Do you tend to focus on your immediate problems and circumstances instead of your eternal future? I know I can be guilty of this. As humans, it’s so easy for us to get hung up on what’s happening in the here and now. But we should consider everything in light of eternity.
In our story this week, we see two twin brothers who had very different personalities. Esau was focused on the immediate and didn’t look at God’s plan. Jacob saw both the immediate and his future with God.
God had promised offspring to Isaac and Rebekah. But after nearly 20 years of waiting for the promised child, they probably start to doubt God. Instead of acting on their doubt and taking matters into their own hands (like Abraham and Sarah), they look to the future and God’s eternal promises.
Isaac prays on behalf of Rebekah. While Isaac and Rebekah want God to respond to Isaac’s prayers immediately, it appears Isaac prayed faithfully for many years before God finally allows Rebekah to become pregnant.
God answers prayer in His sovereign way and perfect timing. Sometimes He answers with “yes,” sometimes with “no” and sometimes with “wait.” The waiting answer usually is the hardest one. But when I’m waiting for God’s answer or timing, I need to rely on His character and trust His wisdom no matter how He answers my prayers. I must wait for His answer and not take matters into my own hands. His plan is always best, so it is worth the wait.
When Rebekah finally becomes pregnant, she experiences some unusual physical feelings. She goes to God, who tells her that she will give birth to two sons. These sons will become two separate nations. One is a line of God’s people, and the other is a group of people that rejects God. God also tells Rebekah that the older will serve the younger. This is quite a departure from the typical birthright of the day.
Esau is born first. He is red and hairy. Esau means “hairy.” Later his name is changed to Edom, which means “red.” Jacob is born so quickly after Esau that he is born holding Esau’s heel. (On behalf of Rebekah, I say, “OUCH!”) Jacob means “heel catcher” or “trickster.”
God could have caused Jacob to be born first and thus receive the birthright. But He is sovereign and has a different plan. In Scripture we often see that by God’s grace, He blesses those who don’t have the right to the blessing. I am included in that! I certainly didn’t do anything to deserve salvation and all of the blessings that come with it. So praise God for blessing us when we don’t deserve it!
These two boys are almost polar opposites. Esau becomes a skillful hunter. Jacob is a reflective, thinking man who stays among the tents. Esau is physically strong, while Jacob is mentally strong. They both are very intense and passionate. Because Isaac has a taste for wild game, he favors Esau. Because Jacob stays among the tents, Rebekah favors him.
Isaac had a spiritual depth early in his life, but it dwindled as he aged. This lack of spiritual influence caused Esau to have no spiritual depth in his life at all. On the other hand, since Jacob spent time among the tents, he must have received many godly teachings from Grandpa Abraham and others in the family.
Isaac’s life shows us the effect worldly pursuits can have on us and the generations behind us. Pursuing worldly pleasures dulls our spiritual senses and our desire for God. We have so many worldly temptations and distractions today! They aren’t all bad, but are they pulling me away from God? What am I pursuing? Is it taking me away from pursuing God? How are my pursuits affecting others around me?
Several years later, Jacob is cooking stew. Esau enters after a long day of hunting and claims he is starving. He asks Jacob for some stew. Jacob agrees but only if Esau sells him his birthright. Esau agrees because the birthright has no meaning to him. Jacob sees the value of the birthright, but he takes it incorrectly and displays a lack of trust in God. Jacob must have known that God already promised the birthright to him. But instead of waiting on God and His perfect timing, Jacob took the birthright himself. Both Jacob and Esau’s actions are wrong.
Jacob desired the birthright, which brought God’s eternal rewards and blessings, but Esau despised his birthright. What do my desires reveal about me?
So will you join with me as I commit to focusing on God’s perfect, eternal plan? What will I do to keep my eyes on the eternal? What will I do to show the world that I have a spiritual focus? What worldly pleasures will I set aside so I can sharpen my spiritual senses and deepen my desire for God and His Word?
Once again, I don’t have an Avery video. But for good measure, here was her verse for the week:
Genesis 26:24 NIV