3228. CHAPTER 25

The subject in this chapter is the sons of Abraham by Keturah, and then also the sons of Ishmael, who are mentioned by name. After that Isaac and Rebekah are referred to - that is, the birth of Esau and Jacob to them; and finally a description is given of how Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for lentil pottage. Anyone may see that these details are such as do indeed serve to present that period in the history of the Church, but that they are of little use where spiritual life is concerned, for the sake of which the Word exists. What value is it to anyone if he knows who the sons were that were born to Abraham by Keturah, and who that were born to Ishmael; and also if he knows that Esau, when exhausted from hunting, desired the lentil pottage, and that Jacob by being crafty in that situation acquired the birthright in exchange for that pottage? Similarly with the next chapter. What value is it to anyone if he knows that Abimelech's herdsmen disputed with Isaac's over the wells which they had dug, in almost the same way as they had done previously with Abraham's herdsmen in Chapter 21? In addition some places include mere lists of names, as in Chapter 36, where the descendants of Esau are listed. And the same is true with every other chapter. As historical narratives they contain so little of the Divine that you cannot possibly refer to them as that Word which is Divinely inspired as to every word and even to every jot - that is, the Word which was sent down from the Lord by way of heaven to the one who wrote those things. For what has been sent down from the Lord is Divine in every single part. Thus, being the exploits of men, the historical descriptions are not Divine, except by virtue of the things which are contained deeply concealed within those descriptions, every single one of which has regard to the Lord and His kingdom. In embodying such things within them the historical narratives of the Word are quite different from and superior to all other historical writings in all the world.