# 253 Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

The Book of Genesis

Day 253

Ge 27:27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.

 28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"

The blessing is finally delivered! God speaks it directly through the lips of Isaac to the next God-selected heir….Jacob. The self-willed Isaac, thinks he is passing the blessing on to his favorite son Esau, but God wasn’t going to let that happen no matter what!

Thy will be done!

Let’s talk a little today about the will of God “being done.” In Luther’s explanation of the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done,” he says, “The good and gracious will of God is done indeed without our prayer, but we pray in this petition, that it may be done among us also.” In other words when we pray this portion of the Lord’s prayer, we are asking that by the grace of God we would be active participants in carrying out His will, through obedience to His Word.  We are asking for the grace to be players in God’s kingdom work. (His plans and purposes.)

Too many times, we find ourselves asking to discover God’s will and when we find it, we seek to hurriedly carry it out through any means just as Rebekah and Jacob did, and we leave a trail of personal wreckage behind us. 

Quick lesson: As we seek to do God’s will, we must also seek to operate within the guidelines found in His Word. BE PATIENT!

Luther goes on to say: God’s good and gracious will is done among us when God breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will which would not let us hallow God’s name, nor let His kingdom come, such as the will of the devil, the world, and our flesh.”

It is only by the power of God (grace) that we can overcome our tendency toward getting ahead of the God’s game plan for us and taking matters into our own hands. That power is available to all believers who humbly submit to Him. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

# 252 The Blessing

The Book of Genesis

Day 252

Ge 27:27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.

 28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.

 29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"

Isaac’s sight is failing, and he smells the clothing of Esau being worn by Jacob. Thinking it is Esau, he blesses him. Wait a minute! Time out! You mean you are going to bless your son solely on the fact that he smells like the great outdoors!  Because he likes the outdoors as much as you do, he gets favor over the other son?

Fathers…..don’t go there! Bless your children in accordance with their gifts, whatever they may be, because they came from God, not because they have the same interests as you do!  Find those qualities in your children that make them special and affirm them whenever you can!

Isaac, uses the smell of the outdoors draped all over his son as a springboard for his blessing. (Note the word “therefore.” ) Since his son smells like a field, Jacob begins the blessing by asking God to bless the field wherever his son may toil in the future.

Then he also asks the Lord to bless him in such a way that other nations will bow to him, and that he would be the master over his brethren. This blessing is of course not only meant for his son, but for his son’s posterity as well.

He wraps up the blessing with a curse on those who would curse his son, and and a blessing to all who would bless him.

That’s quite a package, wouldn’t you say? Lots of bennies there if they all come to pass! What or who gives Isaac the power to pronounce such a blessing?  Only God has such power, and in that power, He gave that blessing to Abraham, who handed it down to his child of promise, Isaac, (rather than Ishmael) Now Isaac has the same power to hand it down to his son, and his son (chosen by God) will have the power to do the same , and so it will be, and so it was,  all the way down to the ultimate child of promise…..Jesus Christ!

And as Isaac says to his son, “Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!" So it is with the Son of God! Those who would go to their graves cursing Jesus, (The word means to utterly abhor) will be utterly abhorred by God! (Sent to eternal hell) This is the sin of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and it boils down to the sin of disbelief. If you’re worried about having committed it, the very fact that it worries you means you haven’t committed it!

On the other hand those who would go to their graves blessing Jesus, (the word means “bending the knee) in other word those who worship and serve Him as Lord will be forever blessed in heaven.

The blessing of Isaac stands today! Do you want in on it? Then bow your knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Live your life as if He truly were your Lord!

# 251 Lies Beget More Lies

The Book of Genesis

Day 251

Ge 27:15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.  16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.  17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.  18 So he went to his father and said, "My father.' And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"  19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me."  20 But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me."  21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."  22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, 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 Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."  25 He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.  26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."  27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.  28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.  29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"

The moment of truth has arrived, (or maybe we should say the moments of lies! Jacob, armed with the deceitful stew of his mother’s making, wearing his brother’s clothes, and even putting on the skins of goats to camouflage his tender skin, enters his father’s chamber.  He walks in, literally bearing three lies and quickly adds three more with his lips as he wrests the blessing out of his father and away from Esau.

Isaac asks, “Who are you my son?”

“I am Esau.” (Lie #1)

“How did you get the game so quickly?”

“The Lord Your God brought it to me.” (Lie # 2)

“Are you really my son Esau?”

“I Am.” (Lie # 3)

Lies beget more lies.

Let’s refresh our memory a bit and look at God’s view of telling lies.

 Pr 6:16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:  17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,  18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,  19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

  Pr 12:19 The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment.

  Pr 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

  Pr 21:6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.

 As you can see, lying does not please our Lord. And let’s not kid ourselves about the end of habitual, unrepentant liars. Re 22:15 says, “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

 As believers, we are especially encouraged to speak the truth.  Eph 4:25 says, “Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.”

Now, lest we despair with our tendency to stretch the truth, let us remember Peter. He lied three times in his denial of Jesus. He grieved God to be sure, (remember the look that Jesus gave him?) BUT, he also was restored as he recognized his sin, wept over it, and later, having received the Lord’s forgiveness, went on to be a beacon of truth!

# 250 A Classic Dysfunctional Family

The Book of Genesis

Day 250

Ge 27:6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.' 8 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. 9 "Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10 "Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death." 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. 12 "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing." 13 But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me." 14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

I don’t know about you, but I’m having trouble feeling the love in this family. It’s seems that mom and dad have allowed their affections for their children to sabotage the rest of the relationships in this family. Look where this favoritism has led!  A wife deliberately plotting to take advantage of her husband’s frail health in order to get the blessing for HER favorite child. And Isaac bent on blessing his favorite hunting partner, in spite of what God had said at the birth of these twins!

It’s sad to see that communication between husband and wife has deteriorated to the point of eavesdropping! Let’s face it, this home life situation for these four has gotten way out of balance. This is a dysfunctional family that has reached a point where the son (Jacob) doesn’t object to the trickery that his mother has advised; his only concern is that he might get caught.

And look at mom! She says, “don’t worry if we get caught I’ll take the blame!” Where have I heard that line of thinking before? I’m ashamed to admit it, but many of my teenage misadventures were often underwritten by my peers with that same guarantee. (Funny, when we would get caught that blame more often than not ended up landing on me anyway!)

This whole sad episode, and many other episodes of dysfunctional families often stem from a blurring of roles in the family. We would all do well to seek to live in accordance with the model given to us in Eph 5 and 6: 

“Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right, and fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Do these things and begin the process of turning dysfunctional into functional. It’s the way God designed our families to operate.

# 249 The End Does Not Justify the Means

The Book of Genesis

Day 249

Ge 27:3 "Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.  4 "And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."  5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.  6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,  7 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'  8 "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.  9 "Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.  10 "Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."

Isaac is getting old! His eyesight is getting dim, and he confessed to Esau that he didn’t think he had many years left on this earth. (He actually lived for 43 more years) So he asks Esau for one more meal of his favorite spicy wild game and promises to use the occasion to pass along the traditional blessing given to the first born son.

Isaac, evidently had never bought into the Word of the Lord that had been given to Rebekah at the birth of Esau and Jacob. God had made a point to remind her that Jacob was to receive the blessing of the first born, (the older was to serve the younger!)

This must’ve been quite a hunt for Esau! He (not Jacob) was being called upon by his father, to do this one last thing that would bring great pleasure to his dad, AND he gets the blessing to boot! What son wouldn’t love to have this opportunity!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Rebekah has been eavesdropping, and instead of reminding Isaac of the Word of the Lord, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She comes up with a scheme to trick her husband into giving the blessing to Jacob where it rightfully belongs.

How often do we fall into the same impatient trap. Rather than trusting God to work out His will in our situation we resort to our own devices to accomplish the end result. How often do we believe that the end justifies our means.

Don’t get me wrong here, we ought to set our hearts on accomplishing the will of God, but we ought to do it in a way that is pleasing to Him and within the guidelines of His Word! In this case, Rebekah should have come to Isaac and reminded him of God’s Word concerning the blessing, and then she should be willing to wait on the Lord to bring it to pass.

God’s not looking for people who manipulate others….He’s looking for people who are willing to wait and obey!

# 248 When Fear Trumps Sound Judgment

The Book of Genesis

Day 248

Ge 27:2 Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.

Isaac is about 137 years old when he calls Esau to him. He doesn’t know it, but he has 43 more years of life ahead of him. This one little verse is very instructive for us as it relates to our time here on this earth. “We , like Isaac, do not know the day of our death.”

Well, hold on there! What about euthanasia, assisted suicide, or suicide? What about those who set up an appointed day for an abortion thereby knowing the day of the death of their child?

These are legitimate questions, but they don’t alter the fact that God is omniscient. He knows! Ps 139:16 says, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”

Our omniscient God has told us how to live out those days, but He also has given us free will, and sometimes, (mostly out of fear, or sometimes out of indifference toward God and His Word,)  we take the matter of God-given life into our own hands. We choose to disobey His command, “Thou shalt not kill.”

So we know that is wrong to take life into our own hands. But again, there is a worldview that ignores this truth, and there are also those who act out of legitimate fears, a terror in their hearts and souls that we can’t fully understand. Yes, even believers can be victims of fear, that cause us to act in ways that are not in line with God’s Word.

I have heard it said at a funeral of a suicide victim that “their mind may have let them down, but Jesus never did.”  How true! Fear may have temporarily trumped sound judgment, it’s what fear does. So many of our sins can be traced to fear based actions! No wonder the Bible so often encourages  us to “fear not.”

So whether we are experiencing anxiety or not, let us learn with the Psalmist to “number our days.”

 Ps 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.  11 Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.  12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 Ps 39:4 "LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.  5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

And let us also remember, and seek to fight that great enemy of our souls….fear.

There is Zach Williams song that come to mind here. It’s called “Fear, He Is A Liar”

Check it out at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQTnREEtuNk

# 247 Live To Love and Serve Jesus First

The Book of Genesis

Day 247

Ge 27:1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am."

Esau and Isaac had a special father/son relationship. Isaac is aging and he has a concern. He has a request to make of Esau and calls to him, “My son..” Esau replies to his earthly father in the same way we ought to respond to our heavenly Father, when He calls! “Here I am.”

It’s the same response that Abraham gave to God when God called his name in Gen 22:1! It’s a response that implies a willingness to serve or obey. It’s a three worded response that echoes Ro 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

While Esau’s relationship to his earthly father is commendable, it will do him no good in the long run if he has no relationship with his heavenly Father! As we have seen, Esau has chosen to live without a sensitivity to God or His will. This is a sad state of affairs.

It’s a state of affairs that exists in many places in our culture today. There is a huge emphasis put on family, and while this is certainly commendable, if God is left out of the equation, it profits us nothing! Love and sacrifice among family members will profit nothing without the cornerstone or foundation of a right relationship with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we love our family to the NEGLECT of the Lord, we are in fact, engaged in idolatry. The proper order is to love God, and out of that love for God, the proper flow of love and care for your family will flow! 

Jesus said in Mt 10:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” He did not say that we are to neglect our family, but He made it clear where our first priority ought to be.

The question is: “Where are your priorities? If God seems to be playing second fiddle, changes need to be made. Your children, your mom and dad, your family members, need to know who is number one in your life, and they will only know as they observe your priorities in action.

Live to love and serve Jesus and you will live and love your family members well!