Day #20 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible. Click here to learn more. You are most welcome to join along at any time.
Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 25-26.
Today's journey brings about the death of Abraham, the birth of Isaac's sons (Esau and Jacob), another great famine, Isaac following in his father's footsteps by calling his wife a sister to Abimelech, and the shocking narrative of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob.
To the post-modern ears, the selling of one's birthright is likely a massive yawn. But in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the birthright was a huge deal.
The firstborn male was distinctly set apart as special, and received a greater inheritance than the rest of the siblings.
Furthermore, certainly Abraham has passed along to his son, and his grandsons, the covenant that God has made to create a holy nation from his loins. Traditionally, this would have transpired through the firstborn.
However, this clearly was not of importance to Esau, as he sold his birthright for a bowl of red stew.
The writer of Hebrews goes so far as to call Esau unholy. Clearly, this was offensive to God for this writer to bring this scene forward many millennia, and tag Esau as unholy.
As we travel through the Biblical narrative, over the next months, we are going to observe a great many conflicts between siblings. Even more perplexing is observing God's divine plan weaved through all this turmoil, sin, selfishness, and sometimes stunning evil.
God has taught us that he is sovereign. God has taught us that he controls every molecule of his creation. God is going to teach us that his plans will not be thwarted by Satan, the foolishness of fallen man, and that his plans can still resurrect through the most hideous evil.
God has now set in place a plan that will redeem man, and place us back in the garden with himself as our Father. This plan has been in place for many, many years, and all creation, and God's children look forward, with great anticipation, to that day.
Let us never forget, as we read these holy words of God, that before us lies God's cure for fallen man, and God's unchanging will to make it so.
