18.06.2009 :: Bernard Mizeki, Martyr :: Genesis 25

Anglican Cycle of Prayer:
Psalm: 12 Jdg 7:1-22
Osaka - (Japan) The Rt Rev'd Samuel Osamu Ohnishi

Reading:
Genesis 25

Thoughts:
So Abraham has a bunch more kids, sends them all off to live elsewhere, and dies. They bury him with Sarah.

Meanwhile, all these children have kids of their own. Ishmael has twelve sons. Isaac is 40 when he marries Rebekah, and, like his father before him, he must wait on God to have children.

Rebekah bears twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau is the apple of his father's eye because he's a great hunter, while Rebekah favours Jacob. Great way to foster brotherhood, people. Of course, then Jacob goes and convinces Esau to sell his birthright (as the firstborn son, he was Isaac's heir). For a bowl of stew. Good job, Esau.

Family relationships can be incredibly difficult to navigate sometimes, that's for sure - but this is amazing! I can't begin to imagine doing something like that to a family member. Jacob was a pretty devious fellow; this is just one example of many.

At the same time, he always came back to God. Jacob had his faults, but he was strong in his faith, and God blessed him for that.