GENESIS 25
In the beginning of this chapter we read that “Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac” (verse 5); and after the death of Abraham, “God blessed his son Isaac” (verse 11). This suggests that all promise and blessing is substantiated in Christ, the risen One. The typical significance of the death of Abraham is that promises give place to the One in whom they are all made good. We have something more than promise now. We have every promise of God substantiated; the yea and amen of every promise is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God; positive blessing is in Him, and there is a full revelation of God. Isaac dwells at Beer-lahai-roi — the well of the living One who reveals Himself. The great spring of all blessing is the revelation of God; He is the living One who reveals Himself. “Thou God seest me” is a solemn truth, but it is a much greater thing for me to see God as revealed in Christ, and that is the thought here. It is not that He sees me, but that I may see Him as revealed in perfect grace. Isaac came from this well when Rebecca met him, and he dwelt there; it was the south country; there is plenty of sunshine there!
[p. 186] The next thing is that Ishmael dies in the presence of all his brethren. No doubt Ishmael and his brethren set forth Israel after the flesh; there are twelve princes spoken of here. There is a day coming when all the legal and servile elements of Israel’s relation to God will pass out: that is typified by the death of Ishmael. We are in the time when the energy of faith casts Ishmael out of the house, because the spirit of sonship alone can have place there; Christ only can have place there. We are privileged to see now that man in the flesh and under law must pass out; no thought of divine blessing can be introduced on that line. But the time is coming when Israel will have to see Ishmael die; they will have to learn that blessing must come in on new covenant terms, and in connection with Isaac, and the well of the living One who reveals Himself. Ishmael is a figure of man as in the flesh and under law, but in connection with Isaac we have the covenant and the well; the springing up of all God can be for man on new covenant terms, and of what man can be for God as blessed in Christ. What a moment it will be in Israel’s history when they discover that as in the flesh and under law they are under death, and that they can only cry out in deep need. As soon as they do so God will open their eyes and they will see the well. They will see all divine blessing secured for them in Christ, and through the revelation of God in grace. They will “change their man”, and as God says, “They shall all know me”.
It is the same thing in principle with ourselves; we have to go the same way. Perhaps most of us have been very much on the line of Hagar and Ishmael,
[p. 187] and not of Isaac. But we have had to find out that we could not get a bit of blessing on that line. So that many Scriptures that apply to Israel and their self-righteous state are useful for us. Ishmael is a type of man in the flesh, but what God provides for man in grace is “a well of water” — typically the Spirit of another Man. It is very wonderful that even Israel, after all their pride and self-righteousness, will be brought to see where blessing is; that it is all in Christ on the line of promise, to be received and enjoyed on the principle of faith: and then they will come into the blessedness and life-giving power of the well.
From chapter 25: 19 we begin a new history — that of Isaac — and a new chapter of exercises in connection with the promises of God. And Jacob comes into view as a type of God’s ways with His earthly people, and all the discipline through which they will eventually learn their lessons, and be brought to God’s house. All of it most instructive, too, in its application to ourselves, for we all go, in measure, through similar exercises.
At every step we see God shutting up faith to Himself. Rebecca, like Sarah, is barren until Jehovah intervenes. And then, when He has intervened, this becomes the occasion of another exercise. She has to learn that there are two children, representing two distinct kinds of people; a people according to the priority and strength of nature, and a people according to the choice of divine sovereignty. And Rebecca has to learn to let every natural thought go, and to see things purely in the light of God’s sovereignty.
It is interesting to put together the exercises of the three principal women of Genesis: Eve, Sarah, and [p. 188] Rebecca. Eve had exercises and lessons to learn in connection with Cain and Abel; Sarah had to learn in connection with Ishmael and Isaac; and Rebecca in connection with Esau and Jacob. In a certain way the lessons all correspond, but there is a different element in each. The importance of it is that we have to go through Eve’s, Sarah’s, and Rebecca’s exercises, and my impression is that they come in that order.
I would suggest that in connection with Cain and Abel the lesson to be learnt is that a divine seed is “not of blood”; and in connection with Ishmael and Isaac we are taught that it is not “of the will of the flesh”; and in connection with Esau and Jacob we learn it is not “of the will of man”. The divine generation is spoken of in John 1 in this way, “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man”. And these three lessons were worked out typically in connection with these three women. Perhaps we might say that Eve’s exercise corresponded with Romans 3, Sarah’s exercise with Romans 7, and Rebecca’s with Romans 9. “Not of blood” suggests that a divine seed does not come in on the line of natural descent. Eve thought, when Cain was born, that she had got Christ; but she had to learn that sinful parents could only beget sinful children, and that on the line of natural generation there is nothing for God. That is the first lesson we have to face. We have to find out that, as born into this world, we are all wrong. Eve learned her lesson before Abel was born, for she called him ‘vanity’. She had called Cain ‘acquisition’; she said, “I have got a man”! But we all have to learn that as born into this world we are marked by vanity.
[p. 189] When that is, in some measure, discovered, the next thought often is to improve oneself, to do something to put things right; to cultivate and repress the flesh. That is Ishmael, the will of the flesh; man setting up to correct himself and put things right, and using the law to establish his own righteousness. It was Sarah’s exercise to learn that all that was of the flesh must be cast out as of no divine value. We have to learn that a divine seed can only be secured on the line of promise and on the principle of faith, and that all blessing is in Christ. Isaac must be crowned and Ishmael cast out. Sarah had to learn that neither flesh, nor anything that flesh could take up, such as the law, could help in relation to the fulfilment of divine promise, or the introduction of a divine seed.
Then Rebecca had to learn that it was in every way a question of divine sovereignty. The will of man has no place whatever. The will of man would prefer Esau to Jacob. It has often been said that Esau was the better and nobler man of the two. But Rebecca had to learn that God is sovereign, and to allow His sovereignty to guide her affections. God made known to her that the elder should serve the younger, and this was purely on the principle of sovereignty, for Romans 9 tells us that the children had not done good or evil when this was revealed to her. God said, as it were, I am going to have My way. Nothing excludes man like divine sovereignty, which purposes and acts just because God purposes and wills to act and to appoint, and for no other reason whatever. Rebecca’s affections were formed in the light of what was made known to her; she loved Jacob. She looked at things from the [p. 190] stand-point of divine sovereignty, for Jacob was a supplanter; he was not at all an attractive character naturally.
Men would say, Why did God choose such a man? But God says, My purpose according to election shall stand, not of works but of him that calls; I am not influenced by the natural character and qualities of men. Do you think we are the kind of people men would have chosen to be ennobled, elevated, and put in the highest place in the universe? The Esau man takes priority in the world, and there are often qualities in him that you can admire, but God is not influenced by that. His sovereignty shuts the will of man out completely, and until things are seen to rest on the basis of divine sovereignty there will never be a true spirit of worship. Worship is based on the recognition of sovereignty, we bow before the all-wise God who acts on motives in Himself without any influence from outside. In Romans 9 and Romans 11 we get sovereignty, and the result is Paul bows his head and heart in worship, “O depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and untraceable his ways! ... For of him, and through him, and for him are all things: to him be glory for ever. Amen”. In Ephesians we are on ground where everything is of God, whether that which was wrought in Christ or that which is wrought in the saints as of Christ and in Christ. It is the fruit of God taking His own course in sovereignty, and in grace, mercy, and love.
Jacob valued the blessing with all his faults; we can see divine traits coming out in him. Esau manifested himself; he was a man of the field, a hunter: he was marked by self-gratification on natural lines.
[p. 191] But Jacob was a homely man, dwelling in tents; he was marked by simple affections and the pilgrim character. He was the true divine seed, and in result marked by qualities that God could approve. What men esteem highly God does not approve. God loves a man with simple affections, content with a pilgrim life. We have to look at saints from God’s point of view, to lose sight of Esau and all his qualities that appeal to nature, and look for qualities that appeal to God. It is easy to get unduly occupied with the crotchets and blemishes you may see in a saint, but the question is, Is he walking in separation to God? Does he love the Lord and love His people? If you find a brother trying, turn him round and look at the other side; there is always another side to a saint. Do not get over occupied with the blemishes, but look at the qualities that God can approve.
Certain things may be true like spots in the sun; people look through their telescopes to find the spots; and it is possible to look at the saints like that! If you look out for excellencies in the saints you will find them, even in a Jacob! There was much that was of the flesh in Jacob, and that needed a life of discipline to subdue and get rid of; but in the end God will be justified in saying, “Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated”.
When Esau was tested he proved to be a profane person; a little bit of present gratification was more to him than all the promises of God; a dish of food more than all divine blessing! The New Testament calls him a profane person; he despised and sold his birthright. If we are with God we do not admire such a character. The great question is, Does a man appreciate what is of God? That is the great mark [p. 192] of saints. It is not that they are better than other people in a human way, but even those of them who tax our patience value the things of God at least in some measure. God deals, and will deal, with all the contrary elements in them by discipline; so that they may end by worshipping. Jacob’s last day was his best.
Esau represents Israel who, having given up their hope, are under the power of present things; they are outside the sphere of holiness: profane is in contrast to what is holy. God passes His saints through discipline that they may be partakers of His holiness. Esau in contrast to this was marked by profanity; he was outside the place of holiness. We are in our measure learning to say after God, “Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated”. Rebecca loved Jacob, but there was an element of weakness in Isaac’s character: he “loved Esau because venison was to his taste”. That is a solemn warning for us: we have to be careful about people who minister to our natural tastes. If we allow ourselves to be attracted by people because they minister to what we like naturally, we lose spiritually. I have certain tastes naturally, they are all still there in my flesh just as before I was converted; there may be those who are able to gratify my natural tastes, but if I come under their influence I am sure to be let down. Isaac’s weakness came out in that he allowed himself to fall under the influence of Esau, because he put venison in his mouth: it is a very solemn thing to consider.
Rebecca formed a correct judgment because she formed it in the light of divine revelation. There were two elements opposed to each other that she [p. 193] had to take account of, and she turned to God; she inquired of Jehovah, What does it mean? He told her, “The elder shall serve the younger”, and she walked in the light of that, and gained by the exercise. Isaac had not this exercise, and he gave Esau a place he ought not to have had. It seems to me that this lay at the root of his weakness in denying his relationship with Rebecca, and his not being able to stand in a place of dignity and supremacy with the Philistines; he lost the wells. His power was lost by allowing his taste for natural things to connect his affections with the wrong man.