Our text will be
Genesis 27:1-13 and we will be taking some vital life lessons from the Isaac
& Rebekah and their two sons, Jacob & Esau. Before we start, let me
remind you that Genesis 25 tells us of the miracle of child-bearing. Just like
God did with the couple today, Isaac and Rebekah gave birth to the world’s
first set of twins after waiting for 20 years. In Chapter 26, we see the Lord
give the power to get wealth to Isaac to the point that he became richer than
nations. What was dramatic about Isaac’s prosperity was that he started off
from a deficit position as he had lost all his inheritance which Abraham gave
him to a very terrible famine. But he bounced back.
The two miracles of how
Isaac conquered childlessness and poverty are available to all of us. God has
made a provision that none of us will be barren. De 7:14 “Thou shalt be blessed
above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among
your cattle.” God has also promised those of us who believe victory over
financial lack. 1Sa 2:8 “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up
the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them
inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and
he hath set the world upon them.”
So Isaac conquered
barrenness in chapter 25 and secured victory over poverty in chapter 26. But in
chapter 27 we surprisingly find that his home was in the mess of deceit,
division, bitterness and rage. He lost his two sons and his marriage crumbled.
How could this have been? Surely, the miracle of child-bearing and financial
increase should have helped to improve family relationships?
Before I probe further, let me say that you and I are most vulnerable shortly after a victory. A lion is most vulnerable shortly after it has caught its prey. Every one of us is susceptible and exposed to compromise and satanic attack shortly after we have just secured a major victory. Ask Joshua what happened to him after the walls of Jericho came down. After killing Goliath, David found himself in new battles with Saul. Bro Paul told us that HAVING DONE ALL WE SHOULD STAND. Why? We may have won a battle but the war is not yet over.
In order to move from
victory to victory, we have to maintain the same level of consecration and
commitment to God that gave us the initial victory in the first place. But this
is what Isaac and Rebekah failed to do. So let’s go to their story very quickly
in the limited time that we have.
Isaac
The Lord has sent me to talk first to men in
the house.
Isaac was a great man and I am unworthy to
make any negative comment about his life as we are going to see him in heaven.
He was a man who married a woman strictly on the recommendation of his Father
(and I put father in capitals)! I’m not sure anyone can do that today! The woman
he married did not give birth for 20 years and, he not only stood by her but,
kept interceding for her until she gave birth to twins. I’m not sure many African men can do that today.
We are told he was “was
old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see” (v. 1). When the bible
says one’s eyes are dim, it refers to a loss of spiritual sensitivity and insight.
A lack of sharpness in one’s spirit that makes a man vulnerable to unnecessary
errors. He was over 90 at this point. But people that were older than him did
not suffer this problem. We are told of Moses in De 34:7 “And Moses was an
hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his
natural force abated.”
Recall the way that
Jacob placed his eyes with an accuracy of prophetic insight on the sons of
Joseph in Gen 48. Though Jacob’s eyes were weak, but his spiritual eyes were
very sharp. Simon the Prophet was also very old but his spiritual eyes were
open to recognise baby Jesus in a crowd of children brought for dedication at
the temple. We are told of Elisha whose eyes went with Gehazi as
he procured the rewards of iniquity out of the hands of Naaman. And
I can go on and on.
A man whose eyes are dim is a ‘short one’ in his own family. Whenever your wife or your children have to wake you up to pray to your Maker in the morning, your eyes are dim. You will be eventually swindled by human beings and demons.
But why did the eyes of Isaac go dim?
The bible gives us some reasons. First, we are told in Ge 25:28 that “Isaac
loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.”
He was going to pour out the blessing of the firstborn upon a profane child as
long as he got bush meat. Yorubas call this ijekuje. Even though Esau brought “grief of mind” to his parents,
Isaac’s eyes were blind to his propensity for sexual immorality and ungodliness
as long as he was given meat to eat. How many pastors today have allowed their
eyes to be dimmed by greed and covetousness?
Your child is a thief in his office
but you will not say anything as long as he is “settling” you. There are many pastors, many bishops, and many
leaders who favour only those who find meat for them no matter the evil habits
of these meat-suppliers. You cannot speak the truth anymore because something
is in your mouth blocking your voice from being heard.
Greed and covetousness are troublers
of homes.
Pr 15:27 “He that is greedy of gain
troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.”
Ps 62:10 “Trust not in oppression,
and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon
them.”
1 Pe5:2 “Feed the flock of God which
is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not
for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind”.
The quality of your home as a man is a direct reflection of the quality
of your spiritual life. Your eyes are dim when you do not provide leadership in
your own home. When you do not take responsibility for solving the financial
challenges of your family. When your wife is the driver of the family affairs
and you have no idea what is going on.
But Isaac was not always like this. When he
was younger, Isaac’s eyes were sharp. But as he grew old, he grew dull. When money came, his
insight disappeared. There are many men like this. In your earlier years, you
were quite sharp in spirit. It was so easy to spend time in God’s presence in studying the word, prayers and
fasting.
But over time you have allowed the allure of
money, power, fame and position to cover your eyes. You are now at ease in
Zion. Your passion for your work and activities in church has taken a priority
over your personal relationship with God and the health of your home. You are
now weak on the inside. This is a shame.
If you read the passage, you’ll see that Isaac felt somehow uncomfortable
with what Jacob was doing. Look at the questions and comments he made:
o “Who art thou, my son?” (v. 18)
o “How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son?” (v. 20)
o “Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son,
whether thou be my very son Esau or not.” (v. 21)
o “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the
hands of Esau.” (v. 22)
But he could have avoided this problem if he
had consulted with his wife in the first place. What we lose through
selfishness is usually greater than what we gain through cooperation. By acting
unilaterally, beloved brother, you actually lose more than whatever you think
you can get. All of the problems created in this chapter could have been
avoided if Isaac had shared his plans with Rebekah. A man who does not communicate with his wife is a disaster already
happening. Communication is a key bond of marriage. If you
cannot talk, you cannot win.
It is actually possible that Isaac did not see
any reason to speak with Rebekah. Many men are like this. They are
unapproachable and unreachable. They are in their own world, a world that
consists of only one person. The woman cannot speak with them and be heard.
Many men do not have anyone around them who can speak the truth to them. This
is very dangerous. It is pride that makes a man ungovernable and unreachable.
No one can talk to you on earth. Because you are who, sir? A pastor who does
not have a pastor is actually a fool. If you have no one who can draw fuel out of the carburettor of your head
as a man, believe me, you are heading towards hell fire.
Remember the bible says that one shall chase
one thousand and two shall chase ten thousand. But if the two are not chasing
together, the one would not even be able to chase anything! When there is no
marital harmony, both of you would actually be the ones being chased about by the
devil and the circumstances of life. One plus one is not the same as one and
one. The bible says two are better than one. Show me where in the world where
one is better than two. It is impossible!
And don’t tell me two good heads are better
than one. Whatever one does at all, two would do much better. You deceive
yourself to think you can do without the counsel, views and opinion of your
wife. You may not take the advice but you should always listen to it.
Your wife is your greatest asset in life, not your business, not your ministry,
not your bank accounts. In any case, who supplied the venison that Isaac wanted
all so much to eat in this passage? It was the same woman that he refused to
consult in the first place! When a man is not eating out of the hands of his
wife, that family is quarter to divorce.
But I credit Isaac. He
is a great man. The moment he realised what he had done was wrong, he
immediately began to make amends. In verse 33 “Isaac trembled very
exceedingly”. He was physically shaken by the thought that he had made a
mistake. Later on, when his wife suggested that they should release Jacob for
fear of his brother’s rage, Isaac concurred and sent his second son forth with
another set of blessing (28:1). Which tells me that if he had been better
managed by Rebekkah, the disaster of Chapter 27 would not have happened.
Isaac was quick to realise his mistake and you
could see quite clearly that he forgave both his wife and Jacob his son. This
is also not common today. It is scarce to see men who walk in forgiveness and
love, who are eager to admit their mistakes and who are willing to move forward
whenever they are found to have done a wrong.
Rebekah
Let’s turn our
attention to Rebekah.
I believe that this
woman meant well for her home. She was the one who directly received the
prophecy that the “elder shall serve the younger” (Gen 25:23). But she went about
fulfilling the divine utterance using the wisdom of the flesh and in the
process permanently divided her family. Rebekah’s role in this
passage is not salutary at all, and indeed you would not find anywhere in the
bible following this where she is commended for what she did.
Women are very
powerful, more powerful than even they realise. Please listen to me, beloved women of God in the house, you hold the
power of life and death in your family. Women are responsible for everything in
their families. That is the power God has given you. Time would not allow me to
show you this important truth from the bible.
Whenever anything is
built, it is so built by a woman. I challenge you to go and check. Whenever
anything is destroyed, a woman is behind it. If a church is built, a woman is
responsible. If it is destroyed, go and check, it is the women. If a family is
built, it is the woman. If that family is destroyed, it is the woman. Women,
especially today’s women, do not know nor appreciate the power God has given
them to build and to destroy. Maybe you did not hear what I said: if
anything is built, it is built by the actions and inactions of a wise woman. If
anything is destroyed, a home, a church, a ministry, a nation, it is because of
the actions and inactions of the women on ground.
Look at Proverbs 14:1
“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish
plucketh it down with her hands.”
“A woman’s family is held together by her wisdom, but it can be destroyed by her
foolishness.” (CEV)
“Olukuluku ologbon obinrin ni nko ile re, sugbon
asiwere (omugo) a fi owo are re fa lule.” (YORUBA)
Beloved sister, you keep blaming your husband, but God is blaming you!
How did Rebekah destroy her family? She took
over the baton of leadership in the home. She allowed herself to be separated
from her husband. She manipulated the situation in her favour. She divided her
children into camps. She gave up on Esau and she taught Jacob the art of
deception.
Up to this point, Jacob was a novice to ogbonge lies. Infact when Rebekah came up with the plan, Jacob screamed, ‘Mummy, daddy will discover and curse me’. But Rebekah said “upon me be your cause” (v. 13). It was Rebekah’s plan. She fetched the animal and roasted it in a way that Isaac could not resist. She knew that the only way to get blessings out of Isaac was to roast something into his mouth. Women certainly know how to get what they want from their husbands!
She was the one who fetched and dressed Jacob in Esau’s attire. She taught him what to say. And would you know, based on the seeds sown into his life by Rebekah, Jacob grew to become the world record holder for deception in the bible. He went further not just to swindle his twin brother and his father; he also cheated Laban, Rebekah’s younger brother, out of his property. Deception that was unleashed by Rebekah never left the household. Jacob was swindled by Rebekah’s brother and was given a spare tyre wife on his wedding day against his wishes. His wives swindled him. The master swindler was even swindled by his own children.
The sins of the parents are usually amplified in the children except they are terminated through repentance, prayers and the mercy of God. Sister, when you introduce your children to sin, you don’t know the long lasting generational impact of your actions. When you reject the leadership of your husband, you don’t know that you are creating hell on earth for yourself. But today, the Lord will have mercy on you in Jesus name.
Your husband is not your mate – even if you are older than him. He is not your gang – even if you are richer than him. He is not your boy- even if you are wiser than him. He is not your partner – even if you have a part in him. He is your head and you must recognise and treat him as such. If you are want to submit to your husband, stop making the celebrities of entertainment and female icons of business your standard.
Your role models for becoming a godly wife are in the bible starting with Sarah. If your husband is a fool like Nabal, Abigail is the role model to follow. If your husband is given to rage and tantrums like Ahasuerus, your role model is Esther. If your husband is an invisible brother like Lapidoth, your role model is Deborah. The bible contains good examples that you can emulate. Sister, have you ever studied any of these wonderful women?
What was the motivation for Rebekah’s action? I find perhaps two reasons. One, I think that she sincerely believed that her husband was about to act contrary to divine instruction concerning the children. I think her original motivation was pure. However in going about it unilaterally by helping God she created more problems for herself. She designed a plan and implemented it without consulting her husband.
Whenever you help God, you end up destroying yourself. Why do you think she did this? I suggest the second motivation for her actions. She despised the authority of her husband. Why do I say that? Once she heard what Isaac had said, what do you think she should have done? She should have gone up to him to say, ‘Daddy, what did I hear you say? You want to bless the wrong son???’ She did not communicate her discontent. She just acted it out so blatantly. The bible says, “she spake unto Jacob her son” (v. 6), not Isaac her husband. When a woman wants to get at her husband, she can do it in very strange and unholy ways – without thinking of the damage that would be done thereafter.
Would you know that Rebekah was directly responsible for the vengefulness and bitterness generated in Esau? As a result of her actions, Jacob became a fugitive and lost at least 23 years of his life wandering around the world. She poisoned the minds of her children against one another. Twin brothers became enemies forever because of the seeds planted into their hearts by their mother. Indeed, her home became desolate by her actions and she died without a son to bury her. May this not be your portion in Jesus name?
We know of Sarah who wanted Hagar driven away and who allowed her husband to do that job even when it seemed unrealistic for a man to drive away his first son. We know of Mary who became mysteriously pregnant and who waited for God to convince her husband of the genuineness and holiness of that pregnancy without her taking up any action by herself. Jacob blessed Ephraim over Manasseh in the presence of Joseph their father without the family being divided. But Rebekah would not allow the authority and leadership of her husband. She would not curry it. Instead she would act against it not minding the consequences.
Conclusion
We will all enjoy miracles! The Lord will
surely settle you and grant you increase on all sides. Amen. But it seems to me
that the emphasis that God wants to give us this day is for each of us to
prepare for life after we obtain miracles. Many times, gifts take our hearts
away from the giver. ASSETS can affect our ACCESS to the Lord if
we put our minds in them. The ease with which wealth and increase ultimately
disrupted Isaac’s home is cause for concern.
Have
you slowed down the pace of your personal commitment to God? Is wealth and position getting into your
head? Let me remind you of the Holy Scriptures: Mr 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?” 1Co 15:19 “If in this life ONLY we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” I love
the way this verse is translated in the VOICE version: “If what we have hoped for in the Anointed doesn’t take us beyond this life, then we are world-class
fools, deserving everyone’s pity.”
God will always fulfil His promises but we
have to fulfil our responsibilities to Him and to one another. We have to stay
the course and keep our feet firmly planted on the straight and narrow way,
whether in life, marriage, or in the workplace. May the Lord grant you grace to
steadfastly obey His word and to be found abounding in Him all the days of your
life in Jesus name. Let us pray.
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