Genesis 27:30-46 Man may work, but it is God who determines the outcome
Genesis 27:30-46 Man may work, but it is God who determines the outcome
Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” 32 Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36 Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,
“Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling,
And away from the dew of heaven from above.
40 “By your sword you shall live,
And your brother you shall serve;
But it shall come about when you become restless,
That you will break his yoke from your neck.”
Background
Esau’s arrival sent Isaac trembling violently. For Isaac realised too late, that the final blessing that he had preserved for Esau was given to Jacob. The dream house that he had so painstakingly built was irreversibly shattered. Esau sought his father’s blessing with tears but was given only an antiblessing. Today’s devotion teaches us that man may plan and work, but it is God who determines the outcome. Therefore, man must first gain God’s favour and approval through faith and obedience. The cross has the power to destroy the bondage of faithlessness that was resident in Esau. In Christ, man can now overcome faithfulness to obtain the promise of Abraham.
Observation
“Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”
Isaac’s intransigence is the root cause of the holy family’s problems. One can think of no other way to end the saga than this. For Isaac had dug himself into a hole by calling faithless Esau to receive his last blessing and leaving Jacob out. Isaac had defied convention, which required a dying patriarch to summon all his sons to receive their appropriate blessing. Isaac’s scheme backfired depriving his favourite son of the one blessing he had so carefully preserved.
Esau’s timing is uncanny; should he had arrived a few minutes earlier, the world today would have been different and Israel, non-existent. Esau’s sudden entrance had caused Isaac to tremble violently for he realised that the dream of a beautiful closure to his life was suddenly shattered. He knew too late that the son that he deemed as inconsequential is now the possessor of Abraham’s promise. However, Isaac, in saying, “Yes, and he shall be blessed,” showed he still had some faith left in him. Through faith, Isaac had come to accept Jacob as God’s intended heir of the Abrahamic covenant.
Esau also experienced his own violent trembling when Jacob whom his father despised was exalted before his very eyes. His demeanour and words: Bless me, even me also, O my father, only expresses the depth of his trauma and agony. Isaac promptly absolved himself of his blunder by putting the blame on Jacob: Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing. And Esau bitterly accused Jacob for being the supplanter from the very beginning.
Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times?
Although Esau suffered unjustly under his brother’s deception, he had yet to acknowledge his own folly when he despised his birthright and sold it for a bowl of soup. Esau’s relentless and pathetic plea for his father’s blessing mirrors man’s universal longing for God’s favour. But like Esau, many are not willing to live the life of purity and obedience. Thus, what was meant for Esau to possess, was lost because of unbelief.
Isaac was seen as reluctant to bless Esau because the last blessing he preserved originally for him was given away to Jacob. For Isaac had intended on giving everything to Esau while making Jacob his servant. Because the blessing bestowed on Jacob cannot be rescinded, Isaac can only manage an antiblessing to offer the son he loves.
Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling.
In this antiblessing, Esau was denied the fertility of the earth and he would live a hard life. Unlike the shepherd and farmer who live off the abundance of the land, Esau’s descendants would subsist by hunting. The antiblessing predestines Esau’s descendants as a nation hostile to Israel: By your sword you shall live. But, they would not prevail over Israel but would be servile to them. This was perhaps the most painful part as Esau had been brought up to believe that he would be the heir apparent. As it appeared, after the dust settled, the last had become first, and the first last.
Truth
Man may work, but it is God who determines the outcome
The faithless Isaac schemed to bless Esau without the knowledge of Rebekah and Jacob. The manipulative Rebekah countered with her own plan to deceive Isaac by exploiting his blindness. The pragmatic and unprincipled Jacob went along after his mother had offered to take the fall. And the dense Esau, being oblivious to all that was happening sheepishly followed his father’s instructions. Given the complex interactions of the four protagonists, there was no way of telling how things would turn out. However, God’s election of Jacob remained unshakable as prophesied: And one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:23b). Isaac’s plan to bless Esau was providentially scuttled and the blessing fell on Jacob. Therefore, it is important to first understand what the will of God is before putting our hands to work. Lest we, like Isaac who realised the dream house that he had so painstakingly built come to nothing. Proverbs 16:9 says,
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
The question remains: What is the purpose of the Lord? Who will God choose to bless? Is it out of favouritism that God chose Jacob? Indeed, not! God chose Jacob because of Jacob’s propensity for faith while he was in his mother’s womb. This faith was later realised through his undying pursuit of God’s kingdom and its ideals. While Isaac admired Esau’s potential for leadership, God saw Jacob’s propensity for faith and selfless dedication. While man looks for natural abilities, God looks for virtues. Even though Isaac went to great extent to sideline Jacob, it is God who had the final word.
Therefore, let us not be unsettled by those who come against us, for their work will come to nothing. But remain steadfast in honouring God and in doing what is right! Do not because of the busyness of your career neglect your duty of worshiping God and in offering your tithes. In doing so, your breakthrough will suddenly come upon you and overwhelm you as in the case of Jacob. Having said, anyone who finds his faith waning (as in the case of Esau) can now enter in by the power of the cross. The cross is the power that would have destroyed the bondage of faithlessness that was resident in Esau. In Christ, man can now overcome faithlessness to obtain the promise of Abraham. The apostle Paul said, “In Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:14.
In times of distress, it is human to dampen the pangs of uncertainty by taking matters into one’s own hands. However, God uses stressful circumstances to test the mettle of our faith and to refine it. During such times, believers must rest in God’s hand in total surrender and refrain from reacting. During which the quiet strength of God will ease our soul strengthening us to rise above the storm. It is by the blood of Christ, that we are chosen as Jacob is. It is by the grace of Christ, that we stay the course until breakthrough comes.
For believers, God guarantees the prosperity of their future generations. While for unbelievers, He does not
Jacob had a covenant with God, whereas Esau did not. God guaranteed the prosperity of Jacob’s descendants and watched over them, but not for Esau’s descendants, the Edomites. Edom was destroyed by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC and was never heard of again. But Israel’s return to sovereignty in 1948 under the mandate of the United Nations attests to the power of God that works within those who love Him.
Therefore, believers should not be discouraged by their immediate circumstances, but to trust in God’s unshakable word to prosper their children, and their children’s children. The believer’s blessing is manifested in the success of their future generations. They will surely prosper in righteousness, wisdom and influence. The psalmist said,
Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112:1-3
Application
Are you often given to worries concerning the future of your children and your church? You will find your rest when you make a covenant with God to love Him and obey His commands. He is able to do exceedingly, and abundantly what you cannot think or imagine according to the power of His resurrection. The power that resurrected Jesus is the same power that works in you today. Your work may be small and insignificant, but God sees your heart and will give you your breakthrough in due time. Let us join the psalmist to praise God in anticipation of His promise fulfilled!
Dear Lord, I thank you for choosing me as you have chosen Jacob. Sanctify my heart so that I may walk in faith as Jacob did. Give me grace and wisdom to do what is right in the face of oppositions. Grant me a breakthrough in your perfect time. Bless me and my family as you have blessed Jacob. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.