'The older will serve the Younger'
Genesis 25:23
23 And the Lord said to her:
Like everything recorded in the OT, this phrase is included as a sign for what was to come in the NT (probably around 2,500 years after the life of Jacob). As we know, the NT depicts the life of Jesus our Lord. It is a book of grace. Whilst the OT signifies a physical covenant between God and his people, blessing them with the law - a measuring stick for Gods standard of perfection - the NT signifies a spiritual covenant between God and the world through His son Jesus Christ.
The law came first and is therefore the eldest. Grace came second and is therefore the youngest. The term 'the older will serve the younger' is referring to the two Biblical covenants. It is saying that the older covenant (being the law) will be subservient to the younger covenant (grace). For those who are natural, the law is stronger than grace. If we read on in Genesis 25 we can see that Esau was a strong hunter of the world. However, Jacob was more 'mild mannered' and used his brain more than his muscle. For those of you who are boxing fans, you will know that a a good boxer will always beat a good fighter. The fighter may be mean and powerful but the boxer can pick him off and beat him easily, evading his punches. On this earth, the law has power and the devil loves to use that power against us making us feel guilt and shame, but spiritually, grace is much stronger than the law and grace defeats the law every time. The law is the fighter whilst grace is the boxer. The law brings death because nobody can keep its written requirements. Grace brings life because those requirements that nobody can keep are written on our hearts. We cannot keep them through our own physical efforts, but we can by putting our trust in somebody much greater than ourselves, who has already fulfilled the law, that being Christ Jesus. Collosians 2:15 "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
For those who have trusted in Jesus, the handwritten requirements have been wiped out. God will no longer see the shortfalls. He will only see His perfect Son whom you have put your trust in.
Collosians 2:13 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
The younger covenant began with Jesus Christ. Revelation 22:13 states that He is ... 'The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last'. He was there at the beginning and he was there at the end. He is known as the last Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
Infact if we read on, 1 Corinthians 15 confirms the strength of spiritual grace over the natural law:
1 Corinthians 15:45- 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.
Common Sense tells us that it is fruitless putting our faith in something of this world, when we know that this world falls short of the standards God requires. We are much better putting our faith into a heavenly thing that we know has been able to keep the requirements of God!
Everybody will bow down to Him.
The older will not serve the younger....the older IS serving the younger.
We are all serving Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Note: this term is also referring to the mercy of God being extended from the Jews to the Gentiles. The Jews are the original people, who received God's mercy through the law. Now, God's mercy has been extended to all through the younger covenant of grace. Read Romans 9 for more info.).
-BACChristian
23 And the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
This is what the Lord said to Rebekah, the wife of Isaac and the Mother of Esau and Jacob (Israel). Right in that very same chapter, we can see how Jacob begins to use his intellect to get one over on his older brother, scheming so that Esau sells his birthright over to Jacob. However, what did God mean by the term 'the older will serve the younger'? Was it a simple prophecy that would be fulfilled physically by Jacob and Esau and their descendants today, or did it mean something more?
God doesn't do things the way a man would. He doesn't follow mans logic or rules. For example, if you told man to create light, you can be pretty sure he'd go about trying to create something that projects light - some sort of source for the light to shine from, like the flow of current through a lightbulb. By man's logic that is right, however when we read the story of creation we can see that in Genesis 1:3, God created light. However, He did not create the source of light, the sun, until Genesis 1:16! Often man tries to interpret God through the mind of a man, but this is impossible. God does not think they way we do.
It is no surprise then when we see the term, 'the older will serve the younger' in Genesis 25. This backwards hierachy is completely contrary to the ways of our world. Laws and culture teaches us that it is the younger who should serve the older. In the royal family, it is the eldest who is the heir to the throne. Even in the Bible, the importance of the elder is stressed, even commanded. We should respect our elders and honour our parents. King Herod saw the threat of the firstborns, killing up to 2,000 babies under the age of 2. Even the angel of death came to take away the Egyptians firstborns. So why on this occasion would God intend the older to serve the younger?
It is no surprise then when we see the term, 'the older will serve the younger' in Genesis 25. This backwards hierachy is completely contrary to the ways of our world. Laws and culture teaches us that it is the younger who should serve the older. In the royal family, it is the eldest who is the heir to the throne. Even in the Bible, the importance of the elder is stressed, even commanded. We should respect our elders and honour our parents. King Herod saw the threat of the firstborns, killing up to 2,000 babies under the age of 2. Even the angel of death came to take away the Egyptians firstborns. So why on this occasion would God intend the older to serve the younger?
Like everything recorded in the OT, this phrase is included as a sign for what was to come in the NT (probably around 2,500 years after the life of Jacob). As we know, the NT depicts the life of Jesus our Lord. It is a book of grace. Whilst the OT signifies a physical covenant between God and his people, blessing them with the law - a measuring stick for Gods standard of perfection - the NT signifies a spiritual covenant between God and the world through His son Jesus Christ.
The law came first and is therefore the eldest. Grace came second and is therefore the youngest. The term 'the older will serve the younger' is referring to the two Biblical covenants. It is saying that the older covenant (being the law) will be subservient to the younger covenant (grace). For those who are natural, the law is stronger than grace. If we read on in Genesis 25 we can see that Esau was a strong hunter of the world. However, Jacob was more 'mild mannered' and used his brain more than his muscle. For those of you who are boxing fans, you will know that a a good boxer will always beat a good fighter. The fighter may be mean and powerful but the boxer can pick him off and beat him easily, evading his punches. On this earth, the law has power and the devil loves to use that power against us making us feel guilt and shame, but spiritually, grace is much stronger than the law and grace defeats the law every time. The law is the fighter whilst grace is the boxer. The law brings death because nobody can keep its written requirements. Grace brings life because those requirements that nobody can keep are written on our hearts. We cannot keep them through our own physical efforts, but we can by putting our trust in somebody much greater than ourselves, who has already fulfilled the law, that being Christ Jesus. Collosians 2:15 "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
For those who have trusted in Jesus, the handwritten requirements have been wiped out. God will no longer see the shortfalls. He will only see His perfect Son whom you have put your trust in.
Collosians 2:13 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
The younger covenant began with Jesus Christ. Revelation 22:13 states that He is ... 'The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last'. He was there at the beginning and he was there at the end. He is known as the last Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
Infact if we read on, 1 Corinthians 15 confirms the strength of spiritual grace over the natural law:
1 Corinthians 15:45- 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.
Common Sense tells us that it is fruitless putting our faith in something of this world, when we know that this world falls short of the standards God requires. We are much better putting our faith into a heavenly thing that we know has been able to keep the requirements of God!
Everybody will bow down to Him.
The older will not serve the younger....the older IS serving the younger.
We are all serving Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Note: this term is also referring to the mercy of God being extended from the Jews to the Gentiles. The Jews are the original people, who received God's mercy through the law. Now, God's mercy has been extended to all through the younger covenant of grace. Read Romans 9 for more info.).
-BACChristian
What do you mean, "He was the first Adam?"
ReplyDeleteAhh, apologies. Typo. - The Lord is the 'Last Adam'. Through the First Adam (Adam and Eve Adam) sin was brought into the world. As descendants from this Adam, we all have sin innate within us. The Lord Jesus came as the Last Adam, through Him who has no sin, we can be brought back to the God we were once estranged from.
DeleteThanks for pointing that out.
This post is awesome, it has enlighten me the more. Thanks
DeleteThanks Duke!
DeleteI have also been studying the concept of why Christ is the Last Adam, as mentioned herein, which will be up soon.
Kind Regards
When God said the older would serve the younger, he also mentioned there were two peoples/nations that would come from Rebekah's children (one nation each). The two nations were the Edomites and the Israelites. When god said the older would serve the younger, he meant the Edomites would be subjected to the Israelites. This literally happened in Israelite history.
ReplyDelete2 Samuel 8:13-14
13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
Obadiah 18
The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.