If you have ever read the tale of an arctic adventure you almost certainly learned about brave men who endured incredible hardship and oftentimes watched as members of their crew faced death with confidence. One of the most celebrated classics of this genre is titled The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Gerrard. The author was the youngest member of a team put together by Robert Falcon Scott. Scott along with several other men lost their lives on this expedition. One of the last things Scott wrote was a “Message to the Public”:
“We are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last.”1
In our text this morning, no one is faced with death, but there is both crisis and conflict. In Falcon’s moment of crisis, he was willing to “bow to the will of Providence.” He acknowledged the sovereign hand of providence that belongs to God alone. The fact that God is sovereign brought him a sense of peace. How you respond to hardship is quite revealing about who you ultimately trust.
Turn in your bibles to Genesis 25. As we have made our way through Genesis we have quite literally seen the best of times and the worst of times. We read about God creating the world good, and we saw how sin entered the world and set mankind into a tailspin of corruption and alienation from God. We recently read about the death of Sarah and Abraham, as well as the divinely arranged marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. This morning we come to the birth of Esau and Jacob and we will see that history repeats itself in many ways.
Before we read this passage let us look to the Lord in prayer for his help in understanding it.
Genesis 25:19-34
19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 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. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
This is the Word of the LORD.
I love how one commentator dubbed this episode as “the story of Hairy and Grabby.”2 Indeed, there is a bit of humor in the text in the way the names fit the characteristics of the children, but the text should be taken in all seriousness. I believe we learn a crucial truth from this passage: Crisis is inevitable and conflict is unavoidable, but we trust in a God who is sovereign over both!
First, we will see that God Is Sovereign Over Crisis (19-26). Second, we’ll see that God Is Sovereign Over Conflict (27-34).
Sovereign Over Crisis (19-26)
Up to this point we have seen a lot of tension surrounding the covenant community. The promises of God seem to be in constant jeopardy. Sometimes that tension has come from pressures outside the community, but other times it is from within. Our passage this morning reflects that later type of tension. We see division occurring in several forms from within the community.
This section is framed by Isaac’s age. In verse 20, we see that he was “forty years old when he took Rebekah…to be his wife.” Then in verse 26 the text notes “Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.” Isaac is the only patriarch who remains monogamous. That, in and of itself, could be a sermon.
God used men who routinely made the same mistakes over and over again. This passage contains much that we’ve seen before. However, when it comes to Isaac’s marriage. He has learned from the mistake of his parents. There was no Hagar episode in the life of Isaac. He did not to take the crisis of Rebekah’s infertility into his own hands.
The fact that Rebekah is barren is the first crisis we come to in this passage (v.21). We know that she will remain barren for twenty years! It is reminiscent of Sarah, who was barren for 25 years before giving birth to Isaac. We will see the same crisis with Rachel and Leah later on. We have to remember the enormous amount of pressure Rebekah would have felt as child-bearing represented a woman’s worth.
If you go back a paragraph and read verses 12-18 you see that Isaac’s brother Ishmael has twelve sons who are referred to as “princes according to their tribes” (v.16). In other words, Ishmael’s family tree will include twelve nations. We don’t know exactly how many were born to Ishmael at this point, but presumably by the age of 74, he would have many of them. While the family tree of the non-covenant child Ishmael is thriving, Isaac’s remains empty. It’s not hard to imagine what was going through Isaac’s mind at this point.
But, despite his circumstances, Isaac continued to pray. Last week we saw God answer the prayer of Abraham’s servant before he finished speaking. This time, we see a really long wait. Isaac prayed this prayer for twenty years! But just as in the case of Sarah, and as will be the case with Rachel and Leah and all of the other barren women within the Messianic line—God is faithful to provide. Rebekah conceives, twins no less. God has shown himself to be sovereign over the crisis of Rebekah’s infertility.
This brings us to the second crisis in the text. The children struggle within her womb. The babies literally “smashed” each other (v.22a). They are trying to crush one another. This foreshadows the conflict that will continue for many generations. You can imagine Rebekah smacking Jacob at 3 AM to let him know that the boys are driving her insane: “YOU did this to me!” Rebekah is distressed when she says “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” Another possible translation for this question reveals more of the intensity in which it is asked: “Why do I live?”
Eventually, she inquires the advice of a prophet and hears the unsettling prophecy in verse 23. Her twins represent two nations who will be in conflict and the younger brother will get the upper hand.
Why does God allow such suffering in his covenant family? Why must they wait twenty years for an answer to their prayers? Maybe, like Rebekah, you have asked: Why is this happening to me? Can you see the purposes behind your suffering?
In our Winter Study this week we saw four examples of the purposes of suffering: (1) To increase godliness, (2) To magnify joy in Christ, (3) To build up the Church, (4) To prepare us for glory. We won’t always know which purpose God is working out in our lives, but we can be confident in the promise that there is a purpose behind it.
If God is sovereign over every crisis we face, then we should respond in the same exact way that Isaac responded. We should completely depend upon him in prayer. This isn’t the prayer of unbelief, “God if you’re even there…” This isn’t the prayer of doubt, “God if you’re listening…” This is the prayer that cries out with confidence, “Heavenly Father, you have called me as your child and given me all of the privileges of an heir. You are like a Father who loves to give good gifts to his children. You are a faithful God. You are a loving God.”
We have a Savior who endured the greatest crisis in our place. And just before he submitted himself to be taken away by the Roman soldiers, we see him doing this very thing. His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was so intense, in agony and earnestness, that his sweat was like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44).
When was the last time you really prayed? When was the last time you were on your face before the Lord seeking his protection or guidance? Isaac’s prayer in crisis points forward to Christ’s prayer.
The only appropriate response to crisis is praying to a God who is sovereign over crisis, but we also see that God is…
Sovereign Over Conflict (27-34)
Conflict is a theme throughout the book of Genesis. We see it in the story of Cain and Abel (4), the Sons of Noah (9:20-27), Abraham and Lot (13:7-12), Isaac and Ishmael (21:9), Jacob and Laban (29-31), Joseph and his brothers (37-50). All conflict finds its beginning from the curse delivered at the Fall, where God promised to put enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (3:15). It isn’t until the last chapter that we see an attempt to find justification for conflict. It is Joseph who declares to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (50:20).
Sailhamer comments, “The point is not that the struggles were necessary for the accomplishment of the will of God, but rather that God’s will was accomplished in spite of the conflict.”
We see this conflict play itself out in a couple of ways in this passage. First, we see that Esau and Jacob have different characteristics or personalities (v.27). Esau was a hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was quiet, he dwelled in tents. “Quiet” has the meaning of well-cultured or civilized (cf. Song of Songs 5:2; 6:9). The brothers stand in stark contrast. Later on we will see that Jacob is loyal to the covenant family while Esau rebels.
Another way in which we see conflict is in the way the parents show favoritism to different children (v.28). Isaac loved Esau because of game, whereas Rebekah loved Jacob. This is similar to Abraham’s preference for Ishmael and Sarah’s preference for Isaac. Isaac is driven by his natural senses, while Rebekah’s love is based on divine choice.
Finally, we see conflict in the scene where Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a meal. It is the classic example of immediate vs delayed gratification. Moses begins to show how the older is serving the younger when Esau sells Jacob his birthright for some stew.
Esau is famished and makes a simple request (vv.29-30). This is not the same as your children sighing “I’m starving!” But it does show that Esau is impulsive. In the previous chapter we saw that Rebekah was quick to obey the will of God. Here, Esau is quick to satisfy his own will.
However, Jacob does take advantage of his brother (v.31). He shows no compassion or hospitality (unlike Abraham 18:1-8 and Rebekah 24:18-28. The birthright gave the firstborn son a double portion of the inheritance. Since Isaac only had two sons, the firstborn was set to inherit everything. Esau forfeits the blessing by selling his birthright to Jacob for a meal (Heb. 12:16-17).
Esau’s lack of interest in the promised blessings of God is evident (v.32). The birthright was meaningless because he lives for the present. Jacob desired the privileges of the birthright; Esau despised them.
Neither brother is commendable. Esau needs to wake up and Jacob needs maturing. Jacob is really only distinguished from Esau because of his faith. Grace is not the reward for, but the source of noble traits (Vos). The works and character of the boys had nothing to do with God’s choice.
Waltke points out, “Overarching the entire story is God’s sovereign good pleasure (Rom. 9:10-12) and blessing on Jacob.” God divinely chooses Jacob, not Esau. God has the sovereign right to choose and reject whomever he will. He is the one who opens Rebekah’s barren womb. He predicts the supremacy of Jacob over Esau. He subverts the rights of the firstborn. He overrides Isaac’s authority and choice.
If God is sovereign over conflict then he can use the wrongs we’ve done to others to humble us and bring us back to him. Maybe you have been awful to someone in your past. Maybe you have hurt others, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Maybe you bear a tremendous load of guilt because of your past. You’re ashamed of how you’ve treated the people you loved the most. Do you know that you don’t have to remain in that shame and condemnation? Repent, but hear the promise of Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
If God is sovereign over conflict, then he can use the wrongs done to us for our good and the good of others. You may have gone through a horrendous childhood. Your life, regardless or how old you are right now, may have been filled with strife and unceasing difficulty. Whatever you’ve endured in the past, whatever you’re enduring now, hear this: You have a Heavenly Father who will NEVER forsake you.
Crisis is inevitable and conflict is unavoidable, but we trust in a God who is sovereign over both!
Conclusion
Roop “God’s unfinished story provides unending hope for the faith community. God cannot be silenced by conflict and alienation nor chased away by exploitation, deceit and violence.” Although crisis and conflict continue to occur, God is sovereign over all of it. This is ultimately a message of hope. Whether you are trying to relive the past or forget it altogether, this passage provides hope. God is able to take our worst circumstances and use them for good.
We have a Savior who suffered conflict, who freely gave up his birthright, not because he despised it, but because we were hopeless without it. But we also have a Savior who was victorious over the grave and because of his triumph we can face every crisis and every conflict with the confidence that he will strengthen us and cause us to persevere to the end.
1 Cherry-Garrard, Apsley. The Worst Journey in the World. (Mineola: Dover Publications, 2010.), 430.
2 Ross & Oswalt. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Genesis & Exodus.