Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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Genesis 25

What should I learn from this chapter?

• What is a “Birthright”?
• Why is it so important to God?
• What does it mean to “Open the Womb”
• The definition of a “Demoniac”
• Addictions to Appetites

Abraham and Keturah

Genesis 25:¹ Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

 Genesis 25:² And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Genesis 25:³ Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

Genesis 25:⁴ And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

Genesis 25:⁵ And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.

Genesis 25:⁶ But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

Genesis 25:⁷ This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years.

Genesis 25:⁸ Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

Genesis 25:⁹ And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,

Genesis 25:¹⁰ the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.

Genesis 25:¹¹ And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God (‘ĕlōhîm) blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac

Genesis 25:¹² Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.

Genesis 25:¹³ And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Genesis 25:¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

Genesis 25:¹⁵ Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

Genesis 25:¹⁶ These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.

Genesis 25:¹⁷ These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.

Genesis 25:¹⁸ (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.

Genesis 25:¹⁹ This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac.

Genesis 25:²⁰ (In 1851 BC) Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

Genesis 25:²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Genesis 25:²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ).

Genesis 25:²³ And the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to her:

“Two nations (the Arabs and the Jews) are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older (Esau, the Arabs) shall serve the younger (Jacob, the Jews).”

Genesis 25:²⁴ So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

Genesis 25:²⁵ And the first came out red (Esau). He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.

Genesis 25:²⁶ Afterward his brother (Jacob) came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob (supplanter). Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

Genesis 25:²⁷ So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

Genesis 25:²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

• The birthright belongs to the first born male.
  • Exodus 13:¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Consecrate (set apart: it is holy) to Me all the firstborn (males), whatever opens the womb (is born) among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
    • Consecrate: Set apart: it is holy and it belongs to God
  • Luke 2:²² Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
    
• What does it mean to “open the womb”: “The womb is imagined as a closed chamber, one to which only God holds the key. For a child (girl or boy) to be born—and perhaps even for the man’s seed to enter—God must turn the key and unlock the door.”
  https://www.thetorah.com/article/god-opened-her-womb-the-biblical-conception-of-fertility
  • The womb therefore is always closed in its natural state, but it is opened when a child is conceived or born, girl or boy, and it is God who opens the womb.
• Genesis 29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
• Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.

“A birth and a resurrection are similar, both come from a closed chamber. Therefore Jesus said ‘You must be born again’

If you are not “born again” you are the walking dead living in a closed chamber, a captive in this world’s tomb.” ~ Barbara Grover

Sarah’s womb was a tomb – and the Messiah came out of it. ~ unknown

Genesis 25:²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field (hunting), and he was weary.

Genesis 25:³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom (literally, red).

Genesis 25:³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

Genesis 25:³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

• Esau had an appetite and he wanted immediate satisfaction.
• May I never trade that which I value most for immediate satisfaction.
  • What do I value most?
• What is my “appetite”? What am I willing to trade for it?

The definition of a demoniac is someone whose appetite has taken them over.
Esau’s name means “demon” – See Genesis 25:25 A Twin of a Different Color.

Genesis 25:³³ Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

Genesis 25:³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of (red) lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way (he didn’t give it a second thought). Thus Esau despised his birthright.

• Esau despised that which was his salvation.
  
  The birthright has to do with both position and inheritance. By birthright, the firstborn son inherited the leadership of the family and the judicial authority of his father. Deuteronomy 21:17 states he was also entitled to a double portion of the father’s inheritance.
  
  The first born (first fruit) of the Father, was Jesus His Son. For Esau to despise his birthright was to despise the template of salvation revealing God’s plan for mankind. Esau basically sold his salvation for a cheap bowl of soup.
  
  Matthew 16:26
  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

The definition of a fool is one who doesn’t understand the value of one thing over another.
In Esau’s case the trade off is extreme; from priceless to worthless.

Why is it that Esau, in despising his birthright, is akin to despising his salvation?

Jesus is God’s first born son who died for the sins of men. For those who accept this, they become the “first fruits” of God’s harvest of resurrections, born again.

• James 1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

Esau was the pattern of the first born, set aside and consecrated as holy to God, until he sold his birthright.