[Shem lived until Isaac was 110 and Jacob was 50; Shelah lived until Isaac was 78 and Jacob was 18; Eber lived until Isaac was 139 and Jacob was 79.]
Ever since Abraham was called at the age of 75 (Isa 51:2), God blessed him in every way so that he was greatly multiplied (Gen 24:1, 35). Furthermore, God blessed him with good health and he took Keturah as his wife and had six more children even after he was 140 years old (Gen 25:1–2). After this, Abraham lived until the ripe old age of 175 and was gathered to his people in accordance with the prophecy in Genesis 15:15 (Gen 25:7–8).
Abraham died 38 years after his wife Sarah. Although Abraham had driven him out, Ishmael came to see his father after learning about his death and was with Isaac to bury him in the cave of Machpelah (Gen 25:9).
If there is one special characteristic about Abraham’s 175 years of life, it is that he lived the life of a sojourner (Gen 23:4). He dwelt in tent homes and never built a permanent home to live in, for he “desired a better country, that is a heavenly one,” a city that God had prepared for him (Heb 11:9–16).
The Bible records the account of Isaac, the second person to inherit the covenant after the death of Abraham. It was at this time, while he was living in Beer-lahai-roi, that a second great famine struck the land. Isaac sought to go down to Egypt, but because God confirmed the covenant that He made with Abraham regarding the land and the descendants, Isaac decided to stay in Canaan (Gen 26:1–5). Because Isaac obeyed God and stayed in the land, he sowed in the land and in the same year reaped a hundredfold, even during the famine when there was no rain (Gen 26:12). The Lord blessed him so that he “became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy . . . so that the Philistines envied him” (Gen 26:13–14).
From then on, Isaac expanded his territory, which was to become a home for the descendants of the promise in the future. He also began to dig wells and became prosperous (Gen 26:17–22). Then he went back to Beersheba, where he received God’s promise regarding the multiplication of his descendants. He built an altar and continued to dwell there (Gen 26:23–25).
3. The Marriage of Esau (Age 40) (Gen 26:34), 1966 BC, 116th Year of the Covenant of the Torch
Isaac’s age, 100; Jacob’s age, 40
Esau lived with his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac, so he probably knew very well that he was not to marry a Canaanite woman. However, he followed the lusts of his flesh and chose for himself women pleasing to him from among the daughters of Heth. He married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Gen 26:34), causing grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Gen 26:35).
After Jacob fled to Laban’s house, Esau learned that his marriage to these Canaanite women had displeased his father, and so he married Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael (Gen 28:6–9). His action, however, was led not by the will of God, but by his human desire to appease his father.
Esau did not follow the faith of his parents, and he engaged in polygamy according to human desires and wit, drawing himself even further from God’s will. Today, those who indulge in the world and commit spiritual adultery will move farther and farther away from God’s will and bring grief to God (Ps 95:10; Isa 63:10; Eph 4:30; Jas 4:4).
4. Jacob Receives the Blessing of the Firstborn, 1930 BC, 152nd Year of the Covenant of the Torch
Isaac’s age, 136; Jacob’s age, 76
Esau, Jacob’s older brother, despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew (Gen 25:28–34). Esau loved worldly things more than spiritual things. The Hebrew word for despised in Genesis 25:34 is
Unlike Esau, Jacob yearned greatly for the birthright of the firstborn. From deep within his heart, he wanted to inherit the blessing of his grandfather, Abraham, and become the spiritual firstborn. This is why the first thing Jacob requested of his brother when he asked for the stew was the birthright (Gen 25:31).
Genesis 25:27 sheds some light on the characters of Esau and Jacob: “When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.” Jacob enjoyed dwelling in tents because it was there that he heard the Word of God from Abraham, Isaac, and Rebekah. In Hebrew, the word peaceful in verse 27 is
Hebrews 12:16 describes Esau, who had his birthright taken away by Jacob, as “godless”
Eventually, God led Isaac to bless Jacob, not Esau, as the firstborn in faith (Gen 27:27–29, 39–40; Heb 11:20) (see Reference 2: “A Single Blessing of the Firstborn”).
5. Jacob Flees from His Brother Esau (Gen 27:41–28:5), 1930 BC (Estimated), 152nd Year of the Covenant of the Torch
Isaac’s age, 136; Jacob’s age, 76
(1) The flight of Jacob
Esau, angry that Jacob had taken his birthright, sought to kill him (Gen 27:41). Knowing what was in Esau’s heart, Rebekah helped Jacob to flee from Esau. She remembered what God had revealed to her while her sons were still in her womb: “And the older shall serve the younger” (Gen 25:23).
She had conviction in this revelation and was determined to make sure that Jacob, not Esau, received the blessings even if a curse might fall upon her (Gen 27:13). Rebekah was a mother who did not forget what God had once revealed to her, and she took action until the Word was fulfilled. Isaac’s age at this time is uncertain, but since Jacob fled when he was about 76 years old, it can be presumed that Isaac was about 136 years old.
As Jacob was leaving, Isaac blessed him, saying, “And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you; that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham” (Gen 28:3–4). Since Esau’s marriage to Gentile women had grieved them so much (Gen 26:34–35; 27:46), Isaac and Rebekah charged Jacob to choose a wife among the daughters of Laban and sent him to Paddan-aram (Gen 28:1–5).
(2) The vision of the ladder in Luz (Gen 28:10–19)
As he was fleeing to Haran, Jacob came to a place called Luz. There, he took one of the stones, put it under his head, and fell asleep. In a vision, he saw a ladder set between heaven and earth, and he felt the glorious presence of God.
Through this vision, God established a covenant of hope with Jacob, saying, “And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Gen 28:15). In Genesis 28:13–15, God revealed Himself as the “God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac” and promised to lead him back to the land of Canaan. After experiencing the presence of God, he called this place Bethel, meaning “house of God,” to commemorate the event (Gen 28:19).
Jacob’s vision of the ladder represents Jesus Christ, who would come as the spiritual ladder connecting heaven and earth. The great reformers John Calvin and Martin Luther also interpret the vision of the ladder as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and sinners. In John 1:51, Jesus Himself said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus Christ is the spiritual ladder, the sole mediator between God and sinners,