The Blessing...
Notes
Transcript
Time.. was running out. The day was approaching. Isaac knew that time was of the essence… it was time to give his blessing.
Genesis 27 begins by giving us some details regarding Isaac’s physical condition.
Isaac… was old. His exact age is not given in verse 1 but one important detail is: his eyes were weak. He could no longer see.
Isaac would have to rely on his other senses to navigate the world around him. His sight was gone. And this condition would be exploited to the advantage of Jacob… at the instruction of his mother.
The time had come for Isaac to give his blessing to his oldest son, Esau. But there was a problem… Per the word of the Lord, Esau would not be the one to receive this blessing.
Go back to Genesis 25:23
23 The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
This was the word God spoke to Rebekah regarding the twin boys in her womb. The oldest… would serve the youngest.
Details were not given as to how that would come about, but this was the word given.
Which brings me to this important main point for the evening: When God gives a word, He also makes a way. We do not have to formulate the path. God has the details figured out.
To give an example, we’ll get a little personal tonight.
Long before I ever said “I do,” God had answered a prayer in the life of a young lady… then in 7th grade.
Kristy had been encouraged by her Sunday School teacher to pray for her future… including her future spouse. In that prayer, God laid on her heart that her and I would be married some day. She tucked that away and help on to that word - being that I was quite the catch!
She didn’t do ANYTHING to manipulate or manufacture God’s promise to her. She simply trusted the word and followed God’s leading.
She did not disclose to me what God had told her until after our wedding. We were headed down the road and she told me the story.
When God gives a word… He also makes a way.
God revealed that Jacob, not Esau, would somehow receive Isaac’s blessing. Jacob would “rule” over his older brother.
Rebekah knew this word, and I’m sure it was shared with Isaac. And Genesis 27 opens with the narrative that Isaac… is about to bless Esau.
2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”
Had Isaac forgotten the word given to them from God? OR… was Isaac ignoring the word given to them from God? We don’t know… but we do know that Isaac favored Esau while Rebekah favored Jacob.
This was true even though Esau was kind of doing his own thing.
Esau had demonstrated NO REGARD for the promise that had been given to his family.
He sold his birthright for a bowl of stew.
He married not one… but two women who did not follow God and brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Esau… was walking his own path.
Now the moment of blessing had come and Rebekah… moved into a panic mode. I imagine she was thinking something along the lines of “If I don’t do something fast, the word God spoke will not come true. I better move on this and make sure Isaac doesn’t mess this up.”
Rebekah… seized “control” over the situation and she uses deception to get the job done.
Here’s a quick thing to consider… if you think you are doing God’s will but have to resort to sin to get it done, you’re not walking by the Spirit… you’re walking in the flesh.
So the temptation here is do things our way according to our time utilizing our resources.
BUT… If GOD gave the word… He will make the way!
Our FULL TRUST must be placed in Him.
Genesis 27 reveals the plan Rebekah unleashes to make God’s word a reality. He plan is creative, it is clever, and it is not without consequence.
Rebekah fools Isaac into giving his blessing to Jacob. She does this because she sees no other “way” it will come about.
God knew that Esau would walk his own path. God knew Esau would not give enough concern to the promise spoken over Abraham’s family. The way forward… was through Jacob.
We might never know what God had in store regarding Isaac’s blessing. But one thing we do know is this: God is NOT a god of deception or sin.
With this in mind… let’ begin by looking at what was to be given by Isaac to Esau.
The Birthright and the Blessing
The Birthright and the Blessing
A few weeks ago, we had a question asked about the difference of the birthright and the blessing and tonight we are going to answer that question.
Jacob had already acquired the birthright from Esau. He did this is Genesis 25. Esau sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew.
What exactly… is the birthright?
The birthright is something the oldest son would receive by default. By being the oldest, this person was in a favored position within the family.
This included a double portion of the inheritance.
Part of the benefits included receiving the blessing from the father.
The birthright also came with the privilege of leadership within the family.
Now… watch this: the birthright or the inheritance rights of the firstborn were protected by law. This means the father could not give his benefits to a younger son.
HOWEVER, this right could be lost for various reasons. For Esau… he sold it. He let it go. He entered a “contract” with Jacob so he could get a bowl of stew. Scripture tells us from that day on, Esau DESPISED his birthright.
Now, in Genesis 27, we see the blessing. What is the difference between the blessing and the birthright?
The birthright blessing was legally binding in the ANE law. Once the blessing was given, it could not be taken back.
Jacob “owned” the birthright, but the blessing could only be given by Isaac thus making it legally binding.
So consider this… perhaps in the moment when Esau “sold” his birthright he thought there was no way dear old dad would bless Jacob instead of him.
As you look how the narrative plays out in In Genesis 27… Esau makes NO MENTION of selling his birthright to Jacob! Thus… Esau is stealing what he sold to his brother. Remember, once the blessing is given, it cannot be taken back. Thus, if Jacob made the argument that the blessing belonged to him… after the blessing was given… there was nothing dad could do about it.
So the difference between the birthright and the blessing is… the birthright is the object, if you will, and the blessing is the transference of the object. Dad was the ONLY person capable of sealing the deal. Esau had sold it, but it all came down to dad’s final stamp of approval.
Jacob already had the birthright, but he needed Isaac’s blessing to seal the deal. Esau had no birthright, but looked to steal it back through the blessing of his father. DAD was the key in making it all legally binding.
But God… had already said which way things would go. Instead of trusting God… Rebekah and Isaac formulated a plan to trick Isaac into blessing Jacob.
The plan, as mentioned before, was creative, clever, but not without consequence.
Rebekah dresses Jacob up to resemble his brother. They make the food and before Esau returns home, the blessing is given.
But what does the aftermath look like?
The Blessing Given… the Consequences Made Real.
The Blessing Given… the Consequences Made Real.
On the surface, it might seem like the plan was a good thing. They had arrived to the word God had given them, right? The younger, Jacob, would rule over the older, Esau.
They may have arrived to the destination but they got lost in the journey.
So often our eyes and hearts become so fixated on the finish line that we lose concern regarding how we get there.
This might lead to cutting corners or finding “easier” paths. But if we opt to go a different way… we risk missing out on on what God has for us.
With God, it’s not just about the destination, it’s also about the journey. God desires for all of us to live out His plan for our lives. We must trust Him and follow Him daily to do that.
I have learned some of the most valuable lessons and received some of the greatest blessings… in the journey. When we trust God with how we get there… our faith and our dependence on Him will grow.
I understand that Jacob and Rebekah felt like they were running out of time. They were but a few moments away from Isaac giving his blessing to Esau. Once done, it could not be changed. So… it was time to do what they “had to do.”
Jacob feared what might result and look at the conversation that happens in Genesis 27:11-13
11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”
13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”
Jacob knew the plan was risky but he went with it anyway. It didn’t take long for the consequences to begin setting in.
The Consequences
Esau felt slighted by his father.
“Bless me too” he cried out in verse 34 and verse 38. “Do you have only one blessing?” he asked in verse 38.
Isaac did have a blessing… but not the one Esau wanted.
This created a pathway for consequence number 2 to rise up.
Esau sought revenge on his brother.
41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Esau was going to wait until Isaac died… then he planned to kill Jacob. Maybe then he would receive all the he felt had been taken from him. Remember, he originally sold his birthright.
With murder on his mind, this lead to consequence number three
Rebekah sent Jacob away.
Jacob had to flee for his life. Rebekah does not want to see Jacob fall to the hand of Esau… so she instructs him to leave. Jacob leaves in Genesis 28:5.
Jacob is saved… but Rebekah has to wrestle with a difficult reality. Rebekah would never see her son Jacob… again.
Remember, Jacob is the one Rebekah favored.
Closing
Closing
When God give a word… he also makes a way. It is not for us to dictate to God how it will come to pass… If God is in it… the work has already been done!
So… let’s not get lost in the journey. Let’s not lose sight of the one who spoke the word. Trust Him and follow His instruction.
For Rebekah and Jacob, it was down to the wire… they panicked. They had no idea how God was going to turn this thing around.
We might never know what God was going to do differently, that narrative was unfortunately not the path the family chose. And because of this… they endured the consequences.
I have learned that choosing to do things my way… instead of God’s way… always comes with unforeseen consequence.
I have also learned that choosing to do things God’s way… instead of my way… always comes with additional blessing I did not see coming.
Whose word will we trust? Whose way will we follow?
The choice is yours to make. God has good things in store… I pray you will also trust in His good ways to get you there!