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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Genesis 27:35
“Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
Isaac and Rebekah had twins – Esau and Jacob. Jacob made his presence felt as soon as he arrived by grasping at his brother’s heel and the grasping trait was set in his character. He would get whatever he wanted regardless of how he went about it.
His mother’s favouritism, his brother’s indifference to the important and his father’s weak eyesight also encouraged him.
Favouritism is a dangerous character flaw in anyone, but particularly in teachers and parents who should try to be totally impartial. It’s also interesting that Jacob not only benefited by the favouritism shown him by his mother but also carried the error on into his own family with similarly disastrous results.
Esau also revealed serious character defects. Whilst he was his father’s favourite son, he did not follow his father’s faith and righteousness. Rather, he showed particular disdain for them.
Firstly, he gave up his birthright for a bowl of soup – a typical action of a teenager; not that of a princely son and heir. He must have known that all the promises of God made to Abraham and confirmed to Isaac were destined to be his but he was so selfish and wilful that he treated the holy as common and thus profaned those promises. He thereby rejected God and his Godly heritage, and thus disqualified himself from his Godly inheritance.
Secondly, although he knew his father loved him, he still violated his parents’ values by marrying two Canaanite women, whom as we read in the last verse of the previous chapter “were a source of grief” to his parents.
Whilst what happens here was ‘unfortunate’ for him, he had already demonstrated that he was a totally unworthy recipient of the covenantal blessing.
Whatever our views are of Isaac’s inability to ‘see through Jacob’s deception’, it is Jacob on whom we should focus.
God loved Jacob but hated Esau (Malachi 1:2; Romans 9:13). Why? Because Esau treated the holy as profane and common. God saw Esau’s heart and its rejection of Him.
On the other hand, God saw Jacob’s heart as one that could be moulded into the ways of God. Yes, God did allow Rebekah to fulfil her schemes because He knew that Jacob would be the one to carry on the path of righteousness which Abraham started.
The moral of the story? Don’t cast your pearls before swine. Don’t treat the Holy as common – for our God is an awesome and Holy God.
It is a sad truism that most people ‘disqualify themselves’ from blessing and leadership. You and I have been born to be a ‘Prince’ or a ‘Princess’ of the King – please don’t violate that birthright.
Don’t treat His love, grace and forgiveness lightly. Jesus died to set you free – live your life in the light of His sacrifice, not your selfishness, pride and convenience.
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