Old Testament Personalities #10 - Jacob and Esau "Jacob the Usurper and Profane Esau"

 Today, I want to start looking at Jacob’s life.  He was born when Isaac was sixty years old.  Abraham was one hundred sixty years old. Isaac had a twin brother named Esau.  Esau was considered the oldest because he came out first.  Rebeckah, Isaac’s wife had a difficult time during her pregnancy:

Genesis 25:21-22 NKJV

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD

She must have been very uncomfortable, because she went to God and said, “If all is well, why am I like this?”  She’s like us isn’t she?  When things in our lives are difficult and uncomfortable we all say, “Why is it like this God?”  She may be thinking “God, you gave this blessing to me when Isaac cried out to you for me. If this is from You, why is it so hard?”  We think if it came from God, it should be easy, with no difficulty, don’t we?  But it isn’t always like that.  Life sometimes intrudes on the blessings of God in our lives.

Look at God’s reply to Rebeckah:

Genesis 25:23-24 NKJV

And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

She gave birth to twin sons, Esau and Jacob.  Esau was born first, followed closely by Jacob, who had actually grabbed ahold of Esau’s heel.

Genesis 25:25-26 NKJV

And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

The name Jacob, literally mean – Heel Grabber.  The implication is that he is a usurper, as if he was attempting to keep Esau from being the first born. 

In Isaac's time, the firstborn son held a privileged position in the family and was entitled to special inheritance rights. This was known as the birthright, which included:

• A double portion of the inheritance: The firstborn received twice as much as the other sons (Deuteronomy 21:17).
• Leadership of the family: He would become the head of the household after his father’s passing.
• Blessing from the father: A special blessing was given, which carried significant spiritual and material implications.

But that inheritance could be lost or transferred.  Look at this interaction between the two brothers:

Genesis 25:29-34 NKJV

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

So this is one of the ways in which Jacob’s name was a prophecy of who he would become.  Basically, he’s taken advantage of Esau and STOLEN his birthright. This gives you an idea of Jacob’s character during this part of his life.  But I want you to understand that we can change who we are during our lives.  For example, I am not the same person that I was in my twenties.  There has been a change in my personality as well as my character.  I’ve changed as a result of my encounter with Jesus.  Jacob’s character changes for the exact same reason later in his life and we will examine that in another lesson.

Esau and a Bowl of Beans

I want to look, though at this episode with respect to Esau.

Genesis 25:32-34 NKJV

And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau had been out hunting, and he returned, and the Bible says he was weary.  We, in the times we live in, use the word weary to mean tired or exhausted.  But the word translated from the Hebrew carries the idea of being faint or weak from hunger.  It implies a great need for rest and nourishment.  This is the state that Esau was in when he returned and saw Jacob had cooked a stew made of Lentils. 

But remember Jacob was a usurper and an opportunist and uses this to manipulate Esau into giving him his birthright, which is his inheritance.  I want you to think about this for a moment.  Basically, his birthright had so little importance in his life that he gave it up for one meal.  He said, “Look, I am about to die, what does this birthright mean to me?”  That’s really another way of saying, “Who cares? It’s not important to me!”  The Bible says he “despised” his birthright.  So, according to the Bible he had disdain for his birthright. You could say he took that birthright for granted.

Each of us, through virtue of our salvation also have a birthright.  We have an inheritance in God:

Romans 8:16-17 NKJV

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

How many of us take that inheritance for granted.  How many of us are willing to give up the promises because of some trivial thing.  Have you seen people backslide because of some old habit that they can’t break free from? Or maybe because of some hot girl or handsome guy?  Or maybe leave the church to take a job that pays just a little more, but requires that they work during service times?  Is this much different than what Esau did when he sold out his birthright for a bowl of beans?  Not too much.

Here is the really sad part that is a warning for us:

Hebrews 12:16-17 NKJV

lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Do we really want to take such a risk with our inheritance.  Are we so willing to throw away the promise of God.  We need to guard our hearts and our thoughts.  What we care about we will do what we must to protect it.  We need to diligently seek God to protect our birthright in Salvation.

Isaac’s Final Blessing

Isaac has become blind and is very old and near death.  It’s become time for him to bless his sons with their inheritance.  He tells Esau go and hunt some game, cook it for me so that I can eat it and bless you. Rebeckah overhears this:

Genesis 27:6-7 NKJV

So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'

Let’s leave the story for a moment and look at the relationship between all of them:

Genesis 25:28 NKJV

And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Isaac had more affection for Esau…and Rebeckah had more affection for Jacob.  In other words, they each had their favorite.  Rebeckah was determined that Jacob would receive the blessing and she gives him some diection:

Genesis 27:9-10 NKJV

Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."

She has come up with a plan to deceive Isaac and usurp Esau’s blessing for Jacob. 

Genesis 27:14-17 NKJV

And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Remember that Esau was a hairy man and Jacob was not.  So, she put the goat fur on his hands and neck so he would appear to be hairy to his father who was blind.  Then she put Esau’s clothes on him so that he would carry Esau’s smell. Then she cooked the meal and bread and gave it to him.

Jacob received the blessing that was meant for Esau, through this deception:

Genesis 27:22-24 NKJV

So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."

Genesis 27:27 NKJV

And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.

Jacob has deceived Isaac and now receives his brother’s blessing:

Genesis 27:28-29 NKJV

Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"

Jacob now has stolen his brother’s birthright, deceived Isaac, and usurped his brother’s blessing.  He goes on to become one of the great patriarchs of our faith.  How can God use this deceitful, lying, thief to perpetuate the lineage of Jesus and to be the father of the nation of Israel?

I’m going to dive into this next week, and you will see how God can do this.  It is a testament to God’s power to change lives and use those who we would consider to be unusable.

 

 

 

Personalities of the Old Testament #1 - Adam "The Garden Lost"

Overview:

Today we’re going to start our series called, “Personalities of the Old Testament.”  We’re going to look at a number of people in the Old Testament and see what we can learn from them.  We’ll begin with Adam and then move through nine others.  Some we will look at in depth in a later study.  For example, David, Daniel and Jacob may need a more in-depth look.  The purpose of this study is like an introduction.  I would encourage you to look at each of the characters we discuss in more depth on your own.  What I’m trying to do is two things.  First, I want you to see these characters, not only as historical personalities but also as a lesson for us to learn a truth that God is teaching us.  Second, I want to encourage you to read and study your Bible on your own. 

If you are a computer person there is an app called Esword.  You can download the program, a number of Bibles including a Chinese Language Bible. Commentaries and dictionaries for free.  It can be found at Esword.net.  This is the program that I use.  I recommend it. 

So, today we want to start with the beginning – Adam. 

First what can you tell me about Adam?

Let Us Make Man in Our Own Image

Here’s the first mention of Adam in the Bible:

Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

So, Adam was made in the image of God.  No other creation was made in God’s image.  All of the plants, animals, stars and everything else was created by the spoken word.  The Bible says, “Then God said let there be…”

But with Adam He didn't say, “Let there be…” He said, “Let us make man in our own image…” Look at what transpired when Adam was created:

Genesis 2:7 NKJV

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

God formed Adam from the dust of the ground.  He was personally involved in the creation of people.  He was called Adam.  The name Adam means man or mankind, but it speaks of dust.  So, Adam was the first man.  Question, did he have a bellybutton?  No, he was created not born he had no need for an umbilical cord. 

God formed him out of the dirt and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;”.  This is interesting because the Hebrew word for spirit can mean breath and also life (according to the Strong’s Concordance).  So, when God breathed life into Adam, He also breathed His spirit into him.  Mankind is the only creation of God that was made by Him personally and has the Spirit of God breathed into him.  We are different from animals.  We contain a part of us that is a part of God. 

Adam is like God in that there are three parts that make him complete.  1) The Mind.  We have a mind that contains our intellect, will and consciousness.  This relates to God the Father.  2) The Body is our physical manifestation.  This is a picture of Jesus who is the physical manifestation of God on Earth.  Finally, 3) The Spirit represents the core of whom we are.  It influences our behaviors, and how we relate to the world and people.  Our spirit relates to the Holy Spirit who guides us in our relationship with and our connection to His will, direction and commands.

This is what we mean by being created in the image of God.  “Let us make man in our own image.”

Placing Adam in the Garden

Genesis 2:8 NKJV

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

I want to look at the Garden of Eden for a moment.  God planted a garden:

When God created the Garden, He carefully met every need of mankind.  As human beings there are basic needs that we all have. Food, shelter, purpose, companionship, and a spiritual need (We are looking for a spiritual relationship).  God met all of those needs in the Garden:

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The trees provided food and shelter. 

Genesis 2:15

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Genesis 2:19 NKJV

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

Adam had a job.  These things gave him purpose and meaning in his life.  He was serving God with these tasks.  It is interesting how men will often identify by their work.  How many times have you heard one man say to another, “What do you do for a living?”  Often our purpose in life is defined by our job.

Genesis 2:18 NKJV

And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

God realized our need for companionship.  People are social animals, we need each other.  Eve was created for Adam as a helper. 

Genesis 2:21-22 NKJV

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

But what does that mean helper?  Why did Adam need Eve’s help?  Look at Genesis 1:28:

Genesis 1:28 NKJV

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

God told them to go forth multiply and subdue the earth.  He created us male and female.  Adam could not multiply without Eve’s help.  So, she was created for him. 

Genesis 2:23-24 NKJV

And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

This is the first marriage.  Adam and Eve joined together by God, and become one person.  We are a part of each other.  We complete each other.  Men have a tendency to be logical and woman are more emotional and nurturing.  A partnership for raising children. 

Finally, let's look at the spiritual aspect of the Garden:

Genesis 3:8-10 NKJV

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

I will go into this in more detail in the next section, but I wanted to show that Adam and God had a relationship.  God walked with them in the garden and Adam recognized the voice of God as God called him. 

So, we can see that all of Adam’s needs were met there in the garden.

The Sin of Adam

In order to see this we have to go back a few chapters to God’s one command in the garden:

Genesis 2:9 NKJV

And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16-17

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

God put two trees in the midst of the Garden.  1) The Tree of Life – A symbol of eternal life.  It’s position in the garden made it a daily reminder of God's intended future for mankind.  Adam was able to regularly eat the fruit of that tree if he desired.  2) The Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil – A call to a choice.  To know good – is to be obedient to God’s commands.  To know evil is to choose not to obey God.  It isn’t that suddenly you will gain some useful information.  It is that you will understand that to obey God is good, but to disobey God is evil.

Genesis 3:1-6 NKJV

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

The serpent came and spoke to Eve and in that conversation caused her to begin to doubt God.  And it led her to disobey God and eat of the fruit.  Look at this:

This is the description of sin in 1 John 2:15-16:

1 John 2:15-16 NKJV

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

The Bible describes Eve’s thought process:

1)      the woman saw that the tree was good for food – Lust of the flesh

2)      that it was pleasant to the eyes – Lust of the eyes

3)      desirable to make one wise – Pride of life

She gave it to Adam to eat.  Look at what happened when he ate:

Genesis 3:7 NKJV

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

After Adam sinned innocence was lost.  They knew that they had done wrong   They “knew” evil and they were ashamed.

Genesis 3:9-10 NKJV

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

As a result, Adam and Eve were driven from the garden.  They lost all of the blessing of the God’s graciousness in the garden.  Those things that God had given them as blessings of meaning and purpose were turned to curses, and they were kept from the tree of Life:

Genesis 3:24

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

One last comment, God held Adam accountable for the violation.

Genesis 3:11-12 NKJV

And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

Isn’t it human and interesting that Adam immediately tried to justify his sin by blaming Eve.  Isn’t that just like people today?  The bottom line is Eve was deceived, but Adam made a choice that was where the sin was found.  Their eyes weren’t opened until Adam ate the fruit.

A Lesson for Christians

As Christians we are given our own “Tree of Life” in the way of eternal life in salvation of Jesus Christ.  Adam was given the Tree of life as well in a beautiful paradise.  The Garden of Eden is a picture of Eternal Life in Heaven in the presence of God, a personal relationship with Christ in just the way Adam had.  You can see though, that we make choices and decisions, and those decisions affect our relationship with God and the blessings of Eternal Life.  The Tree of Life was given as a reminder of God’s promise of Eternal Life, it was placed in a place where it would always be accessible to them.  That is the Tree we should concentrate on and eat from.

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