Something Good Will Come out of This - Genesis 32:24-31

Sermon

Its Black History Month and the Lord has given me to deal with an issue we don’t often speak about in the church that many of our families within the church suffer. Every individual at some point in their life will have a disagreement within their family. But when disagreements are not properly handled they lead to dysfunction. Most families don’t start out dysfunctional it leads to that because of years and years of issues and things that have gone on within the family that we did not discuss. The thing about familial issues is we all have them whether we want to admit it or not.

But I believe that God wants us to know today that something good will come out of our issues!

A functional family is a family full of good forgivers and a family full of self introspective’s if you will who have turned to seem themself in the mirror. But not the mirror of which you might be thinking. The mirror on the wall only shows you what you can see. But the word of God has the power to turn the light on inside and show you your life through the word of God.

Our text inevitably brings us to the dysfunctional family of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau.

You will remember that Isaac was almost sacrificed and would have been but thank God there was a ram in the thicket of the bush

Isaac the child who was almost sacrificed around 40 gets married and starts his own family but not without problems. It appears to be a generational curse that has passed down from his mother and father, Abraham and Sarah; his wife is experiencing the same thing Sarah did in the barrenness of her womb.

Every now and again young people you gotta go talk to granny. And if granny isn’t around anymore you may have to find someone else. Because you start thinking that what you are going through is new and you’re the only one who’s been through it. But granny will let you know baby, this ain’t the first time we had this issue and God brought us through the first time; in fact that’s the reason your here. You are a product of a God who has opened up a barren womb before - hang in there He’ll do it again.

Isaac prayed to the Lord and the Lord answers his prayer and Rebekah then becomes pregnant. God has done it again. Because since He did it before what we know about God he is no respect of persons so if he did it before… you know the rest He’ll do it again... only this time there is not just one child as there was with Sarah but there are twins

The Bible says Genesis chap 25:22 that the two children struggled (they fought) together within her because she had two nations in her womb. The elder of the twins would serve the younger.

This biblical narrative tells us that Esau is his daddy’s child - he’s a hunter but Jacob, he is a momma’s boy.

Here is where the problems start. Esau had a long day of working and was so spent to the point of death. He’s hungry and Jacob agreed to feed him at a high price. Jacob would help his brother with some soup to revive him if and only if Esau will give his birthright away. Blessings to the elder son were customary during biblical times. Jacob sought to usurp that which was his brother’s by custom for a bowl of soup

That’s because Jacob his name means supplanter - he is the master of deceit.

But this wasn’t nothin but a setup because something good will come out of this.

To make the family dysfunction worse - Isaac is about to die (Genesis 27) and so its time to bless his oldest child. Jacob and his mother Rebekah in cahoots together - Jacob poses as his brother. Isaac has enough sense to sense something different but he proceeds to bless Jacob anyway instead of Esau.

Not only is Jacob a master deceiver but his mother has seemingly joined the pact to team up against her own son, Esau that her favorite might receive the blessing of his father.

Esau quickly realizes what has happened and has vowed to kill his brother Jacob for the treachery. Rebekah got wind of Esau’s intentions and told Jacob you got to get out of here.

Isaac and Rebekah didn’t care for the woman that Esau had married so Rebekah used this as an opportunity for Jacob to leave the home go to where she came from and take for himself a wife that they would approve of.

So far in the story it starts with a barren womb, then an opened womb that conceives two twin boys who were in the womb toiling. They come out, Jacob steals Esau’s birthright, stole the blessing from his father with the help of his mother, Isaac and Rebekah don’t approve of Esau’s marital choices and now Jacob is about to be on the run.

In retaliation to his parents, Esau went and got some more of the women his parents didn’t approve of from his uncle, Ishmael.

Jacob on his way to his uncle has an encounter with God at Bethel. The Bible says in Genesis 28 that he used stone to make a pillow for himself and he had a dream. He saw angels ascending and descending and God stood above the ladder and sought to continue the covenant given to Abraham with Jacob concerning the blessing of his seed. Jacob quickly sensed the presence of God and said surely the Lord is in this place. Seemingly the first time in his life up to this point that he has had an encounter with God.

do you remember when you came to Jesus? I ask that question because some of us have got to think back to our Beth-el moment when God met us even when we were undeserving.

The thing I find interesting of the story in Gen 28 it wasn’t until Jacob was alone that he had an encounter with God

Jacob had to get away from his mother and get with the Lord all by himself. Some of us God is saying you’ve been listening to so many voices around you; you need a Bethel experience. You need to get somewhere by yourself and let God talk to you.

You would think that was enough but there is more to the family dysfunction. Jacob makes it to Padan-aram with his uncle Laban. Finds that his uncle has a daughter that as soon as he lays eyes on her he’s in love by the name of Rachel. Jacob makes an agreement with Laban to work for him for seven years and at the end thereof, he will give him Rachel.

Laban, Genesis 29, instead of giving him Rachel gives him Leah instead. He said that it wasn’t right to give the younger daughter in marriage before the first born. He told Jacob satisfy the marriage week and then I’ll give you Rachel but I want you to work another 7 years after I give you the one you asked for in the first place. Jacob loved Rachel so much that he agreed.

Oh my, you would think that was enough. But just like some of us sometimes the dysfunctions and issues within our families are so deep it at times seems like a never ending saga.

Jacob loved Rachel because that was the daughter he asked for. But God blessed the womb of Leah. Now you’ve got to women, sisters who have married the same man and now God has blessed one womb over the other. Leah has a son who she named Reuben. Then she has Simeon and Levi and Judah.

Rachel got mad and gave her handmaid to her husband that she may have children through her. There came Dan and then Naphtali.

Leah in a jealous response gave her handmaid to her husband and then came Gad, Asher, and later Issachar, Zebulon, and one daughter; Dinah.

Finally after 10 sons and one daughter God responds to the cries of Rachel and God gave her Joseph.

Laban and Jacob continued with some more trickery toward one another but this time Jacob got the upper hand. He took just about everything his uncle had all the cattle insomuch that Laban’s sons said hey man you are taking our inheritance.

Some of you I know got some folk in your family like that… You can’t trust them as far as you can throw them and they will take you for everything you got.

Jacob is about to leave with much more than what he came with. He came with nothing and he is leaving with two wives, handmaids, cattle, children and so much more.

How then does it seem that Jacob defrauded his brother of his birthright and his father’s blessing, is on the run and God meets him at Bethel and then blesses him to prosper in his uncles land.

God seemingly never punished Jacob for his actions. But his actions were a part of God’s will. Letting us know that some of the stuff you did in your life that was ugly, that would perhaps make the person sitting next to and behind you move their seat - even that mistake will find its way to guide you into the will of God.

The will of God was not necessarily in Isaac’s favor who was the first born but it was in Jacob’s. So all the wrong that Jacob did - God only used it to carry out His plan.

For about three of you who will receive it, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up about your past because God will use your past so that something good comes out of it. Sometimes it seems as some of us are looking for God to just beat us up

But a does not equal b

Folk always around talking about karma this and karma that. But karma is not a biblical principle. Grace that which you receive that you didn’t deserve is a biblical principle. Mercy that God did not give you what you deserved goes directly against the principles of “karma”

We have painted a picture of a God who is out to get you. But through Jacob we see God who just wants to get hold of you!

And before you go judging Jacob… I want you to know we’ve all God some Jacob in us.

All of us will do some stuff by any means necessary to have what we want

Most of us have had somebody in our ear telling us to do something we shouldn’t

Some of us in our quest to constantly want more will step on the backs of even our family to get it.

All of us got a past that others would deem unworthy of redemption

But that God for Bethel. For it was a Bethel where I saw the Lord!

In Genesis 31, Jacob is gone with everything he earned and or tricked Laban out of. Laban chases him down because he said Jacob didn’t allow him to say goodbye to his children or nothing he was just out! Laban probably would have sought to kill Jacob but God stopped him and told him don’t you hurt Jacob. They made a covenant with one another to just go there separate ways. In spite of the trickery and deceit they were able to have a conversation because God was in the midst.

And I want to tell somebody who has been dreading dealing with some tough issues and circumstances in your family; God will make hard conversations with your family members go better than you thought.

Well lest I keep you to long on this Super Bowl Sunday, let me hasten to the point of my text.

Jacob now leaves Laban better than he came. God has given him grace to go back now and face his brother. Because no matter what has happened in the family, you’ve got to face your problems

Jacob is preparing to go back and his brother Esau hears that Jacob is on the way. Esau was on his way with 400 men.

Jacob scared came up with a strategy let me separate my family and cattle and all that I have gained. So if Esau comes he won’t kill or take everything.

Jacob sent everybody and everything on and verse 24 of chapter 32 lets us know Jacob was alone in Jabbok. 20+ years after his Bethel experience

And if you’re going to face some deep seated issues in your family its going to require some alone time with God. You need some alone time with God to look in the real mirror of your life.

But sometimes what I’ve come to learn about the Bible is it is aimed at the will of the reader. Most of us look at the Bible and say that doesn’t apply to me, but in actuality it is asking us to change something about us. But we’ve got at times the dichotomy of two mirrors.

The mirror on our wall is giving us a false picture and we’ve got to have some alone time with God to see our reflection in his point of view.

Not only was Jacob alone but got in a fight!

Getting in a fight will teach you something about you - especially when you get in a fight with someone bigger than you

Jacob here had a theophany - a visible manifestation of God to a human

It was in his fight with God that God showed him who he really was. You’re not really Jacob the deceiver. No, no, no. You were that and you did that - but you’re not that anymore. But if you’re going to reconcile with your brother Jacob you’re going to have to see who you’ve been vs. who I have created you to be.

Jacob got in a fight and he held on by faith and said I won’t let go until you bless me. I remember 20 years ago you visited me at Bethel… but now that you’re here again, I’m not letting you go until you bless me.

I am tired of my trickery. I am tired of my deceit.

God wasn’t in this tussle with Jacob because of karma. God wasn’t in this tussle with Jacob because he had a desire to give Jacob what he deserved based on all of the things he had done.

God was in a tussle with Jacob because Jacob wouldn’t let him go. God tried to let him go but Jacob wouldn’t let him go.

So finally Jacob after he wouldn’t let go God blessed him and changed his name… I told you something good has got to come out of all of this. He changed is name to Israel.

And God did with Israel what He would do with Israel. God’s changing Jacobs name to Israel was redeeming him. And Israel the people at this point in the Bible are still in slavery in Egypt under Pharoah. But I believe this was prophetic in the means that God did with Jacob (Israel) what He would later do for the children of Israel after Exile. He would save and redeem them and hold them harmless.

Close

What are you trying to say Bradley? I’m so glad you asked. I am trying to say Jacob had to do it. He had to do it so he could get alone with God and God could set him straight. When he got alone with God, it let him to Rachel. And you remember I already told you

Laban gave Jacob Leah instead of the one he wanted Rachel

Jacob married lead and stayed with her one week before he married Rachel too.

Jacob loved Rachel much more than Leah.

But it happens again Rachel was barren as Rebekah, Jacob’s mother was, as Jacob’s grandmother Sarah was.... but Jacob had to do it

Leah had some children - seven to be exact. I told you earlier there was Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and one girl Dinah.

But I’ve got to point out that so Judah.

Judah had 5 sons. The fourth son in particular’s name was Perez

Perez had 8 sons

Three most notable would be Boaz, who begat Obed, who begat Jesse

Then Jesse begat David and it is through the lineage of David via his son Nathan that we get to Mary who conceived by the Holy Spirit - the savior of the world Jesus the Christ

And I don’t know who I am preaching to this morning but I rose to tell somebody something good is going to come out of what you’re going through

I don’t know who it is, what it is, or what family I may be talking to… You’ve wrote some of your family members off because of things that have happened but something good will come out of this.

and i need about 10 of you to just speak that in the atmosphere - something good will come out of this

I don’t care how bad its been

I don’t care how egregious someone’s mistakes were - God will turn it around for your good!

Because all things work together!

And nothing shall be impossible with God

He’s got the power to turn it around

He’s got the power to fix hearts

Do you trust him to do i? Do you trust him that you won’t let go in prayer, you won’t let go in faith until God turns it around

Somebody needs to just say this morning God I won’t let go until you bless my family.

Jacob realized that the words of the hymn writer were true… love lifted me!