< Genesis 25 >

Abraham had many sons but, because God’s promise concerning the inheritance of the land of Canaan was in Isaac, before he died he sent the others away into the lands east of Jordan. These men later multiplied to become nations, such as Midian, of whom we read later concerning their relationship to Israel.

When Abraham did die and was buried in the same sepulchre as Sarah we are told he “gave up the ghost” and “was gathered to his people”. Death of the faithful is consistently described in the Bible in this manner, with no suggestion whatsoever of heaven-going. They all died in the belief that, though laid in the grave, they would be raised from the dead. The word “ghost” is Anglo-Saxon for “breath”, and it was breath which left Abraham when he died. The first man became a living soul when the breath of life was breathed into him Genesis 2:7,Waiting for response for Genesis 2:7 and all men become dead souls when their breath leaves them Ecclesiastes 3:19-20,Waiting for response for Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 Ecclesiastes 12:7Waiting for response for Ecclesiastes 12:7

7th of 11 appearances in Genesis of "the generations of" marking the beginning of a new section. There are 12 sections, this is the eighth section: the generations of Ishmael.

8th of 11 appearances in Genesis of "the generations of" marking the beginning of a new section. There are 12 sections, this is the ninth section: the generations of Isaac.

The promises of God to Abraham became Isaac’s birthright and in due course passed to Esau his eldest son, but Esau despised the birthright and, remarkably, sold it for a bowl of pottage. This occurred when a severe famine put him and his brother, Jacob, to the test. Esau, a skillful hunter, was unable to catch anything but, returning home famished, found his brother willing to exchange food for the birthright. Declaring that, being at the point of death, the birthright had no value to him Esau then sold it to his brother. God’s covenant offered him eternal life but he despised it and sold his birthright to satisfy an immediate craving for food. God’s judgment on Esau is a warning to everyone else to appreciate God’s promises: “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God ... Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright”. Hebrews 12:15-16Waiting for response for Hebrews 12:15-16

Jacob, in contrast to Esau, fully appreciated God’s promises and desired them above everything else. Throughout his life he was willing, if necessary, to give up anything and everything in life to inherit what God had promised to his forefathers. At the height of the famine he gave up the only food available to gain the birthright, and he is set forth as an example to all the faithful, even as Jesus instructed his disciples Matthew 6:31-33Waiting for response for Matthew 6:31-33