Stephen Whitehouse - From Jacob to Israel - Class 1 - Two Faces Two Paths

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Oh, good morning, brothers and sisters. Oh, that was good. That was good. Jacob, a man transformed the namesake for God’s people and God’s land. So right at the outset of a week of studies together, we see in that name a name that is changed to Israel, that there is something about this man’s life that we as brothers and sisters, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, need to follow. There are lessons to glean if we are to become part of new Israel now.

2. 0:48

   Now the the study started in the very natural way. We were doing the readings as a family a few years back and when we were looking at the life of Jacob, we stopped in our readings and we just couldn’t understand why he was a patriarch. This is a man who deceived his father. This is a man who took the birthright and stole the blessing of his older brother Esau. This is a man who showed preference to Rachel over Leah. This is a a man who favoured Joseph over his sons. There are so many things, aren’t they, when we think about the life of Jacob, that it’s not, it’s not, it’s not an obvious thing, is it?

3. 1:34

   It’s not a an obvious thing to think that this is a man who is indeed blessed by God. So I set out to prove that Esau was much better than perhaps we first realized and to understand why God loved Jacob. And can I just say at the beginning of our studies this week, at the outset, I can say that Jacob turns out to be one of the great men of faith and Esau a lot worse than I first thought.

4. 2:10

   So with those thoughts in mind, I’d like you just to open up your scriptures and we’re going to start in Genesis chapter 25 because to understand Jacob, I believe, and this is what we’re going to look at this morning, I believe to understand Jacob, we have to understand Esau. And we’ve got to go back to Jacob’s formative years as a child growing up with his Big Brother. And we’re going to see the deep psychological impact that Esau has upon him.

5. 2:41

   And I believe from the, the study that we’re going to look at this morning, that I, I believe Esau profoundly shaped Jacob. So when we think about Jacob and all the things that he did, I would like us to remember this class and the context of how all things started for Jacob. So when we come to Genesis chapter 25, we we see there as we we pick up the narrative here in verse 21 that Isaac and Rebecca, they’ve been together for 20 years and Rebecca had been barren for all this time. Look at these words.

6. 3:18

   And Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren, and Yahweh was entreated of him. And Rebecca his wife conceived, and the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of Yahweh. And Yahweh said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger.

7. 3:48

   So there’s a number of things I’d like you to notice in those few verses there, it says the children struggled together with an I want you to notice that in the womb there they were. They were struggling to such an extent that Rebecca inquired of the Lord. It says, why am I thus?

8. 4:06

   In other words, why is this happening to me? I want you just to note that brothers and sisters, at the beginning of this week, the wrestling between Jacob and Esau in the womb, they were wrestling to such an extent that it was painful for the mother, it was painful for Rebecca. And she now entreats of Yahweh and says, why is this so?

9. 4:30

   In other words, if I’d known, if I’d known that the blessing of these children would bring so much discomfort, I’m wondering whether I would have asked. This is the extent to which Rebecca was enduring the pain of these two boys wrestling within her. And so right at the beginning, we’ve got this, this hint, this hint from Scripture of Jacob wrestling with Esau before they’re even born.

10. 5:01

    And remember, Jacob is going to commence a journey, a journey that’s going to bring about a new name, the name of Israel. And so in other words, it’s telling us that through much tribulation we enter into the Kingdom of God. Acts chapter 14. Can you see that Bible principles are always consistent in Scripture.

11. 5:18

    And and this is what we’re seeing this journey now for, for Jacob begins in the womb, the wrestling with his older brother. The other thing I’d like you to notice, verse 23, it says that the elder shall serve the younger. So it wouldn’t be a natural order, wouldn’t be a natural order here.

12. 5:39

    This order would be brought about a struggle. A struggle would bring about this order of the elder serving the younger. And then we’ve got a few other additional details. Notice here the two nations are in thy womb and two manner of people. So not only are they two nations that they’re two manner of people, they are all together different.

13. 6:02

    They are, they are opposed to one another and they’re different to such an extent that he says there shall be separated from thy bowels. They’re going to be so different that the very moment that these children are born, they’re going to set off on two different journeys. That’s the idea that they’re separated as soon as they’re born. These two opposing forces in Esau and in Jacob. That’s interesting, isn’t it?

14. 6:33

    When we reflect upon that two manner of people, as soon as they’re they’re born, they’ll be different that the the elder shall serve the young. And we’re going to see this throughout our studies this week that I really believe that this became a driving force in the mind of Rebecca. You imagine that you’re Rebecca and, and, and you are the heir of the covenant and God speaks to you and says that the, the elder shall serve the younger. This then becomes a driving motivation, a driving force in her life.

15. 7:01

    And I believe it’s these verses here that begin to help us to, to understand and to explain the actions of Rebecca in the life of Jacob. Well, twins, don’t they? They, they share very deep connections. They have genetic similarities and they have common experiences. That’s helpful to think about because it begins to frame Jacob.

16. 7:30

    They were twins. And so, in other words, then there was something of Esau in Jacob. Want you just to think about that. There was something of Esau in Jacob, and Jacob’s life was a transformation. It was going to be a journey that would bring about a new name, and that new name was about enduring and tribulation and removing that Esau from within him. Can you see that?

17. 8:02

    There was something there in birth of Esau within Jacob and his life was about removing the Esau from within and his name was Israel. And that’s exactly the lesson for you and for me, isn’t it? Brothers and sisters, if we are to to become new Israel, then human nature and natural propensities, the Esau within us has to be destroyed.

18. 8:26

    It is the the journey of overcoming. It is the hour of transformation. Now this difference here was seen at birth. It’s going to become even more acute as they grow older. But I want us to pick out some of the details here in their birth. It illustrates the differences here. Let’s just note verse 24 of chapter 25. It says there, and the first this is Esau came out red all over like a hairy garment, and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel, and his name was called Jacob. And Esau Isaac was three school years old when she bare them. Just want you to know, since these details here, it tells us that Esau first came out and was read. I’d like us all to notice that that’s a that’s a very important hint of the type of life this man would lead. The Hebrew for the word read there is Admani, which you could even hear in the Hebrew is the roots of the name Adam. It means red or Ruddy.

19. 9:42

    And so the idea here that when Esau was born, his complexion was red. He was a picture of health and vitality. So I just want you to imagine that Isaac here and Rebecca, they’re naming their children and they see this son and he’s a picture of vitality. And it says that in verse 25. He has this distinctive feature here. He’s all over like a hairy or a rough. You may have, in a more modern translation, a rough garment. And the name Esau means hairy one, hairy 1. And so with this skin around him, it’s as if he was wearing at birth an animal skin.

20. 10:31

    Can you see that? It’s as if at birth he was wearing an animal skin. This was a a a a young a young man or a baby here that was being born that looked like a a hunter, a hunter in the making right from birth.

21. 10:48

    And the root of the name Esau the hairy wand is the idea of being fully made and that that makes sense. There he was. He’s all hairies hairy over. He looks like this baby hunter. He’s going to grow up as a a great hunter. But here the idea of the name Esau is fully made. He’s all grown up at birth.

22. 11:13

    He was all grown up. Just just picture that. He’s all grown up and and it literally means there to do to fashion and to make. And these are all important details because he’s telling us here that the name Esau, although he was the hairy one, the idea expresses that this man is strong and will be strong in his own strength.

23. 11:38

    He’s all grown up at birth. He’s fully made. He even looks like a bearded man at birth. All right, that’s the whole idea. So, so you can imagine then the the muttering amongst the mothers as they looked at Esau and they go, oh, he looks so healthy and red. You can see his whole life is is charted ahead. He’s going to be strong.

24. 12:05

    He’s destined for greatness. Can can you can you hear those words that that are resounding around the the the birth really of Esau? So at birth he resembled a a a mini hunter, a person who was going to enjoy wild game and a a great sense of adventure that this was Esau at birth.

25. 12:23

    But but Jacob was altogether different. It says there in verse 26 that Jacob took hold of Esau’s heel. Now this is very important. I know you know these details, but sometimes we forget them. The name Jacob here is to grab the heel, heel catcher and that’s what his name is and nothing else. Grab the heel and heel catcher.

26. 12:49

    So just like Esau was this hairy man and he was destined for greatness. He was all grown up. He was he was fully made. That’s the whole idea here in the name Jacob, the heel catcher. In this name, in this name is Jacob’s destiny. And Jacob’s destiny was to let go of the heel.

27. 13:10

    Can you see that? To become Esau, he had the to become Israel, he has the Esau within him. He has to remove the Esau, and to remove the Esau he has to let go of Esau’s heel. So in his name we see his destiny. Now the names were given in the way that they appeared. Esau was was fully haired and so he was the Hairy 1. And similarly, Jacob was holding onto Esau’s heel and he was the heel catcher.

28. 13:43

    Now come over to a chapter to chapter 27. And I just want to illustrate this because I think it’s important. Sometimes we say that Jacob was the supplanter and I want to erase that from your minds because the Scriptures do not say that he was a supplanter. The scriptures tell us that he was the heel catcher because those names were given on their physical appearance.

29. 14:07

    And notice verse 36 concerning here. How, how, how Esau Now we’re going to come to this a little later, God willing this week. How how Esau had lost out on the blessing and he says to his father is not he rightly named Jacob or he has supplanted me and this is where we get the idea of the supplanter. But notice who says that Esau and we’re going to see that this is a man of no integrity at all.

30. 14:32

    We we can’t trust any words that Esau says Esau called his younger brother supplanter, but we are not to to trust those words at all. The scriptures God says that he was a heel catcher and that’s a really, really important distinction. Let’s not say that Jacob was a supplanter because he wasn’t. He was the heel catcher and he had to let go. Now it’s interesting, isn’t it, when we think a little bit about these names.

31. 14:58

    So, so here then was Esau and he was fully made. And there’s something then if Jacob was to go on a different path, an opposite path, then it would mean then, wouldn’t it, by deduction that that Jacob wasn’t fully made, he had to become God made. Can you see that?

32. 15:20

    And to become God name made means him becoming Israel. This is a really powerful lesson for you and for me brothers and sisters. We have to grow, we have to develop, we have to become like the Lord Jesus Christ in order to become Israel. If we are fully made now, then we are not growing spiritually through our Heavenly Father.

33. 15:47

    Really important lessons, things to note, a lesson for us all. Well, the difference was certainly seen in their adult lives. Come back to chapter 25 then and look at verse 27. So certainly they were physically very different when they were born. And those names that were assigned to these children had incredible meaning as they begin their lives.

34. 16:08

    But but notice as they’re growing up now, look how different they are. It says in verse 27 that Esau boys grew and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field, and Jacob was a play man and he dwelt in tents. Want you to again notice a few of these details here because they really reveal quite a vivid picture of Esau.

35. 16:38

    It tells us that he was a cunning hunter. Now you know that word cunning, It means knowledgeable, not only knowledgeable, intimate knowledge. It’s the same knowledge that Adam had of his wife Eve. And she can see we, we all understand the import of that word. No, And it’s the same word. He knew how to hunt inside and out.

36. 17:04

    He was an exceptional hunter with a sword and the bow. He was a man who went out into the forest and he trapped and he killed every single day with ease. I want you to to imagine this man. There he is on his horse out there in the forests. He was a formidable man. He was a destroyer.

37. 17:31

    So when Jacob becomes a haunted man now we begin to imagine the fear that Jacob had concerning his older brother Easel. But it says also that he was a a cunning hunter, A cunning hunter. And when we look at that word hunter, we only find that word hunter used one other time in scripture. And it tells us that there was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Remember him.

38. 18:04

    It was Nimrod there in Genesis 10 and verse 9. I’m sure we all know that that before Yahweh is the idea of against Yahweh. He was an adversary of Yahweh. He was the the first adversary of Yahweh in the earth where he where he he challenged Yahweh and his status as supreme ruler with a following. This was the man who was defiant. This was the man who established the Babylonians who were the enemies of God.

39. 18:33

    Now isn’t it interesting that that word hunter is first picked up of Nimrod and his name means we will rebel. The same word is used of Esau. I’m trying to paint a picture for you. Painting a picture of Esau helps us all understand why Jacob behaved in the way that he did. And think about Esau. Not only was he a mighty hunter, he too founded the Edomites and the Edomites were the enemy, the swore enemy of Israel. Can you see the similarities between those two? Yet in contrast, in stark contrast, we read there yet Jacob was a play man dwelling in tents. In verse 27, so suddenly we see that in stark contrast of the the predator out there in the forest tracking the animals. Jacob was a shepherd who knew of the flock. Think of all the shepherds we know in Scripture, brothers and sisters, and that’s what Jacob was doing. And notice there he was a play man. See that he was a play man in verse 27. And it’s worth just putting in your margin. That word plain Job one verse, one which says concerning Job that he was a perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil.

40. 20:01

    We remember those words and the word perfect there in Job. One verse, one that describes the the character and the uprightness of Job, is the name. That is used to describe Jacob. Whilst Esau was this cunning hunter, really important to note. This really establishes their positions in their journeys in the sight of God.

41. 20:26

    That was Jacob and here we see what Esau was doing. Now as we reflect upon this and we we think about becoming new Israel, this is our journey, isn’t it? This is a name that we’re associated with the name bearer of God’s land and God’s people. We, we begin to see as we, we look at these details that the life of Esau and the life of Jacob is all about priorities, isn’t it?

42. 20:51

    It’s all about priorities. We’re, we’re beginning to see that Jacob was a man who was obsessed, obsessed with the covenant and the promises. This is what he focused his entire life on. Yet Esau, his twin brother, was a predator and he was focused merely on the here and now. You see that just as we reflect upon those two men, we see 2 paths, 2 choices revealed in these two faces and these two characters. And so then we’re beginning to see that Jacob and Esau and their lives are challenging you and me. And it’s asking us rhetorically what, what character do you best identify with?

43. 21:43

    Do I, are you an Esau or are you a Jacob? And brothers and sisters, young people, we cannot be both. I want you to notice here. So just imagine in your minds there’s Esau, and he’s out there on his horse, the great cunning hunter, while Jacob was quiet in a tent. So with that thought, let’s just go and have a look at Hebrews Chapter 11. Because when we make that type of picture in our minds, we might conclude that Jacob was being overshadowed. But we’re going to see that all appearances are very deceiving because something was happening, something incredible was happening in the life of Jacob.

44. 22:36

    So look at these words here in Hebrews Chapter 11 and verse 9. You can see here that we’re reading about the life of Abraham. It’s there by faith. Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles. You’ll notice in your margin the word tense with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Can you see there was Esau fully made? And Jacob was with his father and his grandfather in a tent with their scriptures open and he’s learning. Can you see that there’s Esau fully made and there’s Jacob with granddad and dad growing.

45. 23:40

    And when we go through the time period, we we know that Jacob is 15 years of age when Abraham departs the scene when he falls asleep. You, you think of your own children and your own grandchildren, your children in your your meetings and how much you can, you can put in their minds and hearts by the time they’re 15.

46. 23:58

    You imagine the excitement and the the spiritual appetite of Jacob when he goes. Granddad, tell me again about the story of earth. Granddad, tell me again about Mount Moriah with dad. What were you thinking? Can you imagine that? And there was Esau out there in the forest as the predator, and there was Jacob there with Dad and granddad with his scriptures open.

47. 24:25

    But there’s something else I want you just to notice here. It’s a lovely phrase. I want you to try and at least try and remember it this morning that these three men, that they were heirs of the same promise. What a lovely, lovely phrase that is, that they were heirs of the same promise.

48. 24:42

    That’s what we are. That’s what we are. We belong in this tent. We’re the heirs. Hebrews, one tells us, the heirs of salvation. We’re in this tent with Abraham, Isaac sitting there along Jacob. But I want you to think now about Jacob. There’s Jacob with his Bible open. He’s listening to to his father and grandfather and he looks at these two great men, these great men of history, the great patriarchs, and he looks at his granddad and he sees Abraham.

49. 25:12

    And what does he think about Abraham? Well, I’m sure when he looks at Abraham, he thinks about his own life. The the, the great enemy in in Jacob’s life, which we’re going to see in a moment was, was Esau. And think about the challenge that Abraham had. Think about the big decision that Abraham had to make with Lot, his nephew, where the choice was the land of Canaan and the, the flush and fertile planes of Jordan close to Sodom and Gomorrah.

50. 25:38

    Can you remember that and the tension between those two men and the strife it brought within the family? So, so when Jacob looks at Abraham, he sees his grandfather and he knows that Abraham made big decisions in his life of separation. And then he looks at his father Isaac, and he knows all the stories about Isaac and the challenge he had with his half brother Ishmael.

51. 26:07

    Can we just look at that because we might not know that one. So well, come with me to to Genesis chapter 25. And as we go here, I want you to try and imagine the the the thoughts and the feelings of Jacob and the comfort he must have had being with his father Isaac, knowing the decisions that Isaac had made. Well here then we see a contrast with Isaac and Ishmael. Notice here Genesis chapter 25 verse 16. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their towns and by their castles. 12 Princess according to their nations.

52. 26:47

    So here then you can notice that word castle is the idea of fortress. So here notice then Isaac saw Ishmael. There’s Isaac and he’s in a tent with his dad Abraham, while Ishmael because of the blessing of Hagar, he has this great fortress and he has towns and he has the nations. Can Can you imagine that, that you’re living in a tent, you’re the one who’s received the blessing and you’re half brothers out there, so prosperous as a ruler of his own Kingdom, but Isaac stays within the tent. See that?

53. 27:29

    Now with that, then, it’s even more pronounced in the life of Jacob. Let’s have a look at Genesis chapter 36, Genesis chapter 36. Then let’s just let’s just pick up verse 31. And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. Verse 40.

54. 28:03

    Just begin the the the verse here. These are the names of the Dukes that came of Esau and you can see a long list there. And then verse 43, where we’ve got Duke Magiel, Duke Eram, these be the Dukes of Edom according to their habitations in the land of their possessions. He is Esau, the father of the Edomites. Now.

55. 28:23

    Now, just think about that. There was Esau, and there in contrast is Jacob with his father and his grandfather, certainly his father at this stage. And there was Esau. And Esau now had royal status. He had his own Kingdom, he had sovereignty, he had political power, he had military power, he had his own police service, he would have had his own group of CEOs.

56. 28:50

    We’ve got to get into the shoes of Jacob. And there’s Jacob holding on to the promises whilst he sees his Big Brother living the high life.

57. 29:04

    Life is all about choices, isn’t it? Brothers and sisters, do do you feel that your your career is a little bit on ice? Do you feel that you’ve made decisions in your own life that that have held you back and you see others getting on in life and doing so well? Did you not go for that job promotion when you were offered a job elsewhere? You, you, you chose not to do it because you knew for the benefit for the truth and your family, it was the wrong thing to do. They are the right decisions to make. Brothers and sisters, young people. We see this in the life of Jacob and Esau was a very, very powerful man.

58. 29:39

    And and look at this, that there’s no chapter break, of course, between chapter 36 and 37. So you’ve got the long list there of the status of Esau. And then in contrast, as if we needed to be reminded and Jacob verse 1 of chapter 37 dwelt in the land whereon his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan.

59. 29:58

    And you can put in your margin by verse 1, Hebrews 11, verse 9, Imagine family gatherings. Imagine family gatherings. And there’s Esau. And he, he powers up in his sports car, right? And he’s flanked by his many wives, and he’s draped in the most expensive jewelry. This is real. And Jacob gets out of his tent and greets his Big Brother. That is the reality of the situation, brothers and sisters. But they lived in faith because they were waiting for something greater.

60. 30:39

    So by looking at really the character and the disposition of these two boys, it’s very obvious, isn’t it, why Rebecca loved Jacob? But why is it that I said Isaac loved Esau? Let’s try and decipher this one because this is quite a puzzle. Come with me to Genesis chapter 25, Genesis chapter 25, and verse 28.

61. 31:04

    This is more than a clue. Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison. That’s the important word there. It’s the word venison. But Rebecca loved Jacob. Now just notice the the different translations we’ve got on the screen here. Eight of his gain, the ESVA taste for gain, the NASB and Young’s renders it for his hunting is in his mouth. And the reason why those translations are translated in that way is because venison perhaps is a an inaccurate translation.

62. 31:32

    The idea of venison is is to hunt. It comes from the root to hunt. It comes from the root to hunt. Now that’s interesting, isn’t it? Because that word venison comes from the root to hunt. And we’ve already read here in verse 27 that Esau was a cunning hunter. Can you see that?

63. 31:53

    So we’ve got an association. He was a a cunning hunter and he brought back the venison and the venison has the root to hunt. And so then what we’re seeing here is that the meat is associated with the hunter. So when Isaac tasted of the food, when he ate of the meat, it was this association of Esau that he loved. You see that it was the association of the hunt, Esau being a predator, Esau being a great man of the forest, and this is what he loved.

64. 32:40

    In other words, brothers and sisters, it brings very directly to all of us a very important lesson, the dangers of living vicariously. And when I say vicariously, I’m sure you know what that means. We mustn’t, whatever the temptation is, we mustn’t live through our children. What, what do we do with our children?

65. 33:08

    I know so many of your children, grandchildren, and they’re very talented. And many times I’ve told you about your children and and grandchildren. You know how much I love your children and grandchildren. I’ve known many of them for many, many years.

66. 33:24

    What happens if your child has talents, abilities, aptitudes that you don’t have? What seeds do you plant in that child’s mind? What dreams do you nurture within their hearts? You see that.

67. 33:39

    And we’re beginning to see that. Isaac, he loved macho Esau. He loved the power of this man, very natural. And that was the danger we must always remember when we’re raising our children. And I’m in the midst of this, brothers and sisters. So don’t think I’ve got the answers. I’m just looking at Scripture.

68. 34:01

    I’ve got three teenagers, but the scriptures are telling us seek ye first the Kingdom of God. And that’s always the most important principle. So that’s the danger of living vicariously. But the real story, I believe, begins with the birthright. And this birthright is going to reshape their lives and it’s going to cast a long shadow on everything that follows thereafter. So let’s just read then verse 30 of chapter 25. And, and, and so then Esau had been out there asked the predator and perhaps opportunistically, Jacob had got this, this pottage.

69. 34:43

    And we read there and Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I pray thee with that same red pottage, for I am fate. Therefore was his name called Edom. Now there’s a number of things I want you to notice. The first thing as Bible students that we that we notice right away is that verse 30 tells us that the pottage was read. And it also tells us in verse 25 that Esau was read. So we’ve got a connection worth just putting that there, making the connection between verse 25 and verse 30, and that word red is the word Edom, Adam.

70. 35:17

    So that’s an interesting connection. It’s taking us right back to the beginning, right back there into the garden. In other words. Then what we’re being told here is that when Esau saw this food, the red stuff, that’s our idea of the Hebrew, the red stuff, it is his kind of food. It’s his kind of food, this reddish Stew. It was something that was earthly. It was something that was going to give an immediate reward. It was something that was going to satisfy a man who was impulsive and carnal, Adam, and the food was associated with him.

71. 35:57

    Now, there is no, no reason to believe that this man was on the verge of death because he eats just some soup and then he’s off on his way. This was just impulsive. This is someone who just wants something and demands something and he’s going to lose everything for the sake of having that thing. He’s Karnal.

72. 36:18

    He is Adam now. Now notice, it’s interesting, isn’t it? At the end of verse 30, because he took of this red pottage and because we read at the end of verse 34, he was prepared to give away his birthright. Because he hated his birthright, he was renamed in God’s sight as Edom, which means red. Now that’s fascinating, isn’t it? We should, we should always just pause when we we see these little repeats in Scripture and just reflect for a moment. So there is a man who is red.

73. 37:00

    He exchanges his birthright for the red stuff, and because he lost his birthright for the red stuff, he’s called Edom Red. So the color of his skin was like a hanging prophecy. Can you see that? It was like a hanging prophecy. It was almost as if that he was declaring in his physical appearance that he was going to give everything away for some red stuff. And so he would be called the Red 1. And when he was called the Red born, he looked red. He becomes like Cain.

74. 37:38

    He carries this mark of his redness, of what he did. Can you see that? Really powerful right at the beginning. God knew. God knew, although it was up to Esau to make the decisions that he did, God knew. And what a comfort that is brothers and sisters in our own lives, when when we find life hard, that God knows everything that is going on in our life.

75. 38:06

    Have you ever really thought about that at the end of verse 34 that he despised the birthright. These, you can see the table on the screen. These were two very different men, weren’t they? They were, they were polar opposites, although we know that he despised the birthright that they are polar opposites. And I don’t know how many of us came to Bible school this week and just thought that Esal was a bit of a, a lovable rogue.

76. 38:33

    He was a, a force of nature. He was this relentless man, impulsive, yes, someone who didn’t listen to Sunday school, but your heart went out to him. I, I don’t know, brothers and sisters, And it’s interesting if that’s our natural inclination, isn’t that the way the world pushes us to focus on the external, on the achievements, on the performance of individuals and not to look on the heart?

77. 38:57

    And this is a, a real lesson for you and for me because however the world looked upon Esau, God was very clear the kind of man this was. Let’s just reveal in the, the final few minutes now how different these men really were. And so I want us to think a little bit about what it means to despise the birthright. There were three aspects of the birthright here. The first one was that the birthright meant that the one who received the birthright was dedicated to God. So in other words, then in the family, they became the priest. They became the priest.

78. 39:35

    They were the one who was to to bring propitiation to the family, right? They were the ones who would handle the sacrifices, an incredibly important responsibility. The the, the second aspect was that they were given authority over the family. So they’re imagine the family as a little ecclesial unit and the birthright established the recording brother within that little family unit and, and and that brother then would care and make sure. That the flock, like a shepherd was well looked after. And then there’s a third aspect, which I’m sure we all know about, which, which was all about the double portion that when the, the father died, the one who was the recipient of the birthright would also receive the double portion. Now, when you look at those three things on the screen, if you were to summarize those three things, what would you say?

79. 40:25

    What, what, what are those three things associated with? Well, well, I, I, I believe that these three things are associated with responsibilities to God and family and blessings to be received in the future. Because you had to wait till father died. Now, when you think about Esau, Esau didn’t care for anything of God.

80. 40:50

    Esau didn’t care for anything of his family, and Esau wasn’t prepared to wait for his father to die. He was a man who lived in the present. He said that in the here and now, it’s the attitude of the world. It’s the attitude of the world, isn’t it? Let us eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. You see that.

81. 41:18

    So we’re beginning to see now that Esau is more than just a, a lovable rogue. He’s now beginning to symbolise quite, quite powerfully the mindset of the world. But perhaps we’ve seen some shortcomings of Esau. But there’s more to reveal. Come with me to Hebrews chapter 12. Now Hebrews chapter 12. And we’re doing all this to help us to understand Jacob and the decisions that Jacob made. I believe Jacob was shaped by Esau. So Hebrews chapter 12, just one verse here. We could quickly read over it, but it’s absolutely packed with information.

82. 42:00

    Hebrews 12, verse 16, It tells us lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat saw his birthright. So we’ve seen that birthright today, this morning, haven’t we? But I just want to look at those two words. They’re very important words for us all to note. He’s a fornicator and he was a profane person. Now, the the word profane means that he was devoid of religion. There was no religious feeling that that the kind of picture was, if you you had Esau under a microscope, you’d see nothing religious in him.

83. 42:36

    There’s not one redeeming quality in Esau. So he’s not a lovable rogue at all. He’s someone who is an adversary to God entirely. The other word is just as strong. That word fornicator is the Greek word pornos, which means a male prostitute, someone who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse. Now I’m doing this to help us understand Jacob. This was his Big Brother, his twin. I want to go now, I just want to consider this word pornos because I think it’s really important to, to decipher whether this is true, whether Esau was a fornicator. So we’re going to go on a very short journey now. Come back to Genesis chapter 26.

84. 43:27

    I’m going to paint a picture for you now, and it’s not a nice picture at all. Genesis chapter 26, verse 34. It tells us here. Genesis chapter 26 and verse 34 it tells us and Esau was 40 years old when he took his wife Judith, the daughter of Biri the Hittite. So I want you to notice that it’s a, a Hittite and Bashima the daughter of Elam the Hittite.

85. 43:59

    Now so, so we see here that Esau marries into the Hittite family, yet God told explicitly Abraham to bury within the family. This is the family, and he goes out of the family and he marries the Hittites. Now, I also want you to notice these names because I don’t know whether you’ve ever appreciated that the names of these Hittite women in verse 34 are Hebrew names. They appear as Jewesses.

86. 44:26

    So the name Judith, the Hebrew name is Jewess praised. But how do you have a Hebrew name with a Hittite woman? And I believe Esau gave this woman her name. And then you’ve got Bashima, which again is a Hebrew name, which means sweet or smelling. And I believe Esau gave her this name too, to disguise her. I believe here that Esau was covering his tracks. Now it might seem a little more positive. If you go to chapter 28 and look down at verses 6 to 9, you see now that he marries again and he marries into the family of Ishmael Now.

87. 45:04

    Now think about what I just said. Marry within the family. So he marries into Ishmael. But that’s the wrong family, isn’t it? But that’s not the seed of promise. The heirs of promise were there in the tent, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Ishmael was not. So again, he demonstrates, doesn’t he, in this foolish action. He’s misunderstanding of Scripture. And now suddenly when you come to chapter 36 and verse 2, that his wives now are unveiled, their their true names are unmasked.

88. 45:39

    Look at this and and we’re going here to connect what we thought about that word pornos remember in in Hebrews. So chapter 36 now and verse 2 Esau took his wives are the daughters of Cain and Ada, the daughter of Elam the Hittite and the holy Bama, the daughter of Ana, the daughter of Zibina the Hivite. Now the name I want you to notice there as on the screen is a holy Bama and a holy bomber is made-up of two root words a ho which means tent and bomber high place. So her name means tent of the high place and bomber refers to high places of worship and is associated with Pagan worship and idolatry.

89. 46:27

    Now this is the time of canine worship, and the canine worship was all associated with Baal and Ashira. And if you know anything about that, that terrible, that evil worship, that there were temple prostitutes, that there were temple prostitutes in the high places, is this name telling us that one of the wives of Esau was one of the temple prostitutes of the false worship of Bail and Ashira?

90. 46:58

    So then the scriptures are absolutely accurate in Hebrews Chapter 11 that he was a fornicator. Can you see this? Can you see this brothers and sisters? And I believe if we don’t see it, Rebecca did come back to chapter 27. And I know I can say this because of sister Lindsay. Mothers have an uncanny ability to discern what’s going on in the family. They they have that ability to put their fingers right on the problem.

91. 47:28

    I see a lot of mothers just nodding their heads and no father’s kind of shaking theirs, but they do they do and and look here Genesis chapter 27 and verse 46. Look at Rebecca’s assessment here Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life. Verse 46 because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth such as these which are of the daughters of the land, which what God shall my life do to me.

92. 47:57

    So, so here as we’ve got on the overhead, she says when she looks at the wives of Esau, she says these are the daughters of Heth, the daughters of the land. Now the land is the land of Canaan. So what she was saying is when she looked at these women, even though they were camouflaged with these names that Esau had given them, she looks at them and she says these are daughters of Heth.

93. 48:28

    These are daughters of Canaan, and Canaan had a son, Heth, and his name meant terror, terror. And when Esau brought these women into the tent, Rebecca could see that this was a terror to the seed and to the promises. They were the worst of the worst. They were of the Hittites. Our final reference, come with me to Deuteronomy chapter 20.

94. 49:12

    I just want to show you this. Deuteronomy chapter 20. We’re going, we’re going to finish here. But I want you to see this, because the Hittites were so evil that in Deuteronomy chapter 20, when when Joshua leads the children of Israel into the land, we’re told these words, and when Yahweh thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt slight every male thereof with the edge of the sword. But the women and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall thou take unto thyself.

95. 49:43

    OK, so they, they were to go in and destroy all the men but the women and the children and that the cattle, they, they weren’t to do that with the exception verse 17, but thou shalt utterly destroy them, namely. And the first name that were to be destroyed, man, woman and child and cattle was the Hittites was the Hittites because of their abominations.

96. 50:11

    And the abomination of the Hittites was idol worship, it was child sacrifice and it was temple prostitution. And the whole lot had to be destroyed, the Hittites. And Rebecca, she looks at these women that have been brought into her home and she says these are the worst of the Hittites. These are the sons of Heth and the sons of Canaan or the daughters of Canaan. And so brothers and sisters, that’s where we’ll finish here. We have two faces.

97. 51:03

    We have two choices here with Jacob and Esau. And imagine Jacob and he sees his Big Brother having this kind of life. And for Jacob, it was unthinkable that this Big Brother was in line for the blessings and the promises and being in the line of the Messiah. And he also had the love of his father. And it is because of this talk today and all the things I’ve shared, it’s for this talk.

98. 51:38

    This then becomes the motivation of Jacob. I believe in everything he now does because it was an impossibility in his mind that this was the one who would be the recipient of all these things. Now, now, brothers and sisters, as we we conclude now that that’s a very, very interesting thing, isn’t it?

99. 51:57

    Because what we’re seeing here is that Jacob goes on a journey. All the things that Jacob does is because of Esau. I believe Esau sets him off. Esau becomes Jacob’s refining fire. Esau becomes Jacob’s catalyst for transformation. Can can you see that? And, and by doing this and going through this journey, he becomes the new Israel. So all of us, brothers and sisters, when we’re following in the footsteps of Jacob, we will have our own Esaws. They’re there for a reason.

100. 52:49

     They are there for our refinement and for the catalyst for our transformation. We will have Esaws in our lives. They’re there. God’s planted them, as He did with Jacob for a reason. Without an esau, there is no growth. Without Esau, there is no spiritual transformation. So the question I leave you this morning, what or who is your Esau?