Covenant Sustained

7 These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. . . . 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-la-hai-roi.

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddam-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, "Why is it thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
" Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger."

24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." 32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33 Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Genesis 25:7-8, 11, 19-26, & 29-34

1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
Genesis 26:1-5

God always keeps His promises; in today's reading we see that the covenant is sustained through Isaac. Like Sarah, Rebekah was barren; Isaac beseeched God on her behalf and God answered his prayer. When she became pregnant with twins, the twins wrestled in her womb. When she went to inquire of the Lord, how did He answer her?

"Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger."

Who are these two nations? Even today, these two nations are at war with one another as the descendants of Jacob ( Israel) and the descendants of Esau (the Arab nations) continue to battle for the rights to the Holy Land. We know from Bible prophecy that these two nations will continue to struggle until the time when our Lord returns.

Esau was the firstborn, so the right to the property would normally belong to him. But, while Rebekah was pregnant with the twins, God proclaimed, T he older shall serve the younger .

Look at the verses from Genesis 25 shown above. Esau came in from the field exhausted and hungry to find that Jacob had prepared a wonderful red stew. When he asked for some stew, Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now."

How did Esau respond?

Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33 Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright .

Isn't it amazing how God works among men to do His will?

So what does this all mean to us today? Just as we read of the covenant sustained through Isaac and then Jacob, we know that God lives and works among His people today. As children of God, we can take hold of all of His promises found in the Bible and know that they are just as true for us today as they were for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Remember as you go about this day, that God is continuing to fulfill His purpose among men through His children. Pray that you will look above your individual circumstances and see the plan of God unfold in the world around you. Look above to Christ, and look forward to the time when, as His child, you will dwell with Him forevermore.