A Tale of Three Families

This is an interesting chapter that progresses at a rapid rate from Abraham to Ishmael to Isaac to Jacob. It can be a little difficult to keep up with the timeline of events because of how quickly we progress from one person to the next, but we’ll try to sort it out over the course of the message. We won’t spend much time on the particulars of the genealogies of Abraham and Ishmael because I don’t think they mean too much to us in the time and culture we live in. They’re mostly just names on a page to us, and while some historical insight into some of their descendants might be interesting, but I think there are some important principles we can glean from what God tells us about these families. I don’t have an in-depth outline here, but I just want to share some lessons that can be an encouragement to us in our Christian lives.

I. The Family of Abraham (Gen. 25:1-11) – It might be surprising to learn that Abraham got remarried after Sarah passed away, and he had six more sons. It’s not a facet of his life that’s brought up much, and the Bible doesn’t give much attention to it. Still, what’s the point of having this here? What can we learn from this passage about Abraham and about our own lives?

A. No matter what stage of life you’re in, you can still be fruitful – When Sarah passed away, Abraham was 137 years old, and when Isaac married Rebekah, he was 140. He’d lived a long life up to that point, and he’d accomplished great things for the Lord. He could’ve just kicked back and relaxed, but apparently, that wasn’t Abraham’s style. Now that Isaac was grown and had a family of his own to tend to, Abraham decided he wanted to raise more children. It’s not a task you normally expect a man his age to tackle, but he didn’t want to just sit back and do nothing with the rest of his life. He didn’t know he still had 35 years left to live, but he wanted to make what time he had left count for the Lord.

That should be our attitude as well. Regardless of who you are, there is still something you can do for God. If there wasn’t, you wouldn’t still be here. The fact that you are still alive on Earth means there’s still something the Lord can use you to do. Never get complacent in your Christian walk. Never stop learning and never stop attempting great things for God.

When it describes the end of Abraham’s life in verse 8, it says he “died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years.” If you look, you’ll notice the word “of years” is in italics. That means those words are not in the original Hebrew text, but they were added by the English translators to try to clarify the meaning of the text. That word “full” in the Hebrew means “filled to satisfaction.” It’s like how you feel after you’ve had a big meal. You’re full, and you’re satisfied. When Abraham got to the end of his life, he could say that he had lived a full life to his and God’s satisfaction. Sure, it wasn’t a perfect life, but it had been one where Abraham had tried to do all he could for the glory of God. That should be our goal as well.

Just because you live a long life doesn’t mean you’ll live a full life, and just because you don’t live a long life doesn’t mean you can’t live a full life. Some of the greatest men of God, both in the Bible and in recent times, have died young. Stephen was likely still a young man when he was stoned in Acts 7, but he had lived a full life. Jim Elliot and the missionaries who died attempting to reach the Indians in Ecuador did not live long lives, but they certainly lived full ones. There’s an old saying that goes, “It’s not the life in your years that count. It’s the years in your life.” [Read Psalm 92:12-15]

B. Abraham remembered God’s promise – Look at verses 5-6. When the time came, Abraham gave his sons gifts and sent them away from Isaac. Why? Because he remembered God’s promise, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” While God had fulfilled the meaning of Abraham’s name and had truly made him a father of many nations, all the spiritual blessings and promises belonged solely to Isaac and to his seed after him. He did not want there to be any questions or squabbling amongst the other sons once he died. He made sure the matter was settled and they all understood that Isaac was the promised seed.

C. Abraham went on to a better place – It sounds like a trite cliché, but verse 8 tells us that Abraham “was gathered to his people.” Where were his people? Not in the grave. They were with the Lord, and that is where he went to join them. While a lot of emphasis is made on the promised land on earth being given to Israel, Abraham never owned that land for himself and it wasn’t what he was really after. When he died, the only property he owned was the cave where he and Sarah were buried. What was Abraham really after? [Read Hebrews 11:8-16]

Abraham understood that this world was not his home. He didn’t build castles. He built altars and lived in a tent. He recognized that he was merely a pilgrim on his way home. We need to be careful to avoid getting too attached to this world ourselves. Regardless of the future of America—and I believe you ought to pray for America’s future and be active in helping to make it a good one—our future as Christians is secured. That’s why I try not to worry about the upcoming election regardless of which candidate wins. It won’t stop God’s work in this world, and it won’t change who we are or what we are here to do during our time on earth. This world is not our home. We are pilgrims passing through. We can find peace in that no matter what the situation around us might be.

II. The Family of Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18) – We are given a very brief glimpse into Ishmael’s family and his descendants, and we’ll spend a very brief time on this section ourselves. I think there is only one real reason for this, and that is to show us that God always keeps His promises [Read Gen. 16:11-13, 17:20]. There were two promises that God made about Ishmael in these verses that we find fulfilled here. Verse 18 tells us that Ishmael died in the presence of his brethren. Genesis 16:12 tells us that he would dwell in the presence of his brethren. Genesis 17:20 tells us that Ishmael would beget twelve princes, and God would make a great nation of him. If you count the number of sons Ishmael has in verses 13-15, you’ll discover that the total is—you guessed it—twelve. Ishmael is also the progenitor of the Arabic people, so the Lord kept His promise in every way to him.

Just as God kept His promise to Ishmael, we can trust that He will keep His promises to us. We don’t have to worry about it. You can trust what is written in God’s Word. It is still as true today as it was when it was written. “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”

III. The Family of Isaac (Gen. 25:19-34) – After a brief interlude about Ishmael, the story transitions fully from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob. Their family life was pretty turbulent at times, often because of their own doing. Even Christian families have troubles, and they fail to be what they ought to be toward one another. There are no perfect families, but I think there are a couple of important lessons this family can teach us.

A. Be persistent in prayer – As I said, sometimes it can be hard to ascertain the timeline of events in this chapter because of how quickly everything progresses. When Isaac marries Rebekah, he is forty years old. Like Sarah before her, Rebekah is barren and can’t have children. Because of this, Isaac prays for God to bless them with children, and He does. Because this is all recorded in the same verse, our tendency is to think this all happened in rapid succession, but look at verse 26. How old was Isaac when Jacob and Esau were born? He’s sixty. That mean he prayed for nearly twenty years before God finally blessed them with children.

To keep praying that long, Isaac had to believe in the power of prayer. If there’s one advantage Isaac has over Abraham and over Jacob, it’s that he didn’t resort to scheming and trying to find loopholes to accomplish God’s work. Abraham and Sarah tried to get around the problem with Hagar. Jacob’s family situation ends up being a rather convoluted mess that we don’t really have time to get into right now, but we see nothing of the sort with Isaac. He simply prays and waits and prays and waits.

Is there something you’ve been praying about for a really long time? Maybe it’s for someone to be saved. Maybe it’s for a wayward child to come back. Whatever it is, don’t give up. Learn from Isaac’s example and be persistent. James 5:16 tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The results may not come immediately or as quickly as we might like, but they will come if we’ll keep at it.

B. Value eternal things over temporal things – When Rebekah finally has children, she has twin boys, but regardless of how you measure it—whether physically or spiritually—they were almost polar opposites of each other. When Esau is born, he’s apparently already covered in red hair (The name “Esau” is a pun on the Hebrew word for “hairy”). Esau was basically the epitome of a manly man. He was born with a five o’clock shadow, and he grew up to be a rugged outdoorsman and hunter. It’s no wonder he was Isaac’s favorite.

On the other hand, when Jacob comes out of the womb, he grabs Esau by the heel (The name “Jacob” literally means “heel catcher,” and it also carries the idea of “supplanter” or “trickster,” and he definitely lived up to that name). In contrast to Esau, the Bible says that Jacob is a plain man and dwelled in tents. His personality was more laidback and relaxed. He was more of a homebody and apparently a mama’s boy since he was Rebekah’s favorite. Between the two, I’d have to say I probably relate more to Jacob than Esau.

However, one day, Esau comes back from the field, and he’s exhausted. He sees Jacob making some pottage (some kind of vegetable soup, probably), and he asks Jacob to give him some. Jacob decides to take advantage of the situation and asks Esau to sell him his birthright in exchange. The birthright was very important in those days. It belonged to the firstborn son, and when the father died, it guaranteed he would get a double portion of the inheritance compared to the rest of the children. However, in Isaac’s case, the birthright was even more meaningful because it carried with it the blessings and promises that God made to Abraham. Abraham had passed that down to Isaac, and one day, Isaac would pass that on to his son. Jacob wanted those blessings and promises for himself. We can question his methods to get the birthright, but he certainly placed a high value on spiritual things.

Esau, on the other hand, saw those spiritual blessings as practically worthless because he places a high value on fleshly pleasures and desires. He’s so desperate to have his hunger satisfied that he says he feels like he’s about to die, and the birthright won’t do him any good at this point, so he agrees. Esau walked away without realizing he had just purchased the most overpriced meal in history. He thought he had made a good deal, but the Bible says Esau despised his birthright. He looked down on it as worthless and useless. He had no use for the things of God…until the time came when he realized he actually did want those blessings and promises, but by then, it was too late. He had sold them for practically nothing.

The question I want to pose to you tonight is: Are you more like Jacob or more like Esau? How much value do you place on the things of God, on eternal things? We might question Jacob’s methods, but he understood the value of the birthright. He wanted to have God’s blessings in his life, and he was willing to do what it took to secure them. How far are you willing to go for the Lord? Of course, I’m not saying we should resort to underhanded tactics like Jacob, but how much can God ask of you before you say, “Whoa, that’s too much. I can’t do that. I can’t give up that?” Do we understand what’s really important in life? How much do you think about eternity and spiritual matters? How often are we burdened about reaching lost people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ before it’s too late? How much time each day, each week, each year, do we devote to Him? Only one life, so soon it will pass, only what’s done for Christ will last.

Maybe you’re like Esau, and you’re just living for the here and now. You might belong to a Christian family. You might look the part and you might be able to say all the right things, but deep down, you really couldn’t care less about all that stuff. You’re more obsessed with pop culture, with work, with sports, with money, with whatever. You’ll think nothing of one day turning your back on the things of God to pursue after those lesser things. More and more young people are in that position. They get entranced by the things of the world, failing to recognize that those things eventually fade away and lose their value. One day, they’ll find themselves in Esau’s shoes, begging and pleading with tears as they look back on their lives and wish they had lived it for God instead of for themselves, but it’ll be too late. They’ll have wasted their lives. Don’t waste your life in this world. Don’t put off living for God, thinking you’ll eventually do all that stuff later on when “later on” may never come. Value what really matters and what will last for eternity.