Bible Study Materials

Genesis 25:1–26:33

by Paul Choi   05/16/2022  

Question


ISAAC’S FAMILY: BEARING GOD’S BLESSING BY FAITH

Lesson 18

Genesis 25:1–26:33
Key Verses: 26:24–25

  1. Read 25:1-11. Why did Abraham leave everything he owned to Isaac and send other sons away from him? (5) Look at v.12-18. Who were Ishmael’s sons and how was their relationship with other people? (18)

  2. Read v 19-26.  How could Isaac pray about his wife’s barrenness for 20 years? (21a) How did God answer? (21b) What did God reveal to her? (23) Read 27-34. Why did Esau sell his birthright to Jacob? (32-34) Why was it significant for his future? (27:33-34, Heb 12:16)

  3. Read 26:1-13. How did Isaac confront the similar situation like his father Abraham and how did God help him? (2-5, cf.12:10-20, 20:1-18) How did Isaac obey God and what was the result of his decision? (6, 10-13) Why is this discipline necessary for Isaac?

  4. Read 14-33. Why did the Philistines fill up Isaac’s wells with earth? (15-16) How did Isaac deal with this problem? (17-18,21-22) Why did he do so? (25) Why did Abimelech want to make a treaty with Isaac? (28) What can we learn from Isaac who deals with the hostile unbelievers? (22,25,32, Mt5:16, 38-42, Ro 12:17, 1 Pe 3:9)


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ISAAC’S FAMILY: BEARING GOD’S BLESSING BY FAITH

Lesson 18

Genesis 25:1–26:33
Key Verses: 26:24–25

God wanted to become the God of Isaac

  1. Read 25:1-11. Why did Abraham leave everything he owned to Isaac and send other sons away from him? (5) Look at v.12-18. Who were Ishmael’s sons and how was their relationship with other people? (18)

The Death of Abraham

25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[a] There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

  1. Ge 21:12: It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.

    He 11:18 Abraham wanted to protect Isaac from potential hindrance.

Ishmael’s Sons

12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[b] all the tribes related to them.

Genesis 16:11-12: He will live in hostility toward all his brothers.

  1. Read v 19-26.  How could Isaac pray about his wife’s barrenness for 20 years? (21a) How did God answer? (21b) What did God reveal to her? (23) Read 27-34. Why did Esau sell his birthright to Jacob? (32-34) Why was it significant for his future? (27:33-34, Heb 12:16)

    Jacob and Esau

    19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram[c] and sister of Laban the Aramean.

    21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.  The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

    23 The Lord said to her,

    “Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
    one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.”

  1. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.[d] 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.[e] Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[f])

    31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”

16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

Like father like son. Both Abraham and Isaac didn’t have children.

Isaac prayed for Rebekah for 20 years.

Jacob will be greater and blessed than Esau.

Birthright is inheritance right for the oldest son. But Esau sold this birthright for the immediate need. He did not know the true value of birthright.

  1. Read 26:1-13. How did Isaac confront the similar situation like his father Abraham and how did God help him? (2-5, cf.12:10-20, 20:1-18) How did Isaac obey God and what was the result of his decision? (6, 10-13) Why is this discipline necessary for Isaac?

    Isaac and Abimelek

  1. Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[g] all nations on earth will be blessed,[h] because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

    God’s command for Isaac was ‘stay, while for Abraham was ‘leave.’

    God calls and works accordingly and personally.

    When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” 10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

    12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.

    When Isaac obeyed God, God blessed him a hundredfold in the time of famine.

    In John 15:5 Jesus asked his disciples to remain in him to bear fruits.

    God wanted to have personal relationship with Isaac through this event.

  1. Read 14-33. Why did the Philistines fill up Isaac’s wells with earth? (15-16) How did Isaac deal with this problem? (17-18,21-22) Why did he do so? (25) Why did Abimelech want to make a treaty with Isaac? (28) What can we learn from Isaac who deals with the hostile unbelievers? (22,25,32, Mt5:16, 38-42, Ro 12:17, 1 Pe 3:9)

     14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.

    16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

    19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,[i] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[j] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[k] saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

    26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[l] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[m]

    16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Through this event Isaac learned ‘Jehovah-jaireh’, which means God will provide.

Isaac believed that God will provide better well even though his enemies continued to bother him. Suppose he fought against Abimelek, all his family and possession must have been killed and destroyed.

Abimelek had fear of God. He saw God was with Isaac. Isaac was the true winner.

We learn how to deal with people who continue to persecute us. Our struggle is not against flesh or blood, but the power of darkness and evil spirits. We must win evil by doing good.


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