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Jacob, the crafty brother of Esau, has now 1) purchased the firstborn birthright from his brother, and 2) deceived his nearly blind father into giving Jacob the prime blessing. As noted in last week’s post, this special blessing was traditionally reserved for the eldest son. At the same time, God is unveiling a means to prevent Abraham’s bloodline from being corrupted by their Canaanite neighbors. When Esau vows his revenge on Jacob, Rebekah unwittingly puts God’s plan into motion.
“We don’t want our son to inter-marry with these people,” Rebekah pleads with her dying husband. “Let’s find him a nice girl – send him to my brother’s land.” Fortuitously, Isaac charges Jacob to journey 450 miles to Uncle Laban to find a suitable bride. Notice also how Isaac’s second blessing to Jacob in verses 28:3-4 is the blessing bestowed upon Abraham: “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples… that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.”[1] But Jacob and Rebekah understand there is a cost for their sin. Enmity now exists between the brothers. Rebekah had to devise a plan to help Jacob to escape. She likely reasoned, “Perhaps Esau will calm down while Jacob is gone.”
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But this passage also reveals more about the plans God had for Abraham and his descendants. The Hittites and others living in the land promised to Abraham were a corrupt people. Like he squandered his birthright over a bowl of stew, Esau saw no problem in marrying with the local women. It was not until he understood why Jacob was sent out of this land to find his bride, combined with Jacob’s obedience, that Esau began to recognize his own errors.
Despite this revelation in verse 9, Esau failed to understand the importance. Isaac was God’s plan for Abraham. Both Ishmael and the Canaanites were not, though both were nearby. Esau compounded his earlier errors with another – he took Ishmael’s daughter as a wife. Genesis recorded Ishmael had settled in Paran, about 30 miles away. Like all of his wives, it would appear Esau was more concerned with convenience than God’s plan. Esau’s focus was on Esau. God’s plan for redemption would come through another.
Jacob knew God’s plan and made it his own. God used Jacob to bring about the salvation of everyone. If we allow Him, God can use us to bring salvation to others. While Jacob’s flight to Paddan-aram seemed to be an odd detour in Jacob’s life, God places us right when and where he needs us. Have you looked back at your life’s events? Were there occasions in which a calamity brought you to a position where you were “coincidentally” in the right place to help someone only because of your own life’s detour? It has happened to many of us, so you are in good company. If it hasn’t, stay tuned and be prepared for it. He can use you if you will let Him!
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[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ge 28:3–4.
Text By: Kyle Clark
Photo from:
http://www.generationword.com/ot_maps/map_imgs/35_gn.28.jpg
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