We should be well able to remember the specific promises that God made to Abraham concerning his seed. We now know that the seed spoken of was to be Isaac, born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, long after the natural time of childbirth. But those promises made to Abraham concerning his seed also promised that from his seed would be born a nation. These promises were made repeatedly, and elaborated upon as time went on. I will just take the time to read two passages where this promise concerning a nation were given.
One is found at the beginning of Abraham’s journey in his walk with the Lord; Genesis 12:2 God said, “And I will make you a great nation,] And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.” The other is found at the time of Isaac’s sacrifice, perhaps 45 years later. Gen. 21:18 "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.”
Now I remind us of that because we are not just looking at the birth of Isaac’s sons, but the birth of a nation. From one man, God raised up a nation, the people of God, the chosen people of God, called Israel. And you will remember that Isaac’s son Jacob, his name will be changed to Israel. He will be the father of the 12 tribes of Israel which will come from his loins.
But today the children of God are not all Israelites. All the nations of the world have been blessed through the blessing that God gave to Abraham. 1John 3:1 says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and [such] we are.” And Peter says, 1Peter 2:10 “for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”
And that is the point that I want to emphasize here this morning. As we look at the life of Jacob, we do not see someone who was exemplary in his walk of faith. We see one that is a scoundrel in many respects. And yet he is chosen by God before he is even born. He is the object of God’s grace. And that is the way any person is made a child of God. Not according to their merit, but by God’s grace.
God says in Malichi 1:2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "[Was] not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and [appointed] his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”
And Paul quotes from that verse to support his argument for God’s gracious choice in salvation. Romans 9:8-13 “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON." And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived [twins] by one man, our father Isaac; for though [the twins] were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to [His] choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER." Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."
So notice Paul’s commentary on this passage; before the twins were born, before they had done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of their works, but because of Him who calls.
Let’s look then at how this plays out. We are going to read starting in chapter 25 vs 19, Now these are [the records of] the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham became the father of Isaac; and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is so, why then am I [this way?]" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 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.”
Notice first of all that Rebekah was barren. This is a trend that we see again and again in the lineage of the chosen seed. We saw that with Sarah. Now Rebekah. We’ll see barrens initially in the life of Rachel. And we must ask why so often in scripture was the wife barren? Well, because the scripture says that children are a gift from the Lord. And God wanted to stress the fact that these children were given from Him, and not just the product of the flesh. They were the children of promise. The promise of God that He would bless Abraham’s seed, so that they became a great nation was not something that came automatically for Abraham or his line, but God wanted to show that He is the one who gives life to that which was dead.
But Isaac prayed to God for Rebekah, and God granted his petition and caused her to conceive. Isaac knew that God had previously promised that he would have a child through whom would come the promised nation. But that doesn’t preclude the need for prayer. In fact, praying according to God’s promises is how we can be assured that God will answer our prayers. If God has promised something, then when you pray for it, you can be assured that God will answer your prayer.
James speaks of Elijah as an illustration of effective prayer. And he mentions that Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and then prayed that it would rain. And God answered his prayers. But what James doesn’t tell us, is that Elijah had already been promised that it would not rain, and then after 3 1/2 years, that it would rain again. So Elijah wasn’t using some magic prayer formula in order to make it rain, or stop the rain, but he was simply praying what God had already told him He would do. That is effective prayer.
I saw a billboard in front of a church the other day, one of those reader boards that you can change the message on. I don’t know why those folks think that’s a good idea. I guess they think that they can show their humor or their spiritual knowledge off to the world. It’s as bad of an idea as Facebook posts. People just don’t realize that they are revealing more than they intend to, namely their ignorance.
But this sign in front of the church said, God answer’s prayer. Period. No qualification. No explanation. Just a guaranteed promise that whatever the prayer, irregardless of who prays it, or what it is about, God will answer it. Well, I’m sorry but that is not true, and instead of being a witness to the lost, you end up being a deterrent to the lost, because there is a good chance that they will pray for something and not get it answered the way they wanted, and so end up deciding that God isn’t real.
But Isaac prayed according to the promises of God that Rebekah would get pregnant. And the Lord granted his prayer. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is so, why then am I [this way?]" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 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.”
Since Rebekah knew that God had promised to give her a child, and he had answered her husband’s prayer for her, then she was justified in asking God what was going on inside her womb. Because it felt like there was a wrestling match going on. And it’s to her credit that she went to the Lord, because the Lord had been the One who caused her to conceive.
The Lord said to her that she was having twins. That would have been enlightening enough, but he also said there were two nations in her womb. Notice God doesn’t say that there were two babies, but two nations. Each baby would be the representative head of a nation. The Bible has much to say about representative heads. We see in the Bible that Adam was the representative head for the human race. By him and from him, all the people on earth were under the curse, all inherit the sin nature.
But Christ is also the representative head of the church. 1Cor. 15:22 says, ‘For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. Then in vs 45 So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit.
So in a similar fashion, Jacob and Esau are representative heads of two nations, one which will be the children of God, and one nation which is the children of the world. Vs23 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.”
God chose to go against the traditional custom of the younger serving the older. Generally the older son was the primary heir and the other brothers would get a lesser share in the estate, and thus would in effect serve their older brother. That was what they called the birthright. But you will remember that In Romans 9:10-13 which we read earlier, the Apostle Paul used this choice of Jacob over Esau before their birth as an illustration of God’s sovereign choice, to illustrate the grace of God in salvation. God says that the birthright would be given to Jacob, the younger son, and his older brother would serve him.
But it’s also true that the nation that rose up from the line of Esau would be called the Edomites, and they were continual enemies of Israel until the time when they were eventually assimilated into Judean culture. And it’s interesting to note that King Herod was an Edomite, and he was certainly can be considered the enemy of Christ.
Paul wrote that God’s choice was not based on the performance of Jacob or Esau. The choice was made when they were not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil (Romans 9:11). God announced these intentions to Rebekah before the children were born (the older shall serve the younger), and repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth (Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated, Malachi 1:2-3).
So what we learn is that God’s choice and election are a prerequisite for salvation. Jacob was chosen for salvation, and predestined for salvation before the foundation of the world. But of Esau, God said that He hated him. But that sovereign election of God raises some questions regarding the fairness of God.
Paul addresses this in Romans 9:14-18 saying, “What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." So then [it is] not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
But that still doesn’t answer the question of God’s fairness. If God sovereignly wills one to be saved, and another to be lost, then how can a just God punish someone who has no choice in the matter? If we are not elected for salvation, then how can we be held accountable and punished for not being saved?
Paul answers that in the next paragraph, to the extent that we can understand it. Rom 9:19-27 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed [it], "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? [What] if God, wanting to show [His] wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You [are] not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God." Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.
But though Jacob was predetermined and called to salvation, yet he also had to have faith to believe unto salvation. Jacob was not saved in the womb. He was chosen before he was in the womb. But as he grew up, he had to believe in God in order to receive the righteousness of salvation. For we know that the scripture says Abraham believed God and he credited it to him as righteousness. So in some mysterious way, the election of God does not negate the responsibility of man. God does not override our will but He changes our will. So that whosoever will may come.
But not all Israel was saved. Heb 3:12-19 says, Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is [still] called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME." For who provoked [Him] when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt [led] by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? [So] we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Notice belief or unbelief is the means of being saved.
1Cor. 10:1-5 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
The famous preacher Charles Spurgeon was asked one day a question by a lady in his church after hearing a message about God loving Jacob and hating Esau. She said, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.’”
I think the difficulty in understanding election might be helped by saying that from the perspective of God, we are saved by election and predestination. But from our perspective, we are saved by believing and following. As the passage we just read in Hebrews said, they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
When Peter preached his famous sermon on Pentecost, he quoted the scripture which said, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And they cried out, What shall we do? Peter did not say, do nothing. You are either going to be saved or you are not. There is nothing you can do, it’s up to God. No Peter said, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” So you see that both God’s sovereignty and the penitent’s responsibility are working together to receive salvation. We cannot understand how they work together, but we believe that God works all things according to His will. Ultimately, salvation is of the Lord.
Now vs 24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them. Jacob means one who takes by the heel, or supplants. Jacob was by nature a trickster. And we will see that he depended upon that trickery when he should have trusted in God.
Vs.27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die; so of what [use] then is the birthright to me?" And Jacob said, "First swear to me"; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Many commentators and preachers have derided Jacob as a momma’s boy. I don’t know that is true. But it is true that he was loved by his mother more, and Esau was loved more by his father. That’s a sad commentary on that family. There should never be any favoritism shown by parents towards one child above another. And it obviously was like pouring gas on a fire in a rivalry that had started in the womb and continued throughout generations that followed.
But as in the case of Sarah and Abraham when they thought that God needed help in bringing about His promise, so Jacob and Rebekah seem to think the same thing. God had promised that Jacob would be first, that he would have the birthright of the firstborn, even though he had been born second. But Jacob arranged a time when his brother came in from hunting in the fields and was famished, and Jacob just happened to have a pot of stew on the stove. Maybe it was happenstance, but I think it probably was contrived to take advantage of his brother Esau and convince him to sell him his birthright.
But Esau is not without fault, even though he was being played. He allowed his carnal desires to outweigh his spiritual desire. The birthright was a favor from the Lord that was granted to the oldest son. Esau was older than Jacob by about 30 seconds. But it was enough to qualify him for this blessing of the birthright. But Jacob wants that birthright, that spiritual blessing from the Lord, and though God would have been able to provide it through His means, yet Jacob buys it from his starving brother for a single meal.
But the author of Hebrews comments on this event and says that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. (Hebrews 12:16) So there was a lack of godly desire on his part, there was an immorality that he was guilty of that made him despise spiritual blessings.
Hebrews goes on to say that in vs17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” That doesn’t mean that Esau wanted to repent of his ungodliness or his immorality. That’s a reference to the tears that he shed when later he found his father had already blessed Jacob with the blessing that had been intended for him. And Isaac was unable to undo the blessing because he had given it already to Jacob. Even though Jacob had used trickery again to deceive his own father, yet the blessing could not be changed.
But that only illustrates further the responsibility of man to God, and God’s choice concerning man. Jacob did not receive the blessing because he was a nice, upstanding man. He was a scoundrel, a trickster. He was a deceiver and a liar. He was guilty of coveting. But yet God had mercy upon him.
Esau seems to have a decency about him that Jacob doesn’t have. Yet we see that Esau despised his birthright. He despised spiritual things. His primary concern was for carnal things.
And so we come to the end of this chapter. We will continue to look at the life of Jacob next week. But suffice it to say that you must have a desire for spiritual blessing as a gift from God, that believing in God and what our representative head Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, we can be credited with the righteousness of God, and receive foregiveness of our sins. Do not be as Esau, and despise the spiritual blessings of God for the temporary pleasures of this world and as such lost his own soul.
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17
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