Exposition of the Book of Genesis

Working Like the Devil Serving the Lord

January 11, 2011Text: Genesis 27:

Review…

…what the Bible teaches about generation curses.

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The Problem

We live in a world that is looking back over its shoulder more than any generation in the past.

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We also live in a…

…world where the moral fiber of humanity is disintegrating right before our very eyes.

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We are a generation of…

…victims…Alcoholic parentsFavoritismSingle parent homesPeer rejection

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We are not to forget… …the past but neither

are we to wallow in it either. Either God is God or He is not. Either He does what He says or He does not..

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A generational curse… …is inconsistent with who God

is. It is true that at times in history, God punished the whole nation for the sin of one individual or a family for the sins of one person, but always with limitations, and the coming of Christ, changed everything.

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The Bible does not…

… teach that we are bound by generational curses. Period.

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A generational curse… …is a deliberate decision

by God to hold future generations accountable for the conduct of past generations.

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One place in… …Scripture where God

pronounces a curse for sin, the curse was not on the woman or the man. The curse was on the serpent and the ground. (Gen. 3:14-19)

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It is possible to… …conclude that because the

home environment and even some inherited traits may detrimentally affect children when they become adults, some may call this a “curse” but is not in reality a generational curse.

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Exodus 34:7“…who keeps lovingkindness for

thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put

to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

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The Bible does… … teach that if children

and grandchildren follow their fathers example and repeat their father’s sin, they will be dealt with as the fathers were dealt with.

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Summary Statement

Jacob schemes to obtain by deception that which was already his.

Man’s sin can…

…never frustrate the sovereign will of God… but it can be used to fulfill it.

The sins of Isaac…

… Rebekah, Esau and Jacob did not thwart God’s plans in anyway. What He promised was indeed fulfilled.

Proverbs 16:9

The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps

Parental FavoritismWhen parents play favorites with their children, they start down a slippery slope that may lead to ultimate destruction.

The Conspiracy of Isaac and Esau (27:1--4)

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Observation

There was an urgency to Isaac’s desire to convey the blessing to Esau

The UrgencyIsaac perceived that he was close to death and he wanted to convey the blessing before he died

The Secrecy

Normally the blessing would be pronounced in front of the whole family, but Isaac was conspiring privately with Esau.

The SecrecyNormally the blessing would be pronounced in front of the whole family, but Isaac was seeking to convey the blessing in private.

ConspiracyConspiracy and secrecy go hand in hand. The plan seemed to be to exclude Jacob all together.

ConclusionIsaac had to know about God’s plan for Jacob and this had to be a deliberate attempt at circumventing the will of God. (Genesis 25:23)

Either by a……genuine or a contrived sense of

urgency Isaac sought to secretly overturn God’s revealed will and Jacob’s rightful possession by a clandestine conveyance of an oral blessing. By his willful participation Esau disregarded the legal agreement he had made with his brother.

In both instances……a dinner provided the occasion for

such deception. To sit at the table of Abraham (and even Lot) was to be afforded hospitality and protection, but to sit at the table with Isaac and his sons was to face the dangers of deception and false dealing.

The Counter-Conspiracy of Rebekah and Jacob (27:5-17)

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Isaac’s DeceptionIsaac sought to further his own

interests by means of cunning and deceit. God’s method of dealing with this was to give Isaac a wife who was far more skillful at manipulation than he. What a master of deceit this woman was.

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Isaac Believes the Big Lie (27:18-29)

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Isaac was deceived…

…by his youngest son because he chose to trust his senses rather than trust God.

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Isaac Learns and Esau Burns (27:30-40)

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Rebekah and Jacob have a price to Pay (27:41-46)

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A Final Word One final word must be said about the

matter of Christian ethics. Jacob was guilty of practicing situational ethics. He considered the plan of his mother from the vantage point of practicality but not from the biblical perspective of principle. He worried about whether the plan would work but not if it was right. He agonized over the consequences of the plan if it failed but not the morality of such a plan in the first place.

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