Genesis 28:18–22 – TURNING A DREAM INTO DESTINY

Genesis 28:18–22 – TURNING A DREAM INTO DESTINY

Dream to Destiny

Approaching the little Baptist Church near the station I can hear the voices that once drowned out the clatter of trains singing their praises again. The pump organ, now gone, for just a moment fills the room again with it’s sonorous tones as worship at full volume rises above the matters of the week. Mrs Young smiles as her head bobs above the music manuscripts, her strong vibrato voice somehow coaxing “Oh for a thousand tongues to sing” just one more time.

I am the ragged young man with long hair and a beard and no shoes who sits in the second front seat on Sunday mornings, and the man wearing a suit and tie always greets me at the door. There he is again, smiling and welcoming me in. I can see it, the photographs of remembrance still evoke the same emotions though the faces are fading in sepia.

We were a Church together with all the seemingly disparate parts meeting as one. We loved eachother. It will be a place I will always remember and return to, marked; a memorial in my mind. It is Jacob’s anointed stone and represents for many a stairway to heaven; access to God. It must be the very house of God; a place where dreams are transformed into destiny.

Nothing has changed for Jacob in Genesis 28, yet everything has changed. He is still running, still in a desert landscape, still propelled to leave home, still rejected by his brother, yet Jacob wants to preserve this moment, this milestone, this inspiring vision for his life, so he takes the stone he rested on, sets it upright as a memorial pillar, then anoints it with olive oil. It will represent that the dream he had of a stairway to heaven and the promises of God have been set apart for God’s purposes in his life. This is his first place of worship; the first place where he has made contact with God in a significant way. He names it Bethel; house of God; a place to meet with God and listen to Him speak. This must be the very house of God. A place where dreams are transformed into destiny.

Then Jacob makes this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me” (Genesis 28:20-22 NLT).

Jacob knows he needs God’s help, so he expresses it in terms of a covenant of commitment. He is saying in effect “Since you have promised these things then I’ll serve You. I commit my life to you”? As a covenant seal Jacob commits himself to paying a tithe. Tithing is a principle that unrolls gradually in the Bible, like a scroll. God doesn’t command him to do it. He isn’t planning to tithe regularly. This is the only recorded time that Jacob intends to tithe, a once-off offering that Jacob wants to make. It declares his trust and dependency upon God who provides and cares for him.

For once in his life Jacob is more concerned with giving rather than grabbing. Tithing won’t save him or ensure that God will bless him with material things. God has already promised to do this. Tithing is not a talisman against evil. For Jacob, it is an expression of his commitment to God, a response of his heart to God’s purposes for his life. My Pastor speaks about it as living the unlived life.

God invites me to respond to Him today; to commit my life to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, entrusting my life into His care; to meet with and listen to God and His purposes; to respond to Him with all my heart; to determine to live a life of generosity and recognise a place of personal worship as the house of God. That’s when God turns my dreams into destiny.

Pastor Ross

If this article has resonated with you, would you please pass it forward to those whose lives you think may also be touched by Words of Life. Thanks and may God bless you.

Related articles

• Genesis 27: POETIC JUSTICE AND PROPHETIC GRACE (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/part-2–genesis-1417-24–tithing-without-a-gun-held-to-my-head-ross-cochrane-sermon-on-giving-general-145259.asp

Genesis 28:10-22 – WHEN ALL YOU HAVE LEFT IS A DREAM

Genesis 28:10-22 – WHEN ALL YOU HAVE LEFT IS A DREAM

DREAMS IN A DESERT

All his plans and positioning, all his hopes and expectations, lie in pieces on the ground? His life is bankrupt and his past seems characterised by failure, despite his best intentions. Everything stripped away, a wasteland of worthlessness. An internalised desert. Lonely, afraid and anxious of the future, rejected and feeling sorry for himself. Out here under the expanse of the stars, the universe stretching out before him, Jacob feels so insignificant, unwanted, discouraged, defeated. All his efforts useless. Hopeless. He is helpless, his life a waste, a burden, an irrelevant rock in a wilderness of boulders.

Blessed by God with the rulership of his family, yet it is Jacob who is forced into exile; Esau who forfeits the blessing of God is left in the possession of everything! He is given free opportunity of leadership without a rival! It makes no sense!

He is following the trail of his grandfather Abraham. His father told him about the altar Abraham built at this site (Genesis 12:8), and Jacob deliberately finds it and chooses to stay here for the night. Perhaps God will protect him from Esau if he follows in the footsteps of Abraham. He sleeps on the altar that night with his head resting on one of the stones, like a living sacrifice. His father once lay precariously on an altar with his life in God’s hands. Alone in the wilderness of his own making, he is in a good place to hear God speak. God chose to bless Abraham here, and as Jacob sleeps, all other blessings and birthrights gained by deceptive means recede, as God speaks in His righteousness with the blessing He originally intended. Strange that it is often a wilderness that is the perfect place in which to hear God speak.

There is intense interest in heaven on this night about what is taking place on earth. In a dream, it seems as if the stones of the altar are being crafted by a master builder into a stairway, step upon step. Multitudes of angels move up and down on a stairway in the wilderness; toward Jacob and back again, “… mighty ones who carry out God’s plans, listening to His Word” (Psalms 103:20). “…servant spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Jacob is aware that his sin has separated him from his family and from being able to appropriate the blessings he had obtained by stealth. He needs a mediator to bridge the distance between him and God.

At the top of the stairway stands the Lord, and He says, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac.” (Genesis 28:13 NLT). Below stands Jacob. And even though Jacob is in a situation where he is feeling lost and lonely, regretting his past and afraid of the future, God reminds him that in the past He has been in relationship with his grandfather Abraham, and his father Isaac. He will also be with Jacob concerning his future. He says “Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:14,15 NLT)

He still offers such an invitation and promise. I hear His words when I am discouraged, lonely or a little apprehensive about my future; the still small voice of God saying “I am with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. You are blessed to be a blessing”.

The dream gives a picture of the reality. A bridge spanning the gulf between us and God. Years later this stairway is personified in Jesus Christ, the only way from earth to heaven, the one Mediator between man and God. 1 Timothy 2:5 (NLT) says “For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”

Jesus says in John 1:51 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the One who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

Without Christ I am earthbound. God, majestic, high and lifted up, unlimited, almighty, beckons me to connect with Him. Bringing heaven to earth, Jesus says “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NLT).

Awestruck by this dream, Jacob responds, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he is also afraid and says, “What an awesome place this is! …the very gateway to heaven!” (Genesis 28:16-17).

And His invitation still reverberates in the rocky places and wildernesses of the hearts of countless souls through the ages to this day, this moment, as on the altar we are left with nothing but a dream and a promise. There before us the very gateway to heaven opens.

Pastor Ross

“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras. You will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!” (You will do the impossible!) “The Lord says, ‘I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them. I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation.’” (Psalms 91:9-16 NLT)

If this article has resonated with you, would you please pass it forward to those whose lives you think may also be touched by Words of Life. Thanks and may God bless you.

Related articles

• Genesis 28:10-22 – STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27: POETIC JUSTICE AND PROPHETIC GRACE (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Blessings – by Lisa Nordell-Detres (lisadetres.wordpress.com)

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Portal of paradise, passage to the King.

Keys of access open ancient paths to heaven’s Way.

The Gates of hell cannot endure; all locked doors

Shocked, shouldered open, fall! And I sing!

Saviour, perfect and pierced. He endured to pay

For my sins and guilt! My spirit shouts, soars!

Forgiveness, freedom, faith; all found in Him.

 

All things full, foundational, firm, true,

Whatever the terror, trial, come what may,

His grace for grief’s wounds, anointed, pours.

His faithful touch heals, redeems, makes me new,

Restores.

© Pastor Ross

Genesis 28:10-22 – STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Genesis 28:10-22 – STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
Not for Sale!

Referred to as one of the greatest rock songs of all time, “Stairway to Heaven”, released in 1971, quickly earned a place in songwriting history. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page from the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It begins as a slow acoustic folk song and builds up to include a high tempo hard rock section and ends with a the broken vocal “And she’s buying a Stairway to Heaven”. Is “Stairway to Heaven” speaking of buying and taking drugs, or reaching some other form of ecstasy? The meaning of the song has been speculated for years, but few realise that another writer wrote about a dream of a “Stairway to Heaven”, one that can’t be bought, earned or deserved, only experienced, and his story appears in an ancient book we call the Bible.

“USURPER,” or “GRABBER”! By Genesis 28 Jacob has so far lived up to the meaning of his name. He received this name by taking a firm grip on his twin brother Esau’s heel while they were being born. Later, he grabs his brother’s Birthright by swapping it for a pot of stew, but it is when he grabs Esau’s Blessing by deceptive impersonation years later that he finds himself “in the stew” (in trouble) the repercussions of which leave him no option but to leave home (Genesis 27). He desperately wants the blessings of God on his life but finds he can’t buy a stairway to heaven.

For forty miles (64 kms) he travels over the mountains, the first time away from home, retracing the steps of his grandfather Abraham. As a shepherd, he is accustomed to sleeping outdoors and chooses a suitable rock for a pillow, perhaps resting it under his neck like some African tribes do to dissuade irritating insects of the land from crawling into their ears at night.

In his dream, it seems as if the stones of the valley have become a stairway to heaven. There are angels “going up and down the stairway” which connect earth to heaven. “At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and He said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac.’” (Genesis 28:13 NLT).

Years later Jesus refers to Himself as this stairway to heaven (John 1:51). Rock solid. Mankind below and God at the top of the stairs. Going up and down on this stairway of promise which joins earth to heaven are the angels of God, ascending and descending, serving God and His purposes, bringing heaven to earth. Access to eternal life. Acts 16:31 says “Believe in (trust in, rely on) the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” This is not a stairway to heaven that can be bought, earned, worked for, or deserved. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) reminds believers that “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” 

Jacob is so awestruck by this dream that he says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he is also afraid and says, “What an awesome place this is! …the very gateway to heaven!” (Genesis 28:16-17). Faced with a choice to run from God and his purposes, instead He chooses to commit his life to serving God.

In the words of the song “Stairway to Heaven” Led Zeppelen’s sings,

“Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run

There’s still time to change the road you’re on.”

Jacob tried doing things his own way and his plans ended up in a wilderness. It is often in the wilderness that God reveals Himself to me through Christ. The questions I find myself asking are “How will I respond to Him?” I cannot buy my way to heaven, but I can trust in Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and accept the eternal life he offers as a gift (Read John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16-17, Romans 6:23).

Pastor Ross

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• Genesis 27: POETIC JUSTICE AND PROPHETIC GRACE (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
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Genesis 28:1-9 – HOW TO AVOID MISSING THE POINT ENTIRELY

Genesis 28:1-9 – HOW TO AVOID MISSING THE POINT ENTIRELY

It was the first time I had spoken before Doc Gibson, a respected theological professor. Having been given a classic passage in the Old Testament on which to speak I had spent many hours reading every book and commentary I could find. By the time I came to speak I was exhausted from lack of sleep but felt I had something worthwhile to offer. The professor, however, after hearing what I had to say, told me that I had missed the point entirely. I was devastated. In a few minutes he summed up my blind spot and I went home a little annoyed, affronted, embarrassed and feeling sorry for myself. Over the next few days I reflected on how I could face the professor, but I kept coming back to the only conclusion I could make – he was right! How could I have missed something so obvious? Taking his advice, and seeking to diligently “find the point”, I was greatly encouraged at the end of the next year when I won the preaching prize.

All of a sudden in Genesis 28, Jacob, not Esau, has the full support of his father. Isaac has just blessed Jacob (Genesis 28:6), instead of him. How does Esau feel about all this? Understandably he feels he has been robbed. It’s as if he has caught the thief, laid charges but somehow on a technicality the case has been reversed so that the thief is awarded the damages. There is no justice. He is upset, rejected, annoyed, angry, hostile towards his brother, struggling to find answers. But hasn’t he also missed the point?

Jacob, his brother, is told not to marry a Canaanite and is sent to Syria to find a wife (Genesis 28:7). He is to go back to Rebekah’s family in Padan-aram, and marry one of his own cousins, one of the daughters of his uncle, his mother’s brother, Laban. Repeating the blessing of Abraham over Jacob (Genesis 26:3-5), Isaac, his Dad, tells Jacob that he will be a father of a great nation, and his descendents will own the land of Caanan. And just like that, by necessity, Jacob is propelled from the presence of his family.

It is obvious to Esau from this conversation his Dad has with his brother that his parents don’t approve of his choice of wives (Genesis 28:8). This has been clear since Genesis 26:34-35. If you had married Hittite wives (Canaanites, Philistines, Genesis 26:34), how would you feel listening to this go down between Jacob and his father Isaac? Esau, as impulsive as ever and so desperate to win back his father’s approval, does the only thing he can think of. Since Jacob is sent off to marry his mother’s niece, he will marry his father’s niece. That should solve the problem.

If you remember the story, Ishmael is the son of Abraham and Hagar. Abraham was married to Sarah and couldn’t have any children so Sarah gave Hagar, her servant, to Abraham as a surrogate mother. Hagar bore Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-4, 15). No Hittite blood here. Esau hopes his marriage into Ishmael’s family will please his parents. He wants to fix things outwardly by marrying someone who is not a Canaanite, but he missed the point entirely!

Esau’s descendents are called the Idumeans. One famous descendent is king Herod, who features in the Christmas story, is the Idumean who tried to take the throne of David, but who was merely a puppet king of the Romans. He was the Idumean who tried to kill Jesus after he was born by slaughtering every male child in Bethlehem two years and under. Unfortunately he highlights the characteristics of the Idumean line.

Although Ishmael was Abraham’s son his family line did not have faith in God. Esau aligned himself by marriage to Ismael and to the Hittites and although he was from the line of Abraham he did not have the faith of Abraham. Esau is still so spiritually blind that he just doesn’t get it! He thinks any connection by marriage to Abraham will regain approval with his Dad, but marrying into the family of Abraham is not the point! All through his life he has opportunities to submit his life to God. Even in marriage he misses the opportunity to marry a woman of faith and to serve God from his heart, but he is not interested.

He misses the point concerning his birthright! He misses the point concerning his blessing! He misses the point concerning his marriage! A birthright, a blessing and a marriage are all associated with responsible spiritual leadership under God. A birthright bequeaths spiritual leadership, a blessing bestows spiritual leadership and a marriage is a betrothal that gives expression to spiritual leadership as we submit to eachother and to God. He misses the point on 3 counts. But the invitation of this passage is that you don’t have to.

You have a birthright in Christ that has been bequeathed to you, a destiny to fulfil that is yours. In Christ you are blessed with the blessing of Abraham, blessed to be a blessing. The Bible says His Church is in marriage relationship with Christ, His bride. The invitation to have a personal relationship with God is yours. He loves you and wants a relationship with you. What would be the point of Christ dying for your sins if you were to gamble with your life at the Cross and not get the point of relationship with Christ?

Pastor Ross

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Genesis 27:38 – 28:4 – ARTICULATING A VISION FOR A NEW SEASON

MAY GOD BLESS YOU THIS YEAR

Happy New Year!

Genesis 27:38 – 28:4 – WHAT WILL YOUR LIFE ATTRACT THIS YEAR?

Growing up, I never really got to know my father. I knew that at Christmas I could give him a record of Engelbert Humperdinck (Yes, a record and yes, that was his name, or at least his stagename). He liked cars, cigarettes and I liked reading, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. He was a tough man who worked hard for a living and went to the pub after work with his mates. I was a recluse who liked to hibernate in my room to paint, invent and write bad poetry. Having so little in common, I consequently learned nothing from him, (not even how to smoke, curse or drink). It might have been different if I had made an effort, and taken the initiative, but that was the farthest thing from my mind. I didn’t like him or want to be around him. Perhaps I was feeling the generational curse of a dysfunctional family rather than any sense of wanting to receive his blessing. I don’t remember him taking an active part in even giving gifts at Christmas. I guess Jacob felt a similar kind of estrangement from his Dad and affinity with his Mum.

But Esau had a good relationship with his Dad and wanted his blessing, any blessing, although it had already been given to Jacob. Genesis 27:39 (NLT) says “Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above.” You will live in a desert! What does he mean by this blessing? “Away from the richness of the earth and dew of heaven…”? Not a good way to start blessing your son. Sounds more like a curse. What kind of blessing will your life attract this year?

Where Esau lives will be a reflection of the state of his heart. Esau’s descendents inhabited Idumea, a desert in comparison with where Jacob settled. Malachi 1:2-5 (NLT) is an indictment upon Esau’s negative attitude to God. Among other things the Lord says of Esau’s descendents “… Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’…”

In Genesis 27:40 (NLT) Isaac reflects his sons destiny and says “You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.”” These are fighting words. This is a blessing with a mean streak. Esau attracts the kind of blessing for Vikings and the vanquished, villains and the violent, not what you would expect for a son! He was going to be a man of war when it comes to his brother. Esau had the nature of a warrior. He would hunt and fight for his living.

Repentance might have attracted a very different blessing. It’s interesting that Esau took no responsibility for the loss of his birthright and blessing. It did not bring him to a place of confession, only anger, jealousy and hatred of his brother. He even seems keen for his father to die so he can get on with murdering his brother. Isaac, his father, virtually gave him permission to live by the sword and break free of Jacob.

Esau’s people took Mount Seir by force from the Horites. Continually at war with the descendents of Jacob, they chose every occasion to be in coalition with their enemies, but never succeeded in overthrowing their Jewish overlords. King David made the Edomites slaves but they eventually shook free of this yoke and assimilated into the Arab nations. Isaac’s prophetic blessing was thus realised. What kind of blessing will your life attract this year?

Jacob, no doubt to his relief, is about to leave home to live with his uncle Laban for the next 20 years, and Isaac gives part 2 of the blessing that God intended for the line of Jacob. It is in such contrast to that of Esau but reflects what is in Jacob’s heart. Jacob’s life, despite his shortcomings, attracts the blessing of God. Jacob has included God in his life and God has included him in the ancestral line of Christ Himself. Isaac says “May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations! May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings He promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham” (Genesis 28:1-4 NLT). Now that’s a blessing! What will your life attract this year?

May God articulate His vision and blessing over your life this year, to release your full potential as you trust in Christ. May He extend your territory and increase your fruitfulness and influence for Him. May He increase your love for Him and for others. May love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control be characteristics of your heart that overflow in your life. May He give you opportunities to honour Him and may you take them.

Julie and Ross Cochrane

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Genesis 27: POETIC JUSTICE AND PROPHETIC GRACE

JUSTICE AND GRACE

“Matthew and his friends were sliding down a Mammoth Mountain ski run on a foam pad at 3am, when he crashed into a lift tower and died. His makeshift sledge of yellow foam had been stolen from the legs of a lift tower on Stump Alley. The cushion is meant to protect skiers who hit the tower, and the tower Matthew ran into was the one from which he had created his sledge.” (The “Darwin Awards” 1998). In Genesis 27 each family member takes their own infamous ski run which causes untold damage to themselves.

There is a rhyme and rhythm to poetic justice. Job 4:8 (NLT) says “My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same.” We reap what we sow. Deception’s voice has an echo. The dissonant chords of sin are often resolved by Poetic Justice. In Genesis 27, amazingly, the tangled web of deceptive words and actions serves to highlight God’s Prophetic Grace.

ISAAC targeted Jacob. The operation sought to take territory rightly belonging to Jacob and put it in control of Esau. His efforts to bypass God’s purposes brought about great damage in his own life, a form of Poetic Justice. He lost the respect of both his sons (Genesis 28:1-5). He lost the trust of his wife. His desire to bless Esau instead of Jacob led to Esau being hurt deeply by his unfulfilled promise.

REBEKAH targeted Isaac and Esau. Her covert operation was enacted with military precision but caused untold collateral damage to herself. She suffered the loss of her favourite son and the trust of her other son (Genesis 27:43-45). Intelligence reports alerted Rebekah on Esau’s intentions to kill Jacob. Her deception had put her boy in harm’s way, and she was forced to make contingency plans on the run. Jacob was now trapped behind enemy lines, and had to be evacuated (Genesis 27:46 – Genesis 28:1-5). She paid the price for all her deceptive tactics in Poetic Justice – she never saw him again. She died before he returned. No doubt she spent a lot of time in a foxhole seeking to avoid the bullets flying around her from her husband Isaac and son Esau who no doubt had lost all confidence and trust in her as an ally.

ESAU targeted Jacob. His covert plans with his father tried to change God’s purposes and it left him in conflict with his brother and severely wounded by his father and mother. The unintended rejection by his father wounded Esau (Genesis 28:6-9) and left him bitter and insecure. Instead of a blessing he received a curse. Esau’s only option was to live the rest of his life in survival mode amidst constant conflict as a mercenary in many unstable military situations. He would be captured (Genesis 27:39-40) and subjected to hardship but eventually escape.

JACOB targeted his father Isaac and brother Jacob. He impersonated his brother to gain his objective (Genesis 27:6-29) but this led to devastating damage to himself. He obtained only the hate of his brother, Esau. (Genesis 27:41). In this climate of instability Jacob would have lived in constant fear of being murdered by his own brother.

Fearing civil war in the family Isaac makes the decision to extract Jacob from danger, and move him to a more friendly environment with his uncle (Genesis 27:42 – Genesis 28:1-5). He suffered the separation from his family, living as a fugitive (Genesis 27:42). He never saw his mother again. Although his uncle gave him refuge Jacob was tricked into serving him for about twenty years. The damage was ongoing (Genesis 29:15-30; 37:1-35), years of reaping what he had sown. Poetic Justice. 

Despite all this, God’s purposes were achieved and the promise of Abraham (Prophetic Grace) was passed down through Jacob as God had originally intended. Deception always reaps of harvest of unexpected, unintentional suffering and pain, but God still has the desire and power to turn cursing to blessing. Romans 6:23 (NLT) says “For the wages of sin is death, (Poetic Justice) but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Prophetic Grace).“

Romans 5:8-10 (NLT) says “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” It seems our sin killed the One sent to save us from sin. The consequences of Poetic Justice are resolved by the covenant of Prophetic Grace when we believe in Christ. The choice is ours. 

Pastor Ross

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Genesis 27:30-38 – HAPPY DYSFUNCTIONAL CHRISTMAS!

Genesis 27:30-38 – WHAT ABOUT ME?

What About Me?

No presents were opened until my father-in-law came to the tree. He was the revered head of the family and it was his responsibility to cut the meat, say grace at meals, and hand out the presents on Christmas day. The anticipation for the kids was enormous. Everyone received a gift. The atmosphere of family was palpable.

To continue with the Christmas analogy, it’s as if Isaac decides that Esau would be the only one to receive a gift that year. It’s as if Esau says “I’ve been nice. I’ve prepared the Christmas dinner. Now give me my present, Santa.” In Genesis 27:31 (NLT) Esau’s approach to his father is self-interested and direct. “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.”” 

Esau has already given away his birthright but he was desperate to receive his father’s blessing. As binding as a legal document, it will activate and bestow leadership, a double portion of the inheritance and spiritual responsibility upon his son. Financially the best Christmas present he could ask for.

Isaac says “Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!”” (Genesis 27:33 NLT). The question is rhetorical. Intuitively, both of them know who has received the blessing. Both of them know for whom it was intended, but when it dawns on Isaac that he has been tricked, he’s so shocked by the implications that he trembles uncontrollably. He can’t take back the blessing

It all makes sense to Isaac now. His suspicions have now been verified too late. “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing”” (Genesis 27:35 NLT). It was never really Esau’s gift to have anyway. Esau is devastated. Genesis 27:34 (NLT) says “When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged.”

“What about me?” The cry of one who sold his birthright and forfeited the blessing that was passed down from Abraham. The cry of many who want God to answer their prayers but don’t want to come under His authority in any way. In Genesis 27:36 (NLT) Esau exclaims, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?” The “CHEAT” and the “VICTIM” (“Jacob” means “Cheat”. Who names their son “Cheat”??)

Isaac realises that the blessing he has given is fairly comprehensive. In Genesis 27:37 (NLT) Isaac says “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?”

That’s when the big man breaks down and cries. This was something he had really wanted from his father, even if he didn’t really include God in his life. Genesis 27:38 (NLT) says “Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and wept” (See Hebrews 12:14-17).

Like the rest of his family, Esau wants to divert or change God’s purposes. He wants God’s blessing but wants to do as he pleases. (Gal. 5:16-24). What stops Isaac from taking back this blessing when he discovers the deception? Why is this blessing not pronounced null and void? It seems that Isaac finally realises that his desire to bless Esau instead of Jacob is wrong (Genesis 27:33f). Abraham’s blessing is not withdrawn but endorsed.

It was wrong for Isaac to secretly seek to bless Esau with the blessing God intended for Jacob. It was wrong for Rebecca to seek to bring about God’s will by deceptive means. It was wrong for Jacob to seek to impersonate someone else and expect to be blessed. It is wrong for Esau to try to change God’s purposes. Let’s face it, we are all dysfunctional because of our sin, but God turns cursing to blessing. Fortunately Christ came to die for our sin. All of us have the opportunity to have peace with God and live under His promises. All of us have the opportunity today to receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life this Christmas by believing in Christ. It’s interesting to think that God’s promises are offered in the midst of our sin to bring us forgiveness and reconciliation to God. The Abrahamic blessing is designed to bring a Saviour into the world through whom the world would be blessed. He was born into our dysfunctional world and we celebrate His birthday this Christmas. Happy Christmas!

Pastor Ross

Related articles

• Genesis 27:1-27 – RIGHT CHRISTMAS PRESENT, WRONG SON (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27:1-27 – WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27:1-4 – DAY OF DESTINY – YOU ARE SO NOT INVITED! (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27:5-17 – THE STING – HOW TO SHAPE YOUR DESTINY THROUGH DECEPTION (pastorross1.wordpress.com)

Genesis 27:1-27 – RIGHT CHRISTMAS PRESENT, WRONG SON

Genesis 27:1-27 – RIGHT PRESENT, WRONG SON

TO ESAU?

To make a Christmas analogy, it was as if Isaac was wrapping up a Christmas present and giving it to the wrong family member. It was as if Rebekah was shoplifting to try to bless her son. It was as if Jacob was impersonating Santa Claus to be liked.

It is wrong for Isaac to secretly seek to bless Esau with the blessing God intends for Jacob. It is wrong for Rebecca to seek to bring about God’s will by deceptive means. It is wrong for Jacob to seek to impersonate someone else and expect to be blessed. Such mistakes will have serious consequences for this dysfunctional family in the future, but God still has a way of turning cursing to blessing.

If he was able to discern the voice of God Isaac would not forge ahead to bless Esau in the first place but now he blunders onto the set where he becomes the unknowing, though not innocent, performer in the first act of Jacob’s starring role as Esau. Although he is physically and spiritually blind, he suspects that he is not speaking with Esau, and he is left to initiate his own process of verification, based entirely upon his own reasoning and his other senses. Without God’s help all that is left is crude science.

QUESTIONS

Twice Isaac asks directly who it is. Jacob, prodded to deception by his mother, replies,“It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing” (Genesis 27:19, 24 NLT).

REASONING

Not entirely convinced, Isaac asks, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” Jacob is quick, “The Lord your God put it in my path!” (Genesis 27:20 NLT). Who can question the Lord? But Isaac is no fool. Perhaps he knows Esau would not give an answer that involves God. Esau seems to have left God out of his life. Why would he even mention God?

THE SENSES

Being blind he employs other available senses and says “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau” (Genesis 27:21 NLT). Jacob comes closer to his father, and Isaac touches him. “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac says (Genesis 27:22 NLT). Goat skin has been freshly stretched upon Jacob’s neck and arms. Isaac believes the hairy arms and hands of the goat deception, despite the dissonant chords of Jacob’s voice.

Over the meal, Isaac thinks of one more test. He says “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son” (Genesis 27:26 NLT). So Jacob comes over and kisses his Dad. And when Isaac catches the smell of his clothes, he is finally convinced, and is willing to give his blessing. Isaac says, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord has blessed!” (Genesis 27:27 NLT). Jacob foresaw the need to wear Esau’s clothes (If Hugo Boss had been around he would have made a new men’s fragrance called “Fresh Air – The smell of the great outdoors. Receive the Blessing” - expensive and deceptively alluring).

ANALYSIS

Jacob and Rebekah teach me that Deception cannot procure God’s spiritual blessings and purposes. Isaac teaches me that when I seek to defy God’s purposes then I am limited to my own resources, to my own reasoning and the senses. The senses will never plumb the depths of spiritual truth. The senses don’t make sense when faith and obedience are required.

God invites me to “…live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV). He wants me to (excuse the sensory analogy) hear His voice, smell the fragrance of His Presence, touch the Hem of His garment, taste the very bread of life, see with the eyes of faith, perceive and receive His blessings for my life and for my family this Christmas.

Pastor Ross

Related articles

• Genesis 27:1-4 – DAY OF DESTINY – YOU ARE SO NOT INVITED! (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27:1-27 – WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27:5-17 – THE STING – HOW TO SHAPE YOUR DESTINY THROUGH DECEPTION (pastorross1.wordpress.com)

Genesis 27:1-27 – WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Genesis 27:1-27 – WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Celebrities trace their family history and tell such interesting stories about their ancestors in the classic series “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” They find those who fought in major battles, accomplished heroic deeds, overcame insurmountable circumstances. Some lived infamous and tragic lives. All lived extraordinarily unique lives and their loves and hardships tell a moving story that inevitably brings tears to the eyes of their descendants who, in uncovering their past, layer by layer, are discovering more of who they are.

To trace Jesus family tree ancestry.com would take us back to Genesis 27 where Isaac wants to give his son ESAU the generational blessing handed down from father to son from the time of Abraham, even though God has promised that it will be his other son Jacob who leads the family (Genesis 25:23, Romans 9:10-13), not Esau.

Obviously not an identical twin, ESAU is the Bear Grylls of the Old Testament, only with body hair.Rugged, unkempt and lion-like, he is more Hagar the Horrible than Brad Pit, more caveman than business-man. He is a great hunter, sportsman, an outdoors man. And he has rejected God in his life.

Much less adventurous than his brother, JACOB stays around home. He’s the Master Chef of the family, especially good at making stew (Jacob has already used his cooking skills to entice his brother into giving up his Birthright – Genesis 25).

Rebekah, their mother, will go to any length to see Jacob, not Esau, receive the Father’s blessing for the firstborn. Whatever it takes! Even if it means deceiving her blind husband! Lying comes easy to this family.

Not really knowing who he is, and easily led by his Mum, Jacob seeks to accomplish God’s will by IMPERSONATING ESAU. With a family history riddled with such ruse, now it’s his turn to play a leading role. Records show that Sarah acted the role of Abraham’s sister (Genesis 20:2). Rebekah played the role of Isaac’s sister (Genesis 26:7). I’ve done it too. I admit it. (no, not played the role of my sister! What I mean is that I’ve tried to imitate others.) I’ve tried to look like, act like, preach like famous preachers in the hope I might receive their blessings, instead of simply being myself and allowing God to fulfil the promises for my life in His way. What about you? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

With goat’s skin stretched onto his arms and neck and wearing Esau’s clothes, Jacob impersonates Esau. He lies to his blind Dad, saying “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.” Isaac asks, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The Lord your God put it in my path!” Jacob replies. He blasphemes God by saying that GOD gave him success in finding the game so soon, but notice he says “The Lord YOUR God” helped me to hunt (Genesis 27:20), and not “the Lord MY God” because he knows that this is what Esau would say.Esau has no faith of his own.

God wants me to be myself, yet the Bible speaks of imitating Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Does it mean that I lose my personality in order to receive God’s blessing? Do I have to live a lie? Followers of Christ often say “More of Him, less of me” but does God want me to be LESS of who I really am? John the Baptist declares in John 3:30 (NLT) “He (Christ) must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” but what does he mean? Did God want him to be less of himself? In Mark 8:33-38 (NLT) Jesus says “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”

Only by knowing and loving Christ can I truly understand who I am. Jesus wants those who have a relationship with Him to live life to the full (John 10:10). John the Baptist was preparing the way for Christ to fulfil His destiny in dying for our sins, so that we could receive the gift of eternal life and live our lives under His blessing. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so we can be all God intends us to be, not emptied of ourselves, but fully alive in Him. Not less of myself but certainly less selfish! Not sinless but sinning less. I don’t have to live a lie, but be honest to God.

The question is not so much “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” based on your family tree, but “WHO HAS GOD CREATED YOU TO BE?” based on being in the family of God. As His children, we live the life He intended for us to live in all it’s fullness, …and pass on to our children the generational blessing found in knowing Christ.

Pastor Ross

Related articles

• Genesis 27:1-4 – DAY OF DESTINY – YOU ARE SO NOT INVITED! (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27:5-17 – THE STING – HOW TO SHAPE YOUR DESTINY THROUGH DECEPTION (pastorross1.wordpress.com)
• Isaac’s Authentication as Jacob Impersonates Esau’s Identity (bibleopia.wordpress.com)