06/04/2026
Daily Devotions
Scripture, Meditation, and Prayer for Every Day
Richard Kew
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Genesis 25:19-28
These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Thought for the Day
During the next few days we will be looking at the life of Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the grandson of Abraham and Sarah. Scripture is careful to record the family genealogy, and while this does not make good devotional reading the content is often fascinating. Abraham having moved westward to the coastland of the Mediterranean sends back to his birth family, now fully settled in Haran (northern Iraq) for a wife for his son – and his servant comes back with Rebekah. It is not difficult to imagine the monthly disappointment of both Isaac and Rebekah when there is no pregnancy so, of course, Isaac prayed. This might be better interpreted as Isaac praying up a storm while, perhaps, Rebekah wept up a storm. She was desperate for motherhood, for Isaac’s children.
Finally, at the time of God’s choosing, she became uncomfortably pregnant.
As the weeks passed, it came upon her that this was not a normal pregnancy. Maybe with the help of one of the older local women who acted as a midwife, she learned that she was expecting twins. She had been, like Isaac, praying and somehow the Lord told her:
“Two nations are in your womb
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
The human race has been conscious of sibling rivalry since Cain and Abel, here is forecast a contentiousness every bit as intense as theirs. Thus, we are introduced to Jacob and his elder brother by seconds, Esau. The twins made mother and father proud, but from the outset their friction was accentuated by parental favoritism.
Thanksgiving for the Day
We praise the Lord for loving parents.
Intercession for the Day
We pray that the Lord will give wisdom to ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren when raising the next generation.
Collect for the Day
Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed our families with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Adapted from a prayer for children in the Book of Common Prayer)
Readings for the Day
Genesis 25:19-28, Psalm 25, Galatians 2:11-21, Mark 12:28-34
