Genesis 26:34–35
The Bible4Jesus.com Podcast
About this episode
We live in an age that has made an idol of romantic sentiment. The world, and sadly, much of the church, believes that marriage is fundamentally a private arrangement between two individuals, governed by their feelings, their attractions, and their personal happiness. Marriage is not a private contract; it is a public, covenantal institution. The story of the patriarchs is the story of God establishing a holy line, a seed through whom the Messiah would come. This required a fierce and deliberate separation from the pagan cultures surrounding them. This was not about racial purity; it was about religious purity. The line of promise was to be a holy line, set apart for God. Esau, the firstborn of Isaac, shows his utter contempt for this entire project in two short verses. We have already seen him despise his birthright, selling it for a bowl of soup.