Family Drama

How do you seek to receive God’s promises?

There used to be this show called “That’s so Raven” and the idea of this show was that Raven would get these “visions” that would show her an event that would happen in the future. The rest of the episode would be her attempting to prevent that thing from happening only for it to end up happening in the end. When it comes to God’s Word, can we prevent God’s promises from happening, or will they happen no matter what our choices are?

We will see today that it is a bit of both. God makes a promise to Jacob that his brother will serve him, but does that mean that Jacob has to try and “Attain” it in order to receive it?

We have seen this play out already. When have we seen someone try to attain God’s promise through their own plan?

-Abraham and Sarah through Hagar

God’s Word is sovereign

What does it mean that God is “sovereign”?

-That God is God, that what God declares will always come to be. That God has all power over heaven and earth and Lord over all of creation and no on can prevent His purpose and will from taking place.

-This means that God governs the entire universe as He pleases for His glory, but also that His governance is good and just.

-This does not mean there is no free will, it just means that nothing happens without God allowing it to happen, that everything that occurs is within His control.

Imagine a great coach, at some point it seems like they are “sovereign” over a game. They know what players to put in and what plays to call in order to win the game.

How does God show His sovereignty here?

-Rebekah was barren, yet God gives her children.

-Truthfully...all children are a miracle by God. Yet, our culture likes to see it as some “inconvenience”.

-God would make two great nations from the two children of Rebekah and Isaac.

-By God’s sovereignty the younger would be the one whom God’s promised line would continue.

-Jacob’s name could mean other one who is a “rearguard” or one who “tries to pull another down”

Romans 9:10–13 CSB

And not only that, but Rebekah conceived children through one man, our father Isaac. 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—not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger. As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.

Why is God’s sovereignty important?

-It reminds us God’s plan is sometimes different then on our

-That God uses the weak and the difficult for His glory

Do not profane God’s Word

What does “profane” mean?

-to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt 

-to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use

There are also some hints to its connect with Genesis 3. Something good that was given to them by the Father was traded for something that looked good to the taste.

Hebrews 12:16–17 CSB

And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.

Esau also knew what he was trading away. Yet he was willing to give it up for something so measly.

“Esau was oblivious to what he had because he was preoccupied with the way he was; Jacob was occupied with obtaining what Esau had and planned to capitalize on the way Esau was.

How did Jacob profane God’s Word? He had a wrong use of what God had promised Him. He decided to use cheap and ruthless methods here to receive it.

Profane people act on impulse to gratify worldly desires

We talked about freedom a few weeks ago, that freedom doesn’t mean you can do anything you want. Paul tells us “all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial.”

Sometimes we thing freedom means that we should let our impulses win, that if we desire to do something we should just do it. But we have bad impulses.

I’m sure all of us have had that “intrusive thought”, we learn to rule over those thoughts rather then allow them to control us.

Profane people are also the victims of their desires. Notice that in this story that Esau, the hunter, becomes the hunted by his brother. A trap is set for him that he walks into.

Profane people do not value what God values

God does not deceive, God doesn’t play with our feelings.

God tells us in His Word that He values people and the way that we treat them, and He values people more than possessions or earthly rewards.

Neither does Esau value what God values, he relinquished something of greater value for something of less value.

You know when you are a kid and you have your chore money that you receive, and rather than save it to get something you REALLY want, what did you almost always do? You spend on some candy, or a soda...something of little value

Esau “despised his birthright”, this seems like an after-the-fact thought on it. He looked back at this thing he gave up for nothing and despised how little he gave it up for.

Don’t profane things of lasting spiritual value for basic wordly desires.

We see what happens to Esau as one who is untamed and profane.

Genesis 27:39–40 “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. You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will break his yoke from your neck.”

Take God’s Word Seriously

At the end of chapter 26 we see that Esau lives outside God’s desire for marriage with having multiple wives and not those who trust in God.

In chapter 27 we see both parents, Isaac and Rebekah not take God’s Word seriously. Isaac sought to give the inheritance to his favorite son Esau even though God told them it would be the younger who God would bless their family through. While Rebekah sought to give Jacob the blessing through deception even though she should have trusted God at His Word.

Isaac follows his senses more than he trusts God’s Word.

-Gen. 25:28 tells us the reason that he loved Esau more is because Isaac loved wild game.

-He trusts his hands, his tongue, and his nose to be how he gives a blessing rather than God’s Word.

-What happens in the end is that Isaac is saddened because God’s Word came true over his own desires.

Isaac took part of God’s Word seriously, that God would bless his family, just not who it would come through.

Hebrews 11:20 “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

-V. 33 shows us that Isaac realizes he has been fighting against God.

For Rachel, although her plan would work, she would have to send her son away and would never see him again. She would die before he could return.

-In fact, in the whole story we never see the whole family together, they are always separated into groups. We see a family that has been separated by their own desires, by the things they want, rather than enjoy God’s blessings as a family.

Setting aside God’s Word always leads to tension

When we set aside God’s Word for our own desires, or we seek to attain something God has for us through our own means, it always leads to tension.

Isaac wanted to bless Esau with everything he had and with all of God’s blessings. All this because he wanted a meal from his son.

Then we see Rebekah, rather than confront her husband she attempted to deceive him. Favoritism blinded her to trusting God’s Word. Then she pushes her son to join her in the deception.

What happens afterward we see is that Jacob has a continued tension with his brother Esau. He has to run from home because of his choices.

-We even have a hint of Cain and Abel, the older brother having resentment towards a younger brother and a desire to kill them

Have you ever made such a bad choice that you wanted to hide?

God’s blessing is despite us rejecting His Word, not because of it

The plan “works” for Rebekah, but Jacob doesn’t receive his fathers possessions because he has to flee. Rebekah loses her son, Jacob flee’s for his life, his relationship to his father and brother and broken. All he fled with was a staff.

Don’t strive to gain success through deceptive and manipulative means, both financially and with friendships. Don’t lie about other people to lift yourself up, don’t tell others things about yourself to make it sound like your life is better than it is or that others are worse than you. Don’t try and profit off the wrong things.

Gain spiritual success by following God’s will.

Let the light of God’s Word shine in your life over the darkness of deceit and distortion

Hebrews 12:14–15 “Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.”

2 Corinthians 4:1–6 “Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up. Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by an open display of the truth. But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.”