Genesis 1:1-45 ~ your soul may bless me +

Genesis 1:1-45

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 

11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 

13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 

20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” 

He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” 

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” 

He answered, “I am.” 

25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said,

“See, the smell of my son
is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
28 May God give you of the dew of heaven
and of the fatness of the earth
and plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.” 

32 His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” 

He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 

33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 

34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”

 36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob?[Genesis 27:36 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats] For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 

37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 

38 Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,
and away from the dew of heaven on high.
40 By your sword you shall live,
and you shall serve your brother;
but when you grow restless
you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

41 Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 

42 But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran 44 and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away— 45 until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

We could follow this very laden Word of God many, many, many directions.

Isaac is a Saint of God. Handling Abraham's Blessings with Yar - Trepidation and Reverence for the Word, Holiness and Power of God. Spiritually blind because Isaac believes God is limited, Jacob believes God is able to multiply blessings.

Malachi 3:10
Says the LORD of hosts, See if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.




A year ago a movie came out about Mother Theresa. She had kept a Journal speaking to the Lord of her doubts. Hateful of a jealous believer to taint the good done by Mother Theresa, I felt so sorrowful, I skimmed the letters and refused, always, to see the movie. There is a balance to live a good life and do good works captivating the godly to propel them upward. And then in the spotlight moves becoming appearances, which cuts off the sincerity most people need to relate to God - who sees our flaws. Loving earnestly over friendship with the world.

The Bible is easy to read with any real interest sparking us along. The saints are palatable and create hope for our own inner honesty. If God can tolerate a silly goose like Isaac and remember him with such love to give him a long, long life after this sad story - then perhaps there is hope ... for you and me.

A point to ponder when we all loved Mother Theresa and her need to have her place among the world - to inspire more. There is good reason God says He assigns mankind work to believe God. Rebekah earns her place giving God the 'business'.

If God looked like Humphrey Bogart - He surely would remember this day with a sardonic shake of His Head and a Majestic Chuckle.

We should stop and consider Esau. He forgave Jacob whole heartedly. And in that forgiveness, Esau seems to have a good life. When was Esau's blessing taken? When he willingly gave the words to release the blessing to Jacob. Esau simply was not interested in God - very much apparently. The Words of God came true. Of course. Down the generations. And we can see that makes sense. More important are the people who want some of God with a cry in their voice. God bless them, Jesus love them, Jesus bring them forth in His Glory! I guess we all know a few Esau - and the purpose of prayer is bringing them closer to that day they wanted the blessing.






http://www.hopepointe.org/sermons/2017/1/22/living-together-in-the-goodness-of-god

Bishop Clark's good sermon today - God sees us as we are. Psalm 100 tells us we are His and this is God who made us, and not we ourselves.







We always seem to focus on Esau as being so fixated on food - surely this was in the family. This group of people, family, war and live together. All in serious nearness to the Living God.... The New Testament assures us - we all have this proximity with faith. The exact same access.

Isaac is sure he understands God. And has a streak of sheer mercilessness. Which carries over into Esau - bragging about killing. Rebekah is not about to let God triumph in His birth order, she will 'fix' "God". Jacob is urged by his authority to buck authority. And in this chaos, the dynamics we would never hope to see in our family - and relate some to total flesh and not Spirit - We see Triumph. God interweaves the faithful - making Good - bringing His Plan forth.

We all get this choice. To see God as Good and be as open as He really is - or we can go selfish like Esau - and plan to kill.

We can trust God to be Good and fix what we cannot - or we can  plot, plot, plot like Rebekah who was going to tell God how to get this done. Did God need the help of Rebekah to bless Jacob??? Really, God blesses those He Wills to Bless.

David's father Jesse and the sons were content, on the day Samuel called, to leave working David away from the Blessings. And David was more like Jacob, Israel, believing God is Willing. The Goodness and the Joy and the Parenting of a Joyful Father. Makes me have misty eyes to contemplate the Joy of God Willing to Bless. David never felt a need to steal a blessing. David simply went to the Good, Good Father God Almighty and said, "Please use Your goodness to help me, I am trying, please. I leave the answer with You."


Saints are sinners.
Saints have all kinds of flaws. David worked for the nations surrounding Israel and took lives in acts he was paid as a mercenary marauder. That's a little bit astonishing. A vigilante.

Saints are Saints.
When David was blessed, David's blessing poured and poured out Blessings. When Jacob was blessed, Jacob poured and poured out Blessings. David and Jacob encouraged the faithful.

We seem to think a saint shouldn't have flaws. This is simply not possible. The Bible would be difficult to read if we could not relate to the common struggles God brings ~~~~,  :) , with total willingness. to have faith overcome.





Father God,

Romans 1 tells us we know the Majesty of God. Help us to bring the words of our mouth, the meditations of our heart to believing all Your Kingdom, Power and Glory making all things work together for good - joyously possible for bringing Your Good Will forth to the earth.

Father God, we all have prayer requests. We pray not just for life and health - we pray for blessings to overcome ill health. We pray Jesus as Abundant Life to overcome even aches and pains. Drawing a Blessing today, saving us from health upsets tomorrow. Seeing Rebekah draw fire upon herself. We pray for Your Willing Blessings to establish us in good paths.

On Your Path, help us to do Your good works. To be aware of what You have placed around us. And to have Your blessing and protection.

We take a moment to find the miracle the faithful have all seen in their lives. To recall, not an old story, to rejoice in the Living God. Abundant God. We thank You again with our souls and hearts. Bless us not to overlook Your Majesty again.

Recall with supreme Joy when Father God saved you from trouble and gave you another encouragement to endure, to hope and overcome.

Your Word Father says to rejoice in suffering - rejoicing the Word of God - triumphs - Jesus living in us - helps us to have this within us. Abiding in the Word of God. The parables tell us life has seasons - let's remember we are here today - because of the Grace of God, grace upon grace.

Father, You tell us we cannot give a gift You have not given us first. We give thanks our salvation comes purely and simply from Your Call to us. Thank You for calling me to Life Abba and Jesus Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit. We lift those we love and have been given to us by You (Esau and otherwise) and see Your Blessings. Praying earnestly for this assurance as we Abide in Your Word. Father I give thanks for the good our Nation has prayed about. Thank You God for the prayers of the faithful blessing the faithful. Jesus the Lord, our Alleluia. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †