Chapter 25.—Abraham's third marriage to Keturah; his descendants from that marriage; his death; Ishmael's descendants; the generations of Isaac, including the birth of Jacob and Esau.
Chapter 26.—A famine, which carries Isaac into the land of the Philistines; his abundant blessing in that land; his differences with the Philistines; his willingness to yield more than justice, and God's blessing in consequence; the chapter closes with an account of Esau's marriages.
Chapter 27.—Jacob obtains his father's blessing by fraud; Esau the first-born given a second place; Jacob forced to flee from home because of his brother's hatred.
Chapters 28 to 31 inclusive give us the account of Jacob's visit to Laban, his mother's brother; his marriage to Leah and Rachel, in which he is deceived as he had deceived his father; the sojourn with Laban; and his leaving the land of Syria for Palestine. The reader will note God's care over His servant notwithstanding all his selfishness and unfaithfulness.
Chapters 32, 33 record the journey of Jacob back to Palestine, the crisis of his life by which Jacob becomes Israel, the change of Esau's purpose by God's interposition, and the dedication of Jacob and his household to God.
Chapter 34 gives us an incident of his life in Palestine, and shows how much higher the standard of purity was among the sons of Jacob than among the inhabitants of the land.
Among the chief incidents of chapter 35 are the dedication of Israel and his children to God, God's promises renewed to Jacob, the death of Rachel, and the death and burial of Israel by his sons Esau and Jacob.
Chapter 36 records the descendants of Esau.
Chapters 37-44 are the first part of the remarkably interesting story of Joseph and his brethren, always read with interest and always with profit. It reveals to us a loving and unwise father who doubtless lavished too little affection upon his other sons in comparison with Joseph, but who made Joseph, the son of his favorite wife, the petted child of his old age. Very clearly though incidentally the evils of plurality of wives are developed in the jealousies which existed not only between the wives of Jacob, but between the families. As the result of this unwisdom and marital mistakes, hatred is developed on the part of Joseph's brethren against him. They first attempt to slay him, but finally sell him as a slave into Egypt. Notwithstanding that his father had nearly spoiled him in petting him, he must have instilled within him principles of integrity and purity. These develop very shortly after his reaching Egypt, on account of which he passes two years in prison; and in some way he needed the discipline, though innocent of any crime. From that God calls him to the throne of Egypt; and before him his brethren, unconscious to themselves, come and humbly bow, fulfilling the dreams which had aroused their envy against their brother.
THESE lessons we should gather from this week's reading: (1) God's care for His promised Seed and the channel through which it was to come. (2) That God prizes character above conventionalities. According to custom Esau was the heir, as was also Ishmael; but imperfect as Jacob was, he was superior in rectitude of character to Esau. The Lord chooses him as a channel for the promised Seed. (3) The severe discipline through which God brings His servants to develop within them the character which is necessary to reveal Him to the world. This was manifest in the cases of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. (4) We also see in this record that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Jacob met the harvest of his deception in the deceptions which were allowed to be practised upon him. Isaac was willing to leave the Lord to settle with the Philistines, and the Lord blessed him abundantly, and brought the Philistines to his feet. Joseph had doubtless had more or less pride developed in him through his father's unwise course, and the Lord gave him two years in the Egyptian prison to humble his heart. There are other lessons which we will gather if we will meditate upon the Word.
