The God of Isaac
– Grab spritual birthright –
Genesis 25
Good morning. Today, day light saving time started. Though we lost one hour of sleep, we gained one more hour to work longer under the sunlight. Last week, P. Jacob preached about the marriage between Isaac and Rebekah. It was God’s divine leading in the marriage. Abraham, his senior servant, Rebekah, her family, and Isaac saw God’s hands in the marriage. I pray God may establish many God-centered marriage families from our ministry.
Today’s passage is about the transition from the God of Abraham to the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. In this passage, Abraham died. But the work of God continued down to Isaac and Jacob. Last Monday, 7 senior missionaries visited us. They enjoyed walking on trails, then went to the UD campus to invite students. At evening, at Hibachi, we had good dinner fellowship. I could see the work of God between them and young people. From this message, we are going to learn the importance of prayer between Isaac and Rebekah. Also, we are going to learn why it is important to value spiritual things through the case of Esau and Jacob.
Part 1. Abraham died at a good old age.
Look at verse 1. After Isaac had married Rebecca, Abraham took another wife named Keturah. He was at least 140 years old at that time. But God really blessed him. Keturah bore him six sons.
Look at verse 5-6. In verse 5, he left everything he owned to Isaac because God told him that through Isaac, his offspring would be reckoned. However, in verse 6, while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from Isaac to the land of the East. Isaac was lonely. Is not it better for many brothers to live together and help each other? Yet, why did Abraham send his other sons away from Isaac? Because He wanted to make a best spiritual environment for his son to continue to grow as a man of God. This is similar to what he did in Genesis 21. He got rid of his son Ishmael from his house while Ishmael was mocking Isaac. He sent Ishmael away from Isaac to protect him and to grow as a man of God. In the same way, here, he sent his other sons away for Isaac. He wanted Isaac to live in a good spiritual environment to depend on God, get to know him, and maintain his spiritual identity.
Like Abraham, in order to grow as a man of God, we need to make a good spiritual environment around us. If necessary, we need to get rid of Ishmael. We need to send things away from us. Otherwise, we cannot grow as a type of person God desires.
In verses 7-8, Abraham died at a good old age, an old man and full of years. He was 175 years old. There are some cases for people who served God faithfully, but died early. But in general, those who served God wholeheartedly lived a long life. Abraham was faithful to God. He lived by faith. He put God first in his life. God really granted him to live full of years.
Not only he lived a long life but also, he lived a blessed life. He used to be an idol worshipper. He was under the wrath of God. He was supposed to perish. But God had mercy on him. God called him from his father’s household (out of darkness and sins). God even called him as a blessing (God’s vision – through him, all people will be blessed). God revealed his presence and his power to him each time (in Egypt, rescuing Lot, ‘count the stars’, the covenant of circumcision, Abimelech, the birth of Isaac, Jehovah-Jireh, Isaac’s marriage to Rebecca). Then, he got to know who God is, growing as a blessing, a man of God, and a friend of God (knowing God’s heart deeply). God became the God of Abraham. Now he breathed his last and was buried in the cave of Machpelah.
Part 2. Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife.
Look at verse 11. After Abraham’s death, God began to bless Isaac. From this verse, we are going to learn about the God of Isaac. How did God bless him in this story?
Let us read verse 21, “ Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” His wife Rebekah was childless. Though she was very beautiful and virgin, she was barren. This couple was formed by God’s divine leading (Genesis 24 – Rebecah married to Isaac even though she has never seen him but by faith trusting in God’s leading). In Genesis 24:60, she was blessed by her family; a mother of thousands. However, in reality, she could not have babies. In the meantime, Isaac’s half brother Ishmael had twelve sons. Where is God’s blessing in Isaac’s family?
Look at verse 21 again. In that situation, what did Issac do? Did he have another young wife to have his own child? No. He prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife. Because of the problem, Isaac began to pray to God. Even though the Bible did not mention clearly, Rebekah must have prayed to God too. Isaac and Rebekah must have prayed together with one heart, one mind, one spirit. Though her barrenness was a big problem in their family, if we think in the other way, because of the issue, the couple became one mind, humbled themselves, and prayed to God together.
How long did Isaac pray for? According to verse 26, Isaac married at age 40 and Rebekah gave birth to two sons when he was 60 years old. So, it was 20 years. It is not easy to pray for 20 years with one prayer topic constantly. For such long years, he must have had great pain, doubt, frustration, and so on. But he prayed by faith: ‘God, have mercy on Rebekah to have a baby’.
Through prayer, he began to spend more time with God personally; requesting what he wants to God and waiting for listening to God. God was not just God of his head knowledge but becoming real in his heart. Also, in his prayer, he must have been remined that how God was faithful to his father Abraham. So, he could put his trust in God that God would be faithful to him. Then, he encouraged Rebekah to pray together. He reminded her of his mother Sarah’s faith: it took 25 years for Sarah to have Isaac. Finally, the LORD answered his prayer that Rebekah became pregnant. Through this, Isaac experienced the power of prayer personally. God became the God of Isaac.
The prayer of Isaac and Rebekah reminds me of two things. One is In Luke’s gospel 1, there was a priest couple Zechariah and Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive. What did Zechariah do? He prayed to God on behalf of his wife. Elizabeth must have prayed to God too. They requested God for a baby with one mind, one heart, and one spirit. Then, after waiting for a long time patiently, in God’s time, God answered their prayers. They were the parents of John the Baptist.
The second thing is Matthew 18:19 Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. Every Sunday, we have prayed for registering a campus club over one year. Even though we have prayed, the prayer topic was not accomplished yet. How long? When? But because of that, we gather and pray in one heart and one mind. In God’s time, he will surely bless us register a campus club.
Now look at verses 22-26. The babies jostled each other within Rebekah. Jostle means “push, elbow, or bump against (someone) roughly”, it is like resting. At that time, there was not sonagram. She did not know she had twins. So, she inquired of the LORD. Then, God revealed his will upon this family. What was God’s will?
Let’s read verse 23, The LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.” God answered to Rebekah what was going on in her womb. In her womb, there are two nations and two peoples, meaning twins. Also, especially, God said, the older will serve the younger. In general, the younger serves the older. But this case is reverse. The first-born son will serve the second born son. While the twins were in her wombs, God chose the younger for his redemptive work. It was his will even before they did not do anything good or bad.
We can learn here that God’s selection has nothing to do with our human merit. It is up to his sovereignty. Apostle Paul said about this in Roman 9:12,13. It says Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger. Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
In the same way, right now, the reason we believe God, we study the words of God, we worship God, me personally serving the UD campus ministry is not because I or you are qualified but because he chose us in Jesus. It is solely by his grace and mercy. There is nothing we can boast about ourselves. That is why in 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul confessed, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Part3. Esau despised his birthright.
Look at 24-26. Twin boys were born. The first one was named Esau (means hairy) = Edom (means red). The second one was named Jacob (deceiver) = he grasped Esau’s heel. Esau grew up as a hunter. Jacob grew up loving to stay at home (like a mama boy).
In verses 27-34, one day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau just came from the open country and famished. Esau told Jacob “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” Famished means “to cause to suffer severely from hunger’. Esau was extremely hungry. Jacob should give some of his stew to his older brother. But as his name (deceiver), he used this situation as an good opportunity to take birthright from Esau. So, he said, “first sell me your birthright”. What is birthright? It is a right to which a person is entitled by birth. Those who have birthright will receive his father’s all inheritance as Isaac received Abraham’s everything in verse 5. The birthright was given to Esau since he was the first son. But Jacob wanted the birthright. Why? I think he must have heard from his mom Rebekah about what God had said to his future and Esau’s future (the older will serve the younger). Since then, he was looking for a chance to take birthright from Esau.
In the meantime, what was Esau’s attitude toward his birthright? In verse 32, he said, “Look, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?” And then, he swore an oath to Jacob, selling his birthright to Jacob. He traded his birthright with food.
What does the Bible say about him? Let’s read verse 34. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. Despise means “regard as unworthy”. Esau did not value his birthright as worthy. He did not value God’s inheritance as worthy. Instead, he cherished his stomach, meaning worldly things, material things. So, verse 34 concluded, Esau despised his birthright. As a result, the birthright was transferred to Jacob. Esau lost a chance to receive God’s inheritance. In the NT, In Jesus’ genealogy, it was supposed to be like this; Abraham-Isaac-Easu-Jesus, but because of his wrong attitude toward the birthright, it became this way: Abraham-Isaac-Jacob-Jesus. Esau gives us a good lesson: what we should value higher? Food or God. Every time, we have to choose: this world or God, school study or Sunday worship service, enjoy spring break or attend the spring bible conference, and so on. Hebrew 12:16,17 says, “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”
In the meantime, Jacob valued the birthright, though the way he dealt with Esau was wrong. Because he cherished the birthright (spiritual things and God), in Genesis, though he lived a messed-up life, God did not give him up. God was with him. God trained him in many ways to reveal God’s glory. In the end, God became the God of Jacob.
Today, in Christ Jesus, we have received spiritual birthright. We have a right to become children of God, come to him, worship him, pray to him, and serve him. We should not despise our spiritual birthright so that the God of Jacob may become God of Joshua [your name]. Also, we may be used by God to reveal his glory and name through our life.
In conclusion, in today’s passage, God became the God of Isaac. Through Rebekah’s barrenness, Isaac and Rebekah prayed to God with one mind and one heart. Let us pray to God with one spirit to register a campus club so that more students come and hear the words of God. Also, let us remember Esau’s failure that we may value God more than anything else. In the middle of our busy life: schoolwork, job, and family, every moment, we are challenged to choose God or me. May God give us faith to choose right thing before God. Lastly, let us pray to God on behalf of many godless Esaus on the UD campus that they may repent and find God’s blessings.