GENESIS 25:21-26
Jacob was a miracle child. Abraham and Sarah had waited 25 years for Isaac to be born, and Isaac
and Rebekah waited 20 years for the birth of Jacob. Genesis 25:21-22 says, “Isaac intreated the
Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his
wife conceived.
And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she
went to enquire of the Lord.” Rebekah did not know she was going to give birth to twins, and she
could not understand what the trouble was. God allowed this to happen to her so He could reveal
His plan for the children she would bear.
God explained to Rebekah, “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the
elder shall serve the younger” (v. 23).
Those nations would be in conflict, just as the two babies were in conflict in her womb. Because
the firstborn was hairy, he was called “Esau,” which means “hairy.” The second son was named
“Jacob,” which means “supplanter.”
When Jacob came out of the womb, he took hold of Esau’s heel. This was symbolic of his life, for
Jacob went through life taking advantage of others—tripping them up so he could get ahead.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (1 John 4:20).
Theodore Epp
www.backtothebible.in