Untitled Sermon (12)

Genesis 25:29–34“Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

P.O.P.

While man is continually enticed by fleshly desires God still preserves his promised people.

Kids

Even when we sin and disobey God is working to save his people.

I. Sin continues to divide.

The will of God.

Genesis 25:21–28 “And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 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.” When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

What is the purpose of this event?

To establish God’s supreme work apart from man’s actions.

Jacob does not end up being the heir to the inheritance because he stole it. To believe this would insinuate God’s plan can be changed by human action thus making God not sovereign.

Jacob does not end up being the heir to the inheritance because Esau is too sinful or dumb to hold on to it. To believe this would put the success of redemption in the hands of man and not God.

Jacob ends up with the birthright and inheritance because God ordained this to happen.

It was foretold before his birth.

God made sense of it when man could never make sense of it.

Paul interprets it this way to explain that God is not partial based on works or foreknowledge of works.

Romans 9:6–14 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!”

What would foreknowledge reveal of Jacob? Jacob receives the inheritance not by way of righteousness or by being more faithful than his brother. Instead, he receives this inheritance amidst his sinful actions. When God looked at these brothers he saw two brothers fighting in the womb then later he saw two brothers sinfully engaged in auctioning off the promised inheritance.

Like Abraham, Jacob’s faithfulness is traced not in his own works but in God’s faithfulness to correct, restore, and graciously bring him to the finish line.

Does this make God unjust? Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says no.

The will of man.

Esau's weakness of the flesh.

Hebrews 12:3-17

Bethencourt - compared to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Jesus understood the future inheritance to be greater than present satisfaction.

Jacob’s deception for selfish gain.

This will not be the last of Jacob’s deception. It will take a broken hip and a lost wrestling match with God for Jacob’s will to be broken. Jacob is not known to have finally decided but rather was rescued (or one could even say wrestled) into God’s graces.

II. God continues to preserve.

The presence of the birthright

The birthright is not present because the brothers have earned it. Rather, the inheritance is passed down because of God’s faithfulness to give grace to sinners. The glorious hope for you and I in this message is not only the reality of salvation but the assurance of salvation as well. If you and I are not saved based on our own merits or decisions then we cannot lose this salvation.

The miracle is that the birthright remains. Despite the brothers, God preserves his people according to his will through his grace

The comfort of the Gospel is that God continues to work despite our sins, not that we finally figure it out.

The gospel is not that Jesus died for us when we finally came to our senses but that he died for us when we were still sinners.

We were brought out of darkness when all we experienced was death, and he made us alive.