909 Biblical Characters – Jacob & Esau
Notes
Transcript
- In a recent stunning move, Catholic Bishops in the United States have made a resolution to deny communion to the US’ speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi & the President, Joe Biden, because of their support for abortion
- But a congressman, Ted Lieu, wrote on Twitter…
“Dear @USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
: I’m Catholic and I support:
- Contraception
- A woman’s right to choose
- Treatments for infertility
- The right for people to get a divorce
- The right of same sex marriage
- Next time I go to Church, I dare you to deny me Communion”.
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- He’s a catholic yet lives by the dictates of pop culture
- This is where the divide is growing between people who claim to believe in the Lord Jesus, yet, seek to make the truth of God conform to their standards & those who willingly yield to the word of our God
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- The Conservative Brief, an American News Site, responses to Ted Lieu with these comments...
“He talks about membership (of the catholic church) like it is some kind of club. But what some Democrats, and Republicans and everyone, fail to comprehend so often is that God’s Word does not change. It is constant and for all time. It does not change because of a court decision or because the world changes.
It does not change because you think His rules are “unfair” or because you do not like them. We are all sinners and none of us can sit in judgment of anyone, but there is a difference between knowing you are a flawed sinner and asking the Church to rubber stamp your sins as “OK” because the world has changed.”1
- He makes a very good point there & it strikes at the heart of what it means to be a Christian
- We are either holding to God’s word or we’re not – now, of course, interpretation becomes very important
- But & this is a big but – Christians should not rest on interpretation to get the Bible to say whatever they want it to say
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- There are big pushes for people to see each others identity according to their skin colour
- You hear of white privilege, black lives matter - some people are very keen to judge a person by the colour of their skin
- Rev. Martin Luther King nailed the biblical approach in the civil rights movement in the 1960’s by saying…
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
- We need to be a people who will fearlessly proclaim the truth in spite of opposition to the biblical approach
- The stakes could not be higher as we carry the mantle of the Gospel to the next generation
- We are either believing in the revelation of God or the reasoning's of man
- Because if we don’t believe in the revelation of God, the Gospel will not be good news but irrelevant news & if it’s irrelevant news, what are you & I doing here!
1. Theft of the Blessing
1. Theft of the Blessing
Q. Ever remember a time where you had to make a decision you were not 100% comfortable with?
- Especially, those types of decisions that may have you thinking that you are compromising on your relationship with Christ
- These things usually come on us when we have competing values before us
- Those values may relate to friends or family; they may relate to personal ambitions or personal goals
- They seem to come at a time when we are weakest or are in a vulnerable position
- Either way, God has a way of challenging us by placing us in those uncomfortable conditions
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- Here we see Jacob & Esau in this first reading
- Isaac is 40 yrs old when he marries Rebekah; he is 60 yrs old when he father’s Jacob & Esau
- Esau is the firstborn & Jacob came out 2nd because they are twins
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- The firstborn held a high position in that society
- The firstborn would receive a double portion of the inheritance
- The way it worked is that Isaac would divide his inheritance between Jacob & Esau
- He would divide his inheritance by 3 & the youngest would receive 1 portion while the firstborn (the oldest) would receive 2 portions
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- However, the Lord sometimes works in contrary ways to the usual protocol & declares to Rebekah…
23 The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”
- The older, Esau, has the meaning “hairy”, while Jacob has the meaning “supplanter”
- When they grew up, Esau became a hunter - & we find that Isaac loved the taste of the game Esau caught – but Jacob was a more mild-mannered man – like Clark Kent, I suppose
- If you remember that there were two boys with Abraham too – Ishmael & Isaac
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- Isaac was the second but became prominent & Jacob was the second & became prominent
- Both of those go contrary to the normal process of the firstborn having the prominence
- So what we should have expected, on the human level, is that Ishmael & Esau should have taken the limelight & been the leaders & receivers of the promise, but more of that in my 2nd point
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- What I want us to note in this first point is the attitude of Esau
- Rebekah knew how to scheme & we have the commentary that Isaac loved Esau but Rebekah loved Jacob
- Abraham pleaded for Ishmael to be the bearer of the promise
- Now Isaac wanted Esau to be the bearer of the promise
- Yet, Rebekah loved Jacob & schemed to have him receive the inheritance of the promise of God
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- The manoeuvre started early by Jacob’s design with Esau coming in from a big hunting trip & being really hungry
- He saw the pot of stew Jacob was cooking & desperately wanted some of it
- But Jacob seized the opportunity & said that it would cost him his birthright – which is the right of the firstborn, the right of the double portion & the right of the Father’s blessing
- Jacob made Esau swear an oath to him before he got any stew
- Esau happily gave away his special birthright for a pot of stew
- The commentary that follows is that Esau despised his birthright
- That is a very sad commentary which we will look at in my 3rd point
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- Then when Isaac was about to die, Rebekah takes up the mantle of schemer
- Now, Isaac is 100 yrs old & close to passing away which mean the twins are 40 yrs old
- It is time for Isaac to bestow his blessing on the firstborn, Esau
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- Rebekah seizes the opportunity to deceive Isaac who loved Esau & wanted him to inherit the blessing & promise of God
- So as you heard in the reading, she commands Jacob to put on hairy garments & make Jacob steal the identity of his brother for a time – see, identity theft has been around a long time
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- God had said to Isaac...
24 The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.”
- The Lord will continue to pass the promise on until its fulfilment in Christ – but here we see that Isaac has inherited the promise, interestingly, for the sake of My servant Abraham
- Abraham was true & faithful to God & had confirmed the covenant God made with him
2. God’s Sovereignty Secures the Promise
2. God’s Sovereignty Secures the Promise
Q. Does it trouble you that God seems to be able to control all the actions of man?
- We see evil being done & yet it is done by man, but God not only knows about it but, in some respects, becomes part of His sovereign oversight
- God does not do evil, says James
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
- So while God controls all that happens, He is not the author or doer of sin & evil
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- Remember when Joseph was abducted by his brothers & sold into Egypt?
- Little did they know that God had planned for Joseph to end up there & provide a certain type of “salvation” against the 7 yr famine that would happen throughout that part of the world
- God elevates Joseph to 2ic of Egypt & he manages to provide aid to many nations, esp. to his father Jacob, whose name had been changed to Israel
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- When Joseph’s brothers go down to Egypt to get grain from Joseph whom they abducted & sold to traders, he reveals to them that he is their brother Joseph
- They thought they were dead men as Joseph would take revenge for the evil they had done to him, but no, Joseph was gracious & revealed something unique about the sovereignty of God
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
- Joseph saw the bigger picture that God was behind all the nonsense of men to bring about His purposes
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- We see a similar scenario here in our reading today
- The deception of Rebekah & Jacob
Q. Was it cheating, or did Esau forfeit his right to the blessing anyhow by selling his birthright & hence the saying that he despised his birthright?
- To be honest, I’m in two minds – I can see that deception is wrong, but I can also see that desiring the line of the promise & blessing to be something admirable – a godly conviction
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- Certainly, there seems to be that picture of Esau in the NT book of Hebrews when Esau is called an immoral & godless person who sold his birthright for a single meal
- Perhaps, what motivated Rebekah apart from her love for Jacob was the message from God that the older will serve the younger
23 The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”
- Isaac is 100 yrs old when he blesses Jacob
- 2nd born displaces the 1st just as with Ishmael & Isaac where the 2nd born displaces the 1st
- It shows that God is directing the promise & not man
- It shows that the origin & progress of the promise is divine in origin
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- One more point here before we go to the last point of today
- There are 2 similar episodes that we have brushed over that also express the fact that in Abraham & Isaac there is a divine hand at work
- Abimelech is probably the throne name of the king of the Philistines, just like Pharaoh is a throne name for the King of Egypt – you can have many Pharaohs & you can have many Ahimelechs
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- In two separate occasions Abimelech witnesses to the blessing of the Lord on Abraham & again on Isaac
- Those two occasions share one similar starting point – the men say that their wives are not wives but sisters - & they deceive Abimelech
- Yet, Abimelech crawls up to them both because he sees the hand of God on them & wants to be part of it
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- Remember there are two separate occasions here when this happens – once with Abraham & then again with Isaac – this should then reinforce something powerful to the reader
22 Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; 23 now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.” 24 Abraham said, “I swear it.”
16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.”
26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with his adviser Ahuzzath and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ”
- I have to hand it to these, may be 2, Philistine kings because they see something that many people are just too proud to see, too proud to do anything about
- They see the hand of God on a situation & respect what God is doing
- That is real wisdom & a credit to these kings – they have acted much like Rahab, who saw the hand of God on the Israelites & betrayed the inhabitants of Jericho to be part of what God was doing
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- The message we are seeing here is that God is at work & sovereignly guides the promise through the generations
- Furthermore, to secure the promise, Jacob had to be separated from Esau as Ishmael was separated from Isaac
- There needed to be a clear distinction for the promise to be keep on track & so in God’s providence Jacob & Esau were separated
46 Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
- This separation also occurred between Israel & the pagan nations - Israel was not to imitate what the pagan nations were doing in respect to their worship
- Israel could not mix bread with grain; they could not boil a kid (goat) in its mothers milk
- This is because the pagan nations did those things & they did them as part of their worship practises to the gods
- Israel was to have no part of that, therefore, they were not to mimic their culture in those ways
- Se we see God separating out Esau who becomes the nation of Edom from Jacob, the name God changes to be Israel
3. Character of Jacob & Esau
3. Character of Jacob & Esau
- Some finally thoughts on the character of these 2 men
- As I mentioned before, the writer in Hebrews has no flattery in talking about Esau
15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
- Once the blessing was bestowed, it was sealed upon Jacob & Esau had no recourse to receive it
- Wow, just goes to show that some circumstances are not redeemable & the Hebrew writer is here warning the church of Christ
- But in relation to the blessing, Esau just didn’t have the heart for what God was giving & what God was wanting to do with His family
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- It began a long time ago for Esau
- He showed a reckless disregard for the things of God
- They weren’t in his vision for his life
- He was too busy living for Esau
- Unlike, Rebekah’s family where those over her had input into who she married, Esau did as he pleased & obviously did not consult his parents in the choosing of a wife
34 When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
- He didn’t have a respect for God in his heart
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- Further evidence was when he was hungry that he swore an oath & sold his birthright for a pot of red stew
- His birthright was tied into the promise of God & yet, with such little faith, he sold it for a pot of stew
- One poet put it this way
Esau said, “I’m feeling faint.”
“Aw,” said Jacob, “no you ain’t.”
“Papa’s blessing,” Esau cried,
“Is mine by rights. But I’ll have died
Of hunger first. For pity’s sake—
My birthright for your lentils, Jake.”
“Your birthright?” Jacob murmured. Sold!
Dig in, before the stuff gets cold.”2
- How cheaply he sold that which should have been most precious to him
- He chose to satisfy the feelings of the moment above the issues that mattered over time
- Filling the stomach lasted a brief moment compared with that which lasted forever
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- So the commentary is that he despised his birthright
- The person who isn’t committed to God would object to that description
- They would argue that “despise” is too strong a word
- But there is a long history in the Bible of working in extremes
- Remember, Jesus said…
30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
- There is no in-between with God; no & yes – there is only yes to God
- Lukewarm Christianity Jesus spews out of His mouth (Laodicea, Rev. 3:15)
- So when it came to such a crucial thing as Esau’s birthright, it comes out as “despised his birthright”
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Q. What could Esau have done differently if He really wanted to put the Lord first?
- Go right back to Genesis as we learnt from Cain & Abel what the right response to God is when He chooses a path that is not your personal path
- Cain was upset that God chose Abel’s offering over his
- But God warned him
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
- If you do right, will you not be accepted! Yes, you would be
- But, of course, this is where people come unstuck with their relationship with God
- All we see of Esau is that he lets sin pounce on him & have him for breakfast
36 Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
- Esau became spiteful because he couldn’t have his cake & eat it
- Or couldn’t have his firstborn blessing & the red stew
- Notice the how he follows in the footsteps of Cain
6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; 9 and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
- Instead of doing right, in spite, he continued on his godless trajectory
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- If God is doing things differently than you expect or wanted, it doesn’t mean he’s rejected you so much as He is doing something else
- It doesn’t reflect on you as much as your response to that situation you don’t like
- Of course, none of us like being in a situation we hate, but check your response to God for this is when sin crouches like a Lion ready to pounce on its prey
- It could well be that God chooses to do something different & to test you to see whether you will love God in spite of something not going your way
- This is where faith truly shines or evaporates
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- Esau was already on a godless trajectory
- Keep a close watch out for the godless trajectories
- You see it – a little creep here, a little creep there – before you know it, you're off the path
- This is the choice that both Jacob & Esau had to make before God
- It’s still a choice we have to make today
Q. Shall I believe in Christ with all that entails, or shall I keep enjoying my red stew?
- A godly person cannot live life that way – either you are with Jesus, or against Him – we need to realise that there is no middle ground
1https://conservativebrief.com/joe-biden-catholic-church-43114/?utm_source=CB&utm_medium=TBA
2J. Steig, The Old Testament Made Easy (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1990). in John H. Walton, Genesis, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001).