Genesis 27:1-28:22 – A Place Called Bethel

Ah family.  You don’t get to choose which family you are born into.  You don’t get to choose your brothers and sister.  You just have to accept where God places you.  And sometimes, that is easier said than done.  If you want to read about a dysfunctional family that will make your family seem extremely healthy, read about Isaac and Rebekah and their two sons Esau and Jacob.  Isaac and Rebekah were married when Isaac was forty years old, but they did not have any children until Isaac was sixty.  I have seen the turmoil in couples wanting children and not being able.  In this day and age, testing as to what was going on…or to see what wasn’t going on wasn’t available.  All they had was certain shame from the community and hope in God through prayer.  Which He answered!  Not with one child, but with two.

After the children were born – everything came up roses…right?  Well, not so much.  Scripture tells us the parents did something no parent should ever do, they chose favorites.  Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.  I can only imagine how this favoritism played out as the twin brothers grew up. 

Today’s passage comes at the end of Isaac’s life, he was at least 100 years old (Gen 26:34 tells us Esau was 40 years old when he married and this couple became a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah, so Isaac must be at least 100.)  Rebekah overhears Isaac’s instructions to Esau, the firstborn of the twins.  Isaac desires a last meal before he gives his final blessings and before he dies.  But Rebekah desires that her favorite, Jacob receive this blessing.  Rebekah’s craftiness and Jacob’s willingness to go along (he was at least 40 years old…he knew what he was doing!) led to deceiving Isaac.

Through this deception, Jacob received the blessing.  Jacob had already bought Esau’s birthright (all children were given a portion of the father’s estate at his death, the oldest received a double share.  This is what Jacob bought from Esau.)…it makes you want to see Jacob as the villain.  Later in the account of Jacob, we learn that he gets a taste of his own medicine by being tricked by another family member…again familial dysfunction!

But when you get to the end of the account of Jacob, you realize that God’s plan wins out in the end.  No matter how much we try, God’s Will wins in the end.  He allows us to go through challenges and allows us to try things our way, but if we choose to let God be our guide, how much less pain would we endure?  God will sit back and let us do things our way only to find out we can’t do anything on our own.  When we submit to God and His will for our lives, we find peace and rest.  We no longer have to fight through the struggles of life.  Now, there will still be struggles in life.  It’s kind of like navigating through a jungle.  On our own we’ll hack through the vegetation and probably get lost several times before we get ourselves through that mess.  But when God is with us, He’s the perfect tour guide who knows the easiest path.  We may still stumble as we go through, but He won’t let us fall.

Seek God as you go through your day.  His way is best and you’ll come out the other side with less bumps and bruises!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy