Genesis 25: Where is the birthright?

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as we discover new insights and new perspectives from a very old book.

In Genesis 16, both the YLT and NRSV say that Abraham took Hagar "as a wife." In 25:1 Abraham took Keturah as a "wife." But 25:6 implies they were "concubines." Maybe they were in some sense "wives" of Abraham, but Abraham was married to Sarah, who came from the same family, culture, and religion.

That culture and religion was what Isaac inherited, whereas Abraham said to his other sons, "Here's your gift. Good luck!"

This favoritism is unseemly for a supposedly righteous person. As either history or as fiction, Abraham rarely comes across as a particularly good man. 

But if Abraham's life story is an allegory of one's consciousness, it's about letting go and learning from mistakes to come back to what has been promised to you. So Abraham leaves his father and homeland. He separates from his beloved nephew and partner Lot. He cuts off his beloved son Ishmael, and sends off his other sons. As Abraham grew in faithfulness, he was even willing to sacrifice Isaac.

In pursuit of your true desire or purpose, you may have to leave some people and send off others who, innocently or not, stand in your way. Even if you love them. Even if you were the one who brought them into your life to begin with. Sometimes, relationships have to be severed for both people to inherit what's been truly promised to them.

The last part of the chapter is about Esau and Jacob. Esau is hairy and prefers the outdoors, Jacob is hairless and stays inside. This sounds like a replay of what we've seen before; Esau born to the human animal, Jacob born of spirit. A seeming duality which is actually unity within each of us.   

By the way, I had to look up "birthright" to understand what it means in the context of the chapter. The first-born's birthright was a double portion of the father's inheritance, but with that came responsibilities such as taking care of his widowed mother, unmarried adult sisters, and siblings who were still children.

Whether or not Esau literally sold the birthright for one meal is beside the point. The human animal is ill-equipped for the responsibilities. The task of taking care of oneself and others must come from the spirit. 

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)