these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac: 20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 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. 23 And the LORD said unto her, 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. 22-23. Christian, do not judge thy grace to be grown weaker, because thy sense of corruption is grown stronger. This often lies at the bottom of poor souls' complaints in this case: O, they never felt pride, hypocrisy, and other corruptions so haunt them as they do now; none knows how they are vexed with these and the like beside themselves. Now let me ask thee, who makes this sad moan? Deal faithfully between God and thy soul, and tell not a lie for God by bearing false witness against thyself. If it be thus, thou hast rather a comfortable sign of grace growing than decaying. Sin cannot be on the getting hand, if the sense of sin grow quick. This is the concomitant of a thriving soul; none are so full of complaints of their own hearts as such; the least sin goes now to their very souls, which makes them think worse of themselves than ever; but it is not the increase of sin in them, but the advance of their love to Christ that makes them judge so. When the sun shines with some power, and the year gets up, we observe, though we may have frost and snow, yet they do not lie long, but are soon dissolved by the sun. O, it is a sweet sign that the love of Christ shines with a force upon thy soul, that no corruptions can lie long in thy bosom, but they melt into sorrow and bitter complaints; that is the decaying soul, where sin lies bound up and frozen, and where little sense of it or sorrow for it appears.-Gurnall. Again, Christian, take comfort in this; thou art a wrestler, not a conqueror. Thou that askest this question of Rebekah's mistakest the state of a Christian in this life. When one is made a Christian, he is not presently called to triumph over his slain enemies, but carried into the field to meet and fight them. The state of grace is the commencing of a war against sin, not the ending of it. This struggle within thee, if upon the right ground and to the right end, doth evidence there are two natures within thee, two contrary natures; the one from earth, earthly; and the other from heaven, heavenly; yea, for thy further comfort know, though thy corrupt nature be the elder, yet it shall serve the younger.-Ibid. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27 And the boys grew and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. Esau was as full of hairs when he was born as others are at man's estate. -Bp. Patrick. born before the other's foot. But because Esau is some minutes the elder, that the younger might have better claim to that which God had promised, he buys that which he could not win. If either by strife, or purchase, or suit, we can attain spiritual blessings, we are happy. If Jacob had come forth first, he had not known how much he was indebted to God for the favour of his advancement.-Bp. Hall. Esau and Jacob were the champions of two nations; the field was their mother's womb; their quarrel, precedency and superiority. Esau got the right of nature, Jacob of grace; yet that there might be some pretence to equality, lest Esau should outrun his brother into the world, Jacob holds him fast by the heel; so his hand was 28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 81 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 82 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 84 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. The spirit of Esau's language was, 'I cannot live upon promises; give me something to eat and drink, for to-morrow I die.' Such is the spirit of unbelief in every age; and thus it is that poor deluded souls continue to despise things distant and heavenly, and prefer to them the momentary gratifications of flesh and sense.-A. Fuller. Esau, for this wretched barter, is called profane (Heb. xii. 16). And 3 surely, as M. Henry says, 'his was the dearest morsel that was ever eaten since the taking of the forbidden fruit;' and he lived to think it so when it was too late.-L. In the whole of this transaction, however, Jacob was highly to blame, and did not act that plain and honourable part he ought to have done. He took an unfair advantage of his brother, and hurried on an unfair bargain.-Orton. CHAP. XXVI. ND there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that A was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. 4 Repeated famines in the land of promise' taught the patriarchs, and uneasiness in the most eligible situa 6 tions should teach us, to look to the heavenly inheritance alone for unalloyed felicity.-Scott. " And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: 'And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. 8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which had overcome his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of them that have gone be fore us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys over them, for the security of future mariners.— A. Fuller. 10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. 11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. Such an enormous crime did the Philistines think adultery to be, that Abimelech expected God would have punished all his country for it. these sentiments were entertained by If such a race of people, how forcibly do they apply to those evangelized states of Europe, and refined countries, where the pure Gospel is daily taught!-Old Bible. 12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him: 18 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. 15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. In those countries a well of water was a great acquisition, and hence this mode of injuring new settlers, or re 16 And Abimelech said unto much mightier than we. Adam Clarke observes that this is the first instance on record of what was termed among the Greeks ostracism; i.e., the banishment of a person from the State, of whose power, influence, or riches, the people were venging themselves on their enemies, is still resorted to among the inhabitants. Comp. Bible. Isaac, Go from us; for thou art jealous; and that the remarkable saying of Bacon on this subject seems an allusion to this circumstance: Public envy is an ostracism that eclipseth men when they grow too great.'-Comp. Bible. 17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. Many of our enjoyments, both civil and religious, are the sweeter for being the fruits of the labour of our fathers; and if they have been corrupted by adversaries since their days, we must restore them to their former purity. -A. Fuller. 19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is our's: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. 21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. Many will try to deprive us of the wells of salvation; but we must contend earnestly, yet meekly, for them, and endeavour to preserve for our children the religious privileges which we have received from our fathers.-Scott. 22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth: and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. The piety of the language here used in the ordinary concerns of life is worth noticing and imitating.—Scott. 24 And the LORD 28 And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well. As Isaac constantly chose to reside near a well, so we should give up many other advantages in order to be near the ordinances of God.-Scott. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? 28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to 80 another and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 82 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. 33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day. 34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: 35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah. We must have some trial to counterbalance each of our comforts; yet children are highly culpable who, by their sins, grieve the hearts of their pious and affectionate parents; nor A has anything been more generally the bane of domestic happiness, as well as of piety, than unhallowed marriages, and the practice of polygamy. -Scott. CHAP. XXVII. ND it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; * And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. There is but little reason to wish for a very advanced age. Isaac's life was now a burden to him, though, no doubt, he enjoyed the pleasures of meditation and devotion. He lived above 40 years after he was almost blind. It often happens in advanced age for those that look out of the windows to be darkened.' Let young persons, therefore, be admonished to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when they shall say, we have no pleasure in them.'-Orton. The blessing,' says Adam Clarke, 'which Isaac was to confer on his son, was a species of Divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose that something of this kind was necessary on this occasion, and that Isaac could not convey the right till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing.'-Comp. Bible. 6 * And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 'Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I 9 |