This may seem to be a weird chapter to select as one of my favorites. It starts out with the answer to one of my favorite Bible Trivia (boy, talk about an oxymoron) questions. If you haven’t read the chapter yet then 500 points if you can answer this: Who did Abraham marry after Sarah died? Actually, even if you have read the chapter you still get 100 points if you could answer without looking back.
Of course, the answer is... Keturah.
The chapter then goes on to tell us a little about the sons Keturah bore to Abraham. (Indeed, Sarah was barren rather than Abraham being infertile. But of course we already pretty much knew that with Ishmael being born to Hagar.) It also tells us that Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury Abraham after he died.
Then we get a list of Ishmael’s sons and are told that Ishmael lived to be a hundred and thirty-seven before he died.
We’re told that Isaac’s wife Rebekah was barren but Isaac prayed and God gave her twins. While the twins were in her womb God told her that the older would serve the younger. The first born was hairy and named Esau. The younger came out grasping his brother’s heel and was thus named Jacob. Esau was a hunter but Jacob enjoyed a more domestic life. Esau was Isaac’s favorite. Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite.
As interesting as all of this may be it falls somewhat short of being favorite chapter material.
Ah, but then we come to the last six verses and a remarkable story unfolds.
Esau has been out hunting and comes in famished. Jacob is cooking stew. Esau asks for some stew. Jacob tells Esau that he can have some stew in exchange for his rights as the first born. Esau agrees. Done.
What did we just see? We just saw why God chose Jacob instead of Esau. In the natural this could go either way. In truth, what kind of brother won’t just give his sibling something to eat when asked for food? It was pretty low of Jacob to take advantage of his brother like that. So, what gives?
Esau despised his birthright. In despising his birthright he was considering as of little value the right to stand in the line of the promises given to Abraham. He could not see the value of promises made by an invisible God concerning future things. Even a promise so great as, “Through you all nations on earth will be blessed.” Jacob saw its value, believed in the invisible God who made those promises, and desired to have them.
It is good to be kind and good and generous and all of those qualities we admire in others so much. But it is better to desire God and what He has promised. If we are those other “good” things but have no need for God then ultimately we won’t have those other things either. If we will desire God and go after Him them all of these other things will eventually be ours as well because He will conform us to His image.
Jesus said, “Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have even what he has will be taken from him.” The story of Jacob and Esau proved that if we desire God we will have it all, but if we despise (consider of little value) God then we have...nothing.
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