January 9, 2015 - Genesis 25:27-34-Genesis 28:5 Time marches on, and Jacob and Esau are now young men. The Bible tells us... As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn. Genesis 26:27-34 A birthright was a special honor given to the firstborn son. It included a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honor of one day becoming the family’s leader. The oldest son could sell his birthright or give it away if he chose, but in so doing, he would lose both material goods and his leadership position. By trading his birthright, Esau showed complete disregard for the spiritual blessings that would have come his way if he had kept it. Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. He acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without pausing to consider the long-range consequences of what he was about to do. As the years pass, Isaac prepares to give Esau his birthright blessing. When Rebekah learned that Isaac was preparing to bless Esau, she quickly devised a plan to trick him into blessing Jacob instead. Although God had already told her that Jacob would become the family leader, Rebekah took matters into her own hands. She resorted to doing something wrong to try to bring about what God had already said would happen. For Rebekah, the end justified the means. Jacob hesitated when he heard Rebekah’s deceitful plan. Although he questioned it for the wrong reason (fear of getting caught), he protested and thus gave her one last chance to reconsider. But Rebekah had become so wrapped up in her plan that she no longer saw clearly what she was doing. Sin had trapped her and was degrading her character. As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father, Esau returned from his hunt. When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged. But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me? Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?” Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and wept. Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above. You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.” Genesis 27:33-40 Although Jacob got the blessing he wanted, deceiving his father cost him dearly. These are some of the consequences of that deceit: 1. He never saw his mother again; 2. his brother wanted to kill him; 3. he was deceived by his uncle, Laban; 4. his family became torn by strife; 5. Esau became the founder of an enemy nation; 6. he was exiled from his family for years. Ironically, Jacob would have received the birthright and blessing anyway. Imagine how different his life would have been had he and his mother waited for God to work his way, in his time! This account has always made my heart ache for Esau. But when we look more closely at the account, we begin to understand what the Lord meant when He originally made this prophecy while these children were still in their mothers womb. Lets try to see what is really going on in the passage. First of all right at the start of todays reading Esau trades his birthright for a bowl of soup! It seems from this incident that Esau really didnt hold much respect for the whole idea of the birthright and the blessing. Maybe this is saying something about his character, and of course God knows his character. Also, as mentioned a few days ago, just because something happens in the bible doesnt mean that God approves of it. Yes, God did tell Rebekah that her older son, would serve the younger,but NO He did not tell her to manipulate the situation the way she did. Looks like she is doing the same thing that Sarah did when she didnt wait for God and took matters into her own hands with Hagar and Ishmael. Look at all the pain that can happen when we take matters into our own hands and dont wait for God! Sure Jacob gets the blessing, but the family is damaged forever! We only have to look at the Middle East today to see the strife and violence that abounds; and to think it all goes back to a family quarrel, and a bad decision. Who knows how things would have been different if Rebekah waited for God? Jacob still would have gotten the blessing, but maybe there would have been a much more amicable way to accomplish it. Only God knows!
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 03:22:49 +0000
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