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Friday
March 29th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

gary damronMY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

 

We’re in the second week of following the faith journey of Abraham’s son Isaac. Faith led Isaac to success in business and in negotiations with his neighbors, but things on the home front were less than satisfactory. 

When Abraham’s servant brought Rebekah from her family near northern Syria, the scripture says Isaac loved her, but the first twenty years of marriage they were childless. In those days, before a well-developed idea of eternal life, legacy through heirs was extremely important. Of course, there can be spiritual children of faith – many of us claim Abraham as our father in that way – but Rebekah was especially distressed about being barren. 

“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children; and the Lord answered him, and his wife Rebekah conceived” (Genesis 25:21). Here we reiterate this strong testimony for life which begins at conception. New life stirring within Rebekah was an answer to Isaac’s prayer and his wife’s longing. A child, long before birth, already fulfills physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects in God’s plan. 

Before Rebekah understood that she was carrying twins, there were difficulties. “But the children struggled together within her; and [Rebekah] said, ‘If it is so, why am I in this condition?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people will be stronger than the other; and the older will serve the younger’” (Genesis 25:22-23). Children will challenge each of us, and raising them will require faith and many prayers. 

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“When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob…” (Genesis 25:24-26). From the beginning, her boys were different, and Rebekah no doubt remembered the words God had spoken to her regarding which would serve the other. 

God is aware and concerned about what’s going on in our lives. His prediction to Rebekah was not a predetermination of events, for people always have free will, but a reflection on the future. The difficulty in this family came when the mother failed to wait on the Lord and trust, instead trying to make things happen. As the twins grew, the parents’ reaction to their contrasting characters added discord and friction. Peaceful Isaac favored the energetic, manly Esau, and enjoyed living vicariously through his outdoorsman skills. He also liked the meat Esau regularly brought. But his spirited wife favored the more refined Jacob. Parents must adjust to each child’s personality while bringing them up impartially with consistency. 

One episode brought into sharp focus the impetuous, short-sighted son and his slightly younger, cool and calculating brother who took advantage of the situation. “When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.’ But Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ Esau said, ‘Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?’” (Genesis 25:29-31). 

Interestingly, the elderly Isaac used the same justification in Genesis 27:2, saying he needed delicious stew since he might be close to death. (It appears he lived decades more.) And Rebekah in the same chapter used dramatic words about death when worried about Jacob’s future wife (verse 46). People of faith need not fear death and shouldn’t make decisions based on their mortality. Eternal values can never be traded for temporary satisfaction. 

We now know that the birthright of Abraham, passed from generation to generation, was a gift of faith. Paul wrote, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-7). One question might be, which of the two boys was better suited to responsibly lead the family, both spiritually and materially? 

Esau’s lack of judgment was not a one-time lapse. It can also be seen in his choice of Hittite wives, which brought grief to his parents and drove Rebekah to strive for something better for Jacob. At this point none of the family members were communicating well with each other or with God. 

Eventually things would turn out better for them all. But Isaac’s prayer in the beginning might have been better asked, not just for a child, but for insight and guidance to raise their children. We need to remember how, regardless of personality, God can use each of us. And the answer to struggles, even from the womb, is to seek God in all things. 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

 

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