THE ELDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER” GENESIS 25:23

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The elder shall serve the younger is bible verses in the book of Genesis 25:23. In this chapter, the lord declares that meaning that Jacob, who was the younger brother to Esau, would receive the inheritance. This was opposed to the expectation that the elder son, Esau would inherit it. The custom and expectations of the day where that the eldest son would be in leadership and more so with regard to inheritance and family leadership. Esau who was older than Jacob didn’t serve his younger.

The sovereignty of the Lord in the selection of individuals is not mainly based on family position or pegged on any cultural position. The future nations of these two brothers, Jacob and Esau would be different. The off springs of Esau who was eldest would become tributary to the posterior nation of Jacob. This came to be a reality in the times of King David when the people of Edomites where defeated by him. Jacobs’s lineage also became superior to the lineage of his brother Esau in the times of Hyrcanus. This was when the Edomites emerged as one nation with the Jews thus embracing their religion. This was opposed to what was expected of them to dispossess their country (John 1999, 66).

God’s proclamation that the younger would rule the older was a clear manifestation that His sovereign purposes and intentions do not have to follow what has been set out traditionally. The verse also comes to realization when the Romans came to chriatianity.Thus in a sense they were serving the descendants of the young brother.

The grace of the Lord in selection of both nations and individuals is well testified in this verse. In accordance with Jesus Christ’s faith and repentance, the elder and his off springs came to serve the younger and his descendants (Ronald 1994, 3). Also the elder nation bearing its lineage from the elder brother may receive blessings through the blessings of the younger brother.

REFRENCES

John MacArthur, the MacArthur Study Bible, 1997, 50.

Ronald N.Brown, Notes and Observations “And the older shall serve the younger” A Midrash about Jesus, Harvard Theological Review.1994, 3.

John Gill, Commentary on Genesis 25:23, the New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1999, 66. Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary on Genesis 25, Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on theWhole Bible, 1706.