Answers Bible Curriculum Second Edition Unit 5 Lesson 42
This week in Sunday school we look at the next big event in the life of Jacob: his stealing of the blessing from Esau. Why did Isaac try to give the blessing to Esau and not Jacob? What was so significant about the blessing? And what does this account reveal about God’s sovereignty and our own frequent temptation to take matters into our own hands?
Our main text for the lesson is Genesis 27:1-46.
Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
but it took the best garment if you stopped or elder something which were with her in the house and put them on Jacob her younger as she put the skins of the young coats on his hands on the smooth part of his neck she also gave the savoury food and the bread which had made course Jacob all right there first section let’s observe a little bit first one says I think is old his eyes are too dim to see but have you ever considered how much time has actually gone by between the sale of the birthright and this episode now consider how old was Isaac when the twins were born remember 60 years old that’s right then the boys grew up to be fifteen thirty years later Esau sells his birthright to taken now Genesis 26 3405 the last two verses before the chapter were reading now I mentioned that Esau gets married at 40 it’s married a to Hittite with so how old would Isaac be but Esau is first married they were born at 60 Esau gets married at footbe so Isaac must be uh-huh now it’s a hundred does that make Isaac an old man and close to death I’ll here’s something else interesting and Genesis 3528 go forward a number of a number of chapters it reports the death of Isaac and he dies as a hundred and eighty years old that’s an impressive life span but how old is he here now I can’t go through all the math if you have a MacArthur Study Bible actually mentions two different verse references but we combine the information we get about Jacobs lifespan and the birth of the twins along with some information we get about Jake looks different in his life and different points of Joseph’s life and we can actually calculate how old Isaac is in this episode you know how old these 137 if Isaac’s 137 how old are Jacob and Esau on this account they’re in their mid seventies because you just subtract 60 from that that would be when they were born so 137 – 60 77 now that’s kind of surprising right that’s not the way we pictured the story and we pictured this account Isaac is old he still actually has a long time to live but he’s thinking he’s folks to death is his brother Ishmael actually died in 137 he’s probably thinking he’s gonna dice but his boys are not young men I mean they’ve lived a fair amount of light decades have gone by I sense things we’ve seen previously Esau is married now Jacob’s not even as we say he’s not married so despite God’s prompts all this time has gone by and the older is still not serving the younger now it’s true Jacob has the official birthright but that apparently hasn’t changed Isaac’s attitude Isaac still intends to give the blessing the Abrahamic blessing the esau which is even more strange because Esau has gotten married two women were from the peoples of the land which Abraham had forbid Isaac from doing but he saw has done that all this time has gone by Isaac’s had to has changed so what now Jude Jacob and Rebecca make a move so they just keep on waiting now verse 2 now as I mentioned I mentioned say Isaac thinks the day of his death might come in anytime so he wants to settle this issue of the blessing right now Justin so he tells you saw to go punch prepare a meal of delicious game some untied animal meat ring it’s Isaac so Isaac give the blessing to East there’s that love of food again I really has a weakness for gain and it’s caused him to favor you saw throughout he saw something I I took a bring Esau now it will be the final act before East secures blessed but first I says that Rebecca just happened to be listening when this conversation between octa candy suck was going on she hatches a plot I’ve it could last instead Jacob will take advantage of his father’s blindness pretend to be Esau and bring other neat thighs this Isaac will eat and the blessing will come to think of it not Esau that’s the plan but no in verses 11 to 12 it’s a pretty clever guy utilizes there’s a potential problem Jacob and Esau so diffic Isaac will realize what’s up no curse Jacob instead dunno Jacobs objection is not that’s receiving his father could be from loving we’re sinful or that this would be unloving to Esau overhead this would be evil before God none of those things Jacob is just concerned about the consequences of getting caught or at least that’s what he expresses to his mother though Rebecca’s got the issue covered says don’t worry about that just put on the best clothes that you saw has I just happen to have those put on these rough and hairy goat skins put this on your neck and hands I will be able to deceive ice so here we go again food is gonna be at the center of Jacob supplanting each saw a second time if it works will it work now many of you know the ending of this story but you might not appreciate the drama of what plays out pretend you don’t know the ending for a second because remember Jacob didn’t know you didn’t know if this plan was going to work in Rebecca after all taking quite the risk so as we read this next second notes how many times Jacobs identity is tested by I click though verses 18 to 27 Genesis 27:18 827 then he came to his father and said My father and he said Here I am who are you my son Jacob said to his father I am D saw your first book I have done that she told me get up please sit and my game that you made bless me AIESEC said to his son was how is it that you have it so good and he said because Yahweh your God caused it to happen to me and Isaac said to Jacob these concludes but I may feel my son whether you are really my son Esau or not so Jacob came close to Isaac his father and he felt him and said the voice is the voice of Jake but the hands are the hands of Esau it did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau his aunts so he blessed him and he said I’m really my son Esau and he said I am so he said bring it to me I would eat up my son’s game that I may bless you they brought it to him and he ate he also brought him wine and he drank then his father Isaac said to him please how close and kiss me my son so he came close kissed him he smelled the smell of his garments he blessed him and said he smell of my son is like the smell of yield which Yahweh has blessed all right we’ll stop there for a moment how many times if you knew how many times is Jacobs identity tested definitely three times but even more five times five times they have definitely tested verses 18 and 19 Isaac’s asks who are you Jacob says I’m Esau of course what is that that’s a lie and then in verse 20 says how did you get the game so quickly that’s a little strange Jacob says o Yahweh your God gave it to me interesting that he says your God here my god but of course this is not true either you didn’t get the game quickly this is not game at all this is another lie verses 21 its page we have the touch test meat here whether you’re really Esau it lets him do that Isaac responds must have really scared Jake because he says the voice it’s the voice of Jacob I say Jacob was sweating a little bit at that it says that the hands not the hands of Esau then in verse 24 we have a fourth test he says are you really my son Esau yes and again says yes I am so that’s another life and then Isaac eats and drinks just when Jacob thinks he’s in the clear 26 come and kiss me mice why does Isaac asked for his son i’ma kiss so he can smell him it’s not just oh you know kiss me I want to see your affection another test wants to smell his son and it’s fooled here too oh because he saw Jacob and they smell like the köppen so I’m sure it was very tense for Jacob but the deception works team Rebecca and Jacob they pulled one over on the old man blessing is going to be given to Jacob now let’s hear what the blessing is look at verses 28 29 he says now may God give you the dew of heaven and of the fatness of beer and in abundance rain a new light may people serve you and nations bow down to you be master of your brothers and may your mothers sons bow down to you cursed be those pursuit and blessed be those bless I note the different elements of this blessing verse 28 he says may God prosper you and give you the best of all the land the best land and the best that the land can produce that’s what’s meant by those phrases to do of having the fatness of the earth then in verse 29 has two different blessings first party says make others serve you may even your brother enter other relatives whole nations may they serve you then the second part of verse when he says may those who curse you first and those bless you best now what’s that phrase apprentice yeah it goes back to the Pampas that God gave to Abraham I curse those who curse you I will bless those who bless you now Isaac thinks it’s giving all these blessings to Esau which is interesting because God promised that it would be the older who serve the younger so he’s directly going against what God promised he’s actually trying to get everyone its objection to Esau but what’s interesting is that in trying to secure this against God’s will what does Isaac actually accomplish the opposite hey he’s tried so hard to make sure that Esau gets the blessing but it’s actually resultant Esau getting Novus as we’ll see in just a moment and this all takes place not too soon because look at what happens next verses 32 for put up the next slide it says how came about as soon as Isaac had finished blessing take Jacob have hardly gone out from the presence of Isaac his father now do you saw his brother came in first and he also made say food brought it to his father he said to his father let my father arise and each of his sons gaining that you may bless me Isaac his father said to him who are you and he said I am your son your first floor he thought and Isaac trembled violently and said who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me that I ate of all of it before you came and blessed him yes and he shall be blessed when he saw heard the worthless um he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry said to his father bless me even me also o my father and he said your brother came it’s taken away your blessing and he said he not rightly named Jacob he has supplanted me these two times he took away my birthright behold now he has taken away my blessing and he said I do not reserve the blessing for me but Isaac replied to Easton the old up I have made him your master and all his relatives I have given to him as servants and with grain and new wine I have sustained him as for you then and I do my son he saw said to his father you have only one blessing my father bless me even me also my father so you saw lifted his voice and wept then Isaac his father answered and said to him behold away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling and away from the dew of heaven from up up by your sword you shall live and your brother shall serve the shall come about and you become Restless that you will break his yoke from stop the official well it’s hard not to feel a little bad 3 saw right he’s too late Isaac says there’s no blessing left those first 33 says the Isaac trembled violently what you heard he saw identify himself this is because Isaac realize what has happened Jacob is stolen the Blessed all the things I tried to secure for Esau I actually gave to me probably connected this with what God had for total all those years ago it had come to pass notice Isaac statement at the end of verse 33 he says yes and he shall be blessed it’s not like Isaac’s gonna pull a mulligan a do-over he didn’t think he uttered mere words over Jacob you believe that what he prayed on Jacobs behalf would indeed come to pass can’t change it and alter it it’s gonna happen and of course this is caused he saw great anguish it cries out with an exceedingly great bitter cry grocery course says I’m sure Jacob probably could hear this is a loud anguished cry and between verses 34 and 38 Esau is desperately and bitterly about Jake that he’ll klutz that’s a planter he’s so true to his name notice ISA actually does care about his birthright now and then verse 38 Esau lifted his voice but now it is interesting that Isaac treats the blessing as exclusive he knows he can’t give the book sons and like I said before I think he was Tropic did he saw everything wasn’t like you saying alrighty so I’ll give you some things and I’ll get Isaacs just trying to give it all to Esau but in so doing he actually gave it all Jacob and what Isaac prophesized about you saw and verses 39 to 40 is lead to moral verse 39 he says missus exact contrast of what he had prayed over Jacob says you will not have the best of all the land away from the dew of that away from the best places verse 40 you will live by your sword your life is gonna be tough file it to me filled with conflict not peace and verse 40 you will serve your brother there’s no arguing with that it’s just as God promised the one ray of comfort you can call it a comfort comes at the end when he says when you become Restless he will break his yoke from your indeed though your brother will dominate you there will be times that you were able to shake off his authority and as we mentioned last time this came true prophetically for the descendants of Esau now you gotta wonder what Isaac think of Jacob after all this may be a little step with him but we don’t have to wonder what you saw out of Jacob because we learn at the next verses let’s finish off the chapter now verses 41 to 46 it says so Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him and he saw said to himself days of mourning for my father arne in then i will kill my brother now in the words of her elder son he saw where we reported to Rebekah he sent and called her younger son Jacob and said to him hold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you how there from my son obey my voice and arrive flee the Torah lead to her bond to my brother Laban stay with him a few days till your brothers Jerry subsides till your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him and I will send guests from there why should I be bereaved of you both in one day Becca said Isaac I am tired of living because of the daughters of heck that is the Hittites if Jacob takes over Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like beads from the daughters of the land good well my life e to me and a funny way to end the chapter but we’ll see why in just a second so let’s observe this lap well babe Jacob and Rebecca’s little stratagem worked they spoiled the blessing from Esau really count on the aftermath now you saw it playing be killed Jake it is a birthright and a blessing if you’re dead don’t worry mama’s got another plan hey come on the way stay with moms brother Laban until each sock cools down you know it’s just free for a little while and mama will sin free and Rebekah has a convenient excuse for sending Jacob way see this in verse 46 though it’s not quite explicit but is the excuse of sending Jake way that’s right it’s to find a wife these daughters to pet that is you saw wives ah there’s so unclaimed to me actually they were quite agree six to Jacob Isaac and Rebecca this is thirty previously a section we didn’t look at it says oh the I can’t stand these Hittite wives you need to get Jacob a wife who’s not from the Hittites means we gotta send him away right so that’s the convenient excuse but now considering all of this after Matt has this deception turned out pleasantly for anyone know Isaac probably feels the trade feels bad for a son you saw Esau have murderous hatred for Jacob Jacob has to run away and Rebecca has to be deprived of her favorite son in fact it’s interesting Rebecca won’t really be mentioned in the narrative activist Jacob’s gonna be away a long time like you that sheep eyes before he comes back this is the last time she over seat so this deception really a good idea after all fitting all these consequences that’s a lot of text that’s local observation these are important let’s now proceed to the second step so there’s no interpretation questions and a number of them first and foremost what is so special Isaac’s blessed blessing what’s the big deal and we don’t live in a world where blessings and curses are taken seriously I think are the reason we this is a part of the reason we killed this way least if we’re Christian is that we know only God can truly blessed curse he’s the one who managed is that we don’t worry if someone wishes bad on us I mean you curse me it’s not gonna alight that’s one of those Psalm says God’s the one in control or if you bless me well not overly excited because I don’t know if your blessing really has much much to it but blessings and cursings were taken way more seriously back in the ancient days but there’s more to it than that let’s remember something special about the patriarchs they are the recipients of promise of blessing through Avery and those blessings were quite tremendous protection honor multiply descendants prosperity and yet these blessings were not given to every descendant of Abraham and we seen this already Ishmael was excluded from this blessing and it was given to Isaac instead and so with Isaac sons either Jacob or uh could be excluded from this very special bless Abrahamic –less thus the pronouncement of blessing from Isaac it’s really a declaration of aught to whom the blessing of God from Abraham would ask mrs. o explains why some of the language of the Abrahamic blessing actually appears in Isaac’s bless those who curse you will be cursed and pursue bless you will be black it’s not any old blessing that Isaac is passing now this is the Abrahamic this is a very important list there’s one other factor for us to consider and that is in the talking to the scriptures paste works and certain other holy men they functioned as office especially as they got closer to death for example interesting you go back to Noah what’s one of the last things we hear about Noah he prophesized concerning his descendants in particular one of his descendants he he pronounced the curse from God on Canaan or Abraham before he dies he Commission’s his servant he foretells what God’s going to do for his servant and for Isaac and later Jacob as he approaches death does he do he prophesized that the fate of his twelve sons is actually a little bit of a messianic prophecy in there as well and even when we get to Moses and Joshua right before they die they prophesy regarding what God is going to do to the people of Israel stairs this pattern that these ancient patriarchs these ancient holy men they are able to speak about the future they don’t just declare their wishes when they do this they actually utter words from God they speak for God what the patriarch says will come to pass so then this blessing from Isaac this pronouncement from Isaac blessings the future all that kind of thing this is a super big deal I mean yes the birthright the official birthday I think that’s great but this is what really passing of the blessing from Isaac to his descendant so you can understand that Rebekah and she give it feels some impetus to get in on this bless the switch Isaac’s attention but we have to ask the course was what they did wrong but they sinned in trying to obtain the blessing in this way and what’s the answer of course they did mercy it doesn’t matter if they were trying to fulfill God’s will doesn’t matter if they had the prophecy from God to back them up the ends do not justify the means what they did here was evil they lie and lying is the opposite of who God is and they acted extremely unloving toward Isaac I mean what would anyone want this to happen to them to be deceived by their own son like this acted a unloving to what he saw they stole the blessing from him this was evil this was sin and unsurprisingly it brought a whole bunch of consequences that’s what sin does now one could say that Rebecca and Jacob simply did what was necessary to accomplish God’s will there was no way for them to get this blessing on Jacob unless they did this deception but is that really true what could they have done instead yes is that dream in the back or who is that whose hmm that’s very interesting to me I didn’t think about that before but just repeat what you said briefly the promise about the older serving the younger specifically given to Rebekah don’t know if Isaac was there we don’t know she told him later so it’s possible that Isaac was ignorant and that’s why he keeps on trying to favor Esau maybe but it does seem very strange that she would never tell him or that if she did tell him that he would not listen to that interesting what she brought up about Hebrews in saying that Isaac blessed and prophesied over his sons by faith so that as you see as you suggested that could point to that he was ignorant and he was just trying to do what what was right before God very interesting but I think the main thing of what you said of that they Rebekah and Isaac just talked about it instead of going through this whole this whole round of deception they could say well maybe they did talk about and he didn’t listen well we don’t know but that mean the main point is God doesn’t need sin to bring about his promises okay maybe they did talk and Isaac was intent on blessing Esau Ryan could to still brought about the blessing on Jacob in another way I mean he’s able to provide for a son to Abraham when the mother is past childbearing if he’s able to do that without resorting to Hagar and he’s able to bring the blessing on Jacob without Rebekah and Jacob resorting to sin how do you want to say something else yeah yeah I mean that’s true he’s not gonna died and then the blessing would have come to Jacob by default of course then there’s a pop see of the older Tsarina younger so we do need to sentence from Esau maybe he already add them he would have already had them Roy did you want to say something too this is a good example of what happens when there is not just simply parents yeah that’s good oh yeah yeah yeah I think you’re right just to be see we can’t what you said we’re seeing the results of parental favoritism it’s resulting in severe problems in the family also seeing the result of a lack of communication unloving communication I mean even if they hadn’t talked in the past Rebecca and Jacob could go to Isaac right now and say hey we overheard that you want to do this for Esau but uh Jacob I have obtained the birthright or this is the prophecy that God foretold I think you should seek the Lord about this but again whether Isaac would yield to that or already knew about that we don’t know the only thing is God is able to provide without sin and because they used a sinful way they brought a lot of trouble on themselves they brought a lot of strife into the family and a lot of painful consequences and this is I think one of the main points that we need to see today this is always the way with sin you try to obtain God’s promise by utilizing spin you only make trouble for yourself you only bring pain on yourself and aim for others now I think of talking about communication I mean this is still true in families today right you get you have a family member if you you want to do a certain thing but you don’t want to confront them about it so you just try and manipulate or you rather than talking through the issue you kind of browbeat you say oh this would be the way to get them to follow God to do what’s right that’s not the way to do it don’t you sin to try and get your family member in line you have to do maybe the harder thing this is just talk but whatever you do God has promised that you provide God what God has promised that he’s the one in control he doesn’t need your sin as in this case God is perfectly able to accomplish his perfect will with that good now here’s the kind of interesting part though another interesting part yeah I read it that question now God could have done without this he could have accomplished his will in a different way but he did this actually all these things that played out it proceeded as God ordained your dein that the family would do what they did now he didn’t force them to sin he’s not responsible for this sin scripture is very good very clear about that he’s in complete control so we might ask well why did you choose to do it this way God why not prevent their sin why not make the prophecy clear to Isaac why not change Isaac’s heart why not just make Jacob the firstborn and we could skip all this conflict why specifically did things turn out this way only God knows the answer to that fully though his reasons has always as is clear from the other scriptures that describe character they are lies they just and they are good I think one of the things and the reasons why God had things play out this way not absolving anyone responsibility their choices were still uncoerced choices I think one of the things that God God was doing in all this that he was teaching his teaching Isaac was teaching his family he was teaching Israel would come later and is teaching us God is in control you cannot go against God and win even when you do everybody say I will not do what God wants me to do I’m opposed to his plan even when you go against God you end up accomplishing God’s will can’t work God he’s sovereign he’s faithful to his word what he declares will come to pass so the choice for us is to be get on board with that an experienced blessing or do we mainly oppose him and just bring trouble on ourself even if we never repent everlasting destruction I said last it’s such an important concept for us as Christians to realize because we can take God’s sovereignty we can take God’s goodness and use that as an excuse for sin but doing so is testing the Lord we’re forbidden in Scripture from doing that do not test the Lord though they suffer the consequences don’t say to yourself as as Paul says in Romans feed somewhere Flannery Christians are saying let us sin that good may come of it we’ll be accomplishing God sovereign to him don’t say that because you’ll experience the consequences of opposing what God told you to do and the good he may accomplish in rebellion is actually it might be you use you as an example others not to test them it’ll let you suffer the consequences even the eternal consequences because it’s gonna be an example to us don’t test the Lord don’t use a sovereign you don’t use his goodness as an excuse to sin on which would you rather be would you rather be an example of obedience blessing or an example of disobedience and her song the curse of God but bringing in God’s sovereignty we’re forced to ask the question that we did last time how is this fair how was what happened in this passage fair I mean why should Jacob get the Abrahamic blessing but he’s a sinful deceiver and he still gets nothing but he did nothing wrong part of the answer is despite these saws pitiable tears here he is not innocent he’s not desert the blessing we see a little bit in Genesis but the writer of Hebrews makes sure we don’t we don’t miss it but he solves a godless man there’s a man’s enslaved appetite he treated God’s blessing and birthright would contempt he’s not an innocent person and despite as many tears Keeper stands he never found a place for repentance even the wrong things that he did he never hurt so he’s not deserving of the blessing but is Jacob much better as we said last time he’s not Jacob is recipient of God undeserved favor God’s great just as Abraham was just as Isaac was just as we are if we know Jesus when it comes to salvation and blessing it is not a matter of fairness because fairness is that – no one is blessed we’ve all sinned we’ve all earned for ourselves death from God not just physical death but everlasting death but an undeserved kindness God has add mercy on some mercy on sinners mercy on those who are saved in Jesus and God is willing to show mercy to more if they repent and if they believe in the only substitute the only Savior Jesus Christ so what we’re seeing again here with Jacob is God’s undeserved grace Jacob is a sinner but God is showing undeserved favor on and he doesn’t show it Issa I have the right to do that stars not deserving up this is God’s grace and mercy at work and God’s not done with Jacob God will work on him just as he works on each one of us he works on every one he chooses throughout his whole life Jacob is going to be a grasper he is the heel collector he is always working scheming fighting trying to secure for himself a future and blessing and Jacob will appear to succeed due to his own efforts but God will show Jacob it’s not really you who’s in control it’s not really you who’s obtaining this success I’m the one who’s granting it I feel like we see a good metaphor of this when Jacob wrestles the angels of the Lord when he wrestles quick not Jacob wins why how could he win against God because God let Jacob is going to win against Esau against others oh hi because Jacob is so crafty because he was so strong so smart no it’s because God Leba it’s because God brought and God’s gonna show Jacob by giving him trouble when Jacob is being self allotted it gives not really the one to control not really the one with the path gonna grow Jacob he’s gonna build faith in shape he’s gonna show Jacob stop brass stop turning to your own with them your own strength and your own steel to get but you think Jimmy obey me trust me let me give you but you keep striving for you’re grasping after it I’ll just give it to you I want you to learn to the stop rasping it stops driving let me do it my way on me this will be a hard lesson for Jacob to learn when he appears before fair inner Genesis Genesis 179 he says whew and unpleasant had been the days of my life Jacob’s so unhappy living this self-reliant way but he will eventually work but will we learn well we learned to stop grasping our own sinful efforts and simply wait in obedience for God’s wide set what he promised this account of Jacob and Esau Jacob’s stealing the blessing I think again it has those three purposes similar to what we looked at last time it teaches us on the origins of blessings conflicts related to Israel and Edom it teaches us about the foolishness of trying to obtain by fleshly means what God has already Mahmoud and it teaches us again about the short sovereign faithfulness of God what God says will come to pass you can trust God where I would just summarize it all this way the point of this text the application the take home is that you will trust God and not turn to your own simple efforts to provide what you need it’s just like a situation where Abraham Isaac they felt like they needed to lie to protect themselves they didn’t I need to learn this lesson trust God you’re not turning to your own simple efforts to provide which is you’ll need to learn this for sure as they were going to the promised land but so do need to print it now let’s consider this and other applications a little bit more specifically with a few more questions step three of our method is always consider application stuff that’s gonna stratification a little bit together with this question what are some situations in which Christians today attempted these sinful means in order to obtain God’s promise I’ll give you one example just to spray your thinking lying to obtain needed I feel like oh you know run monies run out savings running out really need a job oh I need you to accept me so I’m gonna misrepresent my work it’s a little bit Oh I’ll lie about how much I was making up a previous job because I really need this money this is doing exactly what Jacob and Rebecca do sinning to obtain what God said you’ve been already provided that maybe that if you don’t sin you don’t get that particular job but God will still provide I’ll provide the perfect way another time oh it’s another example of this kind of concept Christians being tempted sin nor divine and rather than the faithful preaching of the word you know we need to get more people need to get more bodies and somehow that’s God’s lesson grace community church if it’s the faithful preaching of the word we take out of his word because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and by you know having leaders that are faithful and preaching these things and not I mean I’ve been to a few churches recently where you know you walk in it’s dark there’s loud music that’s one thing you know that’s not the Word of God you know and they’re not saying there isn’t those sidles they’re all people like but as long as there’s the faithful exposition of the word you know one of the churches there was a woman who was preaching you know I didn’t I didn’t realize until like halfway through it should I should have not sat through that you know so again it’s just we think we can accomplish God’s purpose in our own minds by doing other things you know that’s a good insight Steve I didn’t think of that but that’s the great I think that’s a great parallel to what we’re talking about trying to use gimmicks trying to use fleshly means to get people into the church or to get people saved I think we could extend that even more to talk about easy believe ISM watering down the gospel it’s just another example trying to obtain God’s promised God said that he would save people trying to obtain God’s promised by sinful means or by means that go outside of his will and I think what I mentioned earlier about trying to see people sanctified you use sinful means to accomplish that I mean sometimes we say to ourselves I’m gonna teach this person a lesson I’m gonna teach him that he can’t treat me like this because I’m gonna be harsh to him in return so he’s gonna learn to be a good person you’re gonna use sin to accomplish that now that’s the same thing it’s not going to result in pleasing God it’s probably not gonna result in that person actually becoming sanctified to just make that person more angry and you just create trouble for yourself we could point to a lot of other things I’ll just mention a few others dating or marrying a non-christian this is a great temptation if you’re single you’ve been waiting a long time say well this person’s interested in me but he doesn’t know the Lord well maybe he will say you start to rationalize but God is able to provide for you without you transgress what he said plagiarising work participating in a sinful activity to obtain friendship or popularity reacting sinfully to your spouse in order to get your spouse to change these are all examples of the same constant we’ve been looking at today God doesn’t need your sin to accomplish his promise he’s actually called you to obedience but trust him lay aside just as Steve was saying lay aside your own wisdom your own craftiness your own strength and trust in the point of course one of the things we do in a guard against is being too passive so briefly let’s consider what’s the difference between being too passive and waiting on the Lord well time to live it short so I introduced myself waiting on the Lord does not mean passivity just mean you just sit there and just wait for things to have – what it does mean though is that she will not sin or adjust godly priorities to bring about something you need or want you can be active that’s good the Bible commends being active the commence hard work it commends different investments even commenced the pursuit of godly desires but if your pursuit becomes idolatrous that is when you will sin to get it or if you will sin if you don’t get it and you’re no longer trusting in God you’re no longer waiting on him you can be active and still waiting on the Lord if you’re not relying on sin or adjusting godly priorities again what you need to get and along these lines be aware of simply trusting and how circumstances are lining up or not lining up to tell you God’s will I mean things sure lined up for Rebecca and Jacob didn’t they I mean I’ve got islas closed we overheard this conversation I know how to make the food but was that indicative of God’s will Oh God had already and his character and in different ways had revealed what is the right way to hack I think we’re not going acquitting bet they’re going to they were going to the convenience of the opportunity before them we are not to do that sometimes things will line up but they’re not God’s will actually go against his word circumstance is a non reliable indicator of God’s will but God’s Word it’s so asking you look more personally now this is just for you to consider yourself where in your life are you tempted sinfully grasp of what God has already promised you she will just wait to receive it a obedience we need to learn something from this account sir this is so that we would be changed so we’d be transformed we would not grasp like Jacob did but receive what God has already promised that you would get a few questions about today’s lesson or about something you heard please feel free to email me we’re out of time for today but we will resume again next week Jacobs got the blessing but now he’s on the run and next week we’re gonna see what I was talking about but earlier where God is going to provide for Jacob but he’s been provided in a way that Jacob is reminded you’re not really the one in control Jacob you need to learn to rely on me because there’s a trickster is just as tricky as Jacob Master Becca’s brother Laban we’ll talk about that more next time that’s closing prayer we’re gonna thank you for your word I thank you for just the extra insights of your people but I pray that they would continue to think about this mode that your sphere would work in their heart so that they would progress in sanctification progress in faith Lord the day would and that I would not turn to sin to bring him out but you promised the Lord that we will wait on you even if it’s a long time being too passive but never trying to sin to bring about your will being active in obedience being active in trust I pray that you to accomplish that new people and bless them arrest this day they fellowship and as they worship and as they learn at Calvary Jesus name Amen great I worked out bells sound system worked out well I’ll see you guys next week