Genesis 35 - Revival in Jacob’s Life...The birth of BENJAMIN...the deaths of ISAAC & RACHEL.
Verse 1 tells us God speaks to Jacob, calling him back to Bethel.
“Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”
The whole Shechem incident was because Jacob went to Shechem INSTEAD of Bethel, where he was supposed to be. We often end up in much difficulty and bring much difficulty to those around us, because we do not go where God tells us to go.
DO YOU NOTICE WHAT I DID….Genesis 34 does NOT mention God once, and is one of the most sordid chapters in Israel’s history.
YET HERE IN Genesis 35...God IS MENTIONED over and over again, more than ten times, plus 11 more times in names such as Bethel and Israel.
Make an altar there to God…This turning back to the Lord will especially have a good effect on the children of Jacob. This reminds us the BEST THINGS WE AS PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS CAN DO for OUR children is to be in God’s will themselves, Amen?
As Jacob looked back on his walk with God, the first meeting with God at Bethel must have seemed like a high point. But to his credit, Jacob refused to think the best years of his life with God were behind him. He returned to his first love - he returned to Bethel, and God blessed it.
Verses 2-4 tells us of the cleansing of Jacob’s family.
“And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.”
Purify yourselves…Jacob’s family only got right with God AFTER Jacob himself did. This again shows us the tremendous leadership role MEN HAVE within the family. A man resisting God will see the same effect in his children. A man who gets right with God will see the effect in his family also.
AND THIS ALSO TELLS US THAT Jacob’s children KEPT foreign gods because their mother did. Rachel clung to the household idols of her father in Genesis 31:19. No matter how hard we try to teach our children godly conduct they will still do what we do.
Change your garments…This was IMPORTANT because “Throughout the Bible, garments symbolize character. The inward life of the unregenerate is compared to a polluted garment.
AND Jude 1:23 gives the idea… “But others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 gives more advice…“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
And the earrings which were in their ears: Apparently, the earrings also had a pagan connection too!
THEN AND NOW…WE LEARN A LESSON HERE…IN THE EYES OF ALMIGHTY GOD it IS IMPORTANT for everyone to take stock of what they may have in their home that is ungodly or occultic, and promptly get rid of those things, Amen!
Verses 5-7 tells us God’s protection of Jacob; he comes to Bethel.
“And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.”
The terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
MANKIND RIGHTLY DECIDED THE PROTECTION & FAVOR OF ALMIGHTY GOD WAS WITH JACOB & HIS FAMILY.
THE CITIES WRONGLY CONCLUDED THAT ALMIGHTY GOD HIMSELF HAD ORDERED & HAD SEEN TO THE SLAYING OF THE PEOPLE OF SHECHEM.
WE KNOW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAIR HAD ALMIGHTY GOD LEFT Jacob & his family to FACE the consequences of his sinful lack of leadership in the family, AMEN?
YET WHAT WE SEE HERE ONCE AGAIN IS THAT ALMIGHTY GOD LOVES…HE IS A PATIENT FATHER & HIS GRACE (grace means unearned and unmerited favor) covered Jacob even when his sin had made he and his family vulnerable.
He built an altar there and called the place El Bethel…Though Jacob had sinned, he now did what was right before God, despite the danger, trusting God’s protection. He might have justified a lack of obedience because of fear, but he CHOSE THIS TIME TO trust God instead.
BIBLICAL/SECULAR HISTORIANS OF THE TIME AGREE IN PART, WHEN THEY SAY IT WAS VERY VERY DANGEROUS for Jacob to set out to Bethel…BUT BIBLICAL SCHOLARS AGREE IT WAS FAR FAR MORE DANGEROUS FOR JACOB TO HAVE DISOBEYED ALMIGHTY GOD AGAIN.
THERE IS A LIFE LONG WORD AND MESSAGE AND TEACHING FOR US HERE WITH JACOB….AND THAT IS THIS:
The ONLY THING to save JACOB & HIS FAMILY was a radical obedience to the Lord. FORGET WHAT WE THINK, SEE, OR WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW….No matter what the circumstances look like, the safest place is do the will of JESUS, AMEN?
Verse 8 tells us of the death of Deborah, Rebekah’s beloved nurse.
“Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.”
We know NOTHING OF DEBORAH before this account; seemingly, she came with Rebekah as a companion when she came from Haran to marry Isaac. Obviously, she was a beloved member of the family, because they named the place where she was buried Allon Bachuth, which means “Oak of Weeping.”
Verses 9-15 tells us God speaks to Jacob again at Bethel.
“Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.”
DID YOU NOTICE…when Jacob finally arrived at the place God told him to go, Jacob immediately found great blessing. God appeared to him, God blessed him, and God called him by his new name (Israel).
The reminder of the new name WAS important, because Jacob had been acting like Jacob instead of Israel. Yet, God wants to set his mind on what God made him. JESUS does the same with us, reminding us who we are in OUR JESUS…OUR TRIUNE GOD. JESUS WANTS US TO KNOW AND REMEMBER JUST WHO HE IS AND HE ALSO WANTS US TO REMEMBER AND LIVE IN THE GREAT NAME HE HAS GIVEN THOSE WHO LOVE HIM…WE ARE CALLED FRIEND…JOINT-HEIRS…HIS BRIDE…HIS BELOVED, AMEN?
God appeared to Jacob again TELLS US their relationship is restored. This is an excellent example of what it means to return to your first love, as in Revelation 2:4-5: Jacob remembers to go back to Bethel. He repents by getting rid of all the idols, and he does the first works by building an altar and worshiping God as before.
The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land: God granted Jacob a precious reminder of his place in God’s great covenant, begun with his grandfather Abraham. In this, Jacob did not need to hear anything new from God. He just needed to be REMINDED of what was true, and encouraged to cling to it all.
Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him: ONCE AGAIN, ALMIGHTY GOD IN HUMAN FORM, WHICH CAN ONLY BE JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF appears to Jacob. God blessed Jacob remarkably after his return to his first love. Much blessing waits for us until we do what God tells us to do.
He poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it: Appropriately, Jacob performed sacrificial acts of worship to the God who has blessed him so much.
WAITAAAAAAAAMINNNNNNIT HERE…WHAT IS THIS ABOUT POURED A DRINK OFFERING?
IT SURE IS FOUND OFTEN IN THE BIBLE!
WHERE?
Exodus 29:40-41; Leviticus 23:13, and Numbers 15:5-7 show the drink offering was made with wine poured out in sacrifice before the Lord at His altar. Paul considered the pouring out of his life before God to be like the pouring out of a drink offering at God’s altar in Philippians 2:17 & 2 Timothy 4:6.
Jacob’s heart of worship shows gratitude towards God. When we look back on life, we should never have the attitude that says, “I was robbed.”
Instead our heart should say, “God has blessed.” This will probably determine if we will be perfectly miserable or perfectly delightful as we get older.
Verse 16-17 tells us of the birth of Benjamin, the 12th son and the death of Rachel.
“Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.”
There seems to be none of the contentiousness and competitiveness surrounding the birth of this last son, possibly because they are all older at this time, but more so because they are now in the Promised Land and it just is NOT as important anymore.
We don’t know how long Jacob stayed at Bethel, but it is possible this last child was conceived at this place where Jacob came back to his first love for the Lord.
Verse 18 tells us the naming of the last son.
“And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.”
She called his name Ben-Oni: Rachel named this last child - who before would have been seen as a cause for rejoicing and victory in the competition with her sister - she named this child Ben-Oni, meaning “son of my sorrow.”
Ultimately, this shows the futility of Rachel’s competition with her sister Leah. Now at the time of her final “victory,” all she found was sorrow.
But his father called him Benjamin: Jacob wisely names the child Benjamin, which means “son of my right hand.”
JACOB NAMED THIS CHILD…JACOB DID NOT DO THE HEAD OF FAMILY DUTY TO NAME AND ACCEPT EACH CHILD BORN, ESPECIALLY THE SONS, BUT HE DID RIGHT BY GOD THIS TIME, AND perhaps he rightly sensed the special place God had for this child, or perhaps he simply prized Benjamin so greatly because he was the final link between him and the woman he loved most.
Benjamin: The right side was associated with greater strength and honor, because most people are right handed. Benjamin (son of my right hand) therefore has the idea of “son of my strength” or “son of my honor.”
NOW YOU KNOW MY RIGHT HAND MAN…SON…FRIEND…was coined FIRST RIGHT HERE IN GENESIS. AND THIS IDEA IS EXPRESSED AND REPEATED IN PASSAGES LIKE:
Exodus 15:6: “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.”
Psalm 16:8...David says he Lord is our strength and honor, when he says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 63:8 tells us God’s strength and honor are for us, when David says, “My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.”
Psalm 138:7 which tells us. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.”
AND COLOSSIANS 3:1 tells us, “Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, the position of strength and honor, and we sit there with Him! If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”
Now you now KNOW ANOTHER NAME JESUS HAS FOR US…HIS RIGHT HAND!
Verse 19-20 tells us of the death and burial of Rachel.
“So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.”
Rachel’s death was in tragic fulfillment of the curse Jacob himself pronounced on the one who stole the idols of Laban in Genesis 31:32.
REMEMBER IN Genesis 30:1, Rachel pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” As it happened, both became true. She had children and died as a result.
Jacob set a pillar on her grave…This also shows that even when we get right with God and return to our first love it DOES NOT mean life becomes a bed of roses. There are constant challenges for us to trust God.
Verses 21-22a tells us Reuben’s sin with his father’s concubine.
“Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it.”
Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine…Reuben was the firstborn. We might expect the highest conduct from him, and might expect him to most seriously receive the covenant of his fathers. Yet, here he sinned in a most offensive way against his father and entire family.
However, we don’t have to wonder about where this sinful conduct was bred. In this home so filled with strife, contention, competition, and the pursuit of the flesh, it was almost to be expected.
Did you CATCH THIS? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT JACOB CONVERSATIONALLY, AS IT WERE, BY ALMIGHTY GOD IS CALLED ISRAEL AND NOT JACOB.
Israel heard about it: WE NOW KNOW THAT THROUGH THEIR OWN SIN, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi “disqualified” themselves from the high calling of Abraham’s blessing. It will be up to the fourth son, Judah, to bring forth the Messiah.
Verses 22b-26 tells us Jacob’s 12 sons.
“Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.”
These were the sons of Jacob…It is actually a pretty messed-up family. God will use this family, but not because they are such great candidates, but because He has chosen them by His grace alone.
Verse 27 tells us Jacob visits his father Isaac one last time.
“Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.”
Jacob came to his father Isaac: More than 20 years ago, Jacob left his home thinking his father’s death was at hand. Now, quite unexpectedly, he has the opportunity to see his father one last time before his death.
We should remember our times are in God’s hands. We may expect a long or short life for others or ourselves and be quite wrong. Only God knows.
His father Isaac…There seemed to be nothing dramatic between Isaac and Jacob at this meeting. It was possible Isaac was incapacitated by old age.
Verses 28-29 tells us Jacob and Esau bury their father together.
“Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”
The sons had already been brought together by God’s hand. Now they work together again, united by the death of their father.
Genesis 36 - The Family of Esau & his separation from Jacob.
Verses 1-5 tells us the wives, sons, and daughters of Esau.
“Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth. Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. And Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.”
Verses 6-8 tells us of the separation of Jacob and Esau.
“Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.”
Their possessions were too great for them to dwell together: Esau’s cry to Isaac. “Have you only one blessing, my father?” in Genesis 27:38 proved unfounded. Because he was a descendant of Abraham God blessed Esau, and blessed him in the only way Esau REALLY cared about: materially.
Verse 9 tells us The Edomites descend from Esau.
“And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir.”
Esau the father of the Edomites: Edom and the Edomites are mentioned some 130 times in the Bible. They were an important group of “neighbors” to Israel.
HOW & WHERE?
1. When the Israelites came through the wilderness to the Promised Land in the time of Moses, the Edomites refused them passage through their land in Numbers 20:21.
2. This was a source of great discouragement for the nation of Israel in Numbers 21:4.
3. Even so, God commanded special regard for the Edomites among Israel: You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother in Deuteronomy 23:7.
4. In the days of Saul, Edom was made subject to Israel in 1 Samuel 14:47.
5. David established garrisons there in 2 Samuel 8:14.
6. But later, in the days of Joram, the son of Ahab, the Edomites became independent of Israel in 2 Kings 8:16-22.
7. Several of the prophets spoke about and against Edom, including Jeremiah in Jeremiah 49:17-18 and Ezekiel in Ezekiel 25:12-14.
8. Herod the Great - the one who tried to kill the young child Jesus - was an Edomite.
9. From the time Islam conquered the Middle East, the region has been virtually unoccupied, except for a few Bedouins and military outposts. It has been brought to NOTHING, as Obadiah had prophesied (the entire book of Obadiah records an extended prophecy against Edom).
10. The Edomites in Mount Seir…also held the rock city of Petra, which can only be reached through narrow, winding gorge. Petra was so defensible that it was said that a dozen men could protect Petra against a whole army.
Verses 10-43 tells us of the descendants of Edom and the chiefs of the Edomites.
“These were the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah. These were the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah. These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs. These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was Timna. These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. These were the sons of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon. These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah, Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir. Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. And when Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth, Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.”
These were THE CHIEFS OF THE SONS of Esau: When we see the kings and chiefs among the descendants of Esau, we see more clearly what God meant when He said, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated in Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:13.
Esau was obviously a blessed man but he was hated and rejected in regard to being chosen for a critical role in God’s plan of redemption.
And the STAND OUT in this roll call….“She bore Amalek to Eliphaz”….Notable among this list is AMALEK.
From him came the Amalekites, notable enemies of Israel in Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; & 1 Samuel 15:1-8.
In addition, the names of the descendants of Esau DO NOT REFLECT a godly heart.
Dishon (Genesis 36:21) means “gazelle”
Alvan (Genesis 36:23) means “wicked”
Ithran (Genesis 36:26) means “advantage”
Aran (Genesis 36:28) means “mountain goat”
Baal-Hanan (Genesis 36:38) - his name embraces the false god Baal.
WHAT DOES THE TRIUNE GOD SHOW US, TELL US, & CAUTION US ABOUT IN GENESIS 35 & 36?
THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE LEARN HERE…MOST IMPORTANTLY WE, AS PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS SEE THAT HOW WE LIVE, WHAT WE SAY VERSUS WHAT WE DO CAN, WILL, AND DOES CREATE A FIRM FOUNDATION OR A FAULTY ONE IN THOSE IN OUR LIFE.
IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WHEN MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE GIVING OVER THE CARE, THE REARING, THE DISCIPLINE, THE TEACHING, THE HEALTH, AND THE PROTECTIONS OF OUR CHILDREN TO OTHERS…BE IT SCHOOLS, DAYCARE, PSYCHIATRISTS, DOCTORS, GOVERNMENT SERVICES, FACILITATORS, COPS, TO NAME A FEW…WE ARE RISKING THE VERY PRECIOUS GIFTS JESUS CHRIST IN TRUSTED US WITH TO THE LOST WORLD, SATAN, AND MANKIND…AND IT NEVER HAS A GOOD OUTCOME.
AS WITH JACOBS CHILDREN, WIVES, AND MAIDSERVANTS, HE DID WORK HARD TO PROVIDE FOR THEM, BUT FOR THE MOST PART WAS UN-INVOLVED EVEN IN THEIR BIRTHS, THEIR NAMING, THEIR REARING, AND HE IGNORED THEM, AND GAVE THEM OVER TO OTHERS TO TEACH AND RAISE…TO HIS AND THE FUTURE OF THE ISRAELITES AS WELL TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL TO COME DETRIMENT DOWN THROUGH HISTORY.
ABRAHAM AND SARAH TRIED TO HELP GOD OUT….BRING A CHILD INTO THE WORLD ON THEIR OWN, AND THAT IMPATIENCE, STUBBORN SELF-WILL & DISOBEDIENCE BROUGHT THEM HAGAR AND FROM HER, ISHMAEL, WHOSE DESCENDANTS HAVE PLAGUED ISAACS DESCENDANTS ALWAYS.
WITH ISAAC AND REBEKAH, WHO SHOWED FAVORITISM FOR THE TWINS, ESAU AND JACOB, AND THEREFORE EMNITY BETWEEN THE TWINS FROM BIRTH, IT BROUGHT FORTH ESAU’S DESCENDANTS WHO WERE NOT ONLY UNGODLY, BUT ESAU’S LOVE OF THE WORLD, TEMPORAL THINGS, UNGODLY MARRIAGE, IMMORALITY, AND IDOLATRY, BROUGHT SATANIC WORSHIP TO THE ISRAELITES, AND SUCH SATANIC IDOL WORSHIP AND LOVE OF THE LOST WORLD AND MANKIND HAS DOWN THROUGH HISTORY BROUGHT FORTH SHAME, PAIN, WARS, EVIL AND SUFFERINGS TO ALL DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, READING THROUGH THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ESAU AND JACOB, WE NOW UNDERSTAND, WHY GOD CHOSE THE YOUNGER JACOB OVER ESAU. WE NOW UNDERSTAND WHY THE TRIUNE GOD FAVORED JACOB OVER ESAU.
AND THOUGH ABRAHAM COULD NOT SEE NOR UNDERSTAND, AND ISAAC COULD NOT SEE NOR UNDERSTAND, MUCH LESS APPRECIATE THE WAITING, THE DELAYS, AND THE DIRECTIVES, NOR COMMANDS OF ALMIGHTY GOD…WE KNOW THAT OUR JESUS CHRIST COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BORN IF HE ONLY HAD THE TAINTED ISHMAEL’S BLOODLINE, NOR THE BLOODLINE OF ESAU TO COME THROUGH.
AND LOOKING DOWN THROUGH HISTORY, WE REALIZE A STARK TRUTH, AN UNSHAKEABLE TRUTH, AND A BITTER REALITY…ABOUT WHAT OUR IMPATIENCE, STUBBORNNESS, SELF-WILL, AND DISOBEDIENCE CAN CAUSE US NOT ONLY IN OUR LIVES, BUT IN THE LIVES OF OUR DESCENDANTS.
WHAT DO I MEAN BY THIS?
IF ABRAHAM AND SARAH HAD OBEYED, TRUSTED, AND THEN WAITED ON ALMIGHTY GOD & HIS TIMING, THEN ISHMAEL WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN…THEN THE ARAB NATION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BIRTHED, AND THE WORLD AND ESPECIALLY THE NATION OF ISRAEL WOULD NOT BE PLAGUED TO THIS DAY BY THE ARAB NATIONS.
IF ISAAC AND REBEKAH HAD NOT SHOWN FAVORITISM TOWARDS THE TWINS, AND HAD NOT TRIED TO PUSH THEIR OWN FAVORITE CHILD AND IGNORE THE OTHER, AND HAD RAISED THEM UP IN THE FEAR, RESPECT, AND ADMONITION OF ALMIGHTY GOD, THEN ESAU WOULD NOT HAVE DISOBEYED HIS PARENTS AND GONE HIS OWN WAY, AND MARRIED INTO THE WORLD, A PAGAN PEOPLE, A SATANIC FOUNDATIONAL PEOPLE, AND ESAU’S DESCENDANTS WOULD NOT HAVE BROUGHT SATANISM AND OCCULT WORSHIP, AND AMALEK, THE HIGH PRIEST OF SATAN HIMSELF WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL & THE WORLD WOULD NOT HAVE SUCH SHAME, MURDER, DEATH, EVIL, AND GRIEVOUS IMMORTALITY PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE AGES, AND AS A CONSTANT TORMENT TO THEM AND BROUGHT DOWN THE JUDGMENT OF ALMIGHTY GOD UPON THEM TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
THAT BEING SAID…HERE IS THE PRECIOUS, PRICELESS, REASSURING NEWS…OUR TRIUNE GOD…THE GOD WHO SEES ALL…ALREADY HAD A PLAN…AND HIS PROMISES AND HIS PLANS FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH WOULD COME TO PASS…NO ONE AND NOTHING…MANKIND, THE WORLD, NOR SATAN AND ALL OF HIS SLIMY PIT DWELLERS WOULD STOP GOD’S PLANS FOR ISRAEL…AS WELL THE GENTILE PEOPLE.
ALMIGHTY GOD IS A PROMISE MAKER.
JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF IS A PROMISE MAKER.
ALMIGHTY GOD DOES NOT LIE.
JESUS CHRIST DOES NOT LIE.
ALMIGHTY GOD IS A PROMISE KEEPER,
JESUS CHRIST IS A PROMISE KEEPER.
WE CAN ALWAYS AND SHOULD ALWAYS TRUST OUR JESUS TO MAKE A WAY…REGARDLESS IF THE WORLD, MANKIND, THE EARTH, AND ALL OF HELL RISES UP AGAINST US.
WE WHO KNOW, LOVE, AND HAVE CHOSEN AND ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD, SAVIOR, AND FRIEND…DO NOT NEED ANYTHING NOR ANYONE ELSE TO OVERCOME…TO SUCCEED.
TRUST OUR JESUS CHRIST…HE LOVES ALL OF MANKIND. THE ISHMAELS AND THE ESAUS AND THE GENTILE NATIONS OF THIS WORLD TOO...HE DIED TO INSURE THAT ALL THREE COULD BE OFFERED, COULD ACCEPT, THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION THAT HE PAID FOR WITH HIS VERY LIFE TO INSURE IT…NOT ONLY FOR THOSE WHO LOVED HIM, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE WHO HATED HIM.
JESUS CHRIST HAS A WONDROUS PLAN FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE AND TRUST HIM…
TRUST JESUS CHRIST…HIS LOVE WILL NEVER FAIL US.