Jacob: Seeking Man or God?

I must confess there have been times in my ministry where receiving the praise or blessing of man took a higher precedence in my heart. I would never admit it in the moment, however… my actions, my motives would have said otherwise!!!

Often you and I will find ourselves willing to lay aside conviction, truth, and approach… justifying the good aspect of a matter, or the perception of mankind around us and sacrifice God’s greater Blessing for the temporary accolades or praises of blessing for the moment. The scary thing sis when we begin to twist the Word of God to justify our actions.

In our passage today we are going to look at Jacob as he is going to learn some life altering lessons of reality that would be vital for the Israelites to know and understand as they would enter into the land… and are just as vital for you and I to know and understand today.

IF you and I truly grasp what the scriptures are teaching today in your heart and mind…

THEN we cannot help but apply what we learn and allow it to impact and change how we live!

We are looking at Genesis 27-28 this morning. For sake of time I will not read all of it, trusting that your desire both to come this morning prepared with a heart to learn you have read the passage already. If not this week then earlier this year as we went through this powerful book of Genesis together. If not, I challenge you to do your due diligence in your study, your growth as an individual and read and look closer at these verses we will glean from this morning.

Jacob’s Deception

In many of your Bibles you will see a heading like this over verse 1. This is an event in the scriptures that is shared even in kids Sunday school.

I still remember the flannel graph picture of Jacob with the goat skin on his arms handing his father Isaac a bowl of food.

I still remember the lesson of how wrong it is to lie… but there is so much more to this passage of scripture!

Consider the premise of this event…

Isaac is old and blind, calls for Esau desires to bless him… Esau goes hunting

Rebekah overhears, she fears this will be the only opportunity for Jacob to get the blessing instead Genesis 27:8

DO NOT teach and train your children to manipulate God’s plan… teach them to follow His Plan

Rebekah tells Jacob to put on Esau’s clothes, put goat fur on his arms and neck (hairy) while she cooked up some food

Jacob expresses fear in the plan… but no guilt!

Isaac is concerned and not fully convinced it is Esau but Jacob lies multiple times to his father to convince him! Verses 19, 20, 24 (even lies about God)

Then Isaac blesses him… Genesis 27:27-29

I find it interesting God never told Isaac to do this, we don’t see Abraham do this with Isaac… we merely see a man (Isaac) desiring that the son he desires to be blessed receive this blessing!

When we seek our own desires over God’s desire the outcome is never good. The end does not justify the means!!!

Family Strife

There is NOTHING good that can come from a family where:

Parents play favorites with kids

Spouses are on opposite pages

Parents promote secrets and lies to the other parent and siblings

Deceit is not even given a second thought

Where there is fighting over status

ESAU COMES BACK!!!

He comes in and seeks the blessing… look at Isaac’s response Genesis 27:33-40

Isaac has now realized that he had opposed God for his own desires and Esau is livid

Esau conspires to murder his brother!

These parents have successfully divided their home, seeking their OWN desires rather than seeking the Lord and leading their children to do the same

What do you do when you have screwed up like this?

This is a good time to call the family together and admit failure, sins, and seek forgiveness from the family and from God

Rebekah decides to deceive Isaac once more

Esau's wives from Canaan are grieving me… I cannot bear to have Jacob take a Canaanite wife as well.

Isaac send Jacob to his Uncle Laban to get a wife from family

Esau reveals his heart when he sees this and seeks wives from family as well… he goes to Uncle Ishmael!!!

Jacob sought his father’s blessing as oldest, Esau sought his father’s blessing in his wives, Rebekah sought blessing for her favored son… when we seek man’s blessing, with man’s manipulation we see nothing good come from it.

I am so glad that past sin and past mistakes don’t have to keep us from God’s Grace (“while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!”)

God’s Graceful Blessing

Chapter 28 finds Jacob leaving for self exile from his family, his land, his home… as he heads to the land of Haran.

On his journey he makes a place to rest and sleeps.

God visits him there in the night vision Genesis 28:12-15

God is very clear with Jacob… I WILL BLESS YOU… NOT your deceitful actions or manipulation, NOT your father, NOT some man!

The blessing has always come from God, always come from faith, not from man! AND IT WAS FULLY BY GOD’S GRACE!!!

It was true then

It was true for Israel as they went into the promise land

And it is true today Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB95

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God also confirms something else here that Israel needs to know and understand… God is with you!

He does not stay at home

He is not in some special place like a building

God is not limited as were other gods… HE WAS everywhere present!

A Right Response to Grace

In Jacob’s response we see him exhibit: FEAR, WORSHIP, GIVING… Genesis 28:16-22

FEAR

A reverent AWE… Proverbs states that fear is the beginning of wisdom

We need to remember that we serve and worship a Holy Righteous God

WORSHIP

Acknowledging God for who He is

This was a beginning of Jacob’s relationship with God

Jacob in his worship makes a covenant… starting place

IF… THEN… not full commitment yet, this will grow

Acknowledging what God has promised, seeking him further

GIVING HEART

An aspect of his worship like his Grandfather Abraham would be to give

Make no mistake, how we view our possessions, our money, our wealth is a DIRECT reflection of our heart of worship!

A TENTH… was a standard Israel would have as the least… to demonstrate that they understood that God owned it ALL and they would give this portion back to Him as an acknowledgment and act of worship

How are you approaching the blessing and grace of God this morning?

Are you seeking it from man, through manipulation, what you do

Caring more about what those around may think or desire or what God wants and desires

God desires YOU! A relationship with YOU! STOP thinking that...

You can manipulate Him to be impressed (church attendance, church words, putting on goat hair to look the part)

You have a better idea or a better way

You somehow are entitled or deserve his blessing

He did it, He is the ONLY One who does it… and we receive His BLESSING of GRACE through Him and Him alone!

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