Genesis A Conspiracy and A Ladder

Transcription

1 INTRO: There is a 37-year gap between chapters 26 and 27. I. The Conspiracy to Obtain the BLESSING. (27) A. (v. 2) 1. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: a. I am old = 137 years old 1 1) Thus, Jacob and Esau are 77 years old b. I know not the day of my death 1) NOTE: Isaac actually lives until he s 180 years old (35:28), so he was not as close to death as he thought. He lived another 43 years a) Isaac is now the same age that his halfbrother Ishmael was when he died 14 years earlier at age 137 (25:17), so he might have felt that his time was about up. i. Illust. - I remember when my dad turned 42, he was shocked because he honestly didn t expect to outlive his dad, who died at 41. 2) KEY: You have no idea how long you ll live So live every moment in light of eternity B. (v. 4) 1. that my soul may bless thee before I die. 1 Genesis 25:26; 26:34; 30:25-26; 31:38, 41; 35:28; 41:46, 53; 45:4-6, 11; 47:9 NOTE: We know that Jacob was 130 years old when Joseph was 39 years old (47:9; 41:46, 53; 45:11), so Joseph was born when Jacob was 91 years old. Also, Jacob served Laban for 14 years for Leah and Rachel (29:20, 30), and Joseph was born at the end of the 14 years (30:25-26). Then Jacob worked an extra 6 years for Laban (31:38, 41), for a total of 20 years. Thus, Jacob was 77 years old when he left his parents to go to Padanaram (28:5), which would mean that Isaac was 137 years old when Jacob left. 1 of 8

2 a. Isaac is in direct opposition to the revelation that God gave Rebekah (25:23). God already declared that Jacob would carry on the line of promise. 1) God had chosen Jacob (25:23), but Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison (25:28). a) It could be that Isaac, being quiet and nonconfrontational by nature (26:7-22), enjoyed the fact that Esau was a rugged, strong, man of the field that could BBQ a good meal, and was one of those dads that try to live vicariously through their son. 2) NOTE: It was Jacob, not Esau, that had the right of the Patriarchal Blessing Whoever had the birthright was to get the patriarchal blessing, which Esau sold to Jacob, and it was God s will anyways by Divine Election (Romans 9:10-13). a) Too often, Jacob is portrayed as stealing the blessing from Esau, but in reality, Isaac and Esau were trying to steal the blessing from Jacob 2 of 8 C. (v. 5) 1. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son a. Rebekah is not the first wife to eavesdrop on a conversation between her husband and their son, and she won t be the last b. NOTE: Rebekah, no doubt, told Isaac what God had told her (25:23), and now he is disregarding what she told him and not discussing his plans with his wife. 1) One of the common problems in marriages is when the husband makes decisions without consulting his wife, especially when it involves their kids.

3 D.(v. 8) 1. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. a. Rebekah, who is about 111 years old 2, is commanding Jacob, her 77-year old son b. obey my voice 1) Instead, she should have said: a) Let s pray b) Obey God s voice God already said that you would get the blessing, so just sit back, trust God, and watch Him fulfill His word to you. E. (v. 9) 1. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: a. Poor old man Not only can Isaac not see very good (v.1) and feels like he s going to die soon (v. 2, 4), but his taste buds aren t that good anymore to distinguish the taste of venison from goat And on top of that, his wife is willing to conspire with her son against the elderly old man b. NOTE: The ends never justify the means God is just as interested in the means as He is the final result. 1) Jacob had right to the blessing, which was God s will, but he lied and deceived to fulfill plan. a) I ve heard stories of people that have given false testimonies and made up outrageous 2 According to Jewish tradition, Rebekah married Isaac when she was 14 years old, and Isaac was 40 years old when they got married (25:20), and here in chapter 27, Isaac is 137, thus Rebekah would be 111 years old. (See Sermon Notes on Genesis 26:7) 3 of 8

4 stories from the pulpit, and they ll justify it by saying, A lot of people got saved So what does it matter? c. KEY: Rebekah had God s word that Jacob would get the blessing (25:23), so she should have just trusted God to fulfill His promise somehow instead of trying to help God out 1) God has HIS WAYS to get His will accomplished. a) Cf. Isaiah 55:8-9 - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. b) Cf. Romans 11:33 - O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out 2) There are all kinds of ways God could have worked it out: a) God could have kept Esau running all over the fields for a long time by having all the deer stay out of his reach. i. Cf. Genesis 7:9 - God caused the animals to come into the Ark. ii. Cf. Luke 5:4-6; John 21:6 - There were times that Jesus kept all the fish on the opposite side of the boat than the disciples were fishing on. He then told them to put their nets on the right side of the boat, and they caught a multitude of fish (Luke 5:4-6; John 21:6) 4 of 8

5 b) God could have just reappeared to Isaac and said, Don t do it Give it to Jacob c) God could have just reminded Isaac about how in his 30 s that his dad was going to offer him as a sacrifice, and there seemed like no way out, yet God had a ram caught in the thicket There was another way out of that impossible situation (22:1-13) 5 of 8 F. (v. 34) 1. he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, a. Cf. Hebrews 12: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 1) he sought it carefully with tears a) it = the blessing, not repentance b) KEY: Esau did not repent and was a profane (godless) person that could care less about spiritual things. He wanted the BLESSING, but NOT the BIRTHRIGHT 2) Esau did not care about the BIRTHRIGHT (spiritual things), but he only wanted the BLESSING (material things; military superiority; etc.). a) There are people that want to go to church and be a part of a church for the OUTWARD BLESSINGS (i.e. community; feeling a part of something bigger; positive environment; religion; etc.), but they aren t truly concerned with SPIRITUAL THINGS (i.e. repentance towards God; obeying His Word; pursuing

6 G.(v. 39) righteousness from the heart; having a heart pursuing God; taking up the cross; etc.). i. The Church in America is so often weak because they give the people EMOTIONAL experiences rather than truly SPIRITUAL experiences. a. Church is supposed to be God s people gathering to fellowship with Him, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) 1. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; a. KEY: In the Hebrew text, there is a min partitive, which means it should literally read: Away from the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling. The next phrase, of the dew of heaven from above, also has a min partitive, literally meaning away from the dew of heaven. 3 1) In some of our English translations, it sounds similar to the blessing he gave to Jacob, but in the Hebrew text it is actually the opposite of what was promised to Jacob a) It means that since Esau s place is away from this and away from that, Esau will not inherit the Land. Whatever his blessing, it will be away from the Land and he will not be the inheritor of this Land. II.Jacob s LADDER. (28) 3 Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. The Book of Genesis. ibooks, p of 8

7 A. (v. 1-4) Isaac pronounces the Abrahamic Covenant upon Jacob. B. (v. 5-9) Esau s reaction to what he saw. C. (v. 10) Jacob leaves toward Haran, and stops the first night in Bethel. 1. Cf. Genesis 12:8; 28:19 D.(v ) Jacob s Dream of a Ladder. 1. ladder - Heb. stairway; staircase a. Cf. John 1:51 - Jesus claimed to be the stairway to heaven 2. KEY: In verses 13-15, God establishes the Abrahamic Covenant with JACOB, just as He did with Abraham and Isaac. a. KEY: If there is ever any doubt as to who the Land of Israel belongs to, reread this passage E. (v ) Jacob dedicates himself to the LORD at Bethel. 1. (v. 19) a. Bethel - Heb. House of God 1) Beth = House 2) El = God b. Luz - Heb. Separation 7 of 8

8 2. (v. 20) If God will be with me a. If - Heb. Since 1) Isaac isn t questioning God s promise, but by faith acknowledging it s reality He s affirming his commitment and dedication to God. 8 of 8