January 26, 2025 • 18 mins
In this Bible Story, Jacob robs his brother by deceiving his father into giving him his blessing instead of Esau. Then Rebekah tells Jacob to go stay with her brother Laban, until it is safe to return. This story is inspired by Genesis 27:1-28:9. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Genesis 27:19 from the King James Version.
Episode 19: Famine was in the land of Cannan, and so Isaac and his family moved, settling in Gerar and prospering for a season. But Jealousy arose in the people surrounding them, and they were forced to move again. By the time Isaac resettled, he was becoming well advanced in years, and his eyes were failing him. Opening the door for yet another deception by Jacob, this time led by his mother, Rebekah.
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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith
Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pray thee sit and eat of my venison, that thy
soul may bless me. Genesis twenty seven nineteen. Dear Hemley,
Father to day, I am choosing to break generational cycles
that no longer serve my purpose or my destiny. I
do not use deception to try to protect myself at
(00:22):
the risk of my loved ones. Like Isaac and like
his father before him, Abraham, I declare that integrity and
uprightness of heart will be my guiding compass. I decree
and declare that as I move with integrity, you will
multiply my life. Then shower me with your blessing. I
(00:45):
confess that I don't have to use manipulation and trickery
as Jacob did to get what you have for me. Rather,
I will stay in my lane and keep my eyes
towards you and your word, because what you have for
me is mine, and no one can take what's mine
out of your hand. Lord. In my life, when others
(01:09):
seek to hinder my blessings, I don't have to panic
or worry because you will continually protect and cover all
that I have. Thank you Jesus that because you bless me,
I am blessed. Indeed, in Jesus name, Amen. Thank you
(01:32):
for praying with me to day. Continue listening for an
incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in a
Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Jacob and Esau. Before this story, we learn of Abraham's death.
The father of Nations went to be with his Lord.
He was buried by Isaac and Ishmael beside him his
wife Sarah. Isaac and Rebecca had twins named Jacob and Esau.
The two, even from the womb, warred against one another. Esau,
(02:11):
the older twin, was tricked by his younger brother and
sold his birthright. Now we will learn about Rebeccah and
Jacob tricking Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing inspired by
the Book of Genesis.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year Podcast. Today we begin with a famine
that takes Isaac and his family to another land. And here,
just as his father did, Isaac tells a lie about
his wife to protect himself. Fear has once again ruled
in the heart of one of God's chosen people. History
(02:47):
is repeating itself in a new generation. You'll once again
hear how despite a lack of faithfulness on their part,
God continues to bless and protect Abraham's family and his
son Isaac. Listen to how Isaac prospered in this new
land and how he was met with disdain and distrust
by others who resented him for the blessings he was reaping,
(03:11):
blessings God was giving him. You will also hear how
Isaac followed the model of his own father, created remembrances
of God's faithfulness and monuments to the God who provides.
And in this passage we'll return to Jacob and Esau
and the conflict that began to brew in yesterday's story.
You'll hear of hidden intentions, heartbreak, and hatred. Watch how
(03:35):
Jacob's craftiness and cleverness and deception finally strike a blow
to both Esau and Isaac that will forever alter the
course of this family and history. In today's passage, he
is not acting alone, but his teeming with Rebecca, his
mother who favors him over Esau. Together they will trick
(03:56):
Isaac into giving Jacob what is meant for his older brother.
The family conflict will come into an explosive climax, and
you'll hear echoes of two brothers. We've heard of long ago,
one accepted and the other rejected. Will all be lost?
Is there any way for this family to heal? These
are the questions you'll be left with as you listen
(04:17):
to today's passage. So let's hear the story now.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
There was a great famine that plagued the land. The land,
once adorned with fertile fields, ceased its growth. The land
would soon return to its former glory, yet for the
time being, Isaac needed to escape to healthier planes. They
escaped to Ghirrar, a hostile land in which Isaac had
(04:42):
never ventured before. When his family settled there, the men
in the city were asking about his wife, Rebecca, for
she was pleasing to the eye. Isaac, out of fear
that they might kill him to take his wife, claimed
she was his sister. As his father Abraham had done
before him and Adam did generations before him. Isaac compromised
(05:05):
the integrity of his wife to protect himself. Yet it
did not take long for Isaac to get found out,
and a great distress was put upon their leader, a Bimelech.
Once again, the family of Abraham had underestimated the integrity
of foreigners and had created strife amongst them, and yet
Isaac worked the ground well. The Lord had instructed Isaac
(05:29):
to remain in Ghirrar instead of fleeing to Egypt, and
he was fruitful for it. Isaac grew richer during the famine,
and his influence reached far beyond the land of Ghiraar.
The Philistines who dwelled in the land grew envious of him,
and Isaac became villainized for his success. Abimelech sent him away,
(05:51):
for they did not want him growing even more rich
off of their land. Isaac and his family wandered for
many weeks, and they were met everywhere they went with
disdain in conflict. Yet God remained faithful and reminded Isaac
of his promise to him. God blessed him, saying, I
am the God of Abraham, your father. Fear not, for
(06:14):
I am with you and will bless you and multiply
your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake. And Isaac dugwells
as a monument to God's faithfulness. During this time, Esau
had married a Hittite woman named Judith. The two of
them made Rebeccah and Jacob's life miserable and openly mocked them. Both.
(06:36):
Isaac grew old and his eyes began to fade. He
could no longer open his eyes to see the fruit
of his labor or the ones he loved. Isaac, knowing
that his time was drawing near, called to his oldest son, Esau.
My son, he said, here, I am, Esau replied, go
(06:57):
into the countryside with your beau and hunt me an animal.
Prepare me a meal, and you and I will sit
together to eat. Afterwards, I will bless you before I depart.
Esau left immediately to hunt for his father, anticipating the
blessing that would come afterwards. Rebecca overheard Isaac and Esau
(07:19):
and immediately grabbed her son, Jacob. Rebecca told Jacob what
Isaac was planning on doing, and together they devised a
plan to steal away Esau's blessing. Jacob killed a goat
and made his father a delicious stew. Rebecca then dressed
Jacob in Esau's clothes. Since Esau was a hairy man,
(07:41):
Jacob covered himself in goat fur. With Esau's clothes, fur
and stew. Jacob entered into his father's tent, determined to
come out with a blessing. Slowly Entering into the tent,
Jacob lowered his voice and spoke, here, I am father.
Isaac blind looked towards Jacob and said, who is here.
(08:06):
It is Esau, your first born. I have done what
you asked. Please get up and eat so that you
may bless me. Isaac, perplexed, inquired how Esau was able
to kill the animal so quickly. The Lord guided my
hand and gave me success. Jacob lied, come here so
(08:28):
I can touch you, son. I must know if you
are truly Esau. Jacob drew near to Isaac and allowed
him to feel his arms and clothes. The trick had worked.
Isaac was convinced he was speaking to Esau. The two
ate together, and Isaac placed his hands on Jacob with
(08:48):
love and excitement. Isaac spoke over Jacob with the same
adoration he would have given Esau. The tender and intimate
moment between father and first born son stolen by Jacob.
Isaac spoke his blessing over Jacob, reciting a type of
ancient poetry, one that would echo throughout all of Jacob's life.
(09:11):
See the smell of my son is as the smell
of a field that the God has blessed May God
give you of the doe of heaven, the sustenance of
the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let all
people serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be
king over your brothers, and may they bow down to you.
(09:32):
Cursed be every one who curses you, and blessed be
every one who blesses you. As Isaac was finishing his
blessing over Jacob, Esau returned from his hunt. Esau tirelessly
worked as he skinned the deer, butchered it, and prepared
his father's favorite meal. Blessing was in reach, and he
(09:53):
hurried to his father's tent with a meal. Jacob had
left Isaac's side, and Esau approached him. Father, I have
come back from my hunt. Here, take and eat so
that you may bless me. Who are you, he answered crossly,
I am your firstborn son, Esau. I have come back
(10:13):
from my hunt. Isaac trembled and became violent. In a rage.
Isaac raised his voice, saying, who was it then that
brought me food? I have blessed him and he will
be blessed. As soon as Esau heard this, he bellowed
a deep and bitter cry, sorrow, rage and anguish. Welled
(10:34):
up in Esau's heart. His brother had tricked him into
giving up his birthright, and now he had stolen what
mattered most, his father's blessing. Frantically and with tears filling
his eyes, Esau begged his father bless me also, my father,
have you not reserved any blessing for me? Please do
(10:57):
not leave me here alone. I was enraged at Jacob,
yet could not recant his blessing over him. I have
made him lord over you, Isaac said, I have blessed
him as an inheritor of all God has given me,
and you will serve under him. He saw wept bitterly.
(11:20):
His face fell into his hands as he managed to ask,
is there any blessing you can give me? Anything at all?
Isaac spoke again in ancient poetry. Welling up with sadness
for his son, he spoke saying, behold, away from the
richness of the earth you shall dwell, and away from
(11:42):
the dew of heaven on high you shall live by
your sword, and you shall serve your brother. But when
you grow restless, you shall break his yoke from your neck.
A dark part of Esau's heart was awakened that day.
Thousands of generations had passed since Cain had killed his
brother Abel, Yet that same hatred lingered, seeking whom it
(12:05):
may take hold of. When Isaac had breathed his last
and went to be with his father Abraham, he saw
sighed a deep breath and said, the days of mourning
my father are approaching. After I mourn, I will kill
my brother Jacob. Esau spoke these words to himself, Yet
(12:28):
they caught the ear of his mother, Rebeccah. She sent
for Jacob and said to him, your brother plans to
kill you after he has mourned your father. Gather your
things and flee to my brother Laban. He will take
care of you until your brother's fury subsides. So Jacob
fled in the dead of night and waited there until
his brother's anger dimmed and he could return to claim
(12:51):
what was now rightfully his.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
As we begin today's passage, there is a famine sweeping
across the land. Isaac and his family are unable to
stay where they are, and the Lord speaks to Isaac
to tell him where not to go and where he
should settle. This was not a case of Isaac fleeing
in fear and not trusting God. He was following God's
direction and taking his family to a better place for
(13:17):
a season. Sadly, his trust only went so far, because,
just like his father Abraham, on two separate occasions, Isaac
feared for his life in the land of Pagans, and
he told people that Rebecca was his sister, rather than
being the leader and protector she needed. Isaac thought of
his own safety more highly than that of his wife's, and,
(13:40):
just like his father, his lives found out by the King,
Isaac discovers that he has underestimated the righteousness of those
around him, but worse, he failed to trust God. Nevertheless,
God blesses Isaac in his planting efforts, and Isaac bears
much fruit from this land. Eventually, this does not sit
(14:00):
well with the locals, who become envious of him. Soon,
Isaac and his family are forced to leave and wander,
meeting opposition and conflict at every turn. But once again
we see God remaining faithful to his promise. He protects
and blesses Isaac and his family and provides for them. Isaac,
following the good example of his father, this time, digs
(14:24):
wells as a form of remembering God's faithfulness. There is
a great importance in setting up ways of remembering what
God has done. You may not build an altar, or
dig a well, or erect a monument, but you can
still do things that help you remember what God has
done in your life and your family. The next thing
(14:45):
we find in our story is Esau, who has grown bitter,
likely as a result of giving up his birthright. He
is married, and he and his wife show utter contempt
for his parents. And yet even as he grows old
and blind, Isaac can continues to choose Esau as his favorite.
It is to him that Isaac intends to give his
paternal blessing, but Jacob wants that blessing. It's worth noting
(15:11):
that Jacob wasn't wrong to want the blessing. He was
seeking God and his favor. The intention, the desire itself
was not wrong. In fact, it was a good thing
to want the blessing of God. The problem was how
he went about getting it. Jacob, prompted by his mother Rebecca,
schemes with her to take this blessing away from his brother.
(15:33):
They take advantage of Isaac's frailty and inattention and trick
him into thinking Jacob as his older brother this was
no simple deception. They went to great links to ensure
it was Jacob and not Esau who would get the blessing. So,
while Esau is out hunting to make a meal for
his old and dying father, we see here in this
(15:54):
passage a total severing of the family bond. The deceit
and bitterness and jealousy and rivalry has reached maturity. Esau
is consumed with anger and hatred towards his brother and
vows to kill him, and echo of the first two
brothers in history, Cain and Able, Jacob, despite having received
the blessing, is terrified and forced to run away to
(16:16):
Rebecca's family, where he will live for many years. There's
so much to be learned in this story. Once again
we see the destructiveness of favoritism, but there's something even deeper.
Rather than getting his house in order, as his life
near to an end, Isaac was interested only in filling
his stomach. Listen to the words of Genesis twenty seven,
(16:38):
two three and four. Isaac said, behold, now I am old,
and I do not know the day of my death.
Now then please take your gear, your quiver, and your bow,
and go out to the field and hunt gain for
me 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. Isaac,
(17:01):
knowing that he would soon die, could have brought his
sons together along with his wife and charge them with
maintaining unity and love and continuing trust in God. Instead,
all he wanted was dinner. It would take years for
this family conflict to resolve, and by then so much
had been lost. While Abraham was a shining example of
(17:23):
how to carefully order one's last days to ensure a
legacy that honors God, Isaac's life shines as a light
on the danger of selfishness and self indulgence. May we
seek to be more like Abraham and less like Isaac
in our old age. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for
this story and how you continue to show yourself faithful
(17:45):
and true to Isaac even as he stumbled and failed
to trust in you. Thank you also for the valuable
lesson about family and the warnings about dishonesty, favoritism, and
being passive in our leadership with our children. Help us
to honor you with our families in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
(18:08):
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot
com app and make a priority in your life. If
you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know,
someone you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can
make a big difference in someone's life. And if you
want more resources as to how to live the Christian life,
(18:29):
how to know God and experience His presence in your life,
be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare
solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
Pray thee sit and eat of my venison, that thy
soul may bless me. Genesis twenty seven nineteen. Dear Hemley,
Father to day, I am choosing to break generational cycles
that no longer serve my purpose or my destiny. I
do not use deception to try to protect myself at
(00:22):
the risk of my loved ones. Like Isaac and like
his father before him, Abraham, I declare that integrity and
uprightness of heart will be my guiding compass. I decree
and declare that as I move with integrity, you will
multiply my life. Then shower me with your blessing. I
(00:45):
confess that I don't have to use manipulation and trickery
as Jacob did to get what you have for me. Rather,
I will stay in my lane and keep my eyes
towards you and your word, because what you have for
me is mine, and no one can take what's mine
out of your hand. Lord. In my life, when others
(01:09):
seek to hinder my blessings, I don't have to panic
or worry because you will continually protect and cover all
that I have. Thank you Jesus that because you bless me,
I am blessed. Indeed, in Jesus name, Amen. Thank you
(01:32):
for praying with me to day. Continue listening for an
incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in a
Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Jacob and Esau. Before this story, we learn of Abraham's death.
The father of Nations went to be with his Lord.
He was buried by Isaac and Ishmael beside him his
wife Sarah. Isaac and Rebecca had twins named Jacob and Esau.
The two, even from the womb, warred against one another. Esau,
(02:11):
the older twin, was tricked by his younger brother and
sold his birthright. Now we will learn about Rebeccah and
Jacob tricking Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing inspired by
the Book of Genesis.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year Podcast. Today we begin with a famine
that takes Isaac and his family to another land. And here,
just as his father did, Isaac tells a lie about
his wife to protect himself. Fear has once again ruled
in the heart of one of God's chosen people. History
(02:47):
is repeating itself in a new generation. You'll once again
hear how despite a lack of faithfulness on their part,
God continues to bless and protect Abraham's family and his
son Isaac. Listen to how Isaac prospered in this new
land and how he was met with disdain and distrust
by others who resented him for the blessings he was reaping,
(03:11):
blessings God was giving him. You will also hear how
Isaac followed the model of his own father, created remembrances
of God's faithfulness and monuments to the God who provides.
And in this passage we'll return to Jacob and Esau
and the conflict that began to brew in yesterday's story.
You'll hear of hidden intentions, heartbreak, and hatred. Watch how
(03:35):
Jacob's craftiness and cleverness and deception finally strike a blow
to both Esau and Isaac that will forever alter the
course of this family and history. In today's passage, he
is not acting alone, but his teeming with Rebecca, his
mother who favors him over Esau. Together they will trick
(03:56):
Isaac into giving Jacob what is meant for his older brother.
The family conflict will come into an explosive climax, and
you'll hear echoes of two brothers. We've heard of long ago,
one accepted and the other rejected. Will all be lost?
Is there any way for this family to heal? These
are the questions you'll be left with as you listen
(04:17):
to today's passage. So let's hear the story now.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
There was a great famine that plagued the land. The land,
once adorned with fertile fields, ceased its growth. The land
would soon return to its former glory, yet for the
time being, Isaac needed to escape to healthier planes. They
escaped to Ghirrar, a hostile land in which Isaac had
(04:42):
never ventured before. When his family settled there, the men
in the city were asking about his wife, Rebecca, for
she was pleasing to the eye. Isaac, out of fear
that they might kill him to take his wife, claimed
she was his sister. As his father Abraham had done
before him and Adam did generations before him. Isaac compromised
(05:05):
the integrity of his wife to protect himself. Yet it
did not take long for Isaac to get found out,
and a great distress was put upon their leader, a Bimelech.
Once again, the family of Abraham had underestimated the integrity
of foreigners and had created strife amongst them, and yet
Isaac worked the ground well. The Lord had instructed Isaac
(05:29):
to remain in Ghirrar instead of fleeing to Egypt, and
he was fruitful for it. Isaac grew richer during the famine,
and his influence reached far beyond the land of Ghiraar.
The Philistines who dwelled in the land grew envious of him,
and Isaac became villainized for his success. Abimelech sent him away,
(05:51):
for they did not want him growing even more rich
off of their land. Isaac and his family wandered for
many weeks, and they were met everywhere they went with
disdain in conflict. Yet God remained faithful and reminded Isaac
of his promise to him. God blessed him, saying, I
am the God of Abraham, your father. Fear not, for
(06:14):
I am with you and will bless you and multiply
your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake. And Isaac dugwells
as a monument to God's faithfulness. During this time, Esau
had married a Hittite woman named Judith. The two of
them made Rebeccah and Jacob's life miserable and openly mocked them. Both.
(06:36):
Isaac grew old and his eyes began to fade. He
could no longer open his eyes to see the fruit
of his labor or the ones he loved. Isaac, knowing
that his time was drawing near, called to his oldest son, Esau.
My son, he said, here, I am, Esau replied, go
(06:57):
into the countryside with your beau and hunt me an animal.
Prepare me a meal, and you and I will sit
together to eat. Afterwards, I will bless you before I depart.
Esau left immediately to hunt for his father, anticipating the
blessing that would come afterwards. Rebecca overheard Isaac and Esau
(07:19):
and immediately grabbed her son, Jacob. Rebecca told Jacob what
Isaac was planning on doing, and together they devised a
plan to steal away Esau's blessing. Jacob killed a goat
and made his father a delicious stew. Rebecca then dressed
Jacob in Esau's clothes. Since Esau was a hairy man,
(07:41):
Jacob covered himself in goat fur. With Esau's clothes, fur
and stew. Jacob entered into his father's tent, determined to
come out with a blessing. Slowly Entering into the tent,
Jacob lowered his voice and spoke, here, I am father.
Isaac blind looked towards Jacob and said, who is here.
(08:06):
It is Esau, your first born. I have done what
you asked. Please get up and eat so that you
may bless me. Isaac, perplexed, inquired how Esau was able
to kill the animal so quickly. The Lord guided my
hand and gave me success. Jacob lied, come here so
(08:28):
I can touch you, son. I must know if you
are truly Esau. Jacob drew near to Isaac and allowed
him to feel his arms and clothes. The trick had worked.
Isaac was convinced he was speaking to Esau. The two
ate together, and Isaac placed his hands on Jacob with
(08:48):
love and excitement. Isaac spoke over Jacob with the same
adoration he would have given Esau. The tender and intimate
moment between father and first born son stolen by Jacob.
Isaac spoke his blessing over Jacob, reciting a type of
ancient poetry, one that would echo throughout all of Jacob's life.
(09:11):
See the smell of my son is as the smell
of a field that the God has blessed May God
give you of the doe of heaven, the sustenance of
the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let all
people serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be
king over your brothers, and may they bow down to you.
(09:32):
Cursed be every one who curses you, and blessed be
every one who blesses you. As Isaac was finishing his
blessing over Jacob, Esau returned from his hunt. Esau tirelessly
worked as he skinned the deer, butchered it, and prepared
his father's favorite meal. Blessing was in reach, and he
(09:53):
hurried to his father's tent with a meal. Jacob had
left Isaac's side, and Esau approached him. Father, I have
come back from my hunt. Here, take and eat so
that you may bless me. Who are you, he answered crossly,
I am your firstborn son, Esau. I have come back
(10:13):
from my hunt. Isaac trembled and became violent. In a rage.
Isaac raised his voice, saying, who was it then that
brought me food? I have blessed him and he will
be blessed. As soon as Esau heard this, he bellowed
a deep and bitter cry, sorrow, rage and anguish. Welled
(10:34):
up in Esau's heart. His brother had tricked him into
giving up his birthright, and now he had stolen what
mattered most, his father's blessing. Frantically and with tears filling
his eyes, Esau begged his father bless me also, my father,
have you not reserved any blessing for me? Please do
(10:57):
not leave me here alone. I was enraged at Jacob,
yet could not recant his blessing over him. I have
made him lord over you, Isaac said, I have blessed
him as an inheritor of all God has given me,
and you will serve under him. He saw wept bitterly.
(11:20):
His face fell into his hands as he managed to ask,
is there any blessing you can give me? Anything at all?
Isaac spoke again in ancient poetry. Welling up with sadness
for his son, he spoke saying, behold, away from the
richness of the earth you shall dwell, and away from
(11:42):
the dew of heaven on high you shall live by
your sword, and you shall serve your brother. But when
you grow restless, you shall break his yoke from your neck.
A dark part of Esau's heart was awakened that day.
Thousands of generations had passed since Cain had killed his
brother Abel, Yet that same hatred lingered, seeking whom it
(12:05):
may take hold of. When Isaac had breathed his last
and went to be with his father Abraham, he saw
sighed a deep breath and said, the days of mourning
my father are approaching. After I mourn, I will kill
my brother Jacob. Esau spoke these words to himself, Yet
(12:28):
they caught the ear of his mother, Rebeccah. She sent
for Jacob and said to him, your brother plans to
kill you after he has mourned your father. Gather your
things and flee to my brother Laban. He will take
care of you until your brother's fury subsides. So Jacob
fled in the dead of night and waited there until
his brother's anger dimmed and he could return to claim
(12:51):
what was now rightfully his.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
As we begin today's passage, there is a famine sweeping
across the land. Isaac and his family are unable to
stay where they are, and the Lord speaks to Isaac
to tell him where not to go and where he
should settle. This was not a case of Isaac fleeing
in fear and not trusting God. He was following God's
direction and taking his family to a better place for
(13:17):
a season. Sadly, his trust only went so far, because,
just like his father Abraham, on two separate occasions, Isaac
feared for his life in the land of Pagans, and
he told people that Rebecca was his sister, rather than
being the leader and protector she needed. Isaac thought of
his own safety more highly than that of his wife's, and,
(13:40):
just like his father, his lives found out by the King,
Isaac discovers that he has underestimated the righteousness of those
around him, but worse, he failed to trust God. Nevertheless,
God blesses Isaac in his planting efforts, and Isaac bears
much fruit from this land. Eventually, this does not sit
(14:00):
well with the locals, who become envious of him. Soon,
Isaac and his family are forced to leave and wander,
meeting opposition and conflict at every turn. But once again
we see God remaining faithful to his promise. He protects
and blesses Isaac and his family and provides for them. Isaac,
following the good example of his father, this time, digs
(14:24):
wells as a form of remembering God's faithfulness. There is
a great importance in setting up ways of remembering what
God has done. You may not build an altar, or
dig a well, or erect a monument, but you can
still do things that help you remember what God has
done in your life and your family. The next thing
(14:45):
we find in our story is Esau, who has grown bitter,
likely as a result of giving up his birthright. He
is married, and he and his wife show utter contempt
for his parents. And yet even as he grows old
and blind, Isaac can continues to choose Esau as his favorite.
It is to him that Isaac intends to give his
paternal blessing, but Jacob wants that blessing. It's worth noting
(15:11):
that Jacob wasn't wrong to want the blessing. He was
seeking God and his favor. The intention, the desire itself
was not wrong. In fact, it was a good thing
to want the blessing of God. The problem was how
he went about getting it. Jacob, prompted by his mother Rebecca,
schemes with her to take this blessing away from his brother.
(15:33):
They take advantage of Isaac's frailty and inattention and trick
him into thinking Jacob as his older brother this was
no simple deception. They went to great links to ensure
it was Jacob and not Esau who would get the blessing. So,
while Esau is out hunting to make a meal for
his old and dying father, we see here in this
(15:54):
passage a total severing of the family bond. The deceit
and bitterness and jealousy and rivalry has reached maturity. Esau
is consumed with anger and hatred towards his brother and
vows to kill him, and echo of the first two
brothers in history, Cain and Able, Jacob, despite having received
the blessing, is terrified and forced to run away to
(16:16):
Rebecca's family, where he will live for many years. There's
so much to be learned in this story. Once again
we see the destructiveness of favoritism, but there's something even deeper.
Rather than getting his house in order, as his life
near to an end, Isaac was interested only in filling
his stomach. Listen to the words of Genesis twenty seven,
(16:38):
two three and four. Isaac said, behold, now I am old,
and I do not know the day of my death.
Now then please take your gear, your quiver, and your bow,
and go out to the field and hunt gain for
me 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. Isaac,
(17:01):
knowing that he would soon die, could have brought his
sons together along with his wife and charge them with
maintaining unity and love and continuing trust in God. Instead,
all he wanted was dinner. It would take years for
this family conflict to resolve, and by then so much
had been lost. While Abraham was a shining example of
(17:23):
how to carefully order one's last days to ensure a
legacy that honors God, Isaac's life shines as a light
on the danger of selfishness and self indulgence. May we
seek to be more like Abraham and less like Isaac
in our old age. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for
this story and how you continue to show yourself faithful
(17:45):
and true to Isaac even as he stumbled and failed
to trust in you. Thank you also for the valuable
lesson about family and the warnings about dishonesty, favoritism, and
being passive in our leadership with our children. Help us
to honor you with our families in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
(18:08):
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot
com app and make a priority in your life. If
you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know,
someone you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can
make a big difference in someone's life. And if you
want more resources as to how to live the Christian life,
(18:29):
how to know God and experience His presence in your life,
be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare
solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
Host
Jack Graham
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