Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jan 9th Two Nations, Two Natures: The Flesh vs. Spirit Battle in Genesis 25

Listen to today’s passage – Genesis 25 – 26 

Read along at Blue Letter Bible –  Genesis 25

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)

Listen to this today’s Scripture Song – Psalm 47:1

Read the “0109 Evening and Morning” devotion for today by C. H. Spurgeon.

1. The Death of Abraham (vs. 1 – 11)
2. The Descendants of Ishmael (vs. 12 – 18)

The focus of this devotion will be on the last two sections of the chapter (vs. 19 – 34):

The Delivery of the Twins (vs. 19 – 26)

There are some wonderful spiritual truths to think about from this passage. First, let us consider the fact that Rebekah is barren. She could not produce fruit (a child). Isaac interceded for her. We are reminded of the fact that Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Remember, Rebekah is a picture of the church; but the church without Christ is merely flesh; and “the flesh profiteth nothing.” We are nothing without Christ. We can produce neither the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of winning a soul apart from a relationship with Christ.

Secondly, we see in this passage that Rebekah had a struggle of two natures inside of her. Every believer has the same struggle going on inside of them. We have the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. The nature that we feed will prove to be the one that gets the victory. (Rom 7:15 – 25; Gal 5:16-17)

• The Births Were Miraculous
• The Boys Were Cantankerous

1. They struggled in the womb

2. They struggled after birth

God explains to Rebekah in verse 23 that there are two very different children in her womb. Jacob, the younger, will be the child of promise. His older brother Esau will serve him. Esau is a picture or type of the flesh as we will soon see.

Important note regarding v. 23:

“And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” (Gen 25:23)

Notice the Scripture did not say here in Genesis 25 that God “hated” Esau. He will say that 1,500 years later in Malachi 1:3, and it will be repeated in Romans 9:13. In both Malachi and Romans, however, the context is dealing with the nations that descended from Jacob and Esau (Israel and Edom), not the individuals. Here in Genesis, it just states that Esau would be a servant to Jacob, which meant that Jacob would receive the inheritance and the blessing, not Esau. The person, Esau, never served his brother in his lifetime. His descendants, however, would.

The Despising of the Birthright (vs. 27 – 34; Heb 12:16 – 17)

“16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” (Heb 12:16-17)

• The Development of the Boys (v. 27)

1. Esau was a cunning hunter – a man of the field

2. Jacob was a plain man – dwelling in tent

• The Division in the Home (v. 28)

1. Isaac loved Esau – because of his venison

2. Rebekah loved Jacob – no reason

• The Decision for the Flesh (vs. 29 – 34)

Esau gives up his birthright simply because of his hunger, his carnal appetite. Now Jacob, whose name means trickster, is willing to take advantage of Esau’s fleshly appetite to get what God was going to give him anyway. The appetites of the flesh are very powerful. How many times have God’s children sacrificed the will of God because of some carnal appetite? 

1. He sacrificed the eternal on the altar of the temporal.

2. He sacrificed the spiritual on the altar of the carnal.

“The flesh craves the immediate – the Spirit seeks the eternal”

What are some examples in your life when you chose the carnal over the eternal? (i.e. choosing extra sleep over a devotional time with the Lord; spending hours of time scrolling through social media or binge watching television over spending time reading your Bible or giving quality time to your family).

• The Details of the Birthright

1. It contained the right to Isaac’s Possessions. The eldest received at least a double portion of the inheritance.

2. It contained the right to Isaac’s Patriarchy. The eldest son becomes the head of the family. In this case it contained also the seed of the Savior. Christ would be born from the seed of Jacob; not Esau.

I would love to hear your thoughts – leave a comment!