Genesis 27

Nothing will stop the invincible determination of God to keep his word.

“When is it smart and right to pay a bribe?” That was the question posed early in my seminary ethics class. Most of us students were quick to say “never!” Good Christian that we were. Then the professor continued… “what if the bribe would be the last hurdle in approval to build a school and residential program for at-risk kids in sub saharan Africa?” or “it was budgeted for and will turn a blind eye of officials to allow you into a closed country to preach Christ?”

Some of us began to change our answer.

The class forced us to grapple with Christian integrity in all kinds of contexts, especially in a world where there is an ever increasing comfort with accomplishing the “mission of God” by “any means necessary.”

Taken out of the classroom… we are faced with questions of integrity and virtue, and purposeful action everyday. From how the numbers are calculated on our taxes, to the list of our “household” on the Spotify or Netflix account, to the hours we track for work spent elsewhere… how do I share Christ with my co-worker or invite the stranger to church… these things and beyond. In our vocations, in our education, in our relationships. In everything.

But what of the overarching plan of God for our lives, and the lives of our families, neighbors, and the world? How does our integrity, even our purposeful action; how does all of this relate to or perpetuate his will, his plan, his promise?

For me, by the end of the course, it came down to a realization of how much we trust the providence of God (the governing power of God that oversees his creation and works out his plans for it) over and against my strategy and scheming to accomplish his promise.

Wrestling with God’s timing and my general displeasure with it! A bribe to further the mission could seem appealing…

How much do I trust him to keep his word?

Today we come to another story in Genesis that helps us gain some perspective. It is a story with only bone-heads, there are no heroes. Which means we all can see ourselves here!

Nothing will stop the invincible determination of God to keep his word.

Where are we, what has happened?

We have Isaac, the son of promise, and his wife Rebekah, after the death of Abraham and two sons are born. Esau and Jacob.

The similarities between Isaac and his father Abraham are striking even in the few verses that tell of his life.

Genesis 25:21–23 “And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. [22] 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. [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.” (ESV)

Barren women before covenantal promise seems to be a theme for God. And as the twins wrestle in Rebekah’s womb, Yahweh makes clear what will happen. The older shall serve the younger. Two nations.

The boys grow up. Esau becomes a skilled hunter, Jacob a quiet man dwelling in tents. And the parents have favorites.

Genesis 25:28 “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (ESV)

His father’s son, ruled by his belly, Esau will sell his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew.

And then Isaac is given a promise, much like that of his father’s.

Genesis 26:3–5 “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. [4] I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, [5] because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (ESV)

He will even lie about his wife being his sister. Gain wealth. Dig wells.

Then Isaac was old.

Through a story of family drama and scheming against each other we hopefully can see that God providentially uses all kinds of human actions—good, bad, and in-between—to carry out his promised purposes.

Here we see three ways of trying to get around or force God’s will (attempts that won’t stop God’s will); and I want to suggest a better way.

Derailing

This is Isaac swan song, his last will and testament, attempting to derail God’s plan or word. He sets out to achieve his own desire over God’s.

We don’t have any indication as to why other than Esau was his favorite and he liked food.

It’s important to know that Isaac is breaking from tradition. Usual ritual when a father nears death it call all of his sons to himself for blessing. Here Isaac deliberately excluded Jacob.

Secondly, he tried to keep this a secret by making these arrangements directly with Esau. Left out any mention of the prophecy to Rebekah, or Esau’s rash sale of his rights… All so the all-important blessing could become his.

This is Isaac derailing (or attempting to) the plan of God.

“Aging had also left him visually impaired and dependent upon his family — and demanding. But most notably Isaac, notwithstanding his authentic faith, had come to oppose the revealed will of God regarding Jacob and Esau. He was well aware of the battle that had taken place between the twins in Rebekah’s womb. He knew that God had said, “The one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” (25:23). Rebekah would not let him forget it. And the fact that Jacob had manipulated Esau to sell his birthright to him was a longstanding source of irritation to Isaac, and a subject of contention with his strong-willed wife. He was also painfully aware that Esau had married two Canaanite women — and that they had made life bitter for both him and Rebekah (cf. 26:34). But against the weight of all of this, Isaac was determined that though Esau had lost his birthright, he would now give him the firstborn’s blessing. Isaac adored his manly, hairy, red-bearded hunter son. Esau’s very smell intoxicated him. And dreams of a hunter’s feasts filled his vacant eyes.” Hughes

Isaac is rejecting God’s plan by taking things into his own hands, not at the level merely of execution but higher still, overriding what God has decided. And he will fail.

As Sarna explains, “Isaac summons from the very depths of his own soul all the vitality and energy at his command in order to invoke God’s blessing upon his son.” And the blessing goes to Jacob, not who Isaac intends, but exactly who God determined it to land upon.

We have all been Isaac. Faced the temptation to take matters into our own hands rather than relying on God’s timing and design.

This is when we flat out refuse it, reject it, and it is not a good spot to be.

Jonah running from God’s call.

Pharisees searching scripture for eternal life and missing Jesus.

You and I, choosing our way, ignoring those specific calls perhaps the Lord has given you… even refusing grace, lacking repentance attempting to keep Jesus as a genie for your life lived under your terms not his.

As if we could derail his will and word… and it leads to ruin.

Isaac was willing to ignore God’s word and the desires of his wife and his elect son (who now had the birthright) in order to bless his immoral, freebooting son. Isaac thus tossed a relational torch into the tents of his family. And because of his sin no one would do well — neither he, nor Rebekah, nor Isaac, nor Esau. There are no heroes in this story — only sinners. And old Isaac was chief.

Isaac would be shocked into acceptance, Esau enters with his food and Isaac trembles… declares of Jacob, “Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse so remarkably observed: “Before a great work of grace, there must be a great earthquake. Isaac had put his personal love of Esau ahead of the will of God. Down came his idol, and the edifice of willful love collapsed before the shaking power that took hold of him. The arrogant pride which had slyly planned to thwart God toppled to the ground, broken beyond repair. When Isaac trembled exceedingly, all his desires were shattered.”

Deceiving

It seems that Isaac and Rebekah lost that love and feeling that bound them together at first. Here they are husband and wife, together with competing objectives, plotting to trick each other or exclude the other. The family will be polarized in attachment to Esau or Jacob.

Rebekah hears of Isaac’s plan, she holds the prophecy close to her heart and she counters her husband’s derailing with a plan of deception of her own.

She commands Jacob to bring two good young goats so that she could prepare delicious food for Isaac. And she invites curse on herself, which will come, she will never see Jacob again, but the curse extend to him as he will spend years in debt and fear.

Jacob is roped into the deception, she dresses him up in Esau’s best clothes and the skins of the young goats…

Jacob then lies, even going so far as to claim the help of the Lord God.

Deception worked. The meal enticed the belly, the scent of the fields on the garments conjured images of the field which the Lord had blessed.

Though the voice was Jacob’s, Isaac pressed on with his cherished plan pronouncing the blessing and curse. Hands tied by his own secretive plot.

Jacob received the blessing intended for his brother. A prayer for prosperous farming, supremacy in the family, and “international affairs” ensured divine blessing on his allies and disaster on enemies.

I suppose we could look at this story and say, ‘well, it matches the prophecy… God’s work is unfolding…’ But, it ruins the family. The plot before it, and this deception by the mother and the One meant to carry the promise of God, tear them further apart.

Jacob has to be sent away for fear of his life. Rebekah won’t see him. Husband and wife, can you imagine the tension after this. Esau likely carries resentment for Isaac, Jacob will fear his brother. Nations that will oppose each other.

“We have no means of knowing how the Lord would have fulfilled the future as it was indicated in the divine oracle. His better purpose was thwarted by human scheming and manipulation, which in turn arose out of marital disharmony. Neither partner was alert to the Lord’s leading, because each was taken up with personal self-seeking, which is poles apart from repentance and faith, and the patience which waits for the Lord to work out his way.” Joyce G. Baldwin

Believing that God would not be able to accomplish his own purposes without their help. Making deceit permissible.

This is the realm of bribery and dishonesty. Impatience and manipulation.

Jacob's actions aimed at securing a blessing reflect our own struggles with striving for significance apart from God's truth.

God's plans prevail despite our human deception; His blessings come through trust and integrity, not manipulation.

God’s word rolls on, deceiving won’t stop it…

Despairing

This is Esau. Like his father, he could be convinced to give up a lot for a meal. Here he is met with the wreckage of Isaac’s spiritual blindness, and he is left to despair or despise the providence of God.

We don’t know if he was aware of the word spoken to Rebekah, we don’t know how clued in Esau was, this reads as if he is fairly clueless! But we can sense his pain.

At first he is told, all of this would be his, the blessing from his father. Just go prepare a meal. A sure thing.

What was he dreaming about on that hunt? How to grow the flock, flourish the fields?

Comes in with the meal he has hunted and prepared… and he hears that the blessing has been given to Jacob.

Genesis 27:34 “As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” (ESV)

He receives a second-hand blessing relegated to territory on the border of the desert, where farming was impossible, and his highest hopes would lie in freedom fighting and in throwing off his brother’s domination.

Utterly opposite of expectation.

Not that we expect him to roll with it and be happy… but it is an option.

Genesis 27:41 “Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” (ESV)

Bitterness takes root. (Goes from “mad” to “angry” sign language).

All of this creates a wedge in the family. Rebekah will tell Isaac that she loathes her life because of Esau’s wives, so Isaac sends Jacob back to Mesopotamia, to Rebekah’s brother Laban to find a wife and flee his murderous brother.

Tragic proof of God’s determination to keep his word. Despairing won’t thwart it.

Despairing, of these responses, might be that which we are most familiar with in response to the unfolding of God’s plans and purpose in our lives.

When what we experience is opposite of expectations; we wonder ‘can He really do what his word says?” Can he bless all nations, redeem a people, save, sanctify, give a mission, and a place of belonging.

Can he really build his church? Can he really free me from sin? Can he really restore broken relationships?

Even in the asking we can sense the pain of it, the despair. The lament.

Life like tattoos. Small tattoos are easy. Brief, light pain. Over quickly. But the more detailed, expansive, and beautiful takes more time, more pain.

And it is an intensity that builds. I have a beautiful tattoo. The first hour was fine, thinking ‘ah not so bad!’ (like that first repentance, opening the word, maybe a sting of recognition that life has to change and idols have to die.)

Then the ink continues to be injected and the blood continues to flow. You think you are building up a tolerance. (spiritual growth, Bible, church, community, still some stress but the Lord promised suffering, all good).

Then color has to be filled in and a different type of pain visits you, a sharpness that seems new. (Tragedy, sin, sorrow, scandal… is Jesus worth it?)

All along the way, at each point I could quit. I could get up from the bench, with an incomplete tattoo but the immediate pain would be relieved. (maybe like the deception of Jacob working, tempting because it seemingly worked / or the rage of Esau because it gave an outlet to the emotion)

But I wanted to hear “it is finished.” So I stayed in the chair. My skin though was beginning to fatigue and the pain was nearly unbearable. All I could think of was when would it stop! Calculating the worth of the endeavor, the sacrifice, the energy, the vulnerability. The pain.

(Waiting on the Lord’s timing, his perfect plan and purpose, providence. Honestly it can feel like this.)

Then just like that it is done. And what is left is beautiful.

Over and over again in Scripture that is what we are called to, persevering, overcoming by the blood of the lamb, remaining steadfast, clinging to our hope, trusting the word, purpose and providence of God.

“Everyone in the family sought the blessings of God without bending the knee to God. This little family was fraught with ambition, jealousy, envy, lying, deceit, coveting, malice, manipulation, stubbornness, and stupidity.” Hughes

“But in and above this is something of immense beauty and grandeur —the invincible determination of God to keep his word despite the prevailing unbelief and unfaithfulness of his people. God fulfilled his word despite Isaac’s opposition, despite Rebekah and Jacob’s manipulation, and despite Esau’s indifference.

The invincible determination of God will see to it that his people are sanctified. Here the figurative earthquake in Isaac’s life called him back to a life of faith. And Jacob was further pushed along the path that would result in his becoming Israel, a prince of God (cf. Genesis 32:28).”

In these knuckle-heads he has given us a story to remind us yes he will accomplish his purpose. And maybe he is inviting us into a different way of approaching the plans of God.

Delighting

This is not necessarily in the text. But it is what each character is after. Delight. Satisfaction.

And when we evaluate the whole counsel of God we realize that is not achieved by derailing God’s plan, or deceiving our way forward, or despairing along the way. But by a settled trust that builds a confidence and compass for life.

This story points to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise. Just as Jacob deceived his father to receive a blessing, we recognize that Christ was the true and perfect Jacob who offers the spiritual blessings of God through His truth and sacrifice, showing how God's grace overcomes human failure.

All of this parallels Christ’s temptation interestingly.

Get a meal… Luke 4:4 “And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (ESV)

Get power and glory… Luke 4:8 “And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’” (ESV)

Prove you are the son of God, make the angels catch you… Luke 4:12 “And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (ESV)

Before the crucifixion in the garden Jesus prays, “Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as you will.”

Because he did that, took on the cross, giving us redemption, who are we to distrust God’s plan? The very beneficiaries of it!

His timing? He is always right on time.

Galatians 4:4–5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (ESV)

And we can trust, because of who God is, even when we are knuckle-headed, like Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, or Esau, God is faithful.

2 Timothy 2:11–13 “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; [12] if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; [13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” (ESV)

We can take delight because his word, his plan is headed to our greatest good, eternity with Him and nothing can stop it.

Isaiah 46:8–10 “Remember this and stand firm,

recall it to mind, you transgressors,

[9] remember the former things of old;

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

[10] declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ (ESV)

Psalm 135:6 “Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,

in heaven and on earth,

in the seas and all deeps. (ESV)

Daniel 4:35 “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

and none can stay his hand

or say to him, “What have you done?” (ESV)

Ephesians 1:11 “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (ESV)

All this gives us:

Confidence: He has us, all of the promises of God find their yes in Christ, and are for us.

Compass: We live with integrity in light of his word, empowered for it by his Spirit. Always.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)

On his timing, in his design, oh that in this we might delight.

It’s where we bring our restlessness, our cries, our burdens, our dreams, our repentance. Not my will but yours, for your glory.

Nothing will stop the invincible determination of God to keep his word.

“It is a sweet consolation to the mind of one who muses much upon these deep matters, that God never has changed in any degree from his purpose; and the result will be, notwithstanding everything to the contrary, just precisely in every jot and tittle what he fore-knew and fore-ordained it should be. Now then, wars, ye may rise, and other Alexanders and Cæsars may spring up, but he will not change. Now, nations and peoples, lift up yourselves and let your parliaments pass your decrees, but he changeth not. Now, rebels, foam at the mouth and let your fury boil, but he changeth not for you. Oh! nations, and peoples, and tongues, and thou round earth, thou speedest on thy orbit still, and all the fury of thine inhabitants cannot make thee move from thy predestinated pathway. Creation is an arrow from the bow of God, and that arrow goes on, straight on, without deviation, to the centre of that target which God ordained that it should strike. Never varied is his plan; he is without variableness or shadow of a turning.” C. H. Spurgeon, “The Infallibility of God’s Purpose,”