At the end of chapter 22, Abraham gets an update on his family back home. His brother Nahor has twelve sons, eight by his wife and four by his concubine. One of the eight, Bethuel, will later have a daughter named Rebekah (she marries Isaac).
Chapter 23 covers the passing of Sarah at age 127, and Abraham’s intense negotiations to buy some land to bury her on.
The negotiations were intense because Abraham wanted to make a fair purchase, and the people of the town wanted to give him the land outright to honor and bless him. Finally, he declared what piece of land he wanted, and the owner set a value, trying still to give it, and Abraham counted out the money in a public transaction. The deed was granted, and “the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan” (Gen 23:19, NIV) became Abraham’s family cemetery.
Chapter 24 is the story of Isaac’s arranged marriage. Abraham charged his chief servant with the task of going back to his homeland to find a wife from his own family, yet to never take Isaac back to that place they had left. He wanted the culture & training of his heritage, but did not want Isaac tempted to turn back from God’s promise after they had come so far. The servant, a wise man, appealed to God to find the right woman, and asked that she present herself with a few signs. The lady who would offer to water the camels would be the one his master’s God had prepared for the beloved son. As he was still praying, Rebekah came to the spring to draw water, the servant approached her to ask for a drink, and she offered to water the camels. He watched her complete the task, then asked about her family, rejoicing to learn that she was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother. The servant relayed Abraham’s charge to the family, gave them the gifts he had brought, and they discussed a departure date. Rebekah was willing to return with the servant immediately, and so they left. Nearing their destination, they saw Isaac meditating in a field. Rebekah set her veil in place while the servant told Isaac of his quest, and the two were married.
Chapter 25 closes the book on Abraham’s generation. After Sarah died, Abraham remarried, and this wife bore him six sons. While still living, Abraham made distributions to these sons and sent them eastward, away from Isaac. All that Abraham owned was left to Isaac when he died at age 175 and was buried with Sarah. Ishmael, son of Hagar, joined Isaac in burying Abraham. He had twelve sons who ruled twelve tribes near Egypt, “and they lived in hostility toward all their brothers” (Gen 25:18, NIV). As for Isaac, he was 40 when he & Rebekah married, and it was another 20 years before she bore him two sons, twins. It was a difficult pregnancy, so she went to the Lord about it, and He told her these sons were two nations, and the older would serve the younger. Esau was born first, with Jacob literally right on his heels. (Jacob’s name means “heel grasper” or “deceiver”.)
Esau became a hunter and his father’s favorite, while Jacob stayed close to home and was Rebekah’s favorite. One day, Esau entered the house hungry while Jacob was cooking stew. More interested in the temporary wants of his belly than the heritage of his birthright, he agreed to surrender that birthright to Jacob, his younger brother, for a bowl of lentil soup. Not that Jacob was a peach, since he set such a high price on a simple meal for his elder brother. Esau was also called Edom (meaning “red”), and was the first ancestor of the people called Edomites, future foes of Israel (aka, the offspring of Jacob).