V.1-10 Abraham took a wife again, whose name was Keturah, and she bore him Simeon and Jaksau, Medan and Midian, Jezbak and Shuah. And Jaksan begat Seba and Dedan. And the children of Dedan were: Assurim, Letusim and Leumim. The children of Midian were: Ephah,
Cpher, Hanoch, Abida and Cldaa. All these are children of Keturah. Abraham gave all his goods to Isaac, but to the children he had from the concubines he gave gifts, and let them go from his son Isaac, because he was still alive, toward the east.
Now this is Abraham's old age, that he lived an hundred and five and seventy years, and was sick, and died in a quiet old age, being old and full of life, and was gathered unto his people. And his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the twofold cave of the field of Ephron the son of Zoar the Hittite, which is toward Mamre, in the field which Abraham bought of the children of Heth. There Abraham is buried with Sarah his wife.
001 In this text we have what the Scripture calls eoneubinas, that is, concubines; not concubines or pimps, but wives in wedlock. [They are called concubines because they were not righteous women, for Sarah was the right matron. Hagar was also Abraham's wife, for the text says that she gave Sarah to her husband, but she was not the wife of the house. Such are now called eoneubinao, concubines, not the chief women, but those who go to the right wife's hand, like other maidservants, and yet are wives.
2 Thus the text says here, how Abraham took Keturah in marriage, and begat children with her, and yet counted her among the concubines, because it says: Abraham gave all his goods to Isaac; but to the children he had by concubines he gave gifts. Thus Sarah was the chief wife, the others did not have so much power. Therefore, since the Scripture says of King Solomon [1 Kings 11:3] that he had seven hundred queens and three hundred concubines, it is also said that the queens are the right wives, and the others are their subjects. This is the scriptural custom and way.
(3) But I will not dispute much here what Abraham longed for, that he should take a young maid, and beget so many children, when he could hardly have had a son before. What the cause was, I do not know, the text does not say it either. It is not to be believed that he did it out of sheer presumption; but because he had the promise that his seed should be spread out as far as the world, he thought, "Although Isaac is the right seed, from which the spiritual seed should come," he nevertheless gave the other seed to the father.
also want to spread out, so that God's word would be fulfilled. Let no one think that the holy old father was so carnal that he had a desire for pleasure; he has been tempted so much and so highly that he has lost the thrill and become full of life.
4 The histories of the dear fathers are so foolish to look at that flesh and blood must laugh at them and consider them foolishness. But it is only because of this that hopeful, intelligent spirits are offended by them and become fools; just as St. Augustine, before he became a Christian, considered these histories so foolish and mocking. Such spirits, falling into it as they are, also judge the words of God according to the flesh. Meanwhile God is there, making Abraham walk in the spirit and do such works that if another did them, they would be useless; because he does them, it is all good. So a fool enters into it, cannot judge himself in it, nor see into Abraham's heart.
5 Therefore he that will read the scriptures must go with fear, and always read the fathers' legends, that he may never judge by works. If he does not, he will be grievously lacking, and will count the highest works for sin, and again. As above [Cap. 4, 5/ of Cain's sacrifice of the best fruits; that was a beautiful work; nevertheless God will not look at it, but takes care of the other. Therefore, reason must close its eyes to this and consider itself a fool.
(6) Therefore, whether or not such examples are found of the fathers, care must be taken that their deeds are not regarded as carnal, killing, murdering, raging, and avenging, (1) though they sometimes fall, that no one condemn them so soon, but look first at the spirit, as they have been minded. Was it not foolish of Samson, since his wife was taken from him, he said Mcht. 15, 3/: "I have once a right cause against the Philistines, I will do you harm", that is, I will avenge it, and put all misfortune on you? Was this also evangelical of him? What should reason judge? After all, it is publicly forbidden [Matth. 5, 39], one should not strike again: still he continues, and since his people punished him,
1) Thus the Jenaers. Wittenberg and Erlangen: zörne und räche.
why he had done it, he said [Judg. 15, III: "As they have done to me, so have I done to them again." Therefore, if reason should judge, it concludes that it is an unchristian work. God has always done so, and still does so, and will probably do so forever. We should let it close, so we want to master it.
7 So also the good Abraham must take a wife in his last days, only to make fools of us, that the whore, the reason, may be silent and leave her judgment. So also that which Samson did by the Holy Spirit, another cannot do without the Holy Spirit. It is the same work, but the Spirit separates it, just as Cain's and Abel's are separated. For Samson's mind was like this: He did not care that his wife had been taken from him; but he was set up as a protector and judge over the people, for which God had ordained him; therefore he was guilty of his office, that he harmed the enemies, and sought only cause as he could, that he might oppress the Philistines, and protect and save his people. For this reason he accepted this cause, that they had taken his wife from him in sacrilege, so that they themselves had to say that they deserved it. So learn to look at such histories and examples properly.
8th What now the children Keturä are, from it large people became, almost all in Arabia, as one finds in [the] prophets, have both Arabia in, realm Arabia, and stone Arabia, I let go, it does not belong for the laymen. Now that the children have freiet, Abraham died when he had lived a hundred uyd five and seventy years. [He was a pilgrim and a stranger in the land for over a hundred years, for he had just departed in the fifth and seventieth year of his age; so long was he a stranger there, having no possession of his own. What misfortune will have come under his eyes in the hundred years that his heart will have had to endure many a hard struggle; he will never have been safe, always tossed to and fro like a leaf from a tree; at last, however, he will still have his own burial. It is briefly described and said, a hundred years; but it is a long time to live.
What more does he do? [He makes an order in life, that Isaac, the son of the
The first wife shall remain in the house and sit in the property and inheritance, the others he shall abandon and give them their share.
(10) So he died in a quiet old age; he was full and satisfied with life, says the text. And it is also a great praise of the dear fathers, and a noble gift from God, that they have been weary and full of life, and have longed for death; they have died gladly and finely in peace. God has martyred them so well that they have had enough of life, have longed for death, and have become happy.
(11) So the two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, buried him. From this it is to be noted that the son Ishmael is not expelled as if he should never come back, because he ever comes here again to the burial. Therefore it is not unbelievable, but not certain, how some say, Ketura was Hagar, whom he took again after Sarä death. But it is certain that he took Ishmael to himself again, but in such a way that he was not allowed to live in the house; of course, the mother was often with him, so that he remained in the confession of his father.
12 Because Abraham is dead, we will henceforth hear another legend from the other father, Isaac, about how he was blessed after his father's death. But Abraham's legend is almost the greatest and noblest in this book, in which we do not see a bit of the jugglery that we have done with our legends and works, praying, fasting, watching 2c. We find nothing about what he ate or drank, how he put himself in time. If something of it [there] stood, how should they boast of their works and spiritual life; but now nothing stands there but faith, that God always drives and practices his word with persecution, and his nature always goes in love and holy cross, so the world becomes a fool about God's words and God's saints. But look at it, and learn from it, that no life is valid, it also goes like this. We will see and hear more about this in the following stories of Isaac and Jacob.
End of the history of the archfather Abraham.
1) In the old editions: reprimandable.
2) "again" is missing in the Erlanger.
V. ii. And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, and he dwelt by the well of the living and the seeing.
God has blessed Isaac (says Moses), so that it can be seen that the first birth of Ishmael, his brother, is not valid before God, yes, he is rejected, and his blessing is given to Isaac, which was due to the firstborn before the world, as a sign that the flesh or physical birth does not make Abraham's children before God, as St. Paul explains in his epistles [Rom. 9, 8. Gal. 4, 28. For if the reputation of the flesh should apply here, then it would be right and just that this bodily and firstborn son, Ishmael, should have retained the preference and blessing, and not have been withdrawn from him without cause and guilt, as reason considers it. Since this one is not accepted, how much less should the other Jews, who are not so close to Abraham's children, and yet boast of the flesh, be considered before God.
V.12-18. This is the lineage of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar bore him, Sarah the maid of Egypt, and these are the names of the children of Ishmael, of which their families are named. The firstborn son of Ishmael, Nevajoth, Keder, Adbeel, Mibsam, Misma, Duma, Masa, Hadar, Thema, Jetur, Naphis and Kedma. These are the children of Ishmael with their names in their courts and cities, twelve sovereigns. And this is the age of Ishmael, an hundred and seven and thirty years: and he was sick, and died, and was gathered unto his people. And he dwelt from Havilah even unto Sur over against Egypt, as one goeth into Assyria; and he overtook all his brethren.
(14) This order the Scriptures always keep, as we have seen, from the beginning, that they first describe those who are born of and after the flesh, and then put those who are born of the Spirit, so that all of us, as St. Paul says, must first be born naturally of the flesh, and then spiritually through the Word. (There) is also in this the secret interpretation that the law and the law's people must come first, then the gospel. Grace is not given unless wrath is first given through the knowledge of sin.
felt. The old man must be executed and die first, and then the new man comes and lives.
(15) Secondly, it is shown here, as we heard above [Cap. 4, 17], that Cain with his children first possesses the land, and invents all kinds of handling, and continues to multiply and spread out; so also here: this Ishmael sits down, thinks to stay in the land and to rule, begetting twelve sons, all of whom he makes rulers of the land, becomes a mighty, powerful lord, [it] goes well with him according to his command, comes over twelve rulers sooner than Isaac has two sons. God thus increases him as abundantly as if he did not want to increase Isaac, whom he had blessed, and raises him up in the land to sit quietly and rule, and lets Isaac go astray in the land as a stranger, to whom he had promised through his father to give the land. So God does it with his own, arranges the game so strangely that it seems as if only the antagonism should happen; lets it go to the faith so that it is exercised, remains pure and free, and becomes strong. Now he lets Ishmael be in charge and rule; but after Isaac's death he made his children so great and strong that they brought everything under themselves.
bien, call Kedar, after the one son of Ishmael.
(17) Behold, all the children of the flesh, that is their nature and trade, have great happiness,
1) Wittenberg and Jena: eleventh.
Wealth and power, especially the works saints, who have the name that they are called God's people. On the other hand, the right ones are children of God in spirit and faith, must be despised and regarded as nothing, and must also be overpowered and persecuted by them. Now the interpretation and figure is that this is actually the way of the saints of works, who live in the law and seek godliness in works, that they always fight against those and 1) persecute those who walk righteously in faith; as St. Paul points out Gal. 4, 29. This is Ishmael. Now follows the story of the other son:
V. 19-23. This is the lineage of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as his wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, Laban the Syrian's sister. Isaac asked the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD was entreated, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children joined themselves together in her womb. Then she said: Since it should be so with me, why did I conceive? So she went to ask the Lord. And the LORD said unto her, There are two rooks in thy womb, and two manner of men shall depart out of thy womb; and one people shall be superior unto another, and the greater shall serve the lesser.
This patriarch does not have a long legend, like Abraham and afterwards Jacob. But there are again two brothers starting from the hour. There is a great deal of trouble 2) with the wife of Isaac, so that in the sight of reason it seems as if God were fooling. Therefore beware that you do not fool with the Scriptures, for God has done more to make fools of all the world with one small work. The first thing that is written here is that Isaac is tempted, who had the promise that his seed would become like the sand on the seashore: so God foolishly sets about it, as if nothing would come of it. Isaac takes a wife in the fortieth year, goes there five, ten, fifteen, until the twentieth year. How
1) "and" is missing in the Erlanger.
2) A lot of festivities are raised - a great being is made. (Dietz 8. v. Fest. Vergl. Cap. 26, s 1.)
He has seen many marriages, that it had increased around him daily, to whom God had not promised anything; he also sees his brother Ishmael, that he has so many children. Why does he not take a wife, as Abraham did [Cap. 16, 1. ff.], because he saw that his Rebekah was barren?
(19) The first thing that strengthened him was God's word, to which he clung firmly, and God provided when and how He would fulfill His promise. On the other hand, he also had the example of his father, that Abraham still had a child by the barren Sarah in his old age, when he had her at thirty years or longer, and had now learned how God fulfilled His promise against and above human reason and understanding. [He] may also have seen that the other children of Abraham were wronged by the other wives, and that he was not well with them.
020 Now when Isaac had tarried a long time, and tarried so many years, he prayed unto God, doubtless not once, but often and much, that his wife might be fruitful: and it was heard, that he had two children for one. There you see what the prayer of the devout believer is capable of, that it must be heard, and abundantly obtain what one asks for. So we see in all this nothing but fine examples of faith, as before in the patriarch Abraham.
21 The text also gives us something to preach about pregnant women. When Rebekah became pregnant, she experienced a special hardship, so that she had to suffer the children in her womb to bump into each other. Of course, this was not good for her, because she had to consider her life and feared that she would have to stay with the children. That is why she laments and cries: "Since it should be so for me, why did I become pregnant? Such distress and strange nature lead her so hard that she goes to ask the Lord; otherwise, if she had not been in fear of death, she would not have gone to ask. Where then did she go to the Lord? She has not gone to heaven.
22. the Jews say that she went to the old father Shem, the son of Noah, and
The same asked, who according to the account was still alive at that time, and after that at fifty years. [It is also well believable. For he was the oldest father, lived a long time, well experienced and practiced in spiritual matters, and full of the Holy Spirit, that he knew how to advise in such matters. Besides him, there were several others of the same sex, also holy fathers. She went to them, no doubt not without orders, but with the advice of her husband, and asked what would become of them, or what she should think of them.
23) Then she gets this answer: Do not be surprised that it is so for you, because "you have two peoples in your body" 2c. "and the greater will serve the lesser". This seems as if it were a magic word, when such things were common among the Gentiles; but this is a special work of God, that He says the greatest shall serve the least. This is what we have said so often, and will see much more hereafter, is also decreed in heaven, that [it] must always go thus, as with the two children, that one must lie on top, and the other must allow itself to be trampled underfoot. In spiritual things, I say, not in outward being and goods; so that in the people who boast of God, his word and law, they must thus divide into the two heaps, and those who are the least and the lowliest must be drawn out and lifted up, but the greatest and most powerful will be rejected. This is so much said: God's people win when they are at the bottom, and the other bunch, when they are at the highest and firmest, they fall and lose. How is it possible that he who lies below should win? In the sight of God it must be seen; so it is said: Lost in the sight of the world, won in the sight of God; and again.
24 Thus this saying and figure was fulfilled in the apostles' time, as long as the gospel was preached, when they were persecuted and driven out by the Jews and the Gentiles; then reason and the world cannot say otherwise: With the Jews won, with the apostles lost. But what happened? In that the Jews win, they are under, and those who lose retain the victory. How so? Because the Jews are just by the apostle's word, for the sake of Christ's blood.
The apostles and martyrs, however, are held in the highest honor before God and praised above all the earth, because no king or emperor has ever attained such eternal honor and glory on earth.
(25) It will be the same in our time, if we are worthy. The pope with his bishops and tyrants will boast hostilely and cry victory when they have persecuted, tortured, burned and killed us, who have the gospel right, enough. But when they think that it is over with us, God will reveal who has won, and they will be overthrown and go to ruin, but we will remain forever. Summa, this is God's way and work, which He is always doing: He who is defeated is above. In worldly matters, things are different, where it is said: God helps the strongest; here, however, God helps the weakest.
Allegoria [or secret interpretation].
Rebekah, the mother of two children, means the Christian church or holy scripture. For thus God calls the Scriptures or His Word His 1) womb and His breasts, out of which His Christians are born, as a child is born of the womb and nourished therein; as Isaiah [Cap. 46:3] says: "Hear Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of Israel, who are carried in My womb, and by My mother." This is where the quarrel arises, that the two are at odds with each other; this is what she must feel and suffer, that she thinks she must stay with the children, that is, that the two peoples set themselves against each other. And the rumor rises over the Scriptures, which the right Christians have for themselves; but the works saints want to take them by force to their thing, and persecute those about it, so that it seems, and reason must say, that they must go to ruins.
27 Therefore she concludes that it is not good that there should be such discord in the world; surely a common council should be held, so that all may be at one, and each may know what he ought to do. How then do the best and brightest in the world think? Yes, wait
1) In the issues: his.
until that happens, and in the meantime go to the devil. The pope also did it, wanted to stop such discord and make a unified regiment, so that the quarrel would be quieted, so that the children would no longer fight in their mother's belly. But what did he accomplish? Nothing but the devil and death.
But God says thus: Nothing will come of it, nor would it be right nor good that it should be quiet; I will have it so, that of the children there shall come two peoples, which must be eternally against one another; therefore St. Paul says [1 Cor. 11:19], "There must be divisions." But the strongest and greatest multitude are the Esauites, who deal in works and are without faith; but God finally does not suffer them to be superior, but turns it around, and makes Jacob trample Esau under his feet.
(29) So it goes with our lines now. After the gospel has been revealed and is in the daylight, we must oppose the papacy and say that it is a vain doctrine of the devil, as Paul says [1 Tim. 4:1]. We cannot be silent, or we must have God as our enemy; then they cannot stand it, have power and the sword, and want to have us dead. Therefore, to have peace in Christendom is just as much as to have no Christendom.
030 Conclude therefore, that where the gospel is concerned, strife ariseth, that they come into the scriptures, and must fight on every side with the brethren; and where it is not, it is a sure sign that there are no Christians. Because Rebekah has good days, she does not bear children.
(31) But God causes such discord only so that the small group may rise and prevail, that it may be seen how all power and strength must be won, and be unable to do anything against God's word and His own, how small and weak they are.
32 Now, this saying, "The greatest shall serve the least," St. Paul drew on and interpreted Rom. 9:10-13: "When Rebekah was with child by Isaac, before the children were born, and had done neither good nor evil, that the purpose of God might be according to election, it was said to her, not for merit of works, but for the sake of the children.
by grace: The greatest shall serve the least; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated." [He] wants to conclude that Jacob can boast of nothing, except that: "What I have was given to me and bestowed upon me by God before I was young in my mother's womb. Thus, this text forcibly puts down free will and all merits. For what could they do, or by what should they deserve, that this one should be subject, or that one should be subject?
33 Thus we have the divine judgment of the two brothers, that what is high is nothing before God and must be thrown down; and what is low is high before Him and must be subjected, so that both may be resisted, all arrogance and despair, and the poor have comfort and defiance, but the great and mighty fear and humble themselves.
V.24-28. When the time came for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first one that came out was reddish, all rough, like fur, and they called him Esau. Next came out his brother, who held Esau's heel with his hand, and they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born. And when the boys were grown up, Esau became a hunter and a husbandman, and Jacob a simple man, and dwelt in the tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his pasture: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
The scripture wants to show the miraculous work that the children did in their mother's womb, and after that, how everyone would have liked to be the first one out. The first one, says Moses, was reddish, not that he was completely red, but finely tanned, hard and brave; as one also reads of David [1 Sam. 16, 12], that he was a tanned one, with pretty eyes 2c. [XXX] But Esau is called in German, thätig or schäftig and wacker, as we say in our way, Thätereich, 1) therefore that he should become a hero before the world.
1) Thus the Erlangeners. Wittenberger: Dittereich; Jenaer: Ditterich. We have given preference to the former reading because Luther (Walch, old edition, vol. XIV, 1292, § 8) gives the name "Dydrich" the interpretation: "rich in GOtt, holy, divine".
35 Jacob's name is derived from the heel or sole of the foot, as one who kicks with his heels or feet, because he holds his brother here by the heel, and afterwards in chapter 27, v. 36, Esau himself says, "His name is Jacob, because he has now kicked me twice. This one, says the text, was a simple man and lived in the huts.
(36) Simple, in Hebrew Tham, means as much as we say, an innocent, pious man, without evil, who does no harm or harm to anyone. This man dwelt in the tabernacles, that is, he stayed at home with his mother, and did not break forth. Esau, on the other hand, became a farmer and a hunter; he prepared himself for food as if he thought he would live forever; he became strong and active in his work.
37 Now behold God's judgment, so that Isaac also is deceived, and sets his date on the son of Esau, and has him for his favorite, because, says the text, he ate of his pasture. [He] has thus thought: Rebekah is a fool, thinks much of Jacob; but this son, he thinks, should do it; Jacob, however, had to be the Cinderella, without Rebekah loving him. Therefore, you can conclude that this Esau was a delicious man, who walked along in the highest appearance and fine, respectable character, that it pleased the father quite well that he thought badly that he was the right son, on whom the blessing and promise was. [It also deceived him that he was the firstborn, as the text says; but of Jacob he thinks nothing, because he goes about so badly and simple-mindedly.
(38) But God allows the good father to err for a while, but at last he turns it around and always does it differently than we suggest, because he wants it badly that people fear him. Whoever does not do this, but lets his mind and conceit please him, he will surely overthrow it. So Rebekah thought, "Oh that God would look upon my son, that he might be blessed!" for she had for herself the saying, "The greatest shall serve the least," although it seemed much different to her eyes. Jacob also half doubted, because he saw how the father thought so much of his brother. So they stood on this side in fear, but Isaac and Esau thought they were the
thing certain; therefore they also are absent. But how Isaac sent himself into the word, which was spoken of the two brethren, I know not, that he thus erred and lacked, when the words were bright and clear: The greatest shall serve, and the least shall be lord. [This shows how God sometimes causes His saints to err, so that no one relies on saints, nor on conciliarity, and everything that seems great, but does not want to see or hear anything except what God's word says.
V.29-34. And Jacob cooked a dish. And Esau came from the field, and was weary, and said unto Jacob, Let me taste the red dish, for I am weary. Therefore his name is Edom. But Jacob said, Sell me this day thy firstborn. And Esau said, Behold, I must die: for what shall my firstborn be to me? And Jacob said, Swear unto me this day: and he sware unto him, and so sold Jacob his firstborn 2c.
The word Edom means "red" in German, from which Esau gets the name here. Above, when he was born, the text says, he was reddish in the body, or a tan. But the scripture does not give him the name because of this, but because of the red soup; so that they wanted to indicate the secret interpretation, as we will hear.
40 This text now shows how Esau was a proud saint, that he respected the first birth so little, and gave for the red soup; thus he thought: Ha, I am the first, that all dominion and right of the first birth remain well with me. For it was at that time and always with the Jews a precious jewel about the first birth, so that it brought with it both the priesthood and regiment, plus two parts of the inheritance. The firstborn was to be seated in his father's estate, and the lineage was to remain on him, so that the line of the family would continue after him.
41 But this was much greater, that Christ was promised to Abraham and his seed, therefore the honor of the first birth was even greater. But because they often strutted and defied such right, God also turned it around and rejected them, that the youngest were chosen for it; as we have also seen in Adam's and Abraham's children, and afterward of Jacob's and Joseph's sons; for He wills
402 Eri. 34, 73-75. interpretations on the first book of Moses. W. m, 6oi-vo4. 403
neither look at anything nor suffer anything that does not go in fear.
(42) Jacob may be excused here for not giving the red dish to his brother without the first birth, that he did it out of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for no doubt his mother always told him the words: The greatest shall serve the least.
43 But that the sophists say that Esau sinned by selling spiritual goods, and call it Simoniam, I leave aside, it is their dreams. The Scriptures punish him for despising the first birth and for taking it to the wind, which was a fine gift from God, and for giving it to the red pulp. He should have left life and limb over it before he would have let such honor and freedom, given by God, come from him; but because he so arrogantly despises it, God despises him again, and deprives him of all right and also of blessing.
44 Therefore Jacob has not sinned in taking them to himself, as the children of Israel [Ex. 12:35] did not sin when they took from Egypt silver and gold utensils and garments, as God had appointed them. For the Egyptians were God's, with all that they had. So also Esau's first birth was God's, that he might take it from him and give it to his brother. As it came to Jacob, whether stolen or bought, it belongs to him. So this example teaches how God punishes presumption and arrogance, and exalts humility. Now let us see what is meant by this.
... (45) We have heard how these two brethren are two peoples who boast of God, and are not separated outwardly from one another, for they both abide in one house, but inwardly according to the faith of the heart; these are the two, Jews and Christians. The Jews were Esau, active and quick, freshly practicing the works of the law. When the gospel went out, Esau was the first to come forth, and he was of a fine reddish color; that is, the saints of works shine beautifully in their fine works, so that they alone are thought to be children of God; and they must be reddish or brown, that is, a fierce, hot, angry people, as brown people commonly are. That is it
Also that they are hairy and rough, like a skin, that is, of a stiff-necked and rude kind, not clean nor kind. [There is no more unpleasant, unpleasant and bitter people than such saints of works; therefore Christ also calls them viper-bred; they can have neither patience nor mercy with those who stumble because of weakness; they judge everyone, purr and purge, as soon as one does not do right to them.
(46) But the true Christians are gentle and mild, able to bear and mend the weak. These, as I have said, must be the firstborn, that they may have greater honor, name and authority before the world. But Jacob also wanted to be the firstborn, because Christians like to see that everyone recognizes the gospel, but nothing comes of it. Esau must come first before the world; however, Jacob 1) holds Esau's heel with his hand, that is, the works saints push the pious Christians under, outside before the world; but before God it turns around again, that they tread those under the feet, as we will hear.
47] Further, I have said above 26] that Rebekah means the holy Scriptures, but Isaac, the father, means God. If we now compare the benefits that God has bestowed on the carnal Jews and also on the true believers, it seems that God preferred the Jews to the apostles; [He] sets Himself against them as a father, but these He calls to go, as everyone's servants, and sets Himself as if He did not know them. To the Jews he has promised much land and good, and to the apostles he allows sorrow and hardship; but Jacob has the best part for himself, that his mother is devoted to him. So this simple, pious little group has the Scriptures and God's word for itself, so that they can comfort themselves and be satisfied with it; they do not ask much about the world.
1) Erlanger: er.
our daughters, like the hewn-out oriels, like the palaces; that our corners be full, which give forth victuals, unto victuals again; that our flocks bear a thousand and an hundred thousand without"; such also have we just been taught, that is, the brown soup, after which he lusteth. If it happens that we have no shortage, but cellars and floors full, then they say: Here dwelleth God; as they there, v. 15, say, "Blessed are the people that thus prosper." Now the rough Esau means the same preachers who know nothing of faith, and preach what is gladly heard and serves for good days.
(49) Now that he comes from the field and has grown weary means that such preaching does not suffer persecution. So Paul says Gal. 5:11: "But I, if I still preach circumcision, why do I suffer persecution? So would the vexation of the cross have ceased." He who preaches of works is not persecuted. For what reason can grasp, it delights in; but what it cannot grasp, that
They do not want to suffer. Therefore they do not want to preach about faith, how it alone justifies, but preach that the belly also has enough; the red soup tastes too good to them, so they do not leave it. Jacob, however, abandoned the red dish and allowed Esau to have it, but he was given something higher and better, namely the firstborn.
50 Thus it was in the days of the apostles. The Jews kept the red mush, remained on works and temporal good; but they left outward things, and took the firstborn by faith, and became kings and lords of eternal goods. Therefore the Jews and saints of works are called Edom to this day, because they love to hear the doctrine of men and works. And as Esau despised the firstborn, saying, "What use is it to me, I must die?" so do these also, saying: Oh, if we were to give up our possessions and all temporal goods, it would be too hard for us; we have no more of them because we are alive, and yet we lose both temporal and eternal goods.