pg. 1 V.1 * We do not know when Abraham took Keturah as his wife, but it would appear he married her after Sarah died. Her name means covered with incense. V. 2-4 * INTERESTING NOTE: When God restored Abraham s ability to have children [Sarah gave birth to Isaac] it was not a one time deal. When God healed Abraham it was a 100% healing as seen in these verses because Keturah gave birth to six sons by Abraham when he was over 140 years old. * God s promises are 100%. Do we really believe it when we pray? * Out of the six sons, one name stands out and will have an impact on Israel s history in later years, Midian: Genesis 37:36 ; Exodus 2:16 & 21; Numbers 25:6 & 14-18 ; Judges 6:1 * Relationships can have long term effects well beyond our lives. Scripture does not restrict us in our choice of a mate when it comes to marriage [color, status, education, ethnic background, race : there is no such thing as different races as taught in the theory of evolution, there is only one race and that is the human race], except in the area of belief. A Christian is not to marry a non-christian [II Cor. 6:14-16. There are many examples and warnings against mixed marriages in the O. T. : Exodus 34:16 ; Joshua 23:12-13 ; Ezra 9:1-15 ; Nehemiah 13:23-27]. V. 5-6 * Abraham was being a wise and responsible father. He took the promises of God, concerning Issac, seriously. * To insure that everyone [Hagar, Keturah, and all theirs sons] understood that Isaac was the sole heir of all of Abraham s earthy wealth and the sole heir of the spiritual promises of God [as it relates to the Messianic Line], he gave GIFTS [a portion of his wealth, estate] to all his other sons while he was still alive as a legal act of settling his affairs before he died. This act settled any future challenges to Isaac s position and Abraham s decisions. * Abraham sent everyone away. This was another wise act on the part of Abraham. Sending everyone away, while he was still alive, gave these other sons time to establish themselves with the money given to them by Abraham. So, when Abraham died, he reduced, if not eliminated, all possibilities of fighting between Isaac and these other half-brothers. V. 7-10 * Died... satisfied with life. Satisfied in the Hebrew means: Content, happy, fulfilled, as a result of righteous living. See Psalms 1:1-6. This is an accurate description of Abraham and an example for us to follow as Christians so that God s blessing can over-take us while we are still here on the earth. Learning to live our lives according to the Word of God so we might be truly satisfied in all areas of our lives.
pg. 2 * He was gathered to his people... buried him in the cave... --- Since there is only one person in the cave [Sarah] this cannot refer simply to his death and burial, but must refer to life after death and to those who died before him in faith. The location of such departed spirits was, 1,900 years later, called Abraham s bosom [Luke 16:22]. * Abraham s spirit went to Hades. Hades is divided into two chambers: [Luke 16:22] 1) The upper chamber [a place of peace and contentment] for those who died in faith believing in the promises of God. 2) The lower chamber [a place of torment] for those who died in rebellion to God. 3) When Jesus rose from the dead, the upper chamber was emptied and now all who die in Christ goes straight to heaven to be with Jesus [Phil. 1:21-23]. 4) Abraham s spirit went to his people but his body went to the cave. * Abraham left us a spiritual faith-legacy which provides us with some essential teachings about faith in the Christian life: 1. Faith: In Genesis 15:6 it says, Then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. See Romans 4:9-12 and Romans 1:16-17 --- But the righteous man shall live by faith. --- Abraham s example became the reference point to understanding the salvation comes through faith. 2. Faith and works: Genesis 22:1-18 is the story of Abraham offering Isaac on mount Moriah. Abraham s 25 years of faith was being put to the test through works in action. James 2:14-26 [specifically v.22] Works are the essential proof of faith.! This is a good place to talk about convictions and preferences: A belief is a conviction when you are willing to: 1) Stand when no one else will. You are able to stand alone. 2) Give of your time, energy, and resources to the furtherance of that belief. 3) Proselytize or convert others to that belief. 4) Go to jail for the belief. 5) Die for the belief.! A conviction will not change.! A preference will change and it is okay to have preference in our lives. In our walk as Christians there must be Biblical beliefs that we [all born-again Christians world wide] hold as absolutes because the Bible makes it clear there are truths that are non-negotiable. 3. Faith in Christ: Genesis 12:3 says, And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Galatians chapter 3 [specifically v. 6-9, 14, 16, 26-29]. --- Galatians chapter 3 teaches us that if we are Christ s, then we are Abraham s offspring, heirs according to promise.
4. Faithfulness: Hebrews 11:6, 8-19. --- Hebrews 11 uses Abraham s life to demonstrate how the faithful person lives: * Faith s obedience --- v.8 * Faith s walk [sojourn] --- v.9 * Faith s hope --- v.10 * Faith s confidence --- v.11-12 * Faith s longing --- v.13-16 * Faith s sacrifice --- v.17-18 * Faith s reasoning --- v.19! Abraham is the father of all who believe. The New Testament is full of references that point to belief. We come to Christ only by faith. We live for Christ by faith. We live by faith because every Word of God is true. * Abraham fades from the pages and Scripture turns our attention to Isaac. NOTE: In verse 9 Isaac and Ishmael stood together at Abraham s grave. Notice the word order, Isaac the younger is named first. He was the recognized firstborn in the eyes of God and his covenant people. V. 11 * Isaac in now the only link in the Messianic line. * When Abraham died Isaac was 75 years old and Ishmael was 90 years old. pg. 3 V. 12-18 * God s promise / prophecy to Abraham concerning Ishmael in Genesis 17:20 was fulfilled: He shall become the father of 12 princes. * Ishmael was gathered to his people --- Like Abraham, death gathers us to our people. The question is: Are we going to be gathered to the people of the world or are we going to be gathered to the people of God? --- We do not know which group Ishmael was gathered to. * God s promise / prophecy to Hagar concerning Ishmael in Genesis 16:12 was fulfilled: The Ishmaelites lived in hostility toward all their brothers. V. 19 * Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac --- This is Isaac s signature termination his written record that he started in Genesis 11:27. * Jacob will write from 11:27 to 37:2, where the story of Joesph starts. * Point of reminder: 1. II Timothy 3:16 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God a. Scripture in the Greek is graphe or writings. b. Inspiration in the Greek is theopneustos or God breathed. NOTE: In the secular world there are two fundamental sources of human knowledge: Reason and experience. --- As Christians we have another source of knowledge: Revelation. God has revealed truth through the Bible and nature.
pg. 4 c. What the Holy Spirit is saying [through Paul] is that all these written words, in the Bible, are God-breathed: * God is the Author. * He doesn t lie. * This is real history. * He has a message to give to us and He wants us to take Him seriously because it will have an effect on our life here on earth and on our eternal destination. 2. Lets look at some Old Testament Scripture that points to the fact that God is the One who is the Author of the Bible, not man: * Exodus 4:10-12 -- I [God] will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say. * Deut. 4:1-2 -- 40 years later from Exodus 4:10-12 Moses is emphasizing that the commandments are the work of God and the writings are the writings of God, not the ideas of Moses. * II Samuel 23:1-2 -- The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His Word was on my tongue. * This lifts the Bible from human hands and places it back into God s hands. * The reason for this review is to strengthen us in our hearts and minds that God IS the Author of the Bible. Why? Because the world, liberal Christian Colleges, liberal heretical churches, and false religions, push that the Bible was written by men, not God, so the Bible is full of errors and cannot be trusted or taken seriously. V. 20-21 * These two verses, on a simple reading, makes it sound that when Isaac, at the age of 40, married Rebekah he came to realized that she was barren. So, he prayed to God and God answered his prayers, within a matter of days, and she became pregnant. It s not until we get to verse 26 that we realize Isaac had been praying for 20 years before Rebekah got pregnant, because Isaac is 60 years old, in verse 26, when Jacob and Esau are born. --- What does this say to us today? 1. II Peter 1:1-11 2. Phil. 4:19 3. Eph. 3:20 4. Matt. 7:7-11 5. What is the one item missing in these verses? --- TIME. --- God s time is never late! We tend to want our prayers answered in our time-table and forget that God answers according to His Time-Table. He is always faithful. Can we be persistent, patience and trusting in our prayer life? V. 22 * the children struggled together within her : 1. This is more than normal fetal movement. 2. Did their opposition to each other start in the womb? 3. The Hebrew word for struggle is rasas and it means to crush, oppress 4. In other words the children smashed themselves against each other inside her. 5. She felt as if her womb had become a battlefield.
pg. 5 * WHY? --- Why is this happening to ME? --- This question has been spoken in anguish throughout all of history and its answer is found in accepting the fact that God s wisdom and sovereignty stands behind all things: 1. Romans 11:29-36 --- the gifts and the callings of God are irrevocable... who has known the mind of the Lord... from Him and through Him and to Him are all things... 2. Proverbs 3:5-6 --- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. 3. Jeremiah 29:11-13 --- I know the plans I have for you... seek Me... find Me... search for Me with all your heart... * She inquired of the Lord. -- How did she inquire of the Lord? We are not told but the important part is that she went to the Lord for the answer. * We do not go to the astrology page in the newspaper, or palm readers, or Ouija boards, or seances, or psychics on the phone. V. 23-26 * The Lord said to her --- The Lord did answer her! Was it through a prophet, a dream, a vision, a theophany, or the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, we are not told, but in some way God spoke to her so clearly that she could never forget the remarkable revelation she received. * She is told there are twins inside her. * These twins will result in the birth of two separate nations and the one nation will be stronger than the other and the first born child [and resulting nation] will serve the second born child [and resulting nation]. * Did Rebekah tell Isaac about what the Lord said? It s hard to imagine that she wouldn t. Did she tell Jacob when he was older? What about Esau? Interesting family dynamics. * Esau means hairy. --- Jacob means heel-catcher. --- Esau appeared the stronger and more attractive but Jacob was tenaciously following on his heels, and would one day overtake and replace him in the eyes of God and in the world of men. V. 27-34 * In these verses we see family members that are different as night and day and are dysfunctional in their relationships: * In verse 27 it says, when the boys grew up --- There is an over looked fact here that may give some insight into these next 8 verses. Jacob and Esau are 15 years old when Abraham dies. It is reasonable to assume that over those 15 years Abraham spent time with the boys telling them about his encounters with God and explaining to them about the promises God made to him and his descendants. It is also possible that Isaac has been reading to the boys the written records that have been passed down to him which explains the history from the time of creation and the role this chosen family has in shaping future history.
pg. 6 1. Esau is a rugged outdoors man. He spends all his time in the fields and becomes a very skilled hunter. 2. Jacob is a family man who likes to stay at home watching over the family business. 3. Isaac is partial to and loves Esau. 4. Rebekah is partial to and loves Jacob. 5. As parents we need to love our children unconditionally and be careful not to pit one child against another. We recognize their differences in personality and talents but the goal is to lead them to a relationship with the Lord so God can direct their skills in the right direction for His glory. 6. As parents we also need to be careful not to let the kids pit mother against father. 7. Most people think the attributes of Esau are commendable and those of Jacob are distasteful. What does the Bible say about these two men? 8. Verse 27 says that Jacob was a plain man. --- In the Hebrew, the word for plain is Tam and it means, perfect, undefiled, upright, complete, sound, solid, level-headed, dependable, quiet, mild, peaceful, mature. --- This is the same word [Tam] used to describe Job as perfect in Job 1:8. 9. Hebrews 12:16 describes Esau as a immoral and godless man: a. Godless in the Greek is bebelos, it means profane, heathenish, worldly, wicked. * This describes a person who lacks a relationship or attraction to God. * One who lives for the world and not God. * Esau was not spiritually minded. He was a man taken up with the things of the here and now. [Gal. 5:16-17]. * This does not mean Esau was a blasphemer or filthy person. * Scripture shows Esau as a good hunter, a son who loved his father and later a good brother who forgave and showed kindness to Isaac [33:4 & 9]. * It would appear that Esau could have made a fine neighbor but he just was not interested in the things of God. b. Immoral in the Greek is pornos and it means fornicator, a person who has illicit [unlawful] sexual relations with other people. * In Genesis 26:34-35 we se that Esau married two Hittite women, which grieved his parents. * The Greek word pornos is where we get our English word for pornographic. * In verses 29-32 we see that Esau was famished... and about to die. --- The Hebrew word for famished is ayep and it means, faint, exhausted, weary; Physical exhaustion with feelings of hunger on occasions. a. We find the same word used in Judges 8:4-5 to describe Gideon s weary [famished] men b. We also see the same word used in II Samuel 16:16 & 17:29 to describe David and his people as hungry, weary, and thirsty. c. Nowhere in these verses do we get the indication that these people were about to die. --- These people weary and in need of food but they were not DYING. d. It is safe to say the same about Esau. -- He was weary, hungry, and thirsty, but he was not DYING.
pg. 7 * In Verses 33-34 * Lets keep these verses in its Biblical perspective! * If Jacob had learned of God s words to Rebekah, concerning the twins inside her womb, he took them seriously and desired to see God s will accomplished. * We learned that the Hebrew words describing Esau show us that he was a carnal, immature person [playboy?] and Jacob was a mature, upright, and dependable. * It would appear that Esau was more concerned about the physical wealth of his inheritance and cared nothing for the spiritual aspects and responsibilities. * On the other hand Jacob longed for the spiritual responsibilities and patriarchal blessing and it would appear that the physical wealth of the inheritance was of secondary importance. * Why do people look at Jacob as the bad guy in these verses? 1. Scripture does not condemn or criticize Jacob. 2. Scripture does condemn Esau forcefully! --- Verse 34 says Esau despised his birthright. Despised in the Hebrew is baza and it means to accord little meaning to something. Hebrews says Esau was a immoral and godless man. 3. Jacob didn t deceive Esau. He was very clear about the deal he was offering Esau. Jacob acts with foresight and reflection. Jacob care about the now and the future. 4. Esau know the meaning of an oath, it was binding, yet he chose to do it anyway. Esau acts on the immediate demands without reflection. Esau cares about the now with no forethought about the future. 5. Esau s demise was of his own doing, he didn t believe the Word of God. He didn t take seriously the spiritual promises of God. 6. Jacob believed the Word of God and took seriously the promises of God but evidently he didn t believe God couldn t make it happen without his help. We may not be like Esau but how many of us are like Jacob? We tend to take matters into our own hands because we want to HELP God finish His plans, but in our way and in our time. A persons gift and future will make room for itself. Lets not take matters into our own hands. Let God elevate and direct us, in His time and in His way.