The Lord's Decision Genesis 27:1-45

(2015) Two Spanish conmen attempted to sell a forged Goya painting but it backfired spectacularly after their client, supposedly a rich Arab sheik, paid them in counterfeit bank-notes worth 1.7 million Swiss Francs (approx. 1.9 million US dollars). The middleman who had brokered the deal then vanished with the only genuine money in the affair--over 363,000 dollars.

Finally, the two conmen themselves were arrested. The two men found out that the 1.7 million Swiss Francs were counterfeit when they attempted to deposit them in a bank in Geneva. They were then detained by French customs, who discovered the fake Swiss Francs in their suitcase, and informed the Spanish authorities.

-A refusal to align with God’s purpose leads to brokenness

I. Isaac Denies God’s Plan vv. 1-4

As we begin our look at this passage, I believe that we need to understand something really important that has taken place in the years leading up to it

God blessed Rebekah and Isaac with twin boys, Jacob and Esau

They struggled against each other in the womb and the Lord spoke to Rebekah with insight into the situation

The Lord has chosen the younger son to be the greater son; Jacob will be the son through whom the nation of God’s covenant people continue

With this in mind, Isaac faces a dilemma; God has chosen Jacob as the son of the covenant promises; the nation that comes from Jacob will be uniquely God’s people. It’s a problem because Isaac prefers Esau

Isaac insists on his own choice and makes a decision; he will give Esau a unique blessing, effectively attempting to redirect God’s blessings towards Esau.

We find that Isaac’s choice is a fleshly choice:

It is not driven by an understanding of Esau’s character, which has been shown to be lacking

Instead, it is motivated by his love for the big personality and the pleasure that he gains from Esau’s food

Isaac simply does not want what God wants so he refuses to pursue God’s plan in the matter

Unfortunately, this is at the heart of sin, a pride that rejects God and pursues its own way; it always ends in destruction!

II. Rebekah Domineers God’s Plan vv. 5-10

The scene shifts and we find out that Rebekah has overheard Isaac’s plan and she goes to work on her own

Rebekah is guilt is different but similar; she has aligned with God’s purpose in blessing Jacob

However, she fails to trust His ability to bring the plan to completion

Because of this distrust, she begins to manipulate God’s work by forcing His hand to receive the blessing from Isaac

On some level, both Rebekah and Isaac misunderstand the situation

Their boys need the Lord’s blessing much more than they need their parents!

Her efforts are futile

They do not increase the blessing for Jacob; her efforts on complicate matters

In fact, she only brings the risk of a curse on herself

I believe that there’s a lot we can learn from Rebekah’s poor example here:

Sometimes, in our efforts to seek the best for ourselves and others, we get in the way of God’s work and find that we are working against Him

The desire may be good, but if we are not careful, we will find that it is coming from a place of faithlessness and our helping is only hurting!

Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. It is not compelled to work away at keeping up appearances with a bogus spirituality. It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying.

And hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or our pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do. It is imagination put in the harness of faith. It is a willingness to let God do it his way and in his time. It is the opposite of making plans that we demand that God put into effect, telling him both how and when to do it. That is not hoping in God but bullying God.

-Eugene Peterson: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

III. Jacob Lands in Deception vv. 11-29

The fallout from Rebekah’s scheming and Isaac’s resistance is immediate; Jacob follows his mother’s leadership and becomes a liar

He too will engage in a willful campaign to deceive his father and deny his brother a blessing

He will now carry serious guilt towards his family that will impact a huge portion of his life

I also think that it is worth noting that his actions are an anti-God act

It’s not accidental that he brings the Lord into the situation and credits Him for making the work successful vv. 20

I don’t want to overlook the Lord’s role in this, but it is critical that we understand that the Lord works in spite of Jacob, not because of Jacob. The Lord is not glorified by anything that takes place here

And what does he gain out of this? Nothing really!

Jacob did not need his father to pronounce a particular blessing over him to be blessed by the Lord; he had already received that

He has become a liar and a blasphemer, all for the sake of a blessing that the Lord would have freely given him

Sadly, Jacob earns his name: He becomes the supplanter

However, it will not be visible as a part of God’s blessing and action

It will appear to those around them as nothing more than the schemes of a bad actor, grasping for his brother’s position!

IV. Esau Faces Destruction vv. 30-40

Recognition of what has taken place finally comes for Esau and it is painful

Isaac’s attempts to undo God’s purpose comes completely undone vv. 30-33

Not only has Isaac not been able to bring God’s blessings onto Esau, he has insured that they are given to Jacob

As a result of his own actions, Isaac accomplishes the very thing he set out to avoid

In the wake of this, Esau’s heart is exposed:

Esau was willing to give up his birthright, the greater portion of his father’s inheritance for nothing more than a bowl of stew

It turned out that Esau never wanted the spiritual heritage, the blessings of a role in God’s plan

He only wanted wealth, power, and privilege! He is a reflection of his father’s priorities we saw earlier

Isaac’s intended blessing has become a curse

He was so focused on directing God’s blessings away from Jacob and towards Esau that he accomplished exactly the opposite

Esau is left with the wreckage of his and many other people’s decisions; the fruit is not uniquely his, but he will have to endure it!

Sadly, it did not have to be this way; Isaac could have offered a blessing to both of his sons, but he chose a destructive selfish path and it harmed everyone!

When we find ourselves rebelling against the purpose of God, we are spinning destruction out into the lives of everyone near and dear to us!

V. The Family is Divided vv. 41-44

At the end of the story, the entire family is facing division

Esau’s life is marked by hatred of his brother, who has officially taken his place and plans to kill him

Esau’s relationship with his parents is complicated:

The father who wanted to bless him ended up cursing him

The mother who should have loved him has betrayed him and now loathes his choice in foreign wives

Jacob is left estranged from his family;

There will eventually be a reunion with Esau, after years of bitterness and hiding

However, we have no record that he ever sees his mother again and is only briefly with Isaac before his death

The continual rebellious choices of this family have left them in brokenness!

The only answer to our brokenness is to align with God’s purpose by following His chosen Son.

Don’t deny Him or domineer Him, trust Him, because He is Lord!

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 742: Trust

Not many people enjoy going to the doctor, but according to Reuters, in 1994, one London accountant took that to an extreme. The sixty-three-year-old man knew he needed bladder surgery but he could not overcome his fear of doctors and hospitals. So he self-reliantly did what had to be done: He tried to perform the surgery on himself. Tragically he got an infection from the self-surgery and later died. The coroner said, “Unfortunately, [his] drastic remedy went wrong. A simple operation would have solved the problem.”

Just as this man didn’t trust doctors or hospitals, many people don’t trust God. In their self-reliance, they destroy themselves.