Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: Abraham dies, Rebekah gives birth to Jacob and Esau, Jacob cons Esau out of his birthright, Isaac lies and says Rebekah is his sister, and God appears to Isaac with a promise.
After Sarah's death, Abraham takes a wife named Keturah and has 6 more sons. Abraham "gave all that he had to Isaac" but "gave gifts to the sons of his concubines." We are not sure if he had other concubines, but it sounds like the Scripture is referring to Keturah and Hagar as his concubines (not-quite wives.) Abraham lives to be 175 and "is gathered to his people" (dies) "an old man and full of years." Isaac and. Ishmael bury him, and he is buried in the same cave as Sarah.
A genealogy of Ishmael is recorded, with Ishmael's sons becoming 12 princes of 12 nations. Ishmael lives to be 137 years old, and then he dies.
The genealogy of Isaac is given. (Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah as his wife.) Rebekah had been barren, but Isaac pleaded with God on her behalf, and God answered his prayer. She becomes pregnant, but the children are struggling within her and she senses something is not right, so she prays and asks God what is wrong. He answers and tells her that there are two nations within her, that one will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. She gives birth to twins. The oldest is born red and hairy, so they name him Esau (meaning "hairy.") The youngest comes out holding Esau's heel, so they name him Jacob ("usurper.") Isaac is 60 years old when they are born.
Esau grows up to become a hunter and a "man of the field," while Jacob becomes a "mild man, living in tents." Isaac prefers Esau, while Rebekah favors Jacob. One day, Esau comes home from hunting and is famished. Jacob has a stew prepared, and when Esau tells him to give him some stew, Jacob, true to his name, tells Esau to give him his birthright in exchange. Esau essentially says that his birthright is no good to him anyway if he is dead, but Jacob makes him swear, and Esau gives up his birthright. Scripture says that in this manner, Esau showed that he "despised his birthright" (because he treated it so casually.)
There is another famine in the land, as there was in the days of Abraham. The Lord appears to Isaac, as he did to Abraham, and warns him not to go down to Egypt but to dwell where He shows him. He promises to fulfill the oath he swore to his father Abraham by giving him all the land and making the number of his descendants like the stars of heaven. He also says, "In your Seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My commands."
Isaac also follows in his father's footsteps and lies to King Abimelech (most likely a different one) and all in his land that his wife, Rebekah, is his sister. The king sees him being affectionate toward her and confronts him, rebuking him for lying and possibly causing one of the men to take her and sin unknowingly. He warns all his people that if anyone harms Isaac or touches Rebekah, they will be put to death.
Isaac sows in the land and "reaps one hundred fold." God blesses him with many herds and servants, and he is envied by the Philistines. King Abimelech recognizes God has blessed him and asks him to leave the place.
Isaac digs up the wells of his father, Abraham, that had been stopped up after his father's death. There are many arguments over the wells. God appears to him again, saying, "I am the God of your father, Abraham. Do not fear for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake." King Abimlech visits Abraham and asks him to make a covenant of peace with him, which he does.
When Esau is 40 years old, he takes two wives of the Hittites, and they are "a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah."
Thoughts/Questions:
Sometimes, we are deceived into thinking that our actions affect only us (and for those of us who are more self-destructive in nature, this line of thinking almost always goes with the territory), BUT we can actually change our DNA through our thoughts and actions and pass them on to the next generation! Does knowing this help you want to make the right choices?
Esau ended up taking wives from outside of his people, from those who did not serve God, and it was a pain to his parents. Do you think God knew this in his decision to choose Jacob over Esau?