When I hear people teach about Jacob, they often talk about
how deceptive he was. He did trick his father into giving him the blessing,
instead of his older brother Esau, but it seems to me that it was Gods
sovereign will for Jacob to be blessed rather than Esau.
From what we see in the scriptures, Esau was focused on the immediate, temporary things. In fact the first story recorded after the birth of Jacob and Esau is found in Genesis 25:29-34 which says - "When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?" And Jacob said, "First swear to me"; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."
He was willing to sell his firstborn right for a single meal. He was thinking only of the temporary, and not of the future. That's living by sight rather than by faith. God can't use people like this. In Hebrews chapter 11 it talks about men and women who lived by faith rather than by sight, and they were all focused on the invisible rather than the visible. But it goes on to say in chapter 12 verses 16-17 - "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears."
Because of Esau's worldly mindset, and focus on the temporary rather than the eternal, he was denied the blessing.
Jacob however was focused on the future. Jacob is the man through whom God chose to bring His people into the world. On top of the blessing that Jacob received through his father Isaac, he was blessed by God Himself in Genesis 35:10-12 - "God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." Thus He called him Israel." God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you."
These two brothers give us good examples of living for this world, and living by faith. May we be like Jacob and not like Esau. May we live like those men and women spoken of in Hebrews chapter 11. Focused on the eternal and not on the temporal. Because the unseen things are more real than the things that can be seen. The visible things will perish, but the invisible will never perish.
Hebrews 13:14 - "For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come."
From what we see in the scriptures, Esau was focused on the immediate, temporary things. In fact the first story recorded after the birth of Jacob and Esau is found in Genesis 25:29-34 which says - "When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished." Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?" And Jacob said, "First swear to me"; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."
He was willing to sell his firstborn right for a single meal. He was thinking only of the temporary, and not of the future. That's living by sight rather than by faith. God can't use people like this. In Hebrews chapter 11 it talks about men and women who lived by faith rather than by sight, and they were all focused on the invisible rather than the visible. But it goes on to say in chapter 12 verses 16-17 - "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears."
Because of Esau's worldly mindset, and focus on the temporary rather than the eternal, he was denied the blessing.
Jacob however was focused on the future. Jacob is the man through whom God chose to bring His people into the world. On top of the blessing that Jacob received through his father Isaac, he was blessed by God Himself in Genesis 35:10-12 - "God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." Thus He called him Israel." God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you."
These two brothers give us good examples of living for this world, and living by faith. May we be like Jacob and not like Esau. May we live like those men and women spoken of in Hebrews chapter 11. Focused on the eternal and not on the temporal. Because the unseen things are more real than the things that can be seen. The visible things will perish, but the invisible will never perish.
Hebrews 13:14 - "For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come."
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