December 4, 2011
Orange Park Bible Church
Pastor Brian Shepherd
Genesis 26:1-33
Only in Genesis 26 does Isaac appear as the focus of a narrative. After chapter 26 Isaac almost disappears completely from the Genesis narrative.
Genesis 26 interrupt the narrative about Jacob and Esau that began in Genesis 25 and seems to continue in the same breath in Genesis 27. Genesis 26 is something of a parenthesis that emphasizes the following:
- The striking similarities between Abraham and Isaac
Moses goes to great lengths to link together the stories of Abraham and Isaac. The chapter contains eight explicit references to Abraham (26:1, 3, 5, 15, 18, 24) compared with fifteen in all of chapters 27-50 (Wenham).
26:1-11//12:10-20 Famine and the wife/sister
26:12-22//13:2-10 Wealth prompts quarrels between patriarchs herdsmen and others
26:23//13:11-12 Separation
26:24//13:14-17 Divine promise of descendants
26:25//13:18 Altar built; patriarch encamps
26:26-31//Chapter 14 Good relationship established with foreigners
26:29//14:19-20 Patriarch blessed by a foreign king
26:1-11//20:1-18 The wife/sister
26:15-21//21:25 Disputes about wells
26:26//21:22 Abimelek and Phicol
26:28//21:22 “The Lord has been with you”
26:28//21:23 Let there be an oath
26:30-31//21:24-31 Treaty made
26:32-33//21:31 Well of Beersheba named
In one chapter Moses summarizes the life of Abraham and his relationship with the natives of the land by retelling the almost parallel story of Isaac.
- God reaffirms the promises made to Abraham personally to Isaac
It is conspicuous when the events of Genesis 26 happened. How could the Philistines have failed to realize Rebekah was married if she was accompanied by twin boys?
Sermon Text: Genesis 26:34-28:9
Sermon Title: “A Blessing Rightly Given”
Review
Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the younger over the older. We were in the older Adam. We, like Esau, had forfeited our birthright as children of God for temporary earthly pleasures. The younger Christ died to free us from eternal doom. The younger Christ came and although we are as unworthy as Jacob, we remember “so then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16).
Introduction
Genesis 26 shows us what is on the line in Genesis 27. The conflict here is not about money and cattle, but about what God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12 and what was passed down to Isaac in Genesis 26 – the whole land; numerous descendants; the promised Seed; the Godly line.
Remember last week when we mentioned that this family is a train wreck? You haven’t seen anything yet.
Notice Isaac: Isaac was old and frail. We know from how he was deceived that his hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch were all lacking. Even in his obvious frailty, Isaac was still sharp enough to sneak and scheme. There is obvious favoritism here. Moses notes not “their son” but Jacob as “her son” and Esau as “his son.”
If this deathbed meeting were consistent with cultural practice, all of the sons would have been present. Isaac clearly wanted to leave Jacob with nothing. Isaac was blatantly sinful in disregarding the Word of God (Genesis 25:23). Isaac was sneaky, having a secret meeting with Esau and plotting behind the back of Rebekah and Jacob. Isaac spends the last moments of his life trembling violently and seeing his favorite son weep uncontrollably.
Notice Jacob: Deuteronomy 27:18 announces a curse on those who physically mislead the blind. Jacob is blasphemous (God helped me fix the meal so fast). Jacob never questions the morality of the plan, only its feasibility.
Notice Rebekah: Rebekah was sneaky in listening in to the conversation between Isaac and Esau. Rebekah was in direct defiance of her husband’s authority with her plan. Although she knows the Word of God (Genesis 25:33) she does not depend on God to accomplish His plan the right way. Rebekah leans on her own understanding. Unlike Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, Rebekah’s death is not remembered or memorialized; she is forgotten.
Notice Esau: Esau blatantly disregarded the deal made with Isaac in Genesis 25:33. Esau rebelliously marries multiple foreign women (26:34-35; 28:8-9). Esau looks just like Cain (revenge by murder) and Ishmael (wandering and living by the sword).
Nobody in this house trusts one another (Ligon Duncan). Isaac and Esau have to sneak off by themselves to plot. Rebekah is eavesdropping. Rebekah sneaks off with Jacob to plot. Jacob and Esau obviously do not love each other. The family falls apart. Jacob will leave the Promised Land for twenty years. Jacob leaves the wealthy of the household to live in poverty as he is deceived repeatedly by his Uncle Laban. Rebekah loses both of her sons and her husband almost instantly. Esau passes down a legacy of eternal rebellion and contention. Jacob is later deceived as he has deceived, not only by Laban, but by his sons regarding Joseph.
The moral of the story: God brings his grace into the lives of people who do not seek it, don’t deserve it, and continually reject it and don’t think they need it. God comes to give a blessing to the most scandalous person in the entire family. You will never be blessed if you fail to understand it comes only by grace – or else you will try to steal it and will never get it because it is not you that is getting it.
Jacob is a frightening picture of what we try to do to get blessing. We try to dress up as somebody we are not. Jacob gets hairy and he is not. Jacob says he is the firstborn and he is not. He tried to change his voice (Isaac said the voice isn’t just right). He tried to fabricate the smell.
The Blessing
1) The Blessing is irrevocable
The Power of Blessing: Permanent and Binding
- Rebekah and Jacob knew that Esau would show up moments after and that he would be powerless to get it once it was declared by Isaac
- Why is it so powerful that it is irrevocable?
2) The Blessing defines the direction of your life (it is your provision) and the disposition of your heart (it is your identity).
You have to have a smart person to tell you you’re smart to feel smart (Keller).
You have to have a good person (at baseball; piano) to tell you you’re good to feel good (Keller).
Until you see Christ as lovely, you will not feel lovely. Until you see Christ as beautiful, you will not feel beautiful. Until the legalist sees Christ as merciful, you will not be merciful. Until the immoral see Christ as Just, you will not feel righteous anger over sin.
3) The Blessing must be given (you cannot bless your self)
- Nobody can bless himself or herself.
What does Jacob say to “The Angel of the Lord” – I will not let you go until you bless me!
What does Esau say to Isaac – “Bless me!”
Why does Jacob trick Isaac? He cannot bless himself.
I would like to suggest to you that we are all doing that. We are trying to steal from one another. We try to steal the blessing from the one we want it most from (The Father). How are you getting blessing from others? We do not let people see our flaws, failures, weaknesses – we dress up and hide. If I am truly myself, God affirms me and I don’t have to dress up to steal it from you. You are so insecure with being yourself and feeling blessed (Keller). When you do not understand the Gospel you are not affirmed out of your weaknesses and humbled out of your strengths. The Gospel says, “my sufficiency is Christ.”
By Isaac asking Jacob to kiss him (the final test) he was able to smell him and clear any lingering suspicion. At the moment Jacob kissed Isaac, Isaac probably had the look on his face Jacob always wanted to see and he heard the words from Isaac’s mouth he always wanted to hear.
Why didn’t it change Jacob? Jacob knew deep down inside that it wasn’t him Isaac was loving, talking to, and blessing.
When I show up here on Sunday and am somebody I am not and I am affirmed and encouraged, it never sinks in and makes a difference because deep down inside I know you are not talking to me. You are talking to the person I dressed up as, but not to me.
The Difference Between Repentance and Remorse
Esau’s attitude: my problem is out there. Somebody did this to me. Somebody trapped me. “The sinner that the Holy Spirit is working on sees his sin in bold relief. He does not candy coat it, he sees how ugly it is. But, at the same time, he sees a God who is so incredibly merciful that the only logical thing to do is to flee to his arms” (Duncan). We have said it here many times in previous messages: Until what convicts you is what motivates you, you are missing lasting change.
Before you say, “God will fulfill His purpose regardless of my sin.”
Did the Promise come true? Yes. Did the Seed (Christ) come forth? Yes.
What happened? Rebekah didn’t get what she wanted – she never saw Jacob again. The very thing she feared happened – she lost both her sons. What did Esau want – to kill – and he never got it. Jacob goes away penniless and though the riches of the inheritance were meant to set him free, he spends the next twenty years of his life in bondage. If you try to steal the blessing you will lose what you are ultimately after – freedom, peace, and satisfaction. In a moment Rebekah lost Jacob, Esau, and her husband Isaac because they tried to milk their blessing out of another. Isaac spent the closing moments of his life in uncontrollable trembling.
You are dressing up for God. You jump through your hoops and say “see see look look be proud of me and bless me”
Jesus understood His acceptance by the Father and was able to relinquish His rights and be confident in the face of rejection. Jesus was able to know His true ability and heritage, yet be the Chief servant and the best example of humility. Why? He was perfectly loved and accepted by the Father.
On the Cross, Christ lost the first born privileges and dressed up like us so we could dress up like Him. He dressed up like us and came in to the Father and received our inheritance so that we could inherit His righteousness.
Jesus did what Rebekah did – let the curse fall upon me. He is our Rebekah – takes the curse. He is our Isaac – gives the blessing. He is our Jacob – he dressed up in different clothes for us. He is the true Esau, marrying a foreign bride.
Closing
“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.’ So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:22-27).
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