E-pistle for May 22, 2009
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E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation May 22, 2009
Isaac Blesses His Sons
(Genesis 27:1-46)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on Isaac's plan and Rebekah's counter-scheme
1. Blind Isaac, sensing his imminent death, asked Esau to hunt
game and prepare his favorite meal before receiving his
father's blessing, vv. 1-4.
2. Rebekah overheard Isaac's plan and schemed with her favorite
son, Jacob, to deceive the father, Isaac, and to receive the blessing
(inheritance) intended for Esau, vv. 5-10.
3. Rebekah took full responsibility for the deception . . . perhaps believing
that she was accomplishing God's will, vv. 11-17.
4. Isaac was suspicious that the son who brought his food was Jacob rather
than Esau, but he proceeded with the Esau blessing, vv. 18-29.
II. Meditation: on how Old Testament blessings worked
1. Blessings were to be pronounced by faith, as Isaac did, Hebrews 11:20.
2. Once spoken, blessings (or curses) could not be recalled . . . the words
took on a permanent life of their own, vv. 33-37.
3. Traditionally, the elder son received a double portion of the father's
inheritance and became the head of the family . . . including assuming
the office of the spiritual leader (priest) of the family.
4. Genuine blessings must proceed from a spiritually perceptive person;
although Isaac was old and blind, he was not insensitive to the spiritual
conditions of Jacob and Esau . . . his blessings revealed that he knew
their true character.
III. Revelation: on the blessings which Isaac intended for each son to receive
1. Isaac's original blessing to Esau (Jacob in disguise) was entirely involved
with the physical realm: material prosperity and earthly dominion over
the family and other nations, vv. 27-29.
2. Isaac's later blessing to Esau included some material prosperity, yet with
a prediction of a life of violence, oppression, and rebellion, vv. 39-40.
3. In neither of Isaac's blessings (in Genesis 27) did he mention the spiritual
blessing of Abraham . . . because he knew that Esau was a profane person
(Hebrews 12:16) and that Jacob was the one through whom the spiritual
blessings would flow to benefit all the earth.
4. Only when Isaac was absolutely sure that he was talking to Jacob did he
give the spiritual blessing of the Abrahamic covenant, Genesis 28:1-4.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Realize that God will accomplish His will without my deceitful schemes.
2. Be careful of the words I speak, for they can never be retracted,
Matthew 12:36; Numbers 23:11-12, 25-26.
3. Pronounce blessings upon my children . . . the only act of faith for which
Isaac was commended in Hebrews 11.
4. Prioritize in my family and home the spiritual aspects of life above all the
physical and material concerns.
Jacob's Ladder
(Genesis 28:1-22)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on Jacob's flight from his home
1. Jacob left home because his brother Esau, was plotting to kill him in
revenge for Jacob's stealing of his birthright, Genesis 27:41.
2. Jacob also left home because his mother, Rebekah, told him to go live
awhile with her brother, Laban, Genesis 27:42-45.
3. As soon as Isaac had pronounced the Abrahamic blessing upon Jacob, he
sent the young man away to another country to find himself a bride,
vv. 1-5 . . . in sharp contrast to what Abraham had instructed Eliezer about
finding a bride for Isaac, Genesis 24:6-7.
4. Meanwhile, Esau deliberately rebelled and disobeyed his father's wishes
by marrying a daughter of Ishmael and other heathen wives, which had
been forbidden to both Jacob and Esau, vv. 6-9.
II. Meditation: on Jacob's dream of a ladder reaching into heaven
1. On his first night away from home, Jacob slept with his head on a stone,
and he dreamed about a ladder between earth and heaven, with angels
ascending and descending upon it, v. 12.
2. The Lord God stood above the ladder, identified Himself, and reaffirmed
the Abrahamic covenant, vv. 13-14.
3. God promised Jacob that He always would be with him v. 15.
4. God assured Jacob that someday He would bring him back home, v. 15.
III. Revelation: on Jacob's reactions to this heavenly dream
1. Jacob perceived the dream had been a genuine spiritual experience, v. 16.
2. Jacob was afraid of the awesome presence of Almighty God in the place
. . . of which he had not been aware originally, vv. 16-17.
3. Jacob used his "pillow" (stone) to construct an altar where he offered a
sacrifice to God; he named the place "Bethel," meaning "House of God,"
vv. 18-19.
4. Jacob made a vow to give God a tithe (one-tenth), if the Lord would bless
him as He had promised, vv. 20-22. (Tithing preceded the Law.)
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Avoid serious family bickering, malice, confrontation, and violence by
leaving the dangerous environment whenever possible.
2. Be open and sensitive to God's revelations of Himself and of His will and
purpose for my life . . . recognize true spiritual experiences, and discern
their meanings through the Holy Spirit's enlightenment.
3. "Camp" every day and every night at Bethel . . . the house of God (where
Abraham earlier had met God, Genesis 12:8); worship the Lord with offerings
and vows of faithful service.
4. Know that Jesus Christ is "Jacob's ladder" (John 1:51) . . . upon which man's
prayers ascend to heaven and upon which God's blessings descend to earth,
I Timothy 2:5; Philippians 4:19.
"Courage is contagious. When a brave person takes a stand,
the spines of others are stiffened." – Billy Graham
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