Arise, go

Genesis 28: 1-5: “And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.”

The best way for Jacob to escape from Esau’s anger was for him to go away to another country. Rebekah had already done the preparation and so Isaac called his younger so and sent him away to his mother’s homeland to find a wife for himself. Isaac, probably, never knew the real reason why he sent his son away but that didn’t really matter. The Lord was in control and Jacob had some very hard lessons to learn. When Isaac sent his son away he invoked the blessing that God first gave to Adam and then passed on to other people in history, he told him to be fruitful and multiply and raise up a large crowd of children. This may seem somewhat incongruous after Abraham’s experiences but God’s plan was for Abraham’s descendants to be fruitful and to be a source of blessing for all the families of the earth. The more fruitful those descendants became the more likelihood of the blessing reaching all the families of the earth. Of course, looking back after four thousand years it is easy to see that that has happened and that God was faithful to his promise.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Go to my brother

Genesis 27: 41-46: “And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?”

Poor Esau, he had lost both the birthright and the blessing and he was angry. He wasn’t too concerned about the spiritual meaning of what he had lost but he was concerned about the fact that his younger brother had cheated him twice. He knew that Isaac was old and preparing to die and he decided that he would kill Jacob so that he could get both the birthright and the blessing. After all, how could he serve his brother if his brother was dead? He didn’t really understand what the blessing was all about and that it had come from God. Rebekah heard that Esau was planning to kill Jacob and decided that she would have to do something to help her younger son. She didn’t want to just come out and say that she favoured the younger son over the older son so she had to have a good excuse. Esau had already married some local women and they brought grief to both his parents. This was a good excuse so she told Isaac that she didn’t want Jacob to marry a local women, that is, a daughter of Heth. She sent Jacob to her brother in Haran so that he could stay there until Esau forgot about his plan to kill his younger brother.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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The blessing that was left

Genesis 27: 30-40: “And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 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; And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.” 

There is evidence of the Lord’s timing in this section even though Rebekah and Jacob had schemed and planned to steal Esau’s blessing. Image what might have happened if Esau arrived home before Isaac had blessed Jacob? However, the blessing was completed and Isaac had all the benefits that followed from having this blessing. When Esau finally arrived, trusting in the food that he had made, there was very little left for him. Jacob had been given the rule over his brother’s descendants. This came about when King David conquered the Edomites and the Jews conquered the Idumeans. However, King Herod was an Idumean pretending to be a Jew so for a while his descendants did rule over the Jews. However, the Idumeans were lost to history after that. Esau was blessed to enjoy the fatness of the earth and he was to enjoy the dew of heaven. This was fulfilled when the Idumeans controlled an important road going down to Egypt and they became prosperous producing olive oil. However, Jacob lived up to his name and the nature that he displayed when he was born and took all the benefits that belonged to his twin brother by right of birth.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Plenty of corn and wine

Genesis 27: 28, 29: “Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”

We can see that this is an ancient piece of writing as the blessing are about things to do with the earth rather than things to do with commerce or trading. The dew of heaven was important because it came down from God and watered the earth on a daily basis. Isaac had to fight hard for water during his life and his blessing was that his son would receive water from heaven from day to day so that he wouldn’t have to fight so hard for the water. He also asked that his would know the fatness of the earth. Fatness of the earth deals with the extras rather than just with the basics. Isaac wanted his son to have the basics as represented by the dew but he also wanted him to have more than just the basics, he wanted him to know abundance as well. This was further expounded when he prayed that his son would have plenty of corn and wine. In a society where there were no international treaties or international courts of law it was important for a person to rule other nations rather than to belong to a nation that part of an empire belonging to someone else. If your nation was ruled by another nation you would have to work hard but you would never really see the benefits of your hard work for someone else would take it all away. This blessing also refers back to the promise that God first made to Abraham when He called him to the life of a wanderer. Isaac, and Jacob, both knew the importance of this blessing. Isaac was given this blessing as Abraham’s only legitimate son but Jacob had to scheme and plot with his mother to get it. However, this part of the blessing was the most important part.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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One story or two?

Genesis 27: 15-27: “And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:”

Some scholars say that this passage has evidence of two different stories mixed together. In the first story Isaac feels Jacob’s hands covered with goat skins and in the second story Isaac asked Jacob to kiss him. Somehow or other the redactor (editor) mixed the two stories together. However, there is a much better explanation that that. This is one story of an old man who is blind and has trouble hearing. He knows that Jacob wants to take Esau’s place as the eldest son but he still wants to bless Esau. He knows that if he blesses the wrong son he won’t be able to take it back so he is being very careful. He thinks that he might be hearing Jacob’s voice but he is not sure so he checks twice just to make sure that he is blessing the right son. However, Rebekah knew him better than anyone else so she had established a careful plan and that plan worked. There is no evidence of two different stories here there is just evidence of an old man who is blind, a bit deaf and slightly confused.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Problems or opportunities?

Genesis 27: 11-14: “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.”

Jacob saw problems while Rebekah saw an opportunity. She was determined to ensure that Jacob received the blessing while Jacob was concerned that he be discovered for his part in the plot and be cursed. In our modern society we don’t believe in blessings and curses too much because we are far to rational for that. However, we all believe in the importance of having the right mentor to help us find our way through the maze of success, don’t we? This is essentially the same as looking for a successful senior person to give us a blessing along the way. If we manage to alienate someone who is important to the progress of our careers then we will find it very hard to succeed and this is similar to a curse. The middle verse in the English Bible is Psalm 118: 8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” This is essentially what Rebekah was doing here. She remembered the promise that the Lord gave her and trusted in the Lord to bring that promise to pass. However, she had a small crisis in hope when she heard Isaac call Esau and set out to give the Lord a hand in keeping His promise. Should we just trust in the Lord and do nothing or should we be proactive and give the Lord some help as we seek to achieve our goals? First we have to be very sure that the goals we have set come from the Lord and not from our own desires and secondly we have to remember that the Lord works in His own time according to His own plan. It is also wise to remember the counsel given by Gamaliel in Acts 5: 38, 39 “And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” It is important to make sure that we remember that God is God and we don’t tell Him what to do. But we all know that if you aim at nothing you are sure to hit it, don’t we? Tell that to Ahab (see 1 Kings 22: 34, 35 “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Fetch me two good kids

Genesis 27: 6-10: “And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 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: And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 

At first sight we see that there is evidence of a huge family conflict here as the mother preferred one son while the father preferred the other son. However, Rebekah remembered the promise which, the Lord made to her while she was still carrying the twins while Isaac, it seems, was more concerned about the food than he was about the word of the Lord. In Gen 25: 23 the Lord told Rebekah “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” Isaac wanted to bless Esau in spite of the fact that the Lord said that the blessing should go to Jacob. It would seem as though Isaac would have blessed the wrong son without Rebekah’s involvement. We know that Jacob desired the blessing but probably not for pure reasons. He had spent his life, to date, trying to get ahead of his older brother anyway. Rebekah knew exactly what Isaac liked and she prepared everything just the way he desired. This plan may have gone very wrong for both Rebekah and Jacob but the Lord was involved and the plan prospered in the long term. Eventually this led to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The other issue that we can remember when we consider this section is the fact that at the end of chapter 26 we read that Esau’s marriage brought grief of mind to his parents so we should question if he was worthy of the blessing anyway.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Savoury meat, such as I love

Genesis 27:1-5: “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.”

This section gives us an insight into the relationship between Isaac and Esau. While it is true that the Lord blessed Isaac and he played an important role in the Messianic line, we can also see that he was very interested in temporal things as well. He loved to eat venison that Esau hunted and prepared for him. This could be one reason why Esau was more interested in food than in his birthright. Of course, we can’t blame Isaac for choices that Esau made as an adult and we can’t absolve Esau of the fact that he despised his birthright. This passage also gives us an insight into the fact that there was tension between Isaac and Rebekah over the relative importance of their sons. It would seem that Rebekah had a preference for a more settled lifestyle similar to the one that she came from in Haran, the city of Nahor(see Gen 11: 31). However, Isaac probably had a preference for the less settled life that was evidenced by Esau’s hunting. Isaac was thinking of his belly when he thought that it was time for him to die so he sent his son to get him a good meal before he died. He then planned to bless Esau and make sure that he received the benefits of the promises that God had given to Abraham.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Grief of mind to his parents

Genesis 26: 32-35: “And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day. And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.”

When you live in a dry land water is always a big issue. Isaac had just made a contract with the local people because the Lord had blessed him greatly and given him water when he is told that his servants have discovered even more water. When the Lord blesses someone, He continues to bless them according to His own nature. This doesn’t mean that the gospel of prosperity is correct because Christians have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Earthly prosperity can come and go according to the chaotic, global political scene but heavenly blessing can never be taken away because they are guaranteed by the Lord Himself and He will never change. It is interesting to contract Isaac with Esau. He was always looking for temporary blessings and he caused grief of mind to his parents.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Satisfied

Genesis 26: 26-31: “Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.”

If the Lord is with someone then it will be obvious to the rest of the world. The Lord blessed Isaac and everyone could see that he was prospering far more than anyone else in the entire region. This meant that the people who lived close by were afraid of Isaac. They didn’t want to attack him and they didn’t want him to attack them. In either case things would not turn to their advantage. This reminds me of Ephesians 1: 3 (“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”) Some people try to persuade us that we have to be rich or famous if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but that theory is completely disproved by His own life. However, we have spiritual blessings that we world can never give to anyone. In Jeremiah, the Lord promises that in the future day, when His people submit to Him then they shall be satisfied with His goodness (Jer 31: 14). This can be true of everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. In Phil 2: 11 the apostle Paul said “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” He also said in 1 Tim 6: 6 “godliness with contentment is great gain.” Paul also said “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb 13: 5). The Lord was with Isaac (Isaac is now with the Lord compare Luke 16: 23-25) and He is with us every moment of every day so we can be content. Contentment requires effort but a person who is content is the richest person in the world for they don’t want any more and you can’t take anything away from them for contentment is a state of mind. If we are content with His goodness then we will draw people to the Lord Jesus Christ.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Another well

Genesis 26: 23-25: “And he went up from thence to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well”

Isaac made sure that the well was secure and was confident in his actions because the Lord was with him. However, he moved from Rehoboth to Beersheba. At Rehoboth there was just one well that Isaac could use but Beersheba had plenty of water. Abraham had dug this well and made a contract with Abimelech that was consummated by the exchange of seven ewes. (Gen 21: 29-33 “And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.”) It is interesting to note that the road to Jerusalem was opened during the First World War when Beersheba was taken by Allied troops. The capture of Jerusalem led to the defeat of the Turkish Empire. These places are ancient places but they are important places. God dealt with Isaac in the same that He had dealt with Abraham, with compassion and blessing. The Lord reaffirmed His promise to Isaac after this and then Isaac built and altar and worshipped the Lord. God hadn’t forgotten His promise to Abraham and his descendants it was just that Isaac needed some confirmation so God gave Him that confirmation. Isaac felt confident enough to settle again and he dug another well to ensure the supply of water.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Let him look after himself

Genesis 26: 21-23: “And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. And he went up from thence to Beersheba.”

When Isaac faced opposition he kept trusting the Lord and got on with his business. His enemies fought over the well that he had dug so he let them have the well and dug another well. After this they left him alone so he called that place “wide open space”. There was plenty of room for everyone now. This is a reminder of Judges 6: 29-31 “And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.” In that case Gideon had destroyed an idol and the people wanted to kill him because he had destroyed that idol. However, his father told the people that if Baal was a god then he should kill Gideon for destroying the idol. If you trust in the true God of heaven then He will take care of you, as He took care of Isaac. What is the use of having a god who can’t do anything to help himself? It must be very hard work fighting hard to look after your own god. If you do have to look after your own god then you have to wonder if there is any time left to enjoy living the life that God had given you. In the final analysis, there is the true God or everyone is their own god trying to make sure that everything happens using their own strength. If I am my own god and I die then what happens to me? There is no hope of everlasting life at all.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Living water

Genesis 26: 16-20: “And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.”

The Lord blessed Isaac as He had promised Abraham in Genesis 12: 2 (“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:”) Isaac had a great name and the local king understood that when he told Isaac that he was much mightier than they were. However, the Lord also told Abraham that anyone who cursed him or his descendants would be cursed. In this case Abimelech forced Isaac to leave and thus cursed him instead of blessing him. About 400 years later, Abimelech’s descendants were driven out of the land or forced to be slaves because they had done this to Isaac all these years earlier. Of course, these people had a chance to repent of this sin; the Lord let them hear about the great things that He did when He delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt for forty years before they finally came to the Promised Land but they chose to fight rather than submitting to God. This area, in the southern part of Israel, is very dry and water is important. These people believed that if they could stop Isaac from having access to water they would rob him of his riches. The Lord Jesus Christ has promised us access to living water (see John 4: 14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”) This well of water that springs up inside people who believe in the Only Begotten Son is living water because it gives everlasting life. However, the great enemy, Satan, seeks to take this living water away from everyone who believes in the Only Begotten Son. If we know the Word of God and read it daily then Satan won’t be able to do this. (compare James 4: 7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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A time to stay

Genesis 26: 12-15: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.”

This is the first time that we read about sowing seeds in the Bible. After being a nomad for many years, Isaac began a more settled life. If a person sows seeds they have to wait for the seed to grow and ripen into crops before they can reap the harvest. If a person is strictly nomadic then they can’t wait long enough for the harvest. They also don’t have the same security of food as a person who sows seeds and then keeps the crops. Slowly but surely the Lord was bringing a sense of security to Abraham’s son. Abraham didn’t take possession of any part of the land except for his wife’s grave site. Now Isaac has taken possession of enough land to grow crops. When God makes a promise, He always keeps that promise even though we have to wait for His perfect timing. However, as soon as God began to bless Isaac, his enemies tried to stop the blessing. They were jealous of the fact that the Lord blessed Isaac and they tried to make life hard for him by stopping all the wells. This is just another example to show us that hardship or delay in our lives is not necessarily a sign from God telling us that we are being punished by the Lord. There are times to wait and there are times to go forward.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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You choose what you think

Genesis 26: 7-11: “And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. 11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

It is interesting to note how the son followed the same pattern as his father. Even though Isaac was not born when Abraham asked Sarah to pretend that she was his sister he still did just as his father had done in the same circumstances. Children grow up believing that their own circumstances are normal. If you, as a parent, complain about everything then your children will believe that it is right to complain. If you spend your time committing character assassination against other people then your children will believe that is the right way to behave. If a parent is depressed when their child is young then the child will grow up with a much greater chance of being depressed. If you are a control freak then your children will believe that it is right to be a control freak. However, it is only possible for one member of a couple to be a control freak. In spite of this there is a passage in Deuteronomy that informs us on our own responsibilities in these circumstances (Deut 24: 16 “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”) It doesn’t matter what happens to you when you are a child. When you are an adult you choose what you think and you, therefore, become responsible for your own actions. No one can ever blame their parents for actions that they have chosen to do themselves.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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A famine

Genesis 26: 1-6: “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:”

Famines and wilderness years always speak of training periods in the Bible When a person experiences a famine it is designed to bring them to a deeper relationship with the Lord. Some people try to tell us that hardship is a consequence of a particular sin in our lives but this is not the case for “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” (Psalm 103: 10, 11) God’s mercy occurs when we don’t receive something that we deserve while God’s grace occurs when we receive something that we don’t deserve. However, when Moses spoke to the Israelites before they went into the Land he told them, inspired by God, that they had been in the wilderness for three reasons: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no... Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; (Deut 8: 2, 16) The first reason was to humble them, not so that they would feel bad about themselves but so that they would feel good about God. The second reason was to prove them so that they would learn to keep the Lord’s commandments. God doesn’t test us to make us fail, He tests us to make us stronger. The third reason was sot that it would be good for them in the end. The same is as true today as it was when Moses spoke those words. God brings us into testing times so that we will have a deeper and richer relationship with Him, based on faith and trust in His Almighty ability. Isaac experienced a famine but God used this experience to make His promise personal for Isaac rather than just a second hand promise that God gave to his father. There was one important condition, that is, he was not to go down to Egypt. In our Christian lives we should never go back or even look back.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Pearls and swine

Genesis 25: 29-34: “And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”

We have seen that Jacob was a cheat and would do anything to get the rights that belonged to his brother. Now we find that Esau didn’t value the precious promises from God that should have been his by birth. He saw Jacob cooking some lentils one day and he was feeling hungry. Although, as a hunter, he should have had enough food for himself and extra to supply others. He was so unconcerned about the things that God was able to give him that he changed all the precious promises for a plate of food. Jacob might have been a cheat and a liar but Esau was a fool. In Matthew 7: 6 we read “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” Esau was given pearls but he behaved like a pig and trampled the precious things under his feet. Anyone who hears the precious message of salvation but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and rejects it is just like Esau.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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