Genesis 25 – 27

After finding a wife for Isaac and mourning the death of Sarah, Abraham also found, for himself, another wife. Her name was Keturah, with whom he fathered even more children--amazing because he was past 130 years of age when he married her. The text tells us that although he gave gifts of his wealth to these other offspring, his authority, land and major wealth went to Isaac upon his death at age 175.
So we see that human life-spans are getting shorter after the flood. I wonder if God removed a protective layer in the atmosphere in order to make it rain and this removal began a process of shortening the life spans of humans. Or maybe God just decided to gradually lessen our life spans in order to limit the amount of evil we can accomplish during our days here. He does say in other scripture that man’s days are to be about 70 years, which is an average lifetime today.
Following an account of Abraham’s offspring, other than Isaac, at the beginning of Chapter 25, there follows a listing of Ishmael’s offspring. We learn here that Ishmael also had twelve male heirs during his 137 years who settled in the south of Canaan, near the Egyptian border, and who lived in “hostility toward all their brothers.”—Genesis 25:18.
Rebekah was barren for a time, just as Sarah had been, until Isaac prayed for her to become pregnant. God answered his prayer in a big way and Rebekah found she was carrying twins when she asked God why her womb was in such turmoil. God told her there were two “nations” in her womb and the older would be a servant to the younger. The twins were already at war in her womb.
Jacob came out holding on to his twin brother, Esau’s heel, and his name meant “usurper,” which is exactly what he would become. At the end of the chapter, we see him usurping his brother’s birthright. It seems Jacob was a mamma’s boy who stayed in close to camp and learned to cook while Esau honed his hunting skills and pleased their father. Esau came in from hunting one day famished and Jacob was there cooking stew, so Jacob bargained with him a bowl of stew for the birthright. The text says Esau despised his birthright. I think it was just a boyish carelessness. He didn’t really understand what he was bargaining away, but maybe he should have. He was selling his right to become the heir to his father’s fortune and the patriarch of the family. God knew he was going to do this, because He had told Rebekah so before the birth of the twins.
Isaac repeated some of the same mistakes his father had made. When a famine came, they went to the land of Abimelech to find food. Isaac told the same lie about Rebekah that Abraham had told of Sarah—that she was his sister, because he feared for his life. Abimelech must have been on guard for that lie, because he caught Isaac kissing Rebekah and confronted him. When Isaac confessed that Rebekah was his wife, the king gave orders for their peace and safety.
But they soon became too prosperous for the Philistines and they began quarreling over water and pasture for their flocks. So Isaac migrated back northward, reopening the wells his father had dug on his travels, and having the same quarrels with the natives over precious water, until he was back in Beersheba, where God reaffirmed the promise he made to Abraham.
Isaac’s neighbors couldn’t help but see that God was blessing him, so they scrambled to make treaties with him.
There is a curious passage at the end of Chapter 26 that says Esau married two pagan wives from the Hittite tribes surrounding them when he was age 40. Apparently Isaac had been remiss in finding suitable wives for his sons, as his father had done for him, so Esau took things in his own hands. The scripture says these Canaanitish women were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Chapter 27 begins a sad tale of espionage and deceit in Isaac’s family that would have long-lasting implications. Knowing he was about to die, Isaac wanted to pass the blessing on to his oldest son, Esau, so he called him in. Being a selfish and carnal man, however, he demanded his son go out hunting first and bring back some tasty venison for him to eat. The delay gave Rebekah time to take matters into her control.
Rebekah wanted Jacob to inherit the major portion of their goods, so she had him quickly kill goats with which she could trick Isaac. Jacob protested a little, not wanting his father’s wrath to come down on him if the trick came under scrutiny, but the mamma’s boy wound up caving in. The trick worked and Jacob stole the blessing before Esau came in from hunting. When the plot was uncovered, it was too late for Esau. His blessing gone, he hatched a murderous plot of his own against his brother. So Rebekah sent her son, Jacob, on his way to her relatives back in Haran, which is what God had planned all along.