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And not only <\/span>this<\/span>,<\/em> but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man,<\/span> even<\/em> <\/span>by our father Isaac<\/strong><\/p>\n God is absolutely sovereign. His choices are His alone.<\/p>\n The expression \u201cby one man<\/span>\u201d is translated from ek <\/span>enos <\/span>koit\u0113n<\/span><\/em>. Ek<\/em> <\/span>means \u201cout of,\u201d and enos<\/em> <\/span>is the number \u201cone.\u201d The word koit\u0113n<\/em> <\/span>is derived from the verb keimai<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto lie down.\u201d Koit\u0113n<\/em> <\/span>refers to \u201ca bed\u201d and metaphorically refers to \u201cthe marriage bed.\u201d By extension, it refers to \u201cthe man or his seed responsible for conception of a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConceived<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek word ech\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto have or to hold,\u201d implying possession. Hence, a literal translation of the phrase \u201cRebecca also had conceived by one man\u201d would be, \u201cRebecca also took possession from one bed.\u201d However, in English this does carry the meaning intended. This is an example where a literal word-for-word translation is less appropriate than a paraphrase which carries a more accurate expression of the idea in English.<\/p>\n Paul has just told us that Isaac was the son of the promise whereas Ishmael was not. Ishmael, the first born of Abraham, should have received the blessing and should have been the inheritor of Abram\u2019s lineage, but he was not because God does not honor the fleshly lineage but the spiritual lineage which only He can determine. God chose Isaac; He did not choose Ishmael.<\/p>\n It could be argued, however, that Ishmael was not the son of Abram\u2019s wife but of her maid servant. Since he wasn\u2019t the first son by Abraham\u2019s wife, God choose to reject him. That is, his rejection was based on lineage after all. It could also be argued that perhaps God chose Isaac because Ishmael displayed jealousy and mocked Isaac when he was circumcised. We read about this in Genesis chapter twenty-one:<\/p>\n And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same<\/em> day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. (Genesis 21:8, 9<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n So we see that some could argue that God saw what kind of a person Ishmael was going to be and therefore did not choose him.<\/p>\n To counter these two potential arguments, Paul now highlights another situation among the patriarchs in which not only did God choose contrary to natural lineage, but He chose while the two were still unborn and had not demonstrated their character yet. This example will be of Jacob and Esau who were twins. Esau was the firstborn and, therefore, the rightful inheritor of the line of Isaac, but, as we will see in the next two verses, God chose Jacob.<\/p>\n God is sovereign and He answers to no one; that is, He has supreme power and authority. He doesn\u2019t have to answer to us and He doesn\u2019t have to play by our rules because He makes all the rules. He always does that which is right and which will bring praise and glory to Himself no matter what we think is right. If He chooses to bless one person over another, there\u2019s nothing we can say or do about it. God is sovereign above all!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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