JACOB & ESAU (3)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) Jacob & Esau
(Text: Genesis 25:19-34)
1. What is the text all about?
a) Who was Jacob?
i) Jacob was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.
ii) Jacob was third in the Abrahamic line of God's plan.
iii) Jacob was determined, willing to work long and hard for what he wanted.
iv) Jacob was a good businessman.
v) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are among the most significant people in the Old Testament. It is important to realize tht this significance is not based upon their personal characters, but upon the character of God. They were all men who earned the grudging respect and even fear of their peers; they were wealthy and powerful, and yet each was capable of lying, deceit, and selfishness. They were not the perfect heroes we might have expected; instead, they were just like us, trying to please God, but often falling short.
vi) Jacob was the third link in God's plan to start a nation from Abraham. The success of that plan was more often in spite of than because of Jacob's life. Before Jacob was born, God promised that his plan would be worked out through Jacob and not his twin brother, Esau. Although Jacob's method were not always respectable, his skill, determination, and patience have to be admired. As we follow him from birth to death, we are able to see God's work.
vii) Jacob's life had 4 stages, each marked by a personal encounter with God.
@1. In the first stage, Jacob lived up to his name, which means "he grasps the heel" (figuratively, "he deceives"). He grabbed Esau's heel at birth, and by the time he fled from home, he had also grabbed his brother's birthright and blessing. During his flight, God first appeared to him. Not only did God confirm to Jacob his blessing, but he awakened in Jacob a personal knowledge of himself.
@2. In the second stage, Jacob experienced life from the other side, being manipulated and deceived by Laban. But there is a curious change; the Jacob of stage one would simply have left Laban, whereas the Jacob of stage two, after deciding to leave, waited six years for God's permission.
@3. In the third stage, Jacob was in a new role as grabber. This time, by the Jordan River, he grabbed on to God and wouldn't let go. He realized his dependence on the God who had continued to bless him. His relationship to God became essential to his life, and his name was changed to Israel, "he struggles with God."
@4. Jacob's last stage of life was to be grabbed - God achieved a firm hold on him. In responding to Joseph's invitation to come to Egypt, Jacob was clearly unwilling to make a move without God's approval.
viii) Can you think of times when God has made himself known to you? Do you allow yourself to meet him as you study his Word? What difference have these experiences made in your life? Are you more like the young Jacob, forcing God to track you down in the wilderness of your own plans and mistakes? Or are you more like the Jacob who placed his desires and plans before God for his approval before taking any action?
2. Prayer focus
a) Pray that we would not follow Esau's foot step, reacting to the need of the moment without considering what we are about to give up and regret later.
The End ...
0. Introductiona) Jacob & Esau
(Text: Genesis 25:19-34)
1. What is the text all about?
a) Who was Jacob?
i) Jacob was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.
ii) Jacob was third in the Abrahamic line of God's plan.
iii) Jacob was determined, willing to work long and hard for what he wanted.
iv) Jacob was a good businessman.
v) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are among the most significant people in the Old Testament. It is important to realize tht this significance is not based upon their personal characters, but upon the character of God. They were all men who earned the grudging respect and even fear of their peers; they were wealthy and powerful, and yet each was capable of lying, deceit, and selfishness. They were not the perfect heroes we might have expected; instead, they were just like us, trying to please God, but often falling short.
vi) Jacob was the third link in God's plan to start a nation from Abraham. The success of that plan was more often in spite of than because of Jacob's life. Before Jacob was born, God promised that his plan would be worked out through Jacob and not his twin brother, Esau. Although Jacob's method were not always respectable, his skill, determination, and patience have to be admired. As we follow him from birth to death, we are able to see God's work.
vii) Jacob's life had 4 stages, each marked by a personal encounter with God.
@1. In the first stage, Jacob lived up to his name, which means "he grasps the heel" (figuratively, "he deceives"). He grabbed Esau's heel at birth, and by the time he fled from home, he had also grabbed his brother's birthright and blessing. During his flight, God first appeared to him. Not only did God confirm to Jacob his blessing, but he awakened in Jacob a personal knowledge of himself.
@2. In the second stage, Jacob experienced life from the other side, being manipulated and deceived by Laban. But there is a curious change; the Jacob of stage one would simply have left Laban, whereas the Jacob of stage two, after deciding to leave, waited six years for God's permission.
@3. In the third stage, Jacob was in a new role as grabber. This time, by the Jordan River, he grabbed on to God and wouldn't let go. He realized his dependence on the God who had continued to bless him. His relationship to God became essential to his life, and his name was changed to Israel, "he struggles with God."
@4. Jacob's last stage of life was to be grabbed - God achieved a firm hold on him. In responding to Joseph's invitation to come to Egypt, Jacob was clearly unwilling to make a move without God's approval.
viii) Can you think of times when God has made himself known to you? Do you allow yourself to meet him as you study his Word? What difference have these experiences made in your life? Are you more like the young Jacob, forcing God to track you down in the wilderness of your own plans and mistakes? Or are you more like the Jacob who placed his desires and plans before God for his approval before taking any action?
2. Prayer focus
a) Pray that we would not follow Esau's foot step, reacting to the need of the moment without considering what we are about to give up and regret later.
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