Isaac & Jacob: The Promise Continues

Intro

Whenever I go to see live theatre, I am pleasantly surprised

Usually go at Karen’s request… not sure about it

Almost always blown away by the talent and the impact of the show

Look back at a few Rainbow Stage performances: Marry Poppins and then Johnny Cash

Our story this morning would make an excellent play… but probably not a musical

4 characters (Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau)

2 sets (Isaac’s tent, and just outside his tent)

4 acts (of a pair of characters interacting)

The Story

Act 1: Isaac and Esau

Isaac is old and believes his death draws near

Part of his old age is that he is nearly blind; Isaac cannot see

He desires to give Esau (his eldest) a blessing before he departs

That would be the norm, except that God had prophesied Jacob this blessing (Genesis 25:23 “And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.””)

But Esau was Isaac’s favourite, and he is acting on his own wishes here

Isaac tells Esau to go and hunt game, make him his favourite meal, and receive a blessing

Esau grabs his gear and heads out to do so

Acts 2: Rebekah and Jacob

Perhaps it wasn’t just Isaac and Esau in the first Act; Rebekah was eavesdropping

Kind of like Sam Gamgee outside of Frodo’s window during his fateful conversation with Gandalf...

She hurries to Jacob and convinces him to steal this blessing for himself (he is her favourite, after all)

Rebekah instructs Jacob to go grab 2 young goats so that she can prepare Isaac’s favourite meal (like Esau was supposed to do)

Jacob has some objections:

Esau is hairy (sasquatch alert!) and I am smooth

If I get caught, Isaac will curse me instead of bless me!

Rebekah comes up with solutions to these problems:

Let the curse be on me; I will protect you

She takes the skin of the young goats and puts them on Jacob’s hands and neck (Esau was an exceedingly hairy man)

Lastly she prepares and gives Jacob the food, and sends him to Isaac

Act 3: Jacob and Isaac

Isaac asks Jacob directly, “Who are you, my son?”

Jacob lies directly to his father by saying: Read Genesis 27:19.

Isaac is skeptical; he asks how it was possible for “Esau” to have returned with game so quickly

Jacob lies directly again, saying that the Lord granted him success

Isaac is STILL not convinced, so he asks for Jacob to come near so that he can feel if he is Esau or not

Here the skins of the goats do the trick, and Jacob feels hairy

Isaac still seems doubtful as the voice sounds like Jacob but the hands feel like Esau… which sense would win?

He must have been more than a little deaf as well

Right before the blessing, Isaac wants to smell Jacob (another sense) to double check

And since Jacob is wearing Esau’s clothes, he smells like his brother

The deception wins out, and Isaac blesses Jacob

Read Genesis 27:27-29.

This blessing held some importance; it was not just well-wishes but a prophetic word from God

Just like names, these blessings spoke truth to the reality and future of a person

Jacob (and his descendants) would receive the dew of heaven and fatness of the earth

Strong agricultural blessing that was required for prosperity in the ancient world

Other nations would serve Jacob, including his brothers!

More than just Jacob and Esau; this was an inheritance blessing

Everyone who curses him would be curse, and blesses him would be blessed

Echoes God’s original promise to Abraham in Gen. 12; this is proof that the original promise would continue through Jacob

Act 4: Isaac and Esau (again)

Soon after Jacob leaves, Esau returns with a meal and ready for his blessing

Isaac asks the same question, “Who are you?” and Esau gives the same answer… truthfully this time

At this news Isaac “trembled very violently”

Aware of the depth of the deception; aware that God was working out His plan despite his best efforts

Esau is also distraught, weeps, and asks for a blessing also

He receives a blessing, but not the one he desired (anti-blessing)

Read Genesis 27:39-40.

He will NOT have agricultural success like Jacob

Instead, he will live by the sword

And, unfortunately, he must serve his brother

But will one day be able to break Jacob’s yoke from his neck

Edom was subservient during David’s reign and onward

Eventually found their freedom during the reign of Judah’s King Jehoram in 2 Kings 8.

Epilogue: The result of everyone’s sin:

Esau hated Jacob and pledged to kill him

Jacob was forced to flee to his uncle Laban

The family was broken, and the promise was threatened

And make no mistake, ALL players had fault

Isaac was trying to circumvent God’s prophecy for Jacob and bestow the blessing upon his favourite child

Rebekah was coniving to work against her husband and look after the interestes of her favourite, Jacob

Jacob boldly lied to the face of his father (multiple times!) to grab a blessing he desired

Esau reacted in anger that caused his younger brother to flee

Such an imperfect way for the promise to continue, but...

The Promise Continues

God keeps His promises despite our shortcomings.

EVERYONE had some blame in the dysfunctional story of Genesis 27.

Just like the issue of generational sin the week before (with the same final point)

Yet God’s promise to Abraham -> Isaac -> Jacob persevered through it all

When God makes a promise, He will not be deterred by our schemes, failings and sin

This truth is not limited to the patriarchs, it applies to us today

God can uniquely keep His promises because of His unique character

Characteristics of God that make this possible:

God is longsuffering.

Longsuffering? Are we doing this sermon in old English?!

Oh Lord, thou art longsuffering in thine perfect being, henceforth this day cometh our own limited understanding of thine glory and doth hasten our own humble estate

I choose the word because I think it paints a beautiful picture: humanity can create long suffering for God!

In Scripture this is often translated as being patient or slow to anger

Talk about parenting being a real “proving ground” of patience; show Michael Scott, Lego and Yoda memes

Cf. Psalm 103:8.

If God were to be quick to anger, we would rightfully lose out to many of His promises (our own fault)

For Israel, they constantly tested the patience of God, who proved slow to anger

Even when God chose to (rightfully) punish, he never pulled back on His promises

God is loyal.

Cf. Psalm 103:8.

hesed = “Steadfast love” = “lovingkindness” = “loyal love”

The love of God is perfectly loyal, through thick and thin, even when we are not (like the players in our story today)

Loyalty is a commodity growing more rare these days (jobs, families, churches, sports teams)

It is much easier to leave and go somewhere where you GET MORE

Talk about leveraging the “loyalty department” with cell phone providers

God’s loyal love does the opposite: He willingly pays the cost to stay loyal to His people

Refer to my conversation with Patrick Franklin on the podcast

God is eternal.

God can keep His promises because He doesn’t have to “react” the way we do; He keeps His promises in the past, present and future

Cf. Psalm 103:15-17.

The Lord prophesied to Rebekah about Jacob (past), navigated the deception in our story (present) and continued to stay true to Jacob’s descendants (future)

God goes behind us, beside us, and before us to work out His promises and overcome our shortcomings

This is proven through a line of “blessings” that shows the promise continues through Jesus

Isaac -> Jacob = Read Gen. 27:29.

Jacob - > Judah = Read Gen. 49:8-12.

Judah -> Jesus = Read Philippians 2:9-10.

The eternal God was already at work in Jesus Christ; the ultimate fulfillment of blessings for His people

Through His sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus has assured the promises of God for all those who trust in Him

Conclusion

What are some of the promises of God given to us, made possible in Christ alone?

Forgiveness for sinners, peace that passes understanding for the anxious, fulfillment for the spiritually hungry, rest for the weary, strength for the weak, freedom for the addicted, comfort for those in grief, hope for the hopeless, and life everlasting

Just to name a few; all found promised in Scripture

Which promise speaks loudest to you today?

It is yours thanks to the longsuffering, loyal, eternal love of God displayed in Jesus Christ