BIBLE art ✝️ “JACOB STEALS ESAU'S BLESSING” ✝️ Link to New Video, GENESIS Series

[Hebrews 11:6]

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[Hebrews 11:6]

Isaac wants to give his dying blessing to his beloved firstborn son, Esau. But Rebekah wants that blessing for her favorite son, Jacob. Her ruse succeeds, Esau plots his brother's murder in revenge, and Jacob flies for his life.

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[Ahithophel]

What would today’s world look like if Jacob had not stolen Esau’s blessing? Resentment over which of them received the blessing would have arisen in Jacob instead of Esau and the Jews would still be kicking Arab butt. So the answer is not much different than it looks today.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I also enjoy contemplating those sorts of "what ifs." But I try to stay alert to God's hand in steering events, as here where he revealed to Rebekah while the boys were still in her womb that the elder would serve the younger.

[chuckles]

I always recoil a little when I hear Jacob stole Isaac's blessing. In fact Rebekah had it revealed to her what God's choice was before their birth. The most plain explanation is contained in Malachi 1:2-5.

Mal 1:2 "I have loved you," says the Lord. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the Lord. "Yet Jacob I have loved; Mal 1:3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness." Mal 1:4 Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the Lord of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever. Mal 1:5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, 'The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.'

Jacob was renamed "Israel" and spiritually represents God's family. All Jews come from the children of Jacob, not Esau. It becomes most important when Joseph presents his 2 Gentile children to Jacob on his death bed in Gen 48. God is represented by Jacob and Joseph represents Jesus. Jacob loved Joseph more than the others so he decided to give his blessing to Joseph's 2 Gentile sons to make them qualify for Jacob's inheritance.

The only way a Gentile could qualify for a piece of the "Promised Land" was to be adopted through the blessing of the cross.

This lesson is absolutely useful for Gentiles to understand how we can get into Heaven. A Jew is part of the Family of God through Jacob by blood, so Gentile must come by adoption through the cross. If you aren't adopted into Israel through Jacob's blessing under the cross, you have no claim for any inheritance in the Promised Land. As far as I can see, there are no covenants made to un-adopted Gentiles. The Promised Land was promised to Jews only, yet Ephraim and Manasseh did receive their portion through adoption. Esau, on the other hand received a curse to forever hate Jews till the last day. Everything built by Esau will be destroyed. Jacob was loved from the beginning and received the blessing from Isaac and Esau received nothing by design. This was revealed to Rebekah while they were in the womb and she followed the desires of God. Jacob did NOT steal his blessing.

[Hebrews 11:6]

This was revealed to Rebekah while they were in the womb and she followed the desires of God. Jacob did NOT steal his blessing.

God informed her of the fact of Jacob's blessing without also revealing the method He would use to accomplish it. Rebekah was presumptuous in deceiving Isaac--God never commanded her deceptive assistance.

[chuckles]

I agree, but it showed she was convinced she had to be the one to make God's will happen. This happened before when Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham as concubine because she couldn't give Abraham a son. Ishmael was born from the Law, not promise. Sarah wanted God's prophesy to come true and thought she could control the circumstances. Rebekah knew Jacob would be the child of promise, but the Law required the first born to get the inheritance, so she put her thumb on the scale.

This happened again when Judah got Tamar pregnant to keep a Gentile out of the line to David. Read Gen 38 for the whole story and how complicated it was to get Tamar pregnant with a Jewish child including killing Judah's Gentile children t make Judah available for Tamar.

This should be a lesson when we are convinced that God is hamstrung to get His will accomplished. God is always in control even when we can't see it. Maybe Rebekah was the tool God used to get Jacob blessed, but even if Rebekah died or was somehow prevented from interference, God would have placed Jacob over Esau somehow.

[chuckles]

My personal testimony goes along this same line. My Mother in law had a terminal case of aplastic anemia. The doctors all agreed she would die and there was no cure. 2 years later she went home to live another 10-12 years before dying from heart disease.

At the time, I believed in science and the doctors. My wife prayed for her before a hip operation and she was cured immediately and never had aplastic anemia again. God is in control and will do what He wants no matter what the circumstances. I was born again after watching a simple prayer to receive one stem of Jesus's bone marrow cure my mother in law.

The reason we know what will happen in prophesy is because God will do whatever it takes to make it happen. We are constantly trying to substitute what we think believing it must be explainable in carnal terms. We always seem to be confused into thinking things must follow natural rules when God is supernatural and acts so when needed.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Well stated, chuckles. (By the way, just to complete the introductory discussion: Rebekah acted to acquire the blessing deceptively, and Jacob acquiesced; a deceptive acquisition is a theft,which is why I said he stole the blessing. Besides, I needed a catchy title.)

I wholeheartedly second your comments about God's sovereign control. Indeed, one of the greatest joys of reading the Bible is watching Him achieve His purposes throughout the millennia depicted despite the foolishness of men and the best efforts of demons. Just this morning I was reading Joshua's attestation:

You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. [Joshua 23:14]

Of course, the angels have been watching Him as He has proceeded methodically to unfold His plan, and once free of our day-by-day duties here we will join them. Still, if we're given ten cities to administer....