parties.
As we read on perhaps this will become more apparent. So, Jacob asks for the birthright in exchange for a mess of pottage and an unofficial verbal transfer agreement is requested from Jacob, the heel-catcher (verse 32). In response Esau says
32 Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
It’s a fascinating take on life that old Esau had, isn’t it? But it typifies the mindset of the carnally driven. Spiritual things are utterly ridiculous to them (even though the birthright was primarily a physical benefit).
But for those uninterested in God life is all about the here and now so a birthright in a family of two wasn’t too important to Esau.
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. (Which seems to mean he verbal promise from Esau that it was now his brothers).
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Hebrews 12:16 calls Esau “a bebelos,” which means a heathen or someone that has no regard for sacred matters, like a caveman, and the writer of Hebrews warns that there not be
“any fornicator, or profane person, (amongst them) “as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”
So we get it about old Esau and his being profane (which by the way from the Latin profanum and means someone or something outside “the fane” with a fane being a temple or sacred place) so someone whose acts or lives orbit around non-temple or spiritually related things.
Again, Esau is a type for the utterly natural man or woman. It is not a mistake that he was the one born first because that is the order of our condition – we are first natural (fallen and carnal) and then spiritual – if we choose.
That is why we read Paul write in 1st Corinthians 15:46
“Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
A direct contradiction to the teachings of our LDS friends whose doctrine teaches that we are all first spiritual, then natural.
We get Esau, but what does this event say about Jacob? His own brother is standing there and based on the narrative was starving to death (or was at least really hungry) and his brother won’t even share the food he made with him unless he received something of greater value from the man in a state of desperation?
So while Esau “despised his birthright,” meaning it was nothing to him and the spiritual rights that came with primogeniture were only worth a mess of pottage, I personally dislike the naturally born Jacob more.
To me, the one who forced the deal was just as reprobate as the one who made the deal and here we can see that the second nature, in and from Jacob, which needed reform too.
In other words, just because Jacob was the one from whom the promised Nation would come is no way suggests that Jacob was a good man. Just because he was a tent-dweller and softer than his brother Esau, Jacob also is a type of the natural man that needs to be reborn just as much.
John writes in the first chapter of his Gospel speaking of Jesus coming to His brethren the Jews and saying
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons (daughters) of God, even to them that believe on his name:
And here’s the kicker
13 Who were born, not of blood (not naturally), nor of the will of the flesh (not by personal reform), nor of the will of man (not through religion or philosophy), but of God.
(meaning reborn by and through His spirit alone).
I love this just approach God has because in the world, people who naturally appear good are not one bit better than those who are natural barbarians in the sight of God.
All must become sons or daughters and only in and through HIM.
Here Jacob verified his name of supplanter, deceiver and tricky opportunist – a name given which appears to have been the result of his catching his brothers heel at their birth but is reinforced by his subsequent conduct in life.
To be honest and perhaps I am missing something in this assessment, but I wonder just a bit about Isaac and Rebekah as people of integrity – truly.
I could be wrong but I do not see them being described in lofty terms or repeatedly held up as symbols of stregth but instead see some of the things that they allow and do as sort of questionable.
We will read of Isaac acting in faith in Hebrews 11 but we never read of Rebekah again except in the waning narrative of Genesis.
Anyway, onto chapter 26 which is the half-way mark through Genesis folks!
So, let’s read a chunk
Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Back to verse 1.
Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
Genesis 12:10 speaks of the first famine in Abrahams day but about this one we don’t know much else – except they often cause people to journey to other places in search of food – often to Egypt because it was a place known for grain.
So, Isaac, it says, went unto Abimelech, king of the Philistines in Gerar. Verse 2
2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
Just as Abraham had taken refuge in Egypt when he was alive it seems reasonable that Isaac would resort to the same place but this time God steps in and tells him to avoid going into Egypt but to (verse 3)
3 “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father.
Verse 1 says that he got to Gerar, and so it seems this was where he heard the voice of God and there he remained as verse 6 will confirm.
Gerar was in the land of Canaan. Now, we aren’t told what God was helping Isaac avoid and it seems like even Isaac doesn’t know and I wonder if this is how God continues to work in our lives?
Not giving His children the why’s but the often the what.
When I look back over my life I can see many times where I have embark on a journey and not given the why just the what.
I think this lends to walking by faith.
Perhaps there is a principle here for each of us to consider and perhaps God does play some sort of role in protecting us from ourselves or other dangers along the way without giving us any reason?
It mattered not that Abraham was successful in traveling in Egypt and Isaac was not allowed. What matters is God said “no” for reasons unknown and that was that. Isaac had the faith to listen.
But in telling him to stay there, God does adds (at verse 4)
4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
And then we do get a why at verse 5
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
So God tells Isaac He was acting according to the promises He had made to Abraham because Abraham “obeyed his voice, and kept or observed all the ordinances or appointments that God had given him.
6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
Well, it seems that just as Abraham set the stage that in Isaac’s seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (in and through the coming of the Messiah) Isaac inherited something else from his faithful dad (verse 7)
7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
We get the fear, we get the lie, its just interesting that it is repeated and we have to wonder if Isaac knew that His father did the same thing with Sarah? (verse 8)
8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
Sporting. The Hebrew word means “laughing, joking around with.” But it must have been in a way that let Abimelech know that she was more to him than just a sister. I think they were having sex. Our more reserved commentators suggest that it was them just being socially intimate in ways that would prove they were more than siblings.
9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might “lightly have lien” with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
To “lightly have lien” with his wife from the Hebrew means to lightly have laid down with her. This line perplexes me to no end.
First of all, and foremost, I don’t understand where Rebekah’s voice is in this assumption? Was it customary for women to remain silent when approached to lightly lie with others?
We aren’t told. Only conjecture remains.
But it makes me wonder about the sexual activities of the Canaanites because it seems that lightly lying with each other was present among them.
(verse 7)
7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
Same story as Dad. With one big difference. With Abraham the story was true as Sarah WAS in fact, his sister. But that is more of a stretch for Isaac and the lie is a little more pronounced even though she was a distant cousin.
Some think that Abimelech had some knowledge of God’s intentions concerning the family of Abraham and so he may have also been aware of the divine judgement that could have come upon them if his people got involved with them, interrupting the work of the LORD.
(verse 11)
11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
Genesis 38:24 will inform us that among the Canaanites, Philistines and Hebrews adultery was punishable by death, so this was in line with their own laws.
Anyway, we got through that mess. Let’s read verses 12-25 for another chunk of intrigue including envy, sabotage, well digging, well naming, and well wishes from God to Isaac.
Verse 12
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
15 For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.
24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.
So, back to verse 12
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
God is blessing Isaac as He blessed His father and this is central to a Jew and their relationship with God – He will bless those who love and obey Him in that day and time.
We will detect a shift in this when the Messiah comes to town because instead of being blessed for following Him the disciples were effectively “appointed to suffering” all sorts of things and this flip was difficult for them to understand.
In other words, for the faithful, who have a Kingdom waiting for them above rather than a Kingdom here with walls and grain and fruits, the blessings are spiritual, inward and part of an invisible economy.
But along with it however are promises from Yeshua of trial, persecution and loss.
This is one of the distinguishing factors of the faith – receiving Jesus leads to death of the self in this life, not reward, and many people resist the painful process.
Anyway, Isaac turns to agricultural and pastoral pursuits and is blessed where his property greatly increases. The septuagint reads that it increased “A hundred-fold of barley,” which historically is not known to be a very dominant crop in that area, so barley could be a mistake.
13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
This is a fascinating study in linguistics because the better reading of this passage is:
“And the man was GREAT; and he went, going on, and was GREAT, until that he was exceeding GREAT.”
I tend to read the text as symbolic and picturesque of what God will do in this day and age in the eternal lives of those who choose to walk by faith here.
Anciently, men “became great” through material success, material acquisition and social stature. The same measurements are used today among us in the world with the Great One being seen through material acquisition.
But looking to Christ I tend to see inward spiritual stature as the goal and one that is often not rewarded in the here and now but is promised recognition in the Kingdom to come.
But I am forced to wonder about those souls in this world who are blessed materially with great abundance (who are not sold out to the kingdom) as compared with those in this world who languish in poverty who aren’t either?
I was ironically just interviewed for an article on the growing dissatisfaction the world population is having with life even though in established first world countries their day to day needs are for the most part, met.
As a person of faith I was asked, along with scientists and educators, what I recommended to offset this growing inward despair in people around the world and I was able to plainly say that people might consider building up their spiritual lives more than constantly pursuing material rewards. Look forward to the response.
Anyway, back to the materially based economy of the Old Testament and to Isaac as we read at verse 14
14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
Which is a natural reaction from our natural selves when we are faced with the abundance some have in this world.
Interestingly, envy is something the scripture repeatedly decries.
We would expect the Philistines to envy Isaac’s success just as we should probably expect envy to exist in the heart of anyone unconcerned with the things and ways of God.
Jealousy is permitted in scripture, within reason as even God is called Jealous but envy is always rejected.
As a reminder, envy is a deep seated desire to possess what someone else owns or has while jealousy is the fear that someone or something will take from us what is ours.
Proverbs 23:17 says
“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.”
We know from Matthew that the Jewish leaders of Jesus day put him to death because of envy. Scripture also teaches us that envy, when assigned to the things of this world, can also be called coveting, which is the tenth big commandment.
To me, envy is founded in the flesh and to feed and grow the spirit within is central to overcoming the spirit of envy by which our fleshly components operate.
If your heart is set on the things of God and His kingdom the envy of the things others own and possess in this life will quickly fade.
The Philistines, of course, were as earthly as you could get, and so they would naturally be envious of the greatness of Isaac.
When we read about people who steal or con other people out of wealth, especially religious leaders, we am able to readily see where their hearts lie.
Such acts tell us that the leader loved the things of this world more than God and was willing to pursue them over Him.
When the Mountain Meadows massacre ended with the material property of the Fancher party being divided up among the local Mormons, including some really fine wagons and teams, we can automatically see that the whole thing was not of God in any way but was based on envy and the things of this world.
Same thing with taking other men’s wives, husbands or conning people out of their material blessings.
Anyway, to the Philistines reaction to Isaacs wealth (verse 15)
15 For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
Envy at its worst which says, “If we cant have it we don’t want you to have it either.”
Of course, wells of water in that land were like ponds of oil for us and this was a direct tell of their envy for the “well- being” (pun intended) and the wealth of Isaac.
In Genesis 21 we read about them all making oaths to never harm each other so this act was really egregious. So (verse 16)
16 . . . Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
Sir Francis Bacon once famously wrote:
“Public envy is an ostracism that eclipseth men when they grow too great.”
We will see that Pharaoh oppresses the Israelites for the same reason in the future – they had become too great – and perhaps this was the case of the Very Son of God in the presence of the feeble religious leaders of His day.
He was too great.
The Philistines appear to have been envious of Isaac’s growing prosperity as their own loss rather than a gain which should be admired so they acted out in helping to ruin him and Abimelech asks Isaac to move homes – his wealth was too great for their surroundings.
We will pick our story up at verse 17 next week – God willing.
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