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In this section of chapter 25, we are reminded of two important things about God: 1) he accomplishes his will despite hardship, and 2) he often chooses the lesser or weaker person to use for his purposes. We see these two things with the introduction of Isaac’s sons, Esau and Jacob.
Just like Sarah could not have children, we also see that Rebekah is barren. And just like Abraham prayed for his wife to conceive, so Isaac prays for Rebekah, too. In both cases, God “granted his prayer,” (vs 21) which demonstrates to us that he is the one who is responsible for blessing us with children and fulfilling his promises to us. However, this does not mean that God is always quick to answer our prayers. In verse 26, we find out that Isaac was 60 years old before he had his twin boys, even though he was married for 20 years! God’s timing is rarely in line with our own, so we must remember to faithfully wait on him while praying for his answer.
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Chapter 25 also brings up a motif we have already seen several times throughout Genesis, which is the struggles that brothers have with one another. In chapter 4 Cain and Abel were at odds, and Cain killed Abel. In chapter 21, there is discord between Sarah and Hagar on account of their sons with Abraham, and now we see again that God tells Rebekah that there will be a division between the brothers she bares. These conflicts are reminiscent of the curse in Genesis 3:15 that God would “put enmity between you and … your offspring.” In each of these aforementioned instances, God chooses to bless the younger brother: he accepts Abel’s sacrifices instead of Cain’s, he promises to use Isaac instead of Ishmael for his chosen people, and he foretells that Esau will serve Jacob. In ancient Mesopotamian culture, blessing the younger brother was unheard of since it was always the eldest son who naturally earned the birthright of blessings.
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Similarly to how God uses barren women to demonstrate his glory and fulfill his promises, the Lord often uses the weaker, lesser, and younger person to bring about his will, and he always does so in spite of the conflicts surrounding these people. In doing so, God takes away the ability to boast in oneself or think that a person has earned the privileges given to him. God is not interested in using the people we often think are most fit for his service; rather he brings more glory to himself by accomplishing his purposes through those who have no “right” to participate in his plans.
Knowing this about God gives me courage and hope, because I know that I’m nothing special. I’m the younger sister in my family, I’ve lived a messed up life, and I’m certainly not someone strong or great. But I know that Scripture gives example after example of how God can – and does – use anyone to accomplish his will, so he can use me, too. How do you see God working in and through your life? Are you faithfully praying to him to use you in his plans? Or do you feel like you can’t really be used since there’s nothing inherently special about you? Remember Rebekah and Jacob in chapter 25, and keep in mind that God uses the barren and the weak.
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Text By: Catalina Kreider
Photo from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Esau_and_Jacob_Presented_to_Isaac.jpg
https://nickgoldsworthy.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/jacob-esau.jpg
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