The Older Shall Serve the Younger (Gen. 25:19-28)

The Older Shall Serve the Younger

Gen 25:19 – 28

Connection/Tension

There are moments when I begin to feel impressed with my growth as a Christian. I feel more mature, disciplined, and spiritual than ever, which can make it feel like a shock when I suddenly find myself raging about something, using words you would never hear me use, or pouting- and all in front of my wife and children, and all over something silly like losing something or being a few minutes late.

What in the world is happening in these moments? There are parts of my heart that Jesus that the gospel has not yet transformed and I am still in rebellion to Jesus. Do you have any of those? So often, our emotional outbursts are our attempt to control our lives when they feel out of control.

One thing I have been growing to see is that my anger and frustration is not ultimately against my situation or an object, it’s an objection to the way God is running the world- specifically my world. If he’s in control as God (and he is), and I’m freaking out, doesn’t it follow that I have a problem with the way he is running things (cf. Prov 19:3)?

Question: how do we grow at peace with who we are and our place in the world? The goal is not passive acceptance, but rather a peaceful trust that God is transforming us and working through our frustrations to accomplish his purpose.

Context

Before getting into our sermon, let’s set the scene a little bit. Church, welcome back to the world of Genesis. It’s been over a year since we’ve been here last- we took a glorious detour through the book of 1 Corinthians, and now we are back.

In 2022, we went through Gen 1-11, the story of the creation of the world by God and unraveling of the world by rebellion- the making and unmaking of everything.

In 2023, we went through the Life of Abraham (chapters 12 – 25), and saw God’s plan to begin remaking everything through one pagan he calls out of Babylon to journey to the Eden-like land of Canaan in faith. So, we went from the making and unmaking to the remaking of God’s world.

Now, we return to this book to go through the life of Jacob. God will continue his plan through this flawed man to bring forth his offspring of promise who will bring his people to the land of promise and make all things new (Gen 3:15).

Revelation

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac,

This phrase, “these are the generations of…” marks a transition to a new part of the story. It points to the temporariness of each character and generation, but to God as the unchanging and living one. He’s the one constant that never changes when we change and die all the time.

Like the other genealogies before, though it introduces Isaac, these stories will primarily focus on Isaac’s sons Jacob and Esau (cf. Gen 11:27).

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.

We’ve already seen this story in detail. Moses summarizes it here seemingly to remind us of some of the key characters in the story to come. Laban the Aramean and his daughters will be big players in the life of Jacob. Complex family relationships will be the occasion of conflict to come. This is the same source of conflict and heartache for so many of us and a feature of life in a cursed world God warned us about in the story already (Gen 3:16).

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.

Does this sequence of events sound familiar to anyone? It should because this was the sermon almost every week through the life of Abraham series. In Genesis, similar patterns unfold between the generations, both of their successes and failures.

These stories teach us not just what God did, but what he always does, and not just what people were like, but what we are like.

And here we see the “promised-shaped pattern”[1] of a childless couple pleading to God for a child and after a long season of waiting- 20 hard and disappointing years- they obtain what they asked for from God in prayer.

Here we see a foretaste of what this passage and story will teach us- God is the sovereign story teller who is always in charge, always good, and always working even when we can’t see it.

Now in the next verse, we will begin to see some of the unique details about this couple and their family,

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.

The story will soon confirm that twins are in Rebekah’s womb. What’s more, she senses a “struggle-” some sort of violence or oppression between them unfolding within her.

What a powerful image! The place more than any other that is supposed to be a place of rest, peace and safety has become a place of bitter “struggle.” This struggle within her womb foreshadows the struggle to come between these two brothers, and especially the life-long struggle Jacob will have with God, with others, and with himself.[2]

Is this not an apt description of our world and even our own souls? Since every human being is born into the world in a state of separation and conflict with God, we find ourselves likewise in a state of struggle with everything he has made. Our lives feel fragmented and tragic rather than whole; our emotions and painful histories testify to us that something is wrong with everything and wrong with me.

Is this also not an helpful reminder that as Adam’s descendants, none of us is born spiritually well- but all sick and in need of a healer?

Our sufferings and shortcomings are meant to alert us to our need for someone who is beyond us and our world who can help. So often, we respond with despair and addiction or control of our environment or others, yet if we turn from our own solutions to God, he will lead us on a path forward to himself.

Look at how Rebekah responds to this bitter moment- she went to “inquire of the Lord.” She chose to “be with the Father” at a moment of uncertainty and confusion. And for the second time in this short passage, he’s going to answer her prayer. First, he answered her prayer for a baby; now, he’s going to explain the perplexing situation within her womb,

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.”

Woah! What a word! Let’s take each of these mysterious statements one at a time.

First, “two nations are in your womb,” that is, two men who will each found nations are within you. This is stunning and unlikely for landless pilgrims like Isaac and Rebekah who are wandering in a foreign land. What does this teach us except that God is relentless at fulfilling his promises? He said before Isaac’s line would produce “kings” (Gen 17:16), and here we see God’s unwavering commitment to his plan.

Second, “two people from within you shall be divided,” Ugh! If the first promise brings hope in God’s unexpected generosity, this line brings us back to earth. These two nations, just like these two brothers, will suffer from hostility and division from one another and from God. In this age, we inhabit a world of death rather than of life and death and separation go together, and when the Lord Jesus returns- he will undo one as well as the other.  

And lastly, “the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” God will chose one of these nations and one of these brothers to ascend above the other. In ancient Canaan (and just about everywhere else), you would expect that person to be the older brother, the firstborn son, rather than the younger.

Yet, if there is anything that God seems to work against again and again, it’s human expectation. He’s not a tame God who acts in predictable ways. He chooses to work through surprises because surprises reveal that it’s his hand and power that brough the result rather than human power. He’s the great storyteller and he’s sovereign over everyone and everything in this story, speaking into being what will happen long before it does, so that when it does, we might see his wisdom and marvel at what he’s done.

As this story unfolds, this is precisely what we see. God eventually elevates Jacob to the place of ruling a prosperous nation. In generations to come- the nation of Israel (Jacob’s nation) will ascend far above the Edomites (Esau’s nation; cf. Num 24:18).

Now, think for a moment about what we just heard? What does it mean for this story and for our stories if God is telling the details in advance (in this case “the older will serve the younger”)?

It implies that God is in charge of this world and everything that happens in it. I’ve heard it said before, “he’s running the universe with his feet up on the desk.” Now, God is never the direct cause of evil (that’s only people), but he rules over evil, never looses control over any situation, and brings his good purposes to pass.[3] Because the world is broken because of human sin, often times we will have to pass through pain as God fulfills his purposes for us. This is precisely what will happen to these boys and to this family. Two words that will define much of their lives are “struggle” and “division.”

And yet, God is better to each of them than they deserve, and in the course of their lives, transforms them both into new versions of themselves in relationship with him.

Now, since God is in charge of all our lives and every detail. I have a question for you. “Do you struggle with how God is running the world, or more specifically, your world?” Do you struggle with a sense of bitterness or resentment bubbling up from inside you against God or others on the basis of your circumstances?

One of the greatest steps towards maturing as a human being and a follower of Jesus is coming to peace with God’s right to rule in every area and every way. Listen to this, if he is truly wiser than you are, then it follows that he will do things differently than you would if you were in charge. If he simply does everything the way you would want him to, then his wisdom would be no greater than yours.

A great step towards maturity and a sense of peace within you is a surrender to the reality that you are not in control and that a wise God is determining all things with good purposes you can trust even if you don’t understand his methods. You are invited by God to come to peace with yourself and your place in his world.

This story to come will be Jacob especially coming to peace with himself as he is in the world as it is under God’s good rule and turning from manipulation and control to trust and love.

Next comes the birth and even more wild and unexpected details,

24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau.

How strange is this! The first son comes forth- that is, the one we would expect to rule. Yet, already, there are some visual signals that something is not quite right with this boy. Newborn babies look strange- this one would have looked especially strange. Normally, that’s not a problem, yet, we are in a part of the Bible where God is especially communicating spiritual truths through visual symbols. Details like these are meant to give us insight into spiritual things- like moral character.

The fact that Esau is red and shows a fascination with red food (v. 29) possibly illustrates his violent, impulsive, and volatile character that we will see in this story.[4]

In addition, his body is already covered it hair. Everyone loves a baby who comes out with hair on their head-how about their whole body! Perhaps this is portraying Esau as having untamed, animal-like desires or a beastliness about how he lives. A description like this will certainly capture the decisions he makes to come.

Okay, now that we are past the weird birth stuff, let’s move on to the next verse,

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.

Okay, we are not actually past it. Can you imagine this? I mean, my son Silas’s birth was very standard- and yet it felt so foreign and crazy to me there were moments I was overwhelmed. I would have no idea what I would do if my wife birthed twins- and the first one came out like a red hairy animal, and more than that- the next one came out gripping his heel!

This moment is so stunning to these parents that they name the second son Jacob, a name that sounds like the Hebrew word for “heel.”

What in the world is going on here? We are still in a part of the Bible filled with imagery and symbols. It seems like the circumstances of Jacob’s birth are illustrating the kind of man he would become and the kind of heart he was born with. He’s born with the appearance of discontent and envy, vying and struggling with Esau for the position of firstborn. Will that not define how he treats his brother in the years to come?

Now, it’s striking to me that the story says that Jacob is grasping Esau’s “heel.” This is the same word from Gen 3:15

(15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

                             he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”)

 when it says that the serpent “shall bruise his heel.”

Jacob is the one striking at the heel of another- just as the serpent is doing earlier on. I think this imagery suggests that Jacob will take the position of the serpent in this story. He will live with moral resemblance to the serpent, using tactics of deception and trickery to control and get his way.

I believe what this mysterious imagery is suggesting about both Jacob and Esau is that they are offspring of the serpent rather than offspring of the woman (offspring of the serpent live in rebellion to God and offspring of the woman are the people through him God fulfills his purposes).

And yet, God already promised in this passage that he is going to use Jacob to carry forward his purposes in the earth? How can this be if Jacob is like this?

Jacob is going to have to change before this story is over (and Esau will as well!). He needs to change from a serpent-man into a man who images God- and he will! But not till God wounds him and leaves him with a life-long limp.[5]

Jacob and Esau’s biggest need (as we see from this imagery and from the story as it unfolds), is not for their circumstances to change- but for them to change! Yet, because our God is a sovereign God- he can change people! Jacob’s story is one of change- one of transformation. Yet, it takes a sovereign God for him to get there.

I’ve heard of no heart doctor yet who has successfully performed heart surgery on themselves yet. And so to at the level of their character, these boys both need a sovereign God to intervene and make them new. That is our great hope as Christians, that there is a great God who is changing me and changing you.

And I think one way he want to change us this morning is to come one step closer to embracing the way God is ruling the world and specifically our own world, even in ways we prefer he was doing it differently.

You see, when we rage like Esau or manipulate like Jacob, those are two different ways of controlling the world and trying to take God’s job from him.

I can testify in the past few months, I’ve taken a few steps towards controlling my tempter in my home in front of my family, and having fewer Esau moments as God has helped conform me to the truth,

“Ross, you’ve never had control anyway, and I do a much better job than you would ever do.”

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.

These sounds like ordinary details, yet the vocabulary has echoes of the story beforehand. Esau as a “skillful hunter” connects him with Nimrod (Gen 10:9), the great hunter and a violent warrior king. His temptation in his sinfulness is to become a killer like this man whom he morally resembles. And this is some of our temptations, maybe not to kill people, but to inflict emotional damage on others through aggression or rage or even physical injury.

Jacob has the opposite disposition. He’s quiet, or in Hebrew “harmless.[6] Yet, he’s no less pernicious. It just takes a different form. He uses manipulation, trickery, and other more passive/aggressive way to assert his will over others. Does this cooler way of control describe you?

The downward trajectory of each of these men helps us see the beauty of Jesus’s life for us. Jacob and Esau try to claw their way upward through violence and manipulation. Jesus willingly went downwards, submissive to his father, full of love for his enemies, and changes us into his pattern of life if we will come to him.

You don’t chose to end up the way you are, yet, you don’t have to stay that way. The path of following Jesus is the way out of controlling, manipulative tendencies. He died and rose again so he could forgive us and make us into new people.

And knowing and trusting this man is the way we can peacefully surrender to the difficult ways God runs the world. You can trust someone who exercises his authority in this way- not to take your life away, but to give his life away to save yours (John 10:18).

Then finally,

28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

There are unhealthy family dynamics here- and foreshadow the pain and heart ache that is to follow. Yet, we will see in the weeks to come that the health or unhealth of families is not what matters most, but the work of God.

His surprising and good power shines when he uses it in difficult places and in broken people. Our lives are meant to take a surprising turn upward as we follow Jesus. This is how God delights to exercise his sovereign power.

Let’s pray.

[1] A phrase from Jim Hamilton and his book Typology.

[2] John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary, ed. Gary Lee (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 185.

[3] In Augustine’s Confessions he says that “God is the makes and ruler of all things, except of sin only the ruler.”

[4] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible, Second Edition (Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019).

[5] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16–50, vol. 2, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1994), 304.

[6] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1742.