June 2, 2024
Here is a link to the audio
Or, if you prefer Spotify:
Last week was Memorial Day and we talked about how God wants us to remember and feast over the good things He has done in our lives. We talked about how the Feast of Booths celebrated His faithfulness to provide food and shelter in the wilderness. We also discussed the Feast of Passover which commemorates His willingness to pass over us as believers in Jesus when He executes judgment in the days ahead.
We also said God wants us to celebrate Memorial Day to remember the love of those who gave their lives for us in the armed forces. Jesus said this in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
As a lead up to last week’s word, I described how my four-year-old granddaughter, Riley, remembered the details of getting one of her cherished birthday gifts. She knew exactly where she was when she opened the gift, and she remembered her friends who had attended the party. The next morning, the Lord spoke to me and said that He wants His children to remember the good gifts He has given us with the same level of detail and excitement that Riley had.
Well, today’s word is related to something my other granddaughter, six-year-old Hailey, said to me about remembrance last week. Hailey told me she remembered bumping her head on her highchair when she was just a baby. She told me her mother had shown her a video and she remembered that not so pleasant moment.
While we are to celebrate and feast over the good things that God has for us, we must also deal with the not so good things that have happened to us, or the unfulfilled prayer requests. We all have challenges in our lives. Some of them involve relationships that need adjusted or restored, or perhaps a physical ailment that needs to be healed. Maybe for you the issue is financial in nature. Whatever the challenge, God wants us to come to Him for ministry, healing, and wisdom.
I am reading a book by Joel Osteen entitled, “15 Ways to Live Longer and Healthier,” in which Pastor Joel encourages us to “be comfortable not knowing.” He contends that the reason we cannot figure out our problems is often because God has a blessing for us that is greater than anything we could imagine and orchestrate ourselves. That is an important message for us. We are to trust that God is bringing our blessing, and it is greater than we can fathom.
Often, we worry about how certain unfavorable circumstances are going to work out. That worry is an expression of our fleshly nature. We want to figure it out ourselves and we become frustrated. Sometimes that leads us to make mistakes. Sometimes we get angry with those we perceive to be the cause of our frustration. Sadly, the anger sometimes leads us to unforgiveness, which is a state that God will not bless.
There are many examples in the Bible where those in the bloodline of Jesus had the same tendency that we have to become impatient and take matters into our own hands. One such example is the story of Jacob and Esau.
The Story of Jacob and Esau.
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah. Genesis 25 tells us the twins struggled in Rebekah’s womb, and when she inquired of the Lord, He said that there were two nations within her womb and one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger. While Esau was first born, Jacob had a hold of Esau’s heel as he was born second. This was an early manifestation of a sibling rivalry, you might say.
As the boys grew up, Isaac favored Esau, who was a skilled hunter and a man of the field, but Rebekah favored Jacob, a peaceful man living in tents. One day, Jacob had cooked stew and Esau came in from the field and asked for a taste because he was famished. Jacob asked him for his birthright in exchange for some stew.
Genesis 25:
29 ¶ And when Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished;
30 and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
31 But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 And Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what [use] then is the birthright to me?”
33 And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (NASB)
The birthright of the eldest male in a Jewish family was a big deal. It entitled him upon death of the father to headship of the family and a double share of the inheritance. But verse 32 tells us Esau was so faint with hunger that he agreed to sell his birthright. He figured he was about to die of hunger so his birthright would have no value. That was shortsighted thinking. He gave up a long-term asset for a short-term gratification. He reacted in the flesh and not according to the Spirit of God.
Therefore, the prophecy of the Lord to Rebekah was fulfilled because now Jacob was entitled to be head of the family over Esau upon Isaac’s death. God said the older shall serve the younger. It is interesting that the name “Jacob” in the Hebrew means “heel-catcher, i.e., supplanter.” Jacob supplanted Esau in exchange for some stew.
This story also reveals a lot about the type of strong person Jacob was becoming. His brother really wanted something and instead of just giving his sibling rival what he wanted, Jacob negotiated for something he really wanted. We will see this skillful tendency of Jacob a little later in Genesis as he builds wealth by breeding a flock of livestock.
Lesson # 1: Responding in the Flesh Leads to Mistakes
Lesson # 1 for us from Jacob and Esau is that reacting according to the flesh will lead us to mistakes. When we satisfy the short-term desires of the flesh, it takes us away from God’s best. That is why the devil tempts us as he does. He knows the weakness of our flesh and he uses it to try to keep us from the long-term blessing of the Lord. Esau fed his short-term fleshly need in exchange for his birthright, which is a long-term leadership position and a double inheritance. That was a big mistake.
Esau figured he was about to die, so he devalued his birthright. He satisfied his current hunger, but he gave up a blessing that was coming to him, that he was in fact entitled to under Jewish law. That’s what we do when we fail to trust the Lord with our futures, and when we think the worst of our circumstances. Esau rationalized that he was about to die, so he sold his birthright. We do the same thing when we react in anger toward others. In effect, we sacrifice a long-term relationship with that person to satisfy a short-term fleshly urge to express that anger. It is the same thing when we change jobs to get back at our supervisor or the company. We exchange a potential long-term blessing to satisfy a short-term fleshly desire. I am not saying changing jobs is bad, only that it should not be an act of fleshly revenge. It must be led of the Spirit and not the flesh. Esau learned that lesson the hard way.
Lesson # 2: Our Failures Do Not Disqualify Us
Lesson # 2 from the story of Jacob and Esau is that God can use us despite our imperfections.
We see in Genesis 27 that, in addition to gaining Esau’s birthright, Jacob also was able to obtain the blessing of Isaac reserved for the oldest son before the father died. His method of obtaining the blessing was not right, but his sin did not disqualify Him from God’s destiny, which God had prophesied to Rebekah. God said that there were two nations within her womb and one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.
Genesis 27:
1 ¶ Now it came about, when Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”
2 And Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old [and] I do not know the day of my death.
3 “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me;
4 and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 And Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau…
Now here is where the story gets interesting. Rebekah favored Jacob and wanted him to receive the blessing of Isaac before his death, so she plotted with Jacob to masquerade him as his older twin brother in order to receive Isaac’s blessing. Rebekah had Jacob get two choice kids from the flock, and she prepared the savory meal that Isaac was expecting. Then Jacob went into his father’s bedroom and deceived him to gain the blessing.
Genesis 27:
18 ¶ Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.”
20 And Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have [it] so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD your God caused [it] to happen to me.”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
22 So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”
25 So he said, “Bring [it] to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that I may bless you.” And he brought [it] to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.”
27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed;
28 Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”
You might be wondering how God felt about the deception employed by Rebekah and Jacob. He is a God of light and not darkness and so I am sure He does not approve of such methods. Jacob was wrong to take part in the deception, the same way that Abraham and Sarah were wrong to conceive Ishmael with Hagar instead of waiting for God to fulfill the promise of Isaac with Sarah. But I think it speaks to God’s willingness to work with us despite our failings.
Father God knew that He would send Jesus to take on our sin, to purify us, and to sanctify us. Jesus worked with Peter despite his weakness of faith. What we see in this story is God blessing Jacob, the stronger one, the one who valued the blessing, the one who was the heel-catcher, the son who wanted it more than a bowl of stew. Jacob was not perfect, but God decided to use his eagerness to receive the blessing to advance the Kingdom, instead of Esau. And there are many other examples in the Bible of God restoring the sinner and using them for His purposes.
The lesson for us is to know our mistakes do not disqualify us if we continue to pursue God’s destiny through a relationship with Jesus.
Lesson # 3: Contend for Your Blessing
The remainder of the story of Jacob and Esau provides Lesson # 3: We are to trust the promise of God to bless us, and we are to pursue and contend for that blessing from Him.
It is interesting that even though Isaac was deceived, the blessing had full force and effect and could not be reversed even after Isaac realized the deception. Esau asked “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, [even] me also, O my father.” But Isaac could not by the law and custom. Scripture tells us that Esau bore a grudge, which caused Jacob to flee.
Genesis 27:
41 ¶ So Esau bore a grudge against 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 near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you, [by planning] to kill you.
43 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban!
And so, Jacob left for Haran and fell in love with Rachel, his cousin, the daughter of Uncle Laban. It is interesting that Jacob himself gets deceived by Laban, who agrees he can take Rachel as his wife in exchange for seven years of labor. But after the seven years of labor, Laban gave his older daughter Leah to Jacob for his wife, not Rachel. So, Jacob makes a deal with Laban to take Leah but to work an additional seven years for Rachel as well. So, Laban gives Jacob two sisters as wives, and well as two maids, one for each wife. Long story short, Jacob works 14 years for Laban, plus an additional six years before they have a falling out.
Both Rachel and Leah bore sons for Jacob, as did their maids. Jacob made a livestock breeding deal with Laban and Jacob ended up becoming prosperous with livestock and a large family. His sons include Judah, who was born of Leah, and who is in the direct bloodline of Jesus. It is interesting that the name “Judah” means “praise,” which is what Leah did when she gave birth to him.
It is fascinating to me that God in His mercy and love, used Leah, the unloved wife of Jacob, to bear Judah, who was the son in the direct bloodline of Jesus.
But Jacob was also becoming rich through his work with Laban.
Genesis 30:
43 So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.
As a result of this prosperity, Jacob and Laban had a falling out.
Genesis 31:
1 ¶ Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth.”
2 And Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not [friendly] toward him as formerly.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
Verse 3 is significant. Jacob heard the word of the Lord and obeyed. But on his return trip to his homeland, he became stressed that his brother Esau might seek to kill him because of the supplanted birthright and the stolen blessing of Isaac. So, Jacob devised a plan to separate his family and servants into two groups, and then he prayed this prayer:
Genesis 32:
9 ¶ And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who didst say to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’
10 I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff [only] I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.
11 “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
12 “For Thou didst say, ‘I will surely prosper you, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
13 ¶ So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau:
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
You must admit, Jacob was a very smart guy. But he combined those smarts with obedience and a trust in the Lord and His promise of prosperity. Notice in his prayer, he reminds God of His promise of a blessing. That is a way of contending for your blessing. He sent Esau a very generous gift as a peace offering. Only a prosperous man could make such a gift.
But what stands out to me about Jacob is he continued to contend for his blessing, even to the extent of wrestling an angel of the Lord. He separated from his family and servants and livestock on his way home to Esau, and he settled in for the night, when he encountered an angel of the Lord:
Genesis 32:
24 ¶ Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”
28 And he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”
Jacob wrestled with the angel and sustained a hip injury. But note verse 26. Jacob said he will not let go of the Lord unless the blessing comes. Again, Jacob shows his strong desire for the blessing of the Lord. And verse 28 is the blessing. God changes his name from “Jacob,” which means heel catcher or supplanter, to “Israel,” which means “prince of God, and he will rule as God.” That’s a pretty good blessing!
Genesis 34 tells us Jacob was furthered blessed by his reunion with Esau. Esau received him and accepted his generous gifts. Their relationship was restored.
And so, Jacob is an example for us. We need to have his attitude when we do not yet see the blessing. Grab onto Jesus and do not let go until the blessing comes. Keep praying and believing Jesus loves you. Keep believing His promise to prosper you. Keep believing He will heal you, restore broken relationships and bless you with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Keep believing His word from 3rd John 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
Contend for your blessing, trusting Him to deliver on His promises, as Jacob did.
Let us pray.
Father God, thank you for the promises of Your blessing and prosperity. Thank You that our mistakes do not disqualify us. Help us to hold onto You for the blessing. Help us to overcome our flesh by Your Holy Spirit. And encourage us to always hold onto Jesus and His promises. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
House of Hope Online 
Leave a comment