Genesis 25:1-34

What we will find in Genesis 25 is that there are three huge choices that each shape our lives today.

Outline

First, Abraham’s choice of a legacy gives us a future (25:1-18)
- Abraham chooses a legacy through how he invests in the next generation (25:1-6)
- Abraham chooses a legacy through how he lives in this generation (25:7-11)
- Abraham chooses his legacy through his connection to the covenant (25:12-18)
Second, God’s choice of a lineage gives us a father (25:19-26)
- God’s choice reveals that his timing is not always our timing (25:19-21)
- God’s choice reveals that his ways are not always our ways (25:22-26)
Third, Esau’s choice of a lifestyle reveals a flaw (25:27-34)

John 8:56 shows how Abraham lived generations before Jesus yet he understood that one day a chosen one would come to fulfill the covenant commitments and receive the covenant promises. What Abraham couldn’t see with his eyes, he saw by faith.
Romans 9:10-13 and Malachi 1:10-12 show that the promise to Abraham is coming through Jacob not because Jacob sacrificially chose God but because God sovereignty chose him
Jesus faces the exact same temptation as Esau in the wilderness in Matthew 4. Like Esau, he is tired and hungry and Satan offers a meal, his appetites likewise tempt him to give up his inheritance. Christ refuses to give up his birthright for bread, not because he believes that eating is sinful but because he believes that the inheritance is more important. when Jesus finds victory over this temptation in the wilderness, it puts him on a path to make a way for you and me in salvation. Jesus doesn’t just resist the power of sin in his life, he also rescues us from the penalty of sin in his resurrection

This passage speaks to those of you wrestling with infertility, just like Isaac and Rebekah. The Bible holds forth no guarantee that you will one day have a child of your own. If you are experiencing infertility, you must remember that ultimately your hope is not found in bearing children or in any other blessing. It is instead found in God, who sees and hears his people—especially in our longing, waiting, and suffering. God not only hears our prayers, but he is always faithful to answer them according to his will, sometimes in ways that defy our hopes and expectations.
God’s choice is not based on our love for him but on his love for us. When God chooses Isaac, it is laying a foundation for us to one day have a Heavenly Father who’s promise shows us that you can never be too far from the gospel.