Believe For It - Blessing and Sovereignty

Hebrews 11:1-2

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.

“Faith” (pistis)

Assurance, confidence, what can be believed.

Faith provides the substance for men and women to walk through life.

There were saints in the Old Testament who proved the power of faith in the life of men, women, and groups of people.

Abel - The man with the right heart.

Enoch - The man who pleased God.

Noah - The man who stood alone.

Abraham and Sarah - The couple who believed God could do the impossible.

Abraham - The man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Abraham is notable because he received blessing from God. Everyone after Abraham were recipients of this blessing from God.

Verses 20-23 teach lessons on Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

No one in scripture is inherently good. All are sinners. In fact, sometimes, there are stories in scripture of people who use impure motives to gain leadership roles and credibility.

Enter Jacob. His name means “deceiver”.

Gen 26 tells us that God’s promise to Abraham was reaffirmed to his son Isaac that he would live in this land as an alien, but God would be with him and provide a blessing. His offspring would be as numerous as the starts in the sky.

READ (Genesis 25:19-23)

Genesis 25:23

23 And the LORD said to her:Two nations are in your womb;two peoples will come from you and be separated.One people will be stronger than the other,and the older will serve the younger.

Jacob would go on the represent the nation of Israel

Esau would go on the represent the nation of Edom.

Even at the birth of these twins, God was sovereign over his blessing of his chosen people.

1. The Blessing

Blessing pertains to favorable situations, conditions, and experiences enjoyed by the person or persons to whom the blessings belong.

The Hebrew word most often associated with the concept of blessing is “barak”.

It is used most often to refer to God blessing a person or a thing. The pronouncement of God’s blessing upon a person, family, or nation meant to display benefits or receiving special protection from God.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the pilgrims of God’s blessing pronouncement upon Israel.

God was gracious, kind, and generous on their behalf.

Israel viewed themselves as favorable people because of God’s direct involvement in their nation.

Confusion in scripture is possible when you read the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob did not do anything that gives us a reason to believe that he deserves a blessing.

"The difference between the blessed person and the ungodly person is that the blessed person walks according to the course of heaven and not according to the course of this world." - R.C. Sproul

Isaac grew older. When he knew his time on earth was coming to an end, he made the decision to bless his older son, Esau, which was customary of the Jews.

He sent Esau out to hunt game, prepare a meal, so he could bless him with God’s favor.

Rebekah overheard the plan and prepared a meal, covered smooth Jacob in goatskin, and sent him to Isaac to receive the blessing instead..

Jacob tricked Isaac and was given the following blessing...

Genesis 27:27-29

27 So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothes, he blessed him and said:Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.

28 May God give to you—from the dew of the sky and from the richness of the land—an abundance of grain and new wine.

29 May peoples serve you and nations bow in worship to you. Be master over your relatives;may your mother’s sons bow in worship to you. Those who curse you will be cursed,and those who bless you will be blessed.

Jacob ran off with God’s blessing just as Esau came back from the hunt.

Eventually, both Isaac and the older brother realized what had happened. Isaac knew that there was nothing he could do but allow Jacob to Lord over Esau.

“Bless me too!”

Genesis 27:39-40

39 His father Isaac answered him,Look, your dwelling place will be away from the richness of the land,away from the dew of the sky above.

40 You will live by your sword,and you will serve your brother.But when you rebel,you will break his yoke from your neck.

Why was Jacob blessed even though he acted in deception?

Why do situations comes about similarly in our own life?

2. God is Sovereign.

Divine sovereignty refers to God’s all-encompassing rule over the entire universe.

This is a central theme throughout the entire Bible.

God delegates authority, establishes kings and kingdoms, and brings to ruin any king or kingdom that fail to submit to his authority. The Bible presents Yahweh as the Creator God with a sovereign right to rule over all creation.

Psalm 47:2

2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,a great King over the whole earth.

Psalm 47:8-9

8 God reigns over the nations;God is seated on his holy throne.9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham.For the leaders of the earth belong to God;he is greatly exalted.

Simply put. God decides everything. What can seem like random deception through Jacob’s actions was perfectly prepared under God’s sovereign hand.

Why did Isaac reverse course on his plan to bless Esau and allow Jacob to be the ruler?

Issac trusted God’s plan over his own.

Hebrews 11:20

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Isaac preferred Esau over Jacob. The cultural standard of the day called for the older son to lead over the younger, but God proved his sovereign rule by blessing Jacob.

3. Under God’s sovereign rule, all men can be saved.

Romans 9:1-13

1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.

5 The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, praised forever., Amen.

6 Now it is not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

7 Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants., On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac.,

8 That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring. 9 For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.,

10 And not only that, but Rebekah conceived children through one man, our father Isaac.

11 For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—12 not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger.,

13 As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.

The story of Jacob and Esau parallels the relationship between Jews and Gentiles.

For the longest time, Jews were the only people allowed to know and follow God. Over time, we read of passages where salvation would come from the Jews (Jesus), but salvation was for all people.

As Gentiles today, we relate to Jacob, because God passed over his chosen people and offered salvation for all.

But he didn’t leave the Jews behind. They too could and can receive salvation.

Under the Jewish blessing, Esau was passed by. Under the gospel, Esau can be blessed just as much as Jacob.

Modern culture hates to imagine a sovereign God who rules everything. The better question to ponder is “What would the world look like if God was not sovereign?”

Isaac was a man who accepted God’s sovereignty.