Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.
Well, apparently he’s gotten over the worry that he can’t have any more children because of how old he is, and this wife provides him with quite a few more sons.
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…
Concubines? Where did they come from? Possibly referring to Keturah, and/or other women. Earlier, while he was married to Sarah, he took Hagar as his concubine. While the term is technically different from a wife, a concubine was essentially treated the same. This status could result from being a servant, or not having a dowry provided, or many other reasons. However, a child from a concubine was considered a rightful heir, and would have an inheritance as normal. These sons aren’t going to receive any of Isaac’s blessing, though, and Abraham has them all sent away. He doesn’t just repeat his past and send them into the desert as he did with Hagar and Ishmael, but at least sends them to a certain area, with gifts.
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him…
Ishmael is going to be blessed, and so while he’s not as ‘high’ in the blessing line as Isaac, he still is above the other sons that were sent away, and is important enough to take part in helping bury his father.
After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac…
And the blessing is passed. The “blessed him in every way” blessing. Yay.
This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael…and they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
Ishmael has 12 sons, which form 12 tribes, and give us a preview of what will happen later through Isaac. And while he is blessed and fathers a nation as promised, his sons don’t live in harmony, and we know that the real blessing lies in wait for Isaac’s descendants.
This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac…Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.
This line is special, and God wants it to be clear that these sons aren’t going to just happen, but are directly provided by himself.
So she went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her “…the older will serve the younger.”
As Rebekah asks why her twins seem to be fighting, God clearly gives the instruction that they will both be great nations, but that the younger will be the greater.
So Esau despised his birthright.
After some time out hunting, Esau comes back hungry, and trades something of lasting value for immediate gain. He doesn’t recognize the value of his birthright, and sells it for so cheap that it is as if he considered it altogether useless. Now, this birthright was essentially a larger portion of his father’s inheritance, and with all the wealth of the family, it should have been obvious exactly how much this was worth. Esau doesn’t take the time to think about it, though, and gives up a great fortune for a simple meal.
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