You ever seen anything cheap that was worth the havin’?”
–Elmer Kelton (Stand Proud)
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
–1 Corinthians 2:2 (NKJV)
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Was Isaac purposely blind to the lifestyle that Esau was pursuing, or was he in the thinking of some many today, that ignorance is bliss? When Esau married daughters of the Hittites we see that “they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah” (Genesis 26:35, NKJV) but nothing was done or said (at least as far as we can tell). Of course, Esau was forty years old, and it’s hard to correct someone of that age, however, Isaac should have said something. They were grieved over the choices and actions of Esau, but nothing else. Esau was allowed to bring home the Hittite women as his wives. Here we see the favorite son of Isaac breaking the sanctity of the family code.
It seems that there was little direction from Isaac. He doted on Esau, and perhaps, as many parents do, made an altar of “I love Esau.” Often parents in thinking that they are doing what they think is best for their children are actually trying to live their lives through them. The children become the all important item, not God and how He would have them reared. Isaac was very casual in the way that he directed Esau and allowed him to determine his own direction.
We come now to the old age of Isaac and the deception devised by Rebekah and Jacob. Isaac is waiting to die and it seems that he has given up guiding and instructing his family. He is hungry and requests that Esau hunt and prepare some game for him. Rebekah hears and begins to plot. The first part of Genesis 27 shows how she and Jacob went about their plan. Then Jacob comes before Isaac masquerading as Esau. Isaac is old and blind, the time of his death is near. Today he would have been diagnosed with dementia, but in reality it was deception that was his problem. Not believing in the truth led him to a “mistake.”
Isaac should have listened to his gut feeling. “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau…so he blessed him.” (Genesis 27:22,23) He then pronounces the blessing of the first-born upon Jacob, the one who “purchased” the birthright for a bowl of pea soup. It seems that Jacob is not really concerned, and I wondered if he had a smirk when Isaac prophesied over him. Isaac was deceived, or there is that deception again, for he would never have blessed Jacob–he loved Esau.
It was a short time later that Esau came to Isaac. The Bible states that, “Isaac trembled exceedingly” when he realized what he had done (27:33). He does give Esau a second-hand blessing, but we see that because Isaac was deceived and gave Esau’s blessing to Jacob, that Esau hated his brother. He blamed Jacob and Isaac for the deception and Rebekah feared for Jacob’s life. If only…words that we all have spoken or at least thought. If only, there was no deception. Jacob was to be the one who would carry the chosen seed, if only…but it wasn’t to be. Rebekah goes to Isaac with a half-truth, more deception because of her fear and Esau’s anger. Because Esau had taken Hittite wives, Rebekah used that as an excuse to send Jacob away. For once, Isaac takes control, he charged Jacob, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.” (28:1). Esau heard the blessing and the charge. In mockery and defiance, after Jacob left, he went to Ishmael and took his daughter for a wife. Instead of repentance and remorse, he continued in his rebellion. In reality, Esau was striking at God. Don’t you wonder if Ishmael gloated thinking that his offspring would be the ones to inherit since Esau was the first-born?
We see a terrible death-bed experience for Isaac. He was deceived. He gave the blessing to the wrong child. In all of this we do not see him instructing his children on the value and purpose of building an altar. We see that his love of Esau blinded him to the fact of his spiritual nature; a blindness extending to Jacob as well. Isaac lived to be one hundred and eighty years old. He was buried by his two sons, for they had made amends. God had spoken to Isaac, made promises to him, and surely Isaac remembered that day when he was to be the sacrifice.
Isaac the well-digger, the one who was determined to find water. Isaac, the one who didn’t want troubles with others found it within his own family. Perhaps he was so concerned with others that he paid little attention to those who mattered most. Isaac had passed through his life and carried out his duties, but he had done nothing notable. But then, isn’t that the way of most of us? We read of the great deeds of Abraham, and we know of the life of Jacob and the beginning of the tribes of Israel, but what is there from the life of Isaac? We do not see the relationship with God that Abraham had in Isaac’s life, yet God came to Isaac and spoke with him. Did he not nurture that relationship? It seems that he went along his way, serving God, but not deeply. Serving him without becoming as he father did, a friend of God. Yet, despite all, he was the child of promise. Don’t forget that, each of us, as believers, are children of God. We have a tremendous inheritance! It is up to us to not be deceived, to use that inheritance wisely and to grasp hold of it. It is up to us to pass it on to our children, to warn them, to guide and advise them. We are to take a stand when needed, we are not to compromise or become complacent in our lives. Take hold of that precious characteristic we do see of Isaac and be determined to “dig the wells.” The wells that bring forth the refreshing of the Holy Spirit.
———————————-
Was Isaac purposely blind to the lifestyle that Esau was pursuing, or was he in the thinking of some many today, that ignorance is bliss? When Esau married daughters of the Hittites we see that “they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah” (Genesis 26:35, NKJV) but nothing was done or said (at least as far as we can tell). Of course, Esau was forty years old, and it’s hard to correct someone of that age, however, Isaac should have said something. They were grieved over the choices and actions of Esau, but nothing else. Esau was allowed to bring home the Hittite women as his wives. Here we see the favorite son of Isaac breaking the sanctity of the family code.
It seems that there was little direction from Isaac. He doted on Esau, and perhaps, as many parents do, made an altar of “I love Esau.” Often parents in thinking that they are doing what they think is best for their children are actually trying to live their lives through them. The children become the all important item, not God and how He would have them reared. Isaac was very casual in the way that he directed Esau and allowed him to determine his own direction.
We come now to the old age of Isaac and the deception devised by Rebekah and Jacob. Isaac is waiting to die and it seems that he has given up guiding and instructing his family. He is hungry and requests that Esau hunt and prepare some game for him. Rebekah hears and begins to plot. The first part of Genesis 27 shows how she and Jacob went about their plan. Then Jacob comes before Isaac masquerading as Esau. Isaac is old and blind, the time of his death is near. Today he would have been diagnosed with dementia, but in reality it was deception that was his problem. Not believing in the truth led him to a “mistake.”
Isaac should have listened to his gut feeling. “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau…so he blessed him.” (Genesis 27:22,23) He then pronounces the blessing of the first-born upon Jacob, the one who “purchased” the birthright for a bowl of pea soup. It seems that Jacob is not really concerned, and I wondered if he had a smirk when Isaac prophesied over him. Isaac was deceived, or there is that deception again, for he would never have blessed Jacob–he loved Esau.
It was a short time later that Esau came to Isaac. The Bible states that, “Isaac trembled exceedingly” when he realized what he had done (27:33). He does give Esau a second-hand blessing, but we see that because Isaac was deceived and gave Esau’s blessing to Jacob, that Esau hated his brother. He blamed Jacob and Isaac for the deception and Rebekah feared for Jacob’s life. If only…words that we all have spoken or at least thought. If only, there was no deception. Jacob was to be the one who would carry the chosen seed, if only…but it wasn’t to be. Rebekah goes to Isaac with a half-truth, more deception because of her fear and Esau’s anger. Because Esau had taken Hittite wives, Rebekah used that as an excuse to send Jacob away. For once, Isaac takes control, he charged Jacob, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.” (28:1). Esau heard the blessing and the charge. In mockery and defiance, after Jacob left, he went to Ishmael and took his daughter for a wife. Instead of repentance and remorse, he continued in his rebellion. In reality, Esau was striking at God. Don’t you wonder if Ishmael gloated thinking that his offspring would be the ones to inherit since Esau was the first-born?
We see a terrible death-bed experience for Isaac. He was deceived. He gave the blessing to the wrong child. In all of this we do not see him instructing his children on the value and purpose of building an altar. We see that his love of Esau blinded him to the fact of his spiritual nature; a blindness extending to Jacob as well. Isaac lived to be one hundred and eighty years old. He was buried by his two sons, for they had made amends. God had spoken to Isaac, made promises to him, and surely Isaac remembered that day when he was to be the sacrifice.
Isaac the well-digger, the one who was determined to find water. Isaac, the one who didn’t want troubles with others found it within his own family. Perhaps he was so concerned with others that he paid little attention to those who mattered most. Isaac had passed through his life and carried out his duties, but he had done nothing notable. But then, isn’t that the way of most of us? We read of the great deeds of Abraham, and we know of the life of Jacob and the beginning of the tribes of Israel, but what is there from the life of Isaac? We do not see the relationship with God that Abraham had in Isaac’s life, yet God came to Isaac and spoke with him. Did he not nurture that relationship? It seems that he went along his way, serving God, but not deeply. Serving him without becoming as he father did, a friend of God. Yet, despite all, he was the child of promise. Don’t forget that, each of us, as believers, are children of God. We have a tremendous inheritance! It is up to us to not be deceived, to use that inheritance wisely and to grasp hold of it. It is up to us to pass it on to our children, to warn them, to guide and advise them. We are to take a stand when needed, we are not to compromise or become complacent in our lives. Take hold of that precious characteristic we do see of Isaac and be determined to “dig the wells.” The wells that bring forth the refreshing of the Holy Spirit.