Genesis 26:34 Commentary and Bible Study

The twins were now forty years old and Isaac was one hundred. He had been married for sixty years since he was forty when he took Rebekah (25:20). Abraham was one hundred when Isaac was born (17:17) and one hundred and seventy five when he died (25:7). Esau and Jacob were therefore fifteen when their grandfather died. Esau married at the same age as his father, but how different was his choice of wife. Even though he knew himself to be from the family chosen by God and called to sanctify themselves from the surrounding peoples, he made this choice. He knew that his grandfather, Abraham had been called to come to a strange land and to dwell in it and that he would be given it according to the promise of God. He knew that he was not to mix with the people of that land but to keep himself separate from them. He had also seen how careful Abraham had been to choose a wife for his father, and that his great concern had been that Isaac should not take a wife from any of the Canaanites (Genesis 24:3). His father had cooperated with the guidance of the Lord and had received a wife who had been remarkably provided by the Lord from his grandfather’s native people. But now Esau disregards all of this and shows himself to care nothing about separation from the local people. He therefore takes a wife from among the Hittites, one of the nations that Israel was to displace and with whom Moses was later told they should have nothing to do (Deuteronomy 7:1). He showed himself to be ruled by ungodly principles and to set no value on the calling of God. This was consistent with every other choice that we see him make in life. Not only did he take one wife, but two. He was not afraid to copy the example of Abraham, even though he realised what antagonism that had led to, and that it was contrary to the original will of God for mankind. The ungodly imitate all the worse aspects of believers and to copy none of their good practices. This is the sure way to perish. The sins that believers inadvertently fall into, they are delivered from by the grace of God, but those who copy them in expectation of the same leniency are in a very much more dangerous situation.In the providence of God these two wives were a great cause of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. This was in spite of the fact that Isaac showed favouritism towards Esau. This grief had the happy effect of later prompting Isaac to charge Jacob not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan but like himself to go back to Abraham’s father living in Padanaram (Genesis 28:1-2).