We are now at the first checkpoint of Genesis 25:26. The verse is set in the context of the sons
of Isaac.
The New
International Version of Genesis 25:26 says that Esau came
out red and his whole body was like a hairy garment. Hence, they named him Esau. The mental picture I have right now is one of
a red baby monkey. No offence intended;
just sharing an honest impression. Could this be the basis of the Theory of
Evolution? The colour red lies behind
the root word for Adam, the very first homosapien. The one point of that theory which I concur
is that of common descent. Another interesting thing to note is that the word “homosapien”
means “wise men” in Latin. It calls to remembrance Genesis 3:6, Romans 1:22, and Psalm 14:1. Do take some time to read those scriptures to unlock the truth
that will set you free (John 8:31-32).
In Genesis 2:7 of the Easy-to-Read Version Bible, we see that
“Adam” can also mean red clay or red earth.
Hence, Esau was a picture of sin having entered the world because Adam
sinned as recorded in Romans 5:12. (Adam was red and therefore Esau was also red. Adam sinned and therefore Esau was born a
sinner).
We have earlier established from Genesis 32:24-31 that Jacob
was a picture of a sinner. Therefore, in this verse, we see a picture of
mankind being born sinners because Adam sinned.
As such, the thrust of Genesis 25:26 is:
“Mankind is born sinners because Adam sinned”.
This inevitably brings to mind the account of the man
born blind in John 9:1-3. In that episode, the
disciples asked Jesus whose sin caused the birth defect; was it the blind man
or the parents’. Jesus answered that it
was neither of them. At this point,
pause and ponder. The man was born
blind. To think that the birth defect
was some sins he committed is ludicrous.
How could a fetus commit sin? Romans 5:12 explains that we were
born sinners because Adam sinned. The
birth defect is an example of the damage sin has caused to mankind. Romans 7:13 says that sin is really
very terrible. You can read all about
the origin of sin in volume 1 of this series.
In John 9:3, Jesus continued to
disclose that “the man was born blind so that he could be used to show what
great things God can do”. Romans 5:20 says that “where sin
abounds, grace super abounds”. I read
this to mean that whatever harmful effects sin may have caused us, the moment
we turn to the Lord Jesus, He shall eradicate them all. Mankind is living under the curse.
Only Jesus can removed the “s” resulting in the cure.
There are four things that can be observed from the
context passage of Genesis 25:19-24.
The Two Nations or Powers
First, it is the two nations or powers; the Kingdom of
God and the kingdom of the world. John 12:31 tells us that Satan is
the ruler of this world. How did Satan
become the ruler of this world? Luke 4:6 says that it was handed
over to him. Who handed the world to
Satan? It was Adam. In Genesis 1:26, we see that God had given Adam complete authority over the
entire earth. At which point did Adam hand over the authority to Satan? It was
when Adam did what Satan said to do, that is, eat from the forbidden tree. How is that so? Where is the connection? How
could a simple act of eating result in abdication of dominion over the world?
In Luke 4:7, Satan tried to tempt
Jesus to worship him in exchange for the dominion of the world. The word “worship” means obeisance which in
turn means “to do as told”. Hence, when
Adam obeyed Satan, he effectively put Satan above him; being subservient to
him. This was exactly what Satan tried
to do to Jesus in the second attempt of the wilderness temptation. When Jesus
conquered Satan on the Cross as stated in Colossians 2:15, He has put in
place the Kingdom of God in this world.
Separation of the Two Nations or
Powers
The next thing to note about the context passage is that
“the separation of two nations or powers has begun”. Isaac was the child of promise as recorded in
Galatians 4:28 of the New English Translation Bible. Isaac was a type of the Promised Messiah,
Jesus of Nazareth, the first of the resurrected as written in 1 Corinthians 15:20. Isaac was also a type of believers today as Galatians 4:28 and Romans 9:8 tell us. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus said that “He did not come to bring peace to the
earth but a sword!” And we
know from Ephesians 6:17 that the sword refers
to the Word of God which is the truth that sets apart as recorded in John 17:17. Jesus came to bring the Word of salvation
through Him. The separation comes in the
form of the believing and the unbelieving.
We see from the first checkpoint of Matthew 3:12 in the first trailhead
of Isaiah 42:1 of the first volume of this series that Jesus came
to separate the believers (wheat) from unbelievers (chaff). And the wheat He will gather into His barn
which speaks of God’s Kingdom. Going by
that line of reasoning, Esau would point to unbelievers while Jacob, believers. The footnote to John 17:17-18 states that believers
have been set apart to carry on the mission of Jesus after His departure, each
doing the work Jesus has called to do. The apostle Paul reminded believers of
this mission in 2 Corinthians 5:20.
The Children Struggled
The third point is the phrase “the children
struggled”. In Ephesians 1:5 of the Easy to Read Version Bible, we learned
that “before the world was made, God decided to make us His Own children
through Jesus Christ. The gift of free
choice has been given to mankind; a choice between returning to God the Father
in Christ Jesus or remain enslaved by Satan.
The apostle Paul said tearfully in Philippians 3:18 that many “live as
enemies of the cross of Christ by rejecting and opposing His way of
salvation”. In other words, many would choose
to not be reunited with God the Father.
The Older Shall Serve the Younger
The fourth and final point is “the older shall serve
the younger”. In 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 of the Easy-to-Read Version Bible, it is
stated that “The first man, Adam, became a
living person. But the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. The
spiritual man did not come first. It was
the physical man that came first; then came the spiritual. The first man
came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven.” It brings to mind the gift of
righteousness as recorded in Romans 5:17 of the Amplified Bible. Death reigned through the sin of Adam. But
those who has received the abundance of grace and the free gift of
righteousness reign in eternal life through the One, Jesus Christ.
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