Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s plan for good

Today, we are going to be looking at - the story of Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing from their father, Isaac.

As we look through this, the theme I want to pull out is how God uses our evil, selfish desires to bring about his plan - which is always for good.

We see this acted out throughout the book of Genesis and throughout the scripture as a hole.

Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, sums it up at the end of Genesis for us saying “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” ().

I want to share a story that I recently heard.

A mother and father in Tennessee became pregnant and shortly after naming their daughter, they found out that the baby had anencephaly, a rare brain condition that would not allow the baby to live typically over an hour after being born.

Being four months into the pregnancy, they had a decision to face.

We will in a world that is corrupted with the sin of killing innocent, unborn babies.

They decided to keep the baby, to go through the rest of the pregnancy and deliver the baby.

To take Rylei in for the few minutes they may get and then to donate her organs to save other children.

Doctors did not think they would get more than an hour, but they had 168 hours.

The baby did pass and was able to give life to two other babies.

God used this pain, this struggle not only to save two other lives but to tell a story that is spreading quickly.

I want to share a story that I recently heard.

A mother and father in Tenessee became pregnant and shortly after naming their daughter, they found out that the baby had anencephaly, a rare brain condition that would not allow the baby to live typically over an hour after being born.

Being four months into the pregnancy, they had a decision to face.

We will in a world that is corrupted with the sin of killing innocent, unborn babies.

They decided to keep the baby, to go through the rest of the pregnancy and deliver the baby.

To take Rylei in for the few minutes they may get with her and then to donate her organs to save other children.

God blessed them for their decision and didn’t give them minutes, but gave them a week.

Doctors did not think they would get more than an hour, but they had 168 hours.

The baby did pass and was able to give life to two other babies.

God used this pain, this struggle not only to save two other lives but to tell a story that is spreading quickly.

See, we incur evil and pain and suffering every day and many times it brings us to our knees and questioning God and what and why He is allowing this to happen.

We don’t see how God is orcastrating good out of this pain, suffering or evil.

Don’t misunderstand, it does not make evil good in and of itself, it just means God’s good plan can be worked through our evil.

Both can coexist but it does not excuse our evil sinful hearts.

It means that we are sinful humans who do wrong and do not pour out goodness in our actions or even see them, as we are not God.

It shows that we need to submit to His plan, even through our trials but especially in our repentance.

Prayer:

Father in heaven,

We thank you that you are good; that you love us.

I pray that you open our hearts to see our sinfulness and to turn from it, but not to just turn from it but to turn towards something greater: You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Background

Background

Before we dive into our story, let us be reminded of a few key points that we have already learned in scripture.

First - God uses Moses to write down this book to the Israelites after the Exodus.

We now have Isaac and Rebekah, who struggled to become pregnant, now having two children.

When Rebekah is struggling in her pregnancy, she goes to God and asks why there is so much pain and turmoil in her womb.

God tells her that there are two nations in her stomach.

Jacob would be the lineage of Israel, the name he would later take on, while Esau would be the father of Edom, a nation Israel would struggle with continuously.

Then, God reveals that the older brother, Esau, would serve the younger brother, Jacob.

This was contradictory to the ancient mindset of the eldest receiving the blessing and having a “birthright” because of his standing in the family.

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Now, the birthright meant that the son would receive double the portions of the inheritance than any of the other brothers.

They would be the one to to continue the family line.

Esau had this until, as we read, he gave it to Jacob as he was hungry.

He let his glutony get in the way of a what was to come - thinking only in the moment and his hunger.

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Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup ().

We also have read about Isaac’s gluttony and his own favortism towards Esau as he enjoys eating Esau’s game.

At the same time, Rebekah had a heart for Jacob.

In we read: “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

Right before our story begins, we read that Esau marries two Hittite women which would be a problem.

See, as part of the covenant, Abraham’s descendants were not to intermarry with the people of the land but were to marry from Haran.

() We read that these wives created trouble for Isaac and Rebekah.

Now, our story picks up with Isaac calling for Esau in his old age.

Esau marries Hittite women, which would have been offensive instead of marrying one from Haran ().

Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup ().

Isaac calls Esau to bless him ()

Read

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.

3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Isaac feels that he is getting old as his eye sight is starting to fail - so by Isaac’s standards, I am getting old myself!

Isaac decides to call his son, Esau, as he wants to make sure he blesses him before he dies.

Spoiler alert: we find out his timeline is way off!

He lives many more years!

None-the-less, Isaac calls Esau and tells him he wants to bless his son, but first his stomach is growling and his glutony needs fed.

He tells his son to go, hunt and prepare for him a meal so he can satisfy his craving before he passes on this blessing - this relationship with God and the earth.

We can see where Isaac’s priorities are and to be fair, I can quickly be distracted by a bowl of ice cream much like Isaac.

But take note of something else Isaac fails to adhere to.

Rebekah had been told of God’s plan, but we don’t know if this was passed on to Isaac.

The Bible does not make it clear but we also have the evidence of Esau breaking the covenant by marrying Hittite women instead of people from Abraham’s and Rebekah’s home in Haran.

Isaac ignores these details as he loved his food.

Isaac calls Esau as he is getting old

Isaac calls Esau

Isaac’s sight is failing him

Isaac tells Esau he is about to bless him

Calls for Esau to prepare “game” - venison

Isaac’s sin of glutony

Follows desire to eat - as the reason for loving Esau was

Ignores God’s commands

God tells Rebekah that the younger, Jacob would rule

Esau married Hittites, breaking the covenant

Rebekah’s intercession ()

Now, Rebekah interceeds on behalf of Jacob:

5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau.

So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you.

9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.

10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.”

13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved.

15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Rebekah does not only tell Jacob about the plan, she gives him everything he needs in order to decieve her own husband.

She doesn’t simply give her son, Jacob, an option but commands him to obey what she tells him.