Genesis 25 Esau's Folly

And.

Pastor John, would you mind opening us in a word of prayer?

Our Lord God, we come to you with hearts desiring to know you better as we come into the book of Genesis. We learn about your dealings with people. We learn about the children of Jacob, but Lord. Through all of this we pray to have hearts drawn to you speak through Pastor Jeff.

We pray This afternoon in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Signs of the Times and Living for the Long Term

This afternoon. I almost said this morning this afternoon. We're talking about events that happened about 4 ,000 years ago the year 2000 BC and as time has gone on doesn't it look like we're coming very close to the end.

Have you noticed the signs of the times that it's very easy to think that we are the terminal generation.

I want the Lord to come on Monday November the 2nd.

So we never have this election, right? Yeah, just be done with it. We could fly out of here but of course what we realize is as much as we see the signs of the times nobody knows the day or the hour and It could be that the Lord will tarry for another generation or two or three.

Is it even possible that he might? tarry for another few hundred years. It is. We don't know the the difference there for certain. We hope that he's coming soon and the signs certainly seem to be pointing to a soon coming of Christ.

But whereas we don't know the time we do know our instructions and we have to be occupying in the things He's told us to do. Thinking not just in the short term, but preparing for the long term. Esau is an example of Someone who lived only for the moment for the experience for instant gratification of the flesh and of course today we're going to be talking about his red stew.

Give me some of that red stew but he had no concern for The future seed promise and the coming generations that Isaac was so concerned about. All right, so we have prayed let's dive right in and Rick could I ask you to open us up?

With verses 1 to 6. We're in Genesis 25 today. Genesis 25 and it is Rick is about to read the end of the story of Abraham.

Abraham, Keturah, and the Question of Polygamy

Jocks and father. Shiva and Eden the sons of Eden were a sure. Latusha and Lumen the sons of Lydia were Afer. Abraham gave all he had to the sons of his concubines and while he was still living he sent them away from his son.

Isaac.

Eastward to the East. Very good.

Was it a sin? For Abraham to remarry. Remember at the end of chapter 24 Sarah dies and is buried or is that at the end of?

There's a little earlier.

Where Sarah died was it wrong for Abraham to remarry? Correct there is no sign that there's anything wrong about remarrying. In fact, we learned from later revelation that to remarry is no problem. Okay, I was watching recently Mike winger who's just a great youtuber really well reasoned and handles the text very well.

But he was he was doing a review of a modern-day Christian polygamist. This man was making the argument based on Abraham and Jacob who married both Leah and Rachel and David who had multiple wives and Solomon who had something like 300 plus 700 concubines.

That God does not prohibit polygamy. Well, Mike winger took that idea to task. He did a wonderful job now the guy who was advocating for this. He was wearing a tank top and he was all muscle-bound and he was trying to be that alpha male.

You know to act like he's the man and all of these women. But Michael Mike winger made the point that this guy isn't living what he's saying because no decent godly woman. Would join him in this venture.

Although the Mormons have had the history of polygamy in their their situation and even today the Fundamentalist Mormons still do that at some at some level but in practice Christianity has completely deposed Polygamy in Christian societies, right?

That's no accident of history. That is Revelation now, there's there's a problem here in our text. And if you look carefully at verse 6 Keturah who is the second wife and I think. Even though there's the debate about this I think that he marries Keturah after Sarah dies.

The reason we would assume that is the chronology of the text. Keturah is not even introduced until after Sarah dies. But many including I think Calvin and some commentators have thought that he probably had her as a concubine.

Prior to the death of Sarah and one of the reasons they might assume that is because if you'll notice verse 6 It's not a singular concubine. It's plural but to the sons of his Concubines. And so the question is and the issue.

Was Keturah even a wife or was she basically a concubine? Who then when Sarah died got promoted to wife status? Was she a concubine all along? Because the implication of mentioning the sons of the concubines is that the ones mentioned in verse 3 and 4 are Also included in this now to add a little bit of weight to that argument John.

Would you mind finding for us First Chronicles 132? In fact, I'll make it easy for you. It's right there on your nose. Read for us First Chronicles 132.

Abraham's concubine. She pours the emerald Jackson median. Midian is back and sure the sons of Jackson.

Sheba.

Debian, all right, and if you recognize what Rick just read for us pronouncing those names John also. It's the same Keturah and what is she called here in the text? Concubine. Very interesting. And there's no condemnation.

So now you've introduced the problem. How is it that he has concubines? Now remember the chart of Abraham's life how early on in the walk he would dip down in these bouts of unbelief where he'd pretend that Sarah was only his sister and not his wife kind of throw her under the bus and Then there'd be there be peaks in his walk where he would have faith in the promise Genesis 15 6 He believed God and that was credited to him as righteousness.

It was up and down and then in Genesis 22 the heights of faith that he would even take Isaac his own son to Moriah to sacrifice him there and in that chart we showed it seems to just Shoot up into infinity that from that moment on it was nothing but victory after victory.

That chart is probably a little skewed at that point. Because what we're learning from Genesis 25 verse 6 is that Abraham continued to have children by Concubines, what are we to make of that? Why is there no condemnation of?

This polygamy was there anything revealed prior?

That would have outlawed polygamy. There you go.

Genesis 2 24 is an implication of Monogamy. Because the concept there is a man shall leave his father and his mother and be united to his Wife which is a singular word and the concept there in the Hebrew of an edzer Connecto is that she is a help meet.

In the English that term help me. We don't really use that anymore. So what does it mean it means to be a helper who differs from him in a corresponding way? In other way in other words that she completes him and he completes her that together.

They the two have become how many flesh one? Which outlaws this concept of multiple women? Because the two have become one so it's already implied, but it's not spelled out by an explicit.

Command.

So this polygamous that we talked about he says Abraham did it. Jacob had Leah and Rachel. How would you argue against that? Leah and Rachel. Two sisters even. The answer to that is many of the things that the Bible Describes are not prescribed for us.

The difference between description and prescription. Who's an English guy, what's the difference between a prescription and a description?

Prescriptions and descriptions. Yes.

Yes, it's an order it's a command, but what's the description. Just the way things happen so exact. So just because something is described in the Bible doesn't mean that it's prescribed for us in fact.

What ends up happening is that as the Bible brings new revelation? Meaning the entire 66 books were not just dropped out of heaven on a silver platter. How did they come to us in?

Time.

Through men prophetic men who are carried along by the Holy Spirit and this comes to us as progressive revelation. We didn't understand prescription and description. No I didn't know it was a debated Oh, I define it as their connect up.

Yeah, yeah, yes, that means help me. Yeah I just said the Hebrew. Yeah, it means that there are two correspondingly different. Yes, that's just the Hebrew for Yeah, help me to him which means corresponding in a different way that completes it.

Yeah, okay, so. Here's the big concept. Yes.

Right. It was just he and Sarah. Yeah, I would get here to chapter 25. And it says in the verse what he took. Another white. That's a former concubine. Right. He took another white even though it goes down to verse six gifts of his concubines.

This is the first mention.

Isn't it mind-blowing. When you come across this you're like Abraham. What are you doing here? Well in our notes if you notice Jameson Fawcett Brown trying to explain What's happening here one of another great commentary?

They say this was not from any inordinate lust. Which is age and eminent grace meaning his progress and sanctification which is indicated in the text? Would have sufficiently. Would sufficiently. Events would show us.

But from a desire of more children. This is the motive and of accomplishing God's promise. Concerning the great multiplication of his seed. This again. I think is Abraham hearing the seed promise that his descendants would be like what?

The stars in the sky or the sand of the seashore. That he is taking matters into his own hands as he approaches death he's seeing. You know there's just Isaac and poor Isaac has had a time a hard time finding a wife right.

He was 20 years old. No, he's 40 where we learn, and then he doesn't conceive until he's 60. This seed promise of the sand or the stars is looking like it's just not gonna happen. Because he's not thinking long-term Multiplication.

He's thinking more in the flesh of what he can see now. Was she first a concubine. Don't minimize the fact that first Chronicles 132 called her a concubine. So what might be happening is she gets promoted to wife status.

When he takes a wife a concubine had a lesser status Than a wife now question is he getting this concept of a lower status woman now. She would be devoted to him, but he could have other concubines. Is he getting that idea from Revelation or?

From the culture. Culture that's near Eastern culture. That's something he probably learned in Ur of the Chaldees. It's just common throughout the Middle East and he's doing what the people do. That doesn't justify it now notice progressive revelation becomes more and more specific as to what's prescribed or.

Outlawed.

Forbidden. And there is in the law of Moses just 500 years later when Moses brings the law of God. Somebody turn you can just you know it's not in your notes. Somebody turned to Leviticus 18 18. Tim did you get that.

So not everybody's having to hunt the polygamist said. Well, what about Jacob he married? Rachel and Leah. Did that come before or after the law of Moses before? So as revelation is progressively given we see more and more of the heart and mind of God.

Revealed it should have been clear from Genesis 2 24 as their connecto one man one woman one flesh. The implication is right there, but it's not spelled out as a prohibition until Leviticus 18 18 10. So is it okay to marry a sister only if the first one died.

It is if she dies, but if she's still living it says you can't have a Sister and and another wife these two being sisters so Rachel and Leah were.

Sisters.

So we learned later in progressive revelation now. That's interesting because when you come to the time of Jesus Do you expect the the progressive revelation to give us more insight or to relax the law?

More deeper insight. Progressive revelation. When Jesus is asked about marriage. Does he cite Abraham? Jacob David or Solomon. No, he cites.

Adam and Eve.

When they question him about divorce, it's the Hillel school versus Shammai. Can you just divorce your wife for any and every reason his answer is it was not like this from the beginning. He permitted divorce got overlooked Certain things which would have included polygamy in the time of David.

He's overlooking for what reason? Because of their hardness of heart Jesus says but he says it was not like this from the beginning so it doesn't reflect God's standard his perfect Standard of right and wrong and so what he does.

Jesus will cite Adam and Eve as the prototype God's design, but because These people were living in a perverted culture and other reasons that for some reason maybe even unbeknownst to us God overlooked What Abraham was doing so Rick?

I think you're right. I don't think God Says anything against what we see here in verse 6. But that's a description of what God in his sovereign will allowed for a time not a prescription of His kingdom and for the children of God now interestingly in the New Testament When the full progressive revelation of the Bible has been given.

Could I even stand here and teach the word? Today as a polygamist. Why not Correct and that's Titus 1 6. It's also in 1st Timothy chapter 3 the husband of one wife in the Greek. That's a one woman man.

So if you can't even teach the Word of God elders now when when people When the gospel advances into a polygamist culture. In order for that person who comes to faith to become a church leader. He would have to separate from The wives he's added to his original wife now does that mean that Christianity would abolish polygamy in?

Every culture it goes into. Yes in time. But it wouldn't mean that the missionary would have to send the extra wives into the hills like Hagar you see God did not say that. That well, there's an implication from the elder teaching that this is God's plan and his standard.

But in time it works out in a culture. So yeah. Great question. Well, it would be the entire Leviticus 18 19 the holiness code Of sexual ethics any violation it's spelled out in more detail. See the law is not 10.

It's something like 613 laws, right? So There is an entire chapter. Is it Leviticus 18 or 19? I think it's 18 Leviticus 18 which includes the in the more specific details of what would be under that banner of Adultery any kind of fornication?

Yeah. All right. So that's a very interesting Passage because what we're seeing in Abraham is that there's still a sin nature. He's not perfected in this world. So what what justifies him? Why is he counted righteous?

Genesis 15 6 he believes God. He's counted righteous because of his faith. Not because he's reached a status of perfection that line of his sanctification doesn't just shoot off into heaven. He did have enough revelation to not have done this and ultimately what comes of the children of.

Keturah.

Many nations. Surrounding them the most famous are the Midianites. You remember how Moses married a Midianite girl. When he was driven out of Egypt that that Midianite priest. He got her daughter one of seven of daughters that he had.

She was a Midianite. But these surrounding peoples would eventually become friends or enemies of Israel.

Enemies.

So when you see the big picture Abraham's attempt to do good by his own carnal reasoning Ultimately is not a blessing but a curse to future generations. So we're gonna get to Esau in a moment because His sin is different.

Esau Will have no regard for future generations. He's only concerned about the flesh. Abraham may stumble but he's still trying by faith to fulfill the seed promise and that birthright. Which is what Esau will

Is something that he just disregards. Esau has no regard. Abraham and then Isaac represent faith in the seed promise whereas Esau disregard. Let's get to that. So Sandy would you mind reading for us?

7 to 11. Yes. Remember just be confident if you don't know just say. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints or of his godly ones. Psalm 116 15. This is a a holy moment. You don't think of death as a holy moment, do you?

But death is a precious moment in the life of every believer. That moment when we Come to the very end and we're struggling and physical pain and then we give up the ghost. That moment is precious in the sight of the Lord.

Abraham was precious to God and here he gives up the ghost. He dies at age 175 but did he go did he finish well? Because it almost you see in verse 6 and you think he kind of lost it at the end. Concubines.

No actually. Those concubines may have begun earlier than the death of Sarah. It could have been part of his or of the Cowdey's mentality that was with him the whole time. That he's now putting off. It's certainly lasted for at least like 40 or more years.

Because look at how many sons were born not just the ones born to couture, but also to the concubines. Plural so that wasn't his last thing. Notice verse 6. He gave gifts to these sons. But that's not the thrust of the verse.

He's giving them, you know flasks of water and making sure they're taken care of. Maybe some cattle too, but giving those gifts in order to what? Send them away.

From.

The son of Promise and that's the issue. I don't think he fully understands that the seed promise that goes through Isaac and becomes Jacob and Israel. That then like revelation 13 pictures Israel Bringing the Messiah into the world that the seed is pointing to Christ.

But notice that that seed promise as much as Abraham can understand it at the time is what he truly values. It has to do with God. It says in verse 6 that he sent them away from his son Isaac and. The result of this in verse 11 is that after the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac His son you see the thrust here.

Abraham's faith was built around the seed promise of Genesis 12 1 to 3 and Genesis 15 1 to 5 repeated in Genesis 18 Genesis.

22.

Four times we're given that Abrahamic covenant and it's all built around God blessing the world all the nations through the promised one the seed. That's what is motivating Abraham. So his dying move was not sin.

That had been an ongoing theme in his life at the concubines. His dying move was to safeguard the inheritance and the promise and the land and the blessing. To Isaac and not to the concubines sons. Send them away and keep Isaac.

That's the issue.

Yes.

These other gifts were just enough to ensure their survival and to be good as a dad right. Like he brought them into the world. Take care of the kids, right? He's doing what he can to send them away. But what his heart and treasure is all revolving around Isaac the son of promise and he gives everything to him.

That means.

The land that he secured from the Hittites and the whole promised land and all of the wealth of the family. All of the inheritance it's all to Isaac. That's the big idea here. It is good to leave an inheritance better to leave a legacy of faith.

A Good man leaves an inheritance to his children. Proverbs tells us that right? It's good to do that. But the greatest thing you can leave your children is a legacy of faith and notice Isaac is taking that in verse 11.

God now will bless Isaac on account of receiving this seed promise. So that's the last thing Abraham does. He safeguards the seed promise to the son of promise Isaac. It is an act of faith not of sin.

He doesn't go out in a bad way. He goes out on top and it in this this thing about the concubines I think it was part of the dispensation in which he lived. He lived in dark times and God overlooked That kind of error for a time, but it doesn't excuse it.

Ultimately though it was the faith not his self-righteousness that justified Abraham. Okay, make sense. Any questions? All right, Carol, you got this 12 to 18, okay.

Ishmael’s Legacy and the Ishmaelites

Nebia.

Mishmah Jator Naphat and by their Encampments 12 printers. These are the years of the life of Ishmael 137 years. He breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people. They settled.

From.

Hebel up to sure. Which is opposite, okay, so the legacy of Abraham was one of faith in the seed promise.

The legacy of Ishmael now the location of his inheritance the twelve tribes. Across from Egypt. So across the Red Sea. Into that peninsula. What's that peninsula called? The Arabian Peninsula where we have Saudi Arabia just across the Red Sea is what we call Mecca the Arabians.

Toward a Syria that means towards the east that Arabian Peninsula.

Were.

Was occupied by the descendants of Ishmael the Ishmaelites who does do the Muslims claim as their forefather and from Abraham through Ishmael they even say that it was Ishmael that God took up on the mountain and that Abraham almost Sacrificed but he was blindfolded and Ishmael slipped off of the altar and put a lamb in its place.

That's their story from from the Quran Islam develops around here. Where is Mecca in Arabia the Ishmaelites? Who is it that stands?

Against Israel.

The Muslims who are based out of Mecca the Ishmaelites now look at this interesting verse the last part of verse 18. It actually says of these twelve tribes of Ishmael Which is it's essentially a counterfeit of the twelve tribes that would come from Isaac These he settled over against all his kinsmen Meaning the descendants of Isaac his kin.

Is.

Special. The Ishmaelites would be a warring people. Ishmael himself was a wild donkey of a man and here we stand today.

In.

2024 and There are seven open war battlefronts that Israel is waging against Muslim people any coincidence. Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis and some smaller Proxies of Iran all of them Muslim. All bet on the complete annihilation of Israel from the river to the sea.

But God. So here you have the legacy of Ishmael that he versed there in verse 18 is Over against all his kinsmen and not only were the sons of Isaac kin To Ishmael, but so were the sons of Keturah. Did you know that within Islam Shia Sunni?

The the Shia being more associated with Iran and The Assyrian side and the Sunni being more Saudi Arabia Egypt. Even within Islam these two sects are against each other. The Sunni hate the Shia and the Shia hate the Sunni.

There's just this concept of Constant friction amongst this particular people group. Now, does that mean that someone who's born in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan as a Sunni can't be redeemed. No, of course not.

The gospel is what changes the heart from the inside out and anybody can be redeemed. But as an ethnicity descending and in this land from Ishmael there is. This I don't know if you want to call it a curse.

But this destiny this legacy of not trusting the seed promise. He settled over against all his kinsmen and that's how it's been and is still to this day. You can't deny 4 ,000 years of history. So now we are running out of time, but we still got to get to Esau.

So let's just read it out upstairs. Would you mind just read 19 to 34 and then we'll talk about it.

Esau’s Birthright and Instant Gratification

And this is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became two nations and two peoples for a certain the younger for her to give birth. There were two twin boys in her room Harry Garment. So they named him Esau.

After this his brother came out with his hand grasping Esau's heel. So he named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when Rebecca gave birth to that. The boys grew up and Esau became a skillful hunter a man of the open country.

While Jacob wasn't quite mainstaying Isaac you had a taste for Esau but Rebecca loved Jacob. When Jacob was cooking some stew Esau came in quick. Let me have some of that red stew Jacob replied first.

Sell me your birthright. Look, Esau said what good is a birthright to me? But Jacob said swear to me first. So he swore an oath to him. And Jacob gave Esau some bread and he ate and drank. And they got up and left.

And that, that last phrase Esau despised his birthright. That's the key to understanding what's happening in this chapter. Remember at the beginning?

Abraham.

Loved and Cared for the birthright meaning Isaac and the seed promise of future things to come. Isaac valued it so much that he's going about it the wrong way. He's swindling and deceiving in order to get it.

But what is the birthright? The birthright is the seed promise of blessing on Future generations, it's not something that they're going to see much with their own eyes. They'll both will have kids, but they won't see this nation.

Generations to come who are blessed under the promise of Abraham. It's it's too distant. This is the big idea for Esau. He comes in from the field. He's famished and you can see how the day just sort of snowballed.

He went out to work like any other day, but he might have been extra hot that day. He's sweating and he didn't find water like you thought he would and and he's working really hard burning his energy.

Maybe he doesn't quite catch the game. He was after comes home empty-handed. Frustrated but as he comes stumbling in the front door it hits him. He's actually in trouble medical trauma here that he needs some food.

He's about to pass out. You ever feel like that where you're just like you could barely stand right? He's in trouble here, and he realizes.

What good is a birthright?

Some future seed promise that Abraham used to talk about and Isaac used to you know is tell us about. What good is that if I die? You see what he's thinking Himself that's as far as he can see his own flesh and.

So the issue here is he won't delay gratification and trust God with his body. Ask for food ask for help. Instead he agrees to Jacob's swindle the deceiver and. The result of course is only a fulfillment of what God had predestined.

Now a whole sermon could be preached on this and it will be When I get to Romans chapter 9. Because there's the commentary on this but.

Did Esau.

Change the course of history by his willful sin. No, because Even while they were in the womb they were already struggling and God had already said to explain what was happening to Rebecca. What did he say?

Two nations two nations Israel and Edom. Which is stronger Israel or Edom? Israel, but who's the firstborn? Esau, Edom the older one the younger is is Israel the older one is Edom, but Israel be the blessed Nation of God and Edom.

Of course we know their history. Read the book of Obadiah. It's all about the Edomites destruction that one of the last living Edomites Was at the time of Jesus and his name was Herod the fake king in.

Israel.

Truly an Edomite. But standing in the throne that belonged to the true King Jesus Christ. So you have the seed promise versus this counterfeit, and it was predestined to be this way now. Does that mean Esau wasn't responsible for his own carnality?

No, this is what we call compatibilism. The responsibility of the sinner namely Esau. He's held accountable for that and He loses the birthright, and we're even told listen to this from Hebrews 12 verses 16 and 17.

Saying that we should see to it that no one is sexually immoral. That's one category of sin, or here's a different category. Or unholy like Esau. Esau's sin was not sexual. It was an unholiness of what sort.

He sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward when he desired to inherit the blessing he wanted to be blessed like Isaac. Would have blessed the other son Jacob. He was rejected for he found no chance to repent though.

He sought it with tears. Now that's another sermon if we can have a chance to spend time in Hebrews chapter 6. In Hebrews chapter 10. It's impossible to renew them again to repentance. Esau had come to a point where all he could consider was his own.

Blessing his own life, and he couldn't come to genuine faith. He was given over to the destruction that he himself chose. That was also predestined for him before the foundation of the world. So two difficult things to hold together, but both are true.

Yeah, well it was. Here's the here's the irony for him to value the birthright.

Means he the birthright is the seed promise. That's a good thing. It shows he has faith like his father Isaac faith like Abraham. In the seed promise, but his problem is he's carnal in his methodology.

Yeah, he's going he's the deceiver the heel grabber, and it keeps going to us through his life until God will use Laban to trick him by switching Rebecca and I mean Rachel and Leah and He gets swindled and then he has to have this all-night wrestling match with God when he's finally broken.

Touches his hip and from then on he doesn't really live as the deceiver in methodology. He tried he learns to trust in God. So he was always wrestling trying to get for himself. It was the methodology, but there was something in him even this early stage.

He valued the birthright. Esau didn't. Where did that come from? He's the true child of promise that God had said he would be. He's being given a gift of faith here. Even though he doesn't know how to walk in that faith and live it out.

Does it make sense yeah?

What is striking in all this is that Jacob was not morally superior to Esau right. Both were wrestlers.

Wow that's good. Thank you, and so there you have it Jacob and Esau. Esau's whole thing just snowballed. He didn't know when he went out hunting that day that by the end of the day he would have sold his birthright and Ultimately be sealed in this Hateful position with God right Jacob.

I love Esau. I hated that he would never be able to get it back for all his tears when he's older. Wishing he hadn't given away the birthright because he wants to be blessed. He wants to leave something to his children.

It's too late. It was already gone at this early place. That's a terrifying thought.

And.

That's actually the destiny of everybody who's in hell. There comes a point when there is no more repentance. There's no repentance after death. So the lesson from Esau is don't be like him and that's what Hebrews does don't be like Esau, but while there's time Hebrews 3 and 4 talks about that this is the day of repentance.

This is the time to turn from sin trust in Christ hold on to the promise and be like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Blessing future generations. Laying up treasure, but more importantly a legacy of faith.

So Esau thought the birthright would be no use to him if he died. But Abraham looked beyond his own death hoping to bless Isaac. Abraham and Isaac held to the seed promise. Despite what they experienced Esau just to live by experience his own flesh.

Wouldn't delay gratification for the sake of the future. He just took what he could in that moment. All right, let's close up with a word of prayer that we could talk a little more after John. Would you mind closing us?

We look at the stories of our forefathers. We know from from Hebrews 11 that these are seen by God as Teachings and examples. We think of Sarah we think of we know they are not perfect. But we know that they are called by God as men of faith.

It's the heart we pray Lord that these stories Would encourage us to follow after you despite circumstances. Looking to the eternal hope that you give us we pray in Jesus name.