Genesis Chapter 25: Abraham’s Death , A man’s man and a mama’s boy

The title of Chapter 25 does a good job of summing up this chapter.  Abraham takes another wife after Sarah dies and has more children.  Before Abraham’s death he gives gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them eastward.  Genesis 25:6 “…to the land of the east”

Isaac received all that Abraham had. Genesis 25:5 “Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.”

Abraham lived for 175 years.  When he passed, Isaac and Ishmael buried him with Sarah (his wife).

A few things spoke to me in this chapter; one thing that stood out to me was how Abraham was able to give to all of his children.  Not only that, but when he died his sons were able to bury him in the land that he purchased prior to his death.  God’s abundance provides for us in life and in physical death.  In verse 11, the scripture says, “It came about after the death of Abraham that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac lived by Beer-lahai-roi.”  I believe that this is an example of God’s faithfulness to his word and timing.  He knows all things and keeps his promises to his people.  Isaac future is set before him and God will shall be done.

Later in this chapter, it is written that Ishmael lives for 137 years.  They settled from Havilah to Shur (East of Egypt) and he settled in “defiance of all his relatives”.  Isaac’s wife Rebekah was pregnant and she asked God why the children “struggled” inside of her so.

Genesis 25:23 “The LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”

When she had her son’s, one came out fuzzy (the bible says hairy) Esau and the other cane out holding on to Esau’s heel.  (His name was Jacob because he held on to Esau’s heel).  Esau seemed to be a man’s man.  Hunter, the scripture says that he was a “man of the field” while Jacob was a peaceful man living in tents. (Jacob sounds more like a mama’s boy here J)  Isaac loved Esau while Rebekah loved Jacob.  One day when Esau came back famished from the fields he discovered that Jacob was cooking some stew.  Esau was so hungry and asked Jacob for some stew.  Jacob asked for Esau’s birthright for some stew and Esau was like whatever, I’m starving here, so he sold his birthright to Jacob.  At the end of this chapter the scripture says that Esau “despised his birthright”.

When we are weak, we are more susceptible to doing things that we will regret.  I wonder if Jacob was cooking this stew waiting for Esau to return from the fields.  Next chapter if I remember correctly we should find out how some of the consequences for Esau’s decision.