Stephen Whitehouse – From Jacob to Israel – Class 4 – Unmasked Jacob’s Final Face

1
00:00:00,120 –> 00:00:02,000
Well, good morning, brothers and
sisters.

2
00:00:03,120 –> 00:00:06,920
Good morning.
Lovely to see you’re still here.

3
00:00:10,000 –> 00:00:15,200
Jacob was haunted by his past.
Yesterday we saw that he locked

4
00:00:15,200 –> 00:00:17,840
horns with an Angel nearing
victory.

5
00:00:18,200 –> 00:00:22,400
He was crippled, but he held on.
He demanded a blessing, and he

6
00:00:22,400 –> 00:00:26,560
becomes Israel.
Now what we want to do today is

7
00:00:26,560 –> 00:00:31,680
to really understand what was
achieved during the wrestling

8
00:00:32,159 –> 00:00:37,000
and to see what was achieved.
We’re going to see what changes

9
00:00:37,120 –> 00:00:41,080
the following morning and in
today’s class we’re going to tie

10
00:00:41,080 –> 00:00:46,880
up some loose ends, all being
well and reveal some big life

11
00:00:46,880 –> 00:00:49,760
changing lessons for you and for
me.

12
00:00:51,680 –> 00:00:57,480
So recall then 20 years after
deceiving his father, after

13
00:00:57,600 –> 00:01:03,800
stealing away the blessing from
Esau, he now Jacob is about to

14
00:01:03,800 –> 00:01:06,200
come face to face with his
brother.

15
00:01:08,440 –> 00:01:13,120
And so there is a build up when
we come to chapter 33 of

16
00:01:13,120 –> 00:01:16,720
Genesis, there is a build up of
this chilling showdown.

17
00:01:17,600 –> 00:01:21,920
Esau has vowed that he’s going
to kill Jacob.

18
00:01:22,560 –> 00:01:30,440
And notice first of all, in
chapter 32, before the wrestling

19
00:01:30,440 –> 00:01:37,120
takes place, notice that Jacob
in fear sends a present.

20
00:01:37,840 –> 00:01:41,080
See that there in verse 13,
Something important to note

21
00:01:42,120 –> 00:01:48,320
before the wrestling takes place
there later at the Jabok, Jacob

22
00:01:48,320 –> 00:01:52,720
sends a present to Esau.
See that word there, a present

23
00:01:52,720 –> 00:01:55,560
there at the end of verse 13.
And we’ve already seen that that

24
00:01:55,560 –> 00:02:04,240
present represented 580 animals.
And then we have the contest,

25
00:02:04,240 –> 00:02:06,520
the great wrestling between
Jacob and Esau.

26
00:02:06,560 –> 00:02:10,800
So when we come to chapter 33,
we are anticipating, aren’t we,

27
00:02:10,800 –> 00:02:15,360
with that wrestling?
We are anticipating an explosive

28
00:02:15,360 –> 00:02:19,320
clash between these two brass
brothers, between Esau and

29
00:02:19,320 –> 00:02:26,400
Jacob.
So chapter 33 then verse one.

30
00:02:27,360 –> 00:02:30,400
And Jacob lifted up his eyes
following the night of the

31
00:02:30,400 –> 00:02:33,920
wrestling, and looked.
And behold, Esau came, and with

32
00:02:33,920 –> 00:02:37,520
him 400 men.
And he divided the children unto

33
00:02:37,520 –> 00:02:41,720
Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto
2 handmaids.

34
00:02:42,520 –> 00:02:44,760
And he put the handmaids and
their children foremost, and

35
00:02:44,760 –> 00:02:49,480
Leah and her children after, and
Rachel and Joseph hindermost.

36
00:02:50,920 –> 00:02:53,800
And he passed over before them,
and bowed himself to the ground

37
00:02:53,800 –> 00:02:56,600
seven times until he came near
to his brother.

38
00:02:56,920 –> 00:03:00,360
And Easel ran to meet him, and
embraced him, and fell on his

39
00:03:00,360 –> 00:03:03,800
neck and kissed him, and they
wept.

40
00:03:03,800 –> 00:03:07,280
I’m sure many of us have
pictured this scene.

41
00:03:08,400 –> 00:03:13,240
There is Jacob, and he sees his
brother with this assembly of

42
00:03:13,240 –> 00:03:16,080
men there in the distance.
And as Easel gets closer and

43
00:03:16,080 –> 00:03:23,320
closer, Esau identifies Jacob.
And suddenly Esau realizes that

44
00:03:23,320 –> 00:03:26,240
Jacob has a limp, that this man
is injured.

45
00:03:27,360 –> 00:03:30,240
And then he runs and he
embraces, and he picks up Jacob,

46
00:03:30,240 –> 00:03:37,080
and he embraces him and kisses
him, and he weeps.

47
00:03:38,480 –> 00:03:49,840
Time is a great healer.
The fear of the unknown, the

48
00:03:49,840 –> 00:03:55,160
fear of the future can often be
worse than the reality.

49
00:03:56,360 –> 00:04:00,320
As we mentioned yesterday, with
our imaginations, we often

50
00:04:00,320 –> 00:04:04,520
create these worst case
scenarios.

51
00:04:05,320 –> 00:04:08,720
And when we’re thinking about
these worst case scenarios, it

52
00:04:08,720 –> 00:04:15,000
fuels us, doesn’t it, with
stress and anxiety as we imagine

53
00:04:15,000 –> 00:04:18,040
that foreboding situation
looming large.

54
00:04:19,360 –> 00:04:22,960
But here, right away at the
beginning of this chapter, we

55
00:04:22,960 –> 00:04:30,480
see here that how trusting in
God protects us from the storms,

56
00:04:31,360 –> 00:04:38,520
how protecting, how protecting
God is to those whom he loves.

57
00:04:39,400 –> 00:04:42,480
We must remember that this is in
the life of Jacob, a person that

58
00:04:42,480 –> 00:04:46,400
we all identify with as he takes
on this journey now to Israel.

59
00:04:48,400 –> 00:04:52,800
Trusting in God protects us from
the storms.

60
00:04:54,640 –> 00:05:00,040
But just glance down verses 6
and seven, as Esau watches

61
00:05:00,280 –> 00:05:06,520
Jacob’s family approaches, he
sees that Jacob bows down seven

62
00:05:06,520 –> 00:05:08,400
times.
Notice that there in verse 3,

63
00:05:08,400 –> 00:05:11,760
it’s very important.
And then notice also and, and

64
00:05:11,760 –> 00:05:16,000
try and picture this.
We’ve got Leah and Rachel, his

65
00:05:16,000 –> 00:05:20,280
sons and little Joseph.
Benjamin’s not born yet, little

66
00:05:20,280 –> 00:05:24,880
Joseph all there watching.
And you can imagine Joseph there

67
00:05:25,360 –> 00:05:30,000
just just nudging his mother,
Rachel, and wondering why Father

68
00:05:30,000 –> 00:05:34,160
now is a cripple and why he’s
behaving in such a way.

69
00:05:35,160 –> 00:05:38,040
But we see this crippled Jacob
as he approaches now, this

70
00:05:38,040 –> 00:05:44,960
looming Esau, the Jacob here
humbles himself.

71
00:05:45,880 –> 00:05:49,560
This entire picture is one of
someone who has been reduced to

72
00:05:49,560 –> 00:05:54,120
nothing.
He is at his brother’s mercy.

73
00:05:55,840 –> 00:06:00,640
Yet the prophecy of chapter 25
and verse 23 was that the elder

74
00:06:01,320 –> 00:06:06,040
shall serve the younger.
But now it looks like the tables

75
00:06:06,720 –> 00:06:11,240
have totally turned.
But there’s more.

76
00:06:12,760 –> 00:06:18,680
Notice the use of numbers.
Here we have this three times

77
00:06:18,720 –> 00:06:23,240
repetition.
We have the maidservants and

78
00:06:23,240 –> 00:06:28,640
Leah and her children and Rachel
and Joseph.

79
00:06:28,640 –> 00:06:32,960
So these three categories here,
the maidservants, Leah and her

80
00:06:32,960 –> 00:06:39,320
children, and Rachel and Joseph.
So Jacob has assembled

81
00:06:39,800 –> 00:06:48,400
everything that is his every
person whom he loves, every

82
00:06:48,480 –> 00:06:54,280
individual that he cherishes.
He gathers together to

83
00:06:54,280 –> 00:07:00,200
acknowledge easel.
Notice something else here.

84
00:07:00,840 –> 00:07:06,960
Notice how the phrase my Lord is
used, a Hebrew word that we’ll

85
00:07:06,960 –> 00:07:09,160
all be familiar with.
It’s the word Adonai.

86
00:07:09,200 –> 00:07:12,960
Notice this there, my Lord, you
see there in verse 8.

87
00:07:13,200 –> 00:07:21,000
Notice worth marking this up.
Verse 8, verse 13, verse 14,

88
00:07:21,000 –> 00:07:26,480
twice, actually in verse 14.
And then in verse 15, five times

89
00:07:26,640 –> 00:07:31,480
Jacob refers to Esau as my Lord
Adonai.

90
00:07:32,400 –> 00:07:37,080
And then it goes even further.
Twice you notice that Jacob

91
00:07:37,160 –> 00:07:40,400
refers to himself as Esau’s
servant.

92
00:07:40,400 –> 00:07:44,360
Is the Hebrew word eved.
They’re found in verse 5 and

93
00:07:44,360 –> 00:07:47,760
verse 14.
So, so note then we’ve got 7

94
00:07:47,760 –> 00:07:55,440
bows from Jacob and a sevenfold
use of my Lord or servant.

95
00:07:56,240 –> 00:07:59,400
This whole picture has been
carefully choreographed.

96
00:07:59,640 –> 00:08:01,960
It is a master class in
humility.

97
00:08:02,200 –> 00:08:08,840
It has been meticulously staged.
Now we know the framework of

98
00:08:08,840 –> 00:08:11,160
seven.
It speaks of completeness and

99
00:08:11,640 –> 00:08:14,160
perfection.
And think about what scene is

100
00:08:14,160 –> 00:08:17,840
unfolding here.
This is total reconciliation.

101
00:08:18,000 –> 00:08:22,400
This is total submission.
This is total forgiveness.

102
00:08:22,600 –> 00:08:26,440
And think about the importance
of the number 7 in Jacob’s life.

103
00:08:27,080 –> 00:08:32,559
2 portions of seven had he given
in acquiring Rachel as his wife.

104
00:08:33,039 –> 00:08:37,480
And when we think about those
seven years of Labor and that

105
00:08:37,480 –> 00:08:44,080
double that he did, it spoke of
his dedication, his dedication

106
00:08:44,080 –> 00:08:49,920
to complete the work.
And so this 7 is all about this

107
00:08:49,920 –> 00:08:56,000
dedication to complete the work.
He is determined is Jacob.

108
00:08:56,480 –> 00:08:59,000
He is determined to be
reconciled.

109
00:08:59,280 –> 00:09:06,520
He is prepared to work, to
commit himself completely to

110
00:09:06,720 –> 00:09:08,000
Esau.
Remember the word we saw

111
00:09:08,040 –> 00:09:11,280
yesterday, Atonement before the
wrestling.

112
00:09:12,640 –> 00:09:15,800
Just keep your fingers here and
come to One Peter chapter 5.

113
00:09:16,200 –> 00:09:19,480
A useful cross reference here.
One Peter chapter 5.

114
00:09:26,690 –> 00:09:29,170
Look at these words.
One Peter 5.

115
00:09:29,170 –> 00:09:31,090
Just going to pick out the
words.

116
00:09:31,170 –> 00:09:33,690
You’ll see the connection.
You can make the note and we’ll

117
00:09:33,690 –> 00:09:38,680
get back to the Genesis account.
One Peter 5 verse 5.

118
00:09:38,680 –> 00:09:42,120
Likewise, think of the situation
that we’re seeing here.

119
00:09:42,320 –> 00:09:47,520
Likewise, ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder.

120
00:09:48,080 –> 00:09:51,760
Yeah, all of you, be subject 1
to another, and be clothed with

121
00:09:52,000 –> 00:09:56,400
humility.
For God resisteth the proud, and

122
00:09:56,400 –> 00:09:59,440
giveth grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore

123
00:09:59,560 –> 00:10:04,200
under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due

124
00:10:04,200 –> 00:10:07,520
time.
What a lovely couple of verses

125
00:10:07,520 –> 00:10:12,400
here that just perfectly capture
the moment here in Genesis

126
00:10:12,400 –> 00:10:15,280
chapter 33.
So just come back to chapter 33

127
00:10:15,280 –> 00:10:19,720
now.
So think about these 7 bows.

128
00:10:20,680 –> 00:10:24,760
And I believe these 7 bows not
only spoke of this complete

129
00:10:24,760 –> 00:10:31,240
submission, desiring for
forgiveness from Esau, but I

130
00:10:31,240 –> 00:10:37,440
believe in these 7 bows, Jacob
was retracing his steps.

131
00:10:37,800 –> 00:10:41,600
I believe what we see here is an
arc of redemption.

132
00:10:42,520 –> 00:10:46,800
Just notice on the overhead
here, I believe there are seven

133
00:10:46,840 –> 00:10:52,560
major milestones in Jacob’s life
that has brought him to this

134
00:10:52,560 –> 00:10:57,760
point of submission.
Number one, look at these.

135
00:10:57,760 –> 00:10:59,280
We call it the arc of
redemption.

136
00:10:59,280 –> 00:11:02,880
These major milestones, these
signposts in Jacob’s life.

137
00:11:03,720 –> 00:11:07,600
Number one, the purchase of the
birthright #2 the stealing.

138
00:11:07,720 –> 00:11:10,760
Now, as we go through these,
each one was a bow.

139
00:11:11,120 –> 00:11:14,920
Each one was a a subjection to
Esau, the purchase of the

140
00:11:14,920 –> 00:11:18,040
birthright, the stealing of the
blessing that the vision of the

141
00:11:18,040 –> 00:11:25,680
ladder bow #4 serving Laban for
Rachel and Leah #5 the increase

142
00:11:25,680 –> 00:11:29,720
in wealth and the departure from
labour number six, the wrestling

143
00:11:29,720 –> 00:11:33,160
with the Angel and #7
reconciliation with Esau.

144
00:11:33,400 –> 00:11:39,320
Each bow marked a a massive
moment of learning a lesson in

145
00:11:39,320 –> 00:11:42,160
Jacob’s life.
Now you imagine that he’s now

146
00:11:42,280 –> 00:11:45,720
hip his outer joint.
Each time this man bowed to his

147
00:11:45,720 –> 00:11:48,880
older brother, there would be a
pain shooting through his hip

148
00:11:49,880 –> 00:11:51,800
and there’ll be a grimace on his
face.

149
00:11:52,120 –> 00:11:56,040
Each bow was more painful from
the last, but he would finish it

150
00:11:56,040 –> 00:12:00,840
off.
He would complete it 7 and the

151
00:12:00,840 –> 00:12:04,880
7th bow, I believe, was in
recognition of this moment when

152
00:12:04,880 –> 00:12:08,360
he would be reconciled with his.
Brother.

153
00:12:11,800 –> 00:12:14,960
So if this is a picture of
complete subjection to Esau,

154
00:12:15,400 –> 00:12:17,040
that’s a little surprising,
isn’t it?

155
00:12:17,040 –> 00:12:19,640
Because the night before he has
wrestled with an Angel all

156
00:12:19,640 –> 00:12:21,880
night, and his name’s been
change.

157
00:12:21,880 –> 00:12:25,680
He’s been exalted, a Prince with
God.

158
00:12:26,360 –> 00:12:29,240
Yet now he’s in complete
subjection.

159
00:12:29,240 –> 00:12:33,560
Not only him, but all his wives
and all his children are bowed

160
00:12:33,560 –> 00:12:38,920
to Esau.
The whole family are servants of

161
00:12:38,960 –> 00:12:41,400
Esau.
Why is that, brothers and

162
00:12:41,400 –> 00:12:44,360
sisters?
Why the change?

163
00:12:44,560 –> 00:12:48,960
What has caused this?
Let’s have a look at this then.

164
00:12:50,360 –> 00:12:53,560
Let’s pick up verse 8, then of
chapter 33.

165
00:12:56,200 –> 00:12:59,840
So this is Esau now beginning to
speak and he’s Speaking of these

166
00:13:00,080 –> 00:13:05,360
580 animals which were according
to Jacob, a present for Esau,

167
00:13:05,360 –> 00:13:07,200
and he comments on this right
away.

168
00:13:07,520 –> 00:13:11,760
The what meaneth thou by all
this drove the 580 animals.

169
00:13:11,760 –> 00:13:15,320
The present you can cross
reference back to chapter 32,

170
00:13:15,320 –> 00:13:17,920
verse 13.
You can put that in your margin

171
00:13:17,920 –> 00:13:19,760
there.
That’s what he’s referring to.

172
00:13:23,320 –> 00:13:26,520
What meanest thou by all this
drove which I met?

173
00:13:28,400 –> 00:13:31,720
And Jacob said, these are to
find grace in the sight of my

174
00:13:32,520 –> 00:13:37,680
Adonai, my Lord.
And Esau said, I have enough my

175
00:13:37,680 –> 00:13:42,240
brother, keep thou keep that
thou hast unto thyself.

176
00:13:42,640 –> 00:13:46,400
And Jacob said, Nay, I pray
thee, if now I have found grace

177
00:13:46,400 –> 00:13:49,200
in thy sight, then receive my
present.

178
00:13:49,200 –> 00:13:53,120
So that’s a direct reference
back to chapter 32.

179
00:13:54,600 –> 00:13:59,280
Receive my present at my hand.
For therefore I have seen thy

180
00:13:59,640 –> 00:14:05,120
face as though I’ve seen the
face of God, and thou was

181
00:14:05,120 –> 00:14:10,880
pleased with me.
Take, I pray thee, my blessing

182
00:14:11,600 –> 00:14:15,360
that is brought to thee, because
God hath dealt graciously with

183
00:14:15,360 –> 00:14:22,000
me, and because I have enough.
And he urged him and Esau took

184
00:14:22,000 –> 00:14:24,200
it.
Now the first thing I’d like us

185
00:14:24,200 –> 00:14:27,720
to note a very simple piece of
analysis here, but just notice

186
00:14:27,720 –> 00:14:30,680
how Esau says I have, which is
the Hebrew.

187
00:14:30,680 –> 00:14:35,120
Yes, enough is the Hebrew would
wrap my brother there in verse

188
00:14:35,120 –> 00:14:37,080
9.
So in other words, he’s saying I

189
00:14:37,080 –> 00:14:40,160
have plenty and he had plenty.
He had a Kingdom at this stage.

190
00:14:41,800 –> 00:14:47,240
But Jacob’s reply in verse 11 is
take, I pray thee, my blessing,

191
00:14:47,440 –> 00:14:52,200
because I have enough.
It’s a different word there.

192
00:14:52,200 –> 00:14:54,720
I’d like you to notice that if
you’ve not noted that before,

193
00:14:54,880 –> 00:14:56,160
it’s a Hebrew word.
Come.

194
00:14:57,160 –> 00:15:01,360
It’s more than I have plenty.
It literally means I have more

195
00:15:01,360 –> 00:15:04,080
than enough.
I have all things.

196
00:15:04,320 –> 00:15:09,000
I have the whole, and then I
have the total of all things.

197
00:15:09,200 –> 00:15:13,760
Now you imagine anyone being in
a position to say that I have

198
00:15:13,760 –> 00:15:17,320
the total of all things.
That’s an extraordinary

199
00:15:17,320 –> 00:15:18,880
statement, isn’t it?
Brothers and sisters, have you

200
00:15:18,920 –> 00:15:22,680
ever been able to say that?
We should be able to say that in

201
00:15:22,680 –> 00:15:27,600
faith, shouldn’t we?
But Jacob did I have the total

202
00:15:27,760 –> 00:15:33,280
of all things.
So Esau says, you keep your

203
00:15:33,280 –> 00:15:37,280
blessings, Jacob, I’ve got many,
many things.

204
00:15:37,280 –> 00:15:41,680
I don’t need it.
And then Jacob says, I insist,

205
00:15:41,680 –> 00:15:48,040
Esau, you need it more than me
because I have all things.

206
00:15:48,120 –> 00:15:51,080
OK.
So there’s a little bit of a

207
00:15:51,080 –> 00:15:53,640
dynamic that’s going on.
It looks like a polite tea

208
00:15:53,640 –> 00:15:56,360
party, doesn’t it?
But you can, you can imagine

209
00:15:56,360 –> 00:15:58,960
here it was tense.
It was tense.

210
00:15:59,800 –> 00:16:01,960
So they’re exchanging.
They know exactly what they’re

211
00:16:01,960 –> 00:16:05,600
doing is they’re exchanging
these Hebrew words one with

212
00:16:05,960 –> 00:16:08,360
another.
Now it’s interesting, isn’t it,

213
00:16:08,360 –> 00:16:11,120
that there’s something else
there in verse 10, something

214
00:16:11,120 –> 00:16:14,680
that connects with yesterday and
picks up our overall theme of

215
00:16:14,680 –> 00:16:17,400
this week.
I have seen thy face there in

216
00:16:17,400 –> 00:16:21,400
verse 10, as though I’ve seen
the face of God.

217
00:16:22,400 –> 00:16:24,920
The face of God changed
everything.

218
00:16:25,480 –> 00:16:29,600
When Jacob looked at Esau, he no
longer saw Esau’s face.

219
00:16:29,600 –> 00:16:33,040
There’s a a radical shift now in
perception.

220
00:16:34,400 –> 00:16:38,040
He’s awakened to a much deeper
reality.

221
00:16:39,040 –> 00:16:45,000
He’s now looking at Esau in
God’s eyes and not his own.

222
00:16:46,000 –> 00:16:49,480
Now we’ve already seen this idea
of the phrase, the face of God

223
00:16:49,480 –> 00:16:51,800
earlier.
Remember that it’s an echo,

224
00:16:51,800 –> 00:16:54,040
isn’t it?
It’s, it’s an echo back to

225
00:16:54,040 –> 00:16:56,800
chapter 32 and verse 30.
So it’s interesting, isn’t it,

226
00:16:56,800 –> 00:17:01,360
that that Jacob is picking up a
phrase here that he used the

227
00:17:01,360 –> 00:17:04,880
previous day.
So let’s make a connection there

228
00:17:04,880 –> 00:17:10,560
to the previous day, Genesis 32,
verse 30.

229
00:17:11,920 –> 00:17:13,240
Well, it’s that morning, isn’t
it?

230
00:17:13,520 –> 00:17:17,359
I should say the wrestling has
taken place, the morning breaks

231
00:17:17,720 –> 00:17:23,800
and then the significance of the
face of God is seen. 32 verse

232
00:17:23,800 –> 00:17:25,359
30.
We read yesterday, didn’t we?

233
00:17:25,359 –> 00:17:27,920
And Jacob called the name of the
place Peniel.

234
00:17:28,920 –> 00:17:31,280
And you’ll see in your margin
the face of God.

235
00:17:31,800 –> 00:17:35,480
And the reason being, for I have
seen God face to face, and my

236
00:17:35,480 –> 00:17:41,040
life is preserved.
You may know that the Hebrew

237
00:17:41,040 –> 00:17:47,640
word Panem is the word face, and
it’s an interesting exercise.

238
00:17:48,200 –> 00:17:52,600
Find out for yourself how often
you see the word Panem related

239
00:17:52,600 –> 00:17:55,040
to the life of Jacob.
And This is why we’ve taken the

240
00:17:55,040 –> 00:17:58,560
theme The faces of Jacob.
You see it sprinkle throughout

241
00:17:58,560 –> 00:18:03,400
his life.
Panem, the face, he was

242
00:18:03,400 –> 00:18:08,000
surrounded by faces, but Jacob
had to learn in all the faces

243
00:18:08,000 –> 00:18:11,760
that surrounded him, he had to
see the face of God, which is an

244
00:18:11,760 –> 00:18:13,080
important lesson for you and for
me.

245
00:18:13,320 –> 00:18:17,760
And we, we mentioned yesterday
that that word Peniel, there is

246
00:18:17,760 –> 00:18:23,560
Panah to turn and L is God.
So Peniel means to turn to God

247
00:18:23,880 –> 00:18:27,080
by inference.
It’s the face of God, because if

248
00:18:27,080 –> 00:18:30,040
you turn to God, you see the
face of God doesn’t mean the

249
00:18:30,040 –> 00:18:32,080
face of God.
It means to turn to God.

250
00:18:32,280 –> 00:18:35,160
And so the wrestling then did
something with him.

251
00:18:35,360 –> 00:18:38,480
Hosea chapter 12 says it brought
about a maturity.

252
00:18:38,480 –> 00:18:41,480
He had power with God.
And during this process of

253
00:18:41,480 –> 00:18:45,240
wrestling, his face was turned.
No longer was he looking at the

254
00:18:45,240 –> 00:18:47,640
face of Esau, he was now looking
at the face of God.

255
00:18:47,720 –> 00:18:51,320
So that when Esau turned up that
morning, his face had been

256
00:18:51,320 –> 00:18:54,720
turned.
Although he was looking face to

257
00:18:54,720 –> 00:18:57,080
face, in the eyes of Esau he saw
God.

258
00:18:58,520 –> 00:19:03,360
See that because the wrestling
had taken place the night

259
00:19:03,800 –> 00:19:08,840
before.
I want to highlight to you this

260
00:19:08,840 –> 00:19:15,160
little play on the word face.
I want to show you a before and

261
00:19:15,200 –> 00:19:19,440
after situation.
The fulcrum is the wrestling.

262
00:19:19,680 –> 00:19:22,800
Jacob is different after.
He is now Israel.

263
00:19:23,040 –> 00:19:27,240
And I want to show you now the
use of the word face before the

264
00:19:27,240 –> 00:19:29,640
wrestling, before his name was
changed.

265
00:19:30,120 –> 00:19:34,040
So you’re already in chapter 32.
You may not have noticed the use

266
00:19:34,040 –> 00:19:37,840
of that word panim, the face.
It’s there, in fact found in

267
00:19:37,840 –> 00:19:40,360
verse 20.
Let’s have a look at chapter 32

268
00:19:40,360 –> 00:19:43,760
and verse 20.
So you might not have noticed

269
00:19:44,160 –> 00:19:46,240
the use of the word panning face
here.

270
00:19:46,360 –> 00:19:49,640
It’s a little obscured in the
King James Version.

271
00:19:50,120 –> 00:19:52,000
So we’re going to just highlight
it for you now.

272
00:19:54,840 –> 00:19:58,440
And it’s really interesting.
So the context of this is that

273
00:19:59,120 –> 00:20:03,080
he’s sending the present, the
gift, the 580 animals to Esau

274
00:20:03,080 –> 00:20:06,920
and he’s instructing them, the
servant of the message that he

275
00:20:06,920 –> 00:20:09,680
needs to convey to Esau with
these animals.

276
00:20:09,680 –> 00:20:13,360
So let’s just see what what we
read there, Chapter 32.

277
00:20:13,800 –> 00:20:15,240
You can follow it on the screen
as well.

278
00:20:16,400 –> 00:20:20,120
So the message then that Esau
sends his messenger with are

279
00:20:20,120 –> 00:20:26,600
these words, and say to Esau, Ye
moreover, behold, thy servant

280
00:20:26,600 –> 00:20:31,560
Jacob is behind us.
For he said, I will appease him.

281
00:20:32,200 –> 00:20:40,320
That’s the word face.
I will appease him, Hanim, with

282
00:20:40,320 –> 00:20:46,120
the present that goeth before
me, that’s the Hebrew word face,

283
00:20:46,960 –> 00:20:51,800
and afterward I will see his
face, Panim peradventure he will

284
00:20:51,800 –> 00:20:56,520
accept of me the Hebrew word
face.

285
00:20:57,560 –> 00:21:01,440
So in other words, Jacob was
thinking, I will wipe anger from

286
00:21:01,440 –> 00:21:06,320
his face with the gift that goes
ahead of my face.

287
00:21:06,800 –> 00:21:12,640
After, when I see his face, he
will lift up my face.

288
00:21:12,640 –> 00:21:14,640
Now.
Now, the point of all of this is

289
00:21:14,640 –> 00:21:19,320
that before the wrestling, the
day before he meets Esau, when

290
00:21:19,320 –> 00:21:21,320
he sees all Esau, he sees the
face of God.

291
00:21:21,440 –> 00:21:27,000
The day before he was absolutely
preoccupied.

292
00:21:27,120 –> 00:21:29,120
You can see that in that short
verse.

293
00:21:29,640 –> 00:21:34,840
He is utterly preoccupied with
the face of Esau.

294
00:21:35,080 –> 00:21:39,360
Remember that and remember the
commentary that God gives when

295
00:21:39,360 –> 00:21:43,280
he first goes to Bethel.
He goes there because he was

296
00:21:43,280 –> 00:21:50,760
fearful of the face of Esau. 20
years now have transpired and

297
00:21:50,760 –> 00:21:54,120
he’s still fearful of the face
of Esau.

298
00:21:54,360 –> 00:21:57,600
Yet everything changes after the
wrestling.

299
00:21:57,880 –> 00:21:59,480
Isn’t that lovely, brothers and
sisters?

300
00:22:01,240 –> 00:22:08,640
Now, when Jacob finally comes
face to face with Esau, this

301
00:22:08,640 –> 00:22:15,160
face which was the symbol of his
deepest fears, this face now the

302
00:22:15,160 –> 00:22:20,040
day after, has faded into
obscurity, having wrestled with

303
00:22:20,040 –> 00:22:24,200
the divine and stared into for a
whole night the very eyes of

304
00:22:24,200 –> 00:22:27,840
God.
He sees the face of God as he

305
00:22:27,840 –> 00:22:32,280
wrestled, and in the face of God
that night, he sees the face a

306
00:22:32,280 –> 00:22:38,760
symbol of Divine Mercy,
omnipotent protection, and

307
00:22:38,760 –> 00:22:41,400
boundless love.
And having seen that for an

308
00:22:41,400 –> 00:22:44,920
entire night, when he comes now
face to face with his sworn

309
00:22:44,920 –> 00:22:49,920
enemy, he sees the grace of God.
Isn’t that amazing, brothers and

310
00:22:49,920 –> 00:22:53,680
sisters?
And what’s the lesson for you

311
00:22:53,760 –> 00:23:00,960
and for me?
We need to see God in every

312
00:23:00,960 –> 00:23:05,600
aspect of our lives.
As we’re going through life with

313
00:23:05,600 –> 00:23:09,440
all the challenges that come
upon us, we need to shift gear

314
00:23:09,600 –> 00:23:14,560
and change our perspective.
We need something called

315
00:23:14,800 –> 00:23:19,640
transformation reframing.
We’re all on this journey of

316
00:23:19,640 –> 00:23:23,680
transformation, and we need to
see those moments in our lives

317
00:23:23,680 –> 00:23:28,280
that are difficult and hard and
painful as transformational

318
00:23:28,440 –> 00:23:32,040
reframing.
We need to see them through

319
00:23:32,040 –> 00:23:36,360
God’s eyes and not our own.
As we’re on this spiritual

320
00:23:36,360 –> 00:23:40,120
journey, as we’re on this
difficult and painful process of

321
00:23:40,120 –> 00:23:43,720
transformation, we need to
recognize that God, El Shadiai

322
00:23:43,840 –> 00:23:48,200
is behind every situation, every
moment of our lives, and He’s

323
00:23:48,200 –> 00:23:52,160
there working with us to
transform us.

324
00:23:52,800 –> 00:23:57,080
And when we recognize that God
is in every moment, however

325
00:23:57,080 –> 00:24:04,160
broken hearted we may be feeling
in that moment, it brings

326
00:24:04,160 –> 00:24:08,720
meaning, doesn’t it?
It brings meaning to the most

327
00:24:09,240 –> 00:24:16,000
challenging of circumstances.
It brings meaning to the most

328
00:24:16,000 –> 00:24:22,400
challenging of circumstances.
Think of Jacob, I sincerely

329
00:24:22,400 –> 00:24:30,840
believe he was given Esau for a
reason to propel him on this

330
00:24:30,840 –> 00:24:36,040
journey of transformation.
And without Esau, it wouldn’t

331
00:24:36,040 –> 00:24:40,040
have happened.
Brothers and sisters, there was

332
00:24:40,040 –> 00:24:44,320
this journey of self discovery
for for Jacob and we’re going to

333
00:24:44,320 –> 00:24:47,240
see see in a moment.
It brings him to a point in time

334
00:24:47,440 –> 00:24:51,960
that God needed him to get to.
And then God did wonderful

335
00:24:51,960 –> 00:24:54,800
things in his life, most
wonderful.

336
00:24:56,040 –> 00:24:58,240
And so then brothers and
sisters, when we’re having

337
00:24:58,240 –> 00:25:01,960
difficulty, when we’re having
problems, think about our

338
00:25:01,960 –> 00:25:05,240
trajectory, think about our
past, think about our our

339
00:25:05,240 –> 00:25:08,680
journey in life.
And these should be catalysts

340
00:25:09,000 –> 00:25:12,080
because that’s what God intends
them to be catalysts.

341
00:25:12,400 –> 00:25:16,600
They are like they’re Dynamos to
get us to the Kingdom.

342
00:25:18,520 –> 00:25:20,520
Now, what’s also really
interesting in all of this,

343
00:25:20,520 –> 00:25:22,640
brothers and sisters, and this
is really powerful, isn’t it?

344
00:25:22,960 –> 00:25:25,800
When, when, when?
Think about it, when Jacob

345
00:25:25,800 –> 00:25:31,160
looked into the eyes of easel,
he saw the face of God.

346
00:25:32,560 –> 00:25:38,760
When he looked into the face of
Esau, he saw something of the

347
00:25:38,760 –> 00:25:45,360
divine.
He saw that even Esau, with all

348
00:25:45,480 –> 00:25:50,640
his wickedness, was a child of
God.

349
00:25:52,840 –> 00:25:59,560
And because he was a child of
God, he deserved Jacobs love and

350
00:25:59,680 –> 00:26:03,240
respect.
Brothers and sisters, if we

351
00:26:03,240 –> 00:26:07,280
could take that attitude and
that approach in life, in

352
00:26:07,280 –> 00:26:11,920
ecclesial life, when we are
coming up against the esauls,

353
00:26:12,040 –> 00:26:17,280
individuals that are causing us
difficulty, hardship and pain.

354
00:26:18,320 –> 00:26:21,920
But we look at them and we don’t
see them as the face of Esau,

355
00:26:22,280 –> 00:26:26,080
but we see them as the face of
God, sons and daughters of the

356
00:26:26,080 –> 00:26:29,520
divine, all on their own
respected individual journeys.

357
00:26:30,160 –> 00:26:36,240
That we’ll let go, won’t we?
We’ll let go of the hurt, we’ll

358
00:26:36,240 –> 00:26:40,760
let go of the grievances and the
grudges.

359
00:26:41,840 –> 00:26:45,000
And that I can assure you,
brothers and sisters, will be

360
00:26:45,000 –> 00:26:49,840
the only way that you and I will
find peace this side of the

361
00:26:49,840 –> 00:26:52,280
Kingdom.
Important lessons, aren’t they

362
00:26:52,560 –> 00:26:54,760
important lessons for you and
for me.

363
00:26:55,120 –> 00:26:59,520
We’ll come back to chapter 33.
So there’s this discourse then

364
00:26:59,520 –> 00:27:03,920
between Esau and Jacob and Jacob
says I have everything.

365
00:27:03,920 –> 00:27:08,720
I have all things very, very
strong Hebrew word here.

366
00:27:09,480 –> 00:27:14,680
And, and I want you to just
notice now that everything that

367
00:27:14,680 –> 00:27:19,400
Jacob has given to Esau, he
categorizes it as something

368
00:27:19,400 –> 00:27:24,880
here, this whole set of 580
animals, he refers to it as this

369
00:27:24,880 –> 00:27:26,720
thing.
Notice verse 11.

370
00:27:26,960 –> 00:27:31,160
Take, I pray thee, my blessing.
That’s important.

371
00:27:31,720 –> 00:27:37,680
So my blessing verse 11 relates
to the present in verse 10,

372
00:27:38,320 –> 00:27:44,200
which relates to the gift of the
previous chapter and the 580

373
00:27:44,200 –> 00:27:45,560
animals.
I want you to all to notice that

374
00:27:45,560 –> 00:27:49,160
little sequence there.
The blessing relates to the

375
00:27:49,160 –> 00:27:54,360
present which relates the gift,
which relates the 580 animals.

376
00:27:54,360 –> 00:27:59,120
So that which Jacob sent
symbolizes something, and it

377
00:27:59,120 –> 00:28:04,320
symbolizes something referred to
as Jacob’s blessing.

378
00:28:04,560 –> 00:28:07,280
Want us all to note that?
That’s very important.

379
00:28:08,600 –> 00:28:13,840
Take, I pray thee, verse 11
might think of the power of this

380
00:28:13,840 –> 00:28:18,160
language.
Take, I pray thee, my blessing

381
00:28:18,640 –> 00:28:22,280
that is brought to thee.
Say it again.

382
00:28:22,960 –> 00:28:27,920
Take, I pray thee, my blessing
that is brought to thee.

383
00:28:29,200 –> 00:28:33,560
So take then what is mine, and I
want to give it to you.

384
00:28:36,320 –> 00:28:42,040
Take my blessing, it is yours.
And as I said, if you look in

385
00:28:42,040 –> 00:28:44,800
your margin there by blessing
you’ve got the word gift.

386
00:28:44,800 –> 00:28:48,720
You should have the word gift
there in your margin or present

387
00:28:49,080 –> 00:28:52,680
and that should take you to
verse 10 of chapter 33 and then

388
00:28:52,680 –> 00:28:56,880
verses 13 to 15 of chapter 32.
So just noticing that little set

389
00:28:56,880 –> 00:29:00,240
of details there is important
really to to kind of decipher

390
00:29:00,240 –> 00:29:01,920
what’s going on here all with
me.

391
00:29:02,920 –> 00:29:06,200
I know you are.
So it’s my blessing.

392
00:29:08,280 –> 00:29:13,080
Well, when Jacob uses the word
blessing, this is a word that

393
00:29:13,080 –> 00:29:18,760
hasn’t been used for 20 years.
This is where it all began.

394
00:29:19,920 –> 00:29:25,320
This is where the the long
shadow was cast that fateful day

395
00:29:26,480 –> 00:29:31,240
when Jacob deceived his father.
So this is very important

396
00:29:31,240 –> 00:29:35,040
language here that Jacob is
purposely using.

397
00:29:35,040 –> 00:29:37,560
Shall we just go back there?
Let’s have a look at Genesis

398
00:29:37,560 –> 00:29:47,000
chapter 27.
So that word blessing takes

399
00:29:47,000 –> 00:29:50,320
Jacob and Esau.
They’re now projected back in

400
00:29:50,320 –> 00:29:53,320
time.
Soon as Jacob uses that word,

401
00:29:53,680 –> 00:30:00,520
those minds of these two men,
now they’re brought back back in

402
00:30:00,520 –> 00:30:07,160
time.
So then let’s think of the

403
00:30:07,160 –> 00:30:09,360
blessing.
Remember this, We made some

404
00:30:09,360 –> 00:30:12,200
lovely connections because of
this blessing.

405
00:30:12,200 –> 00:30:15,840
Isaac gets into Hebrews 11.
It’s a blessing of things to

406
00:30:15,840 –> 00:30:20,120
come, and he blesses, doesn’t
he, Esau, and he blesses Jacob.

407
00:30:21,040 –> 00:30:25,680
But let’s just think about the
blessing first of all that Jacob

408
00:30:26,280 –> 00:30:28,360
received as he deceived his
father.

409
00:30:29,320 –> 00:30:36,360
Verse 28 then of chapter 27.
Therefore God give thee so.

410
00:30:36,360 –> 00:30:42,240
Imagine now blind Isaac uttering
these words to Jacob disguised

411
00:30:42,240 –> 00:30:47,840
as Esau.
Therefore God give thee of the

412
00:30:47,840 –> 00:30:52,000
Jew of heaven, and of the
fatness of the earth, and plenty

413
00:30:52,000 –> 00:30:54,440
of corn and wine.
We’ve considered these words.

414
00:30:54,680 –> 00:30:57,760
Let people serve thee, and
nations bow down to thee.

415
00:30:57,760 –> 00:31:02,800
Be Lord over thy brethren and
let thy mother sons bow down to

416
00:31:02,800 –> 00:31:06,200
thee.
Cursed be everyone that curseth

417
00:31:06,200 –> 00:31:10,000
thee, and blessed be he that
blesseth thee.

418
00:31:10,200 –> 00:31:11,360
Now we looked at that, didn’t
we?

419
00:31:11,360 –> 00:31:13,960
And we, we saw that this
symbolized wealth and power.

420
00:31:14,160 –> 00:31:17,760
And we, we came up with this
expression of, of political

421
00:31:17,760 –> 00:31:20,040
power and agricultural
prosperity.

422
00:31:20,040 –> 00:31:25,560
That was the, the blessing here
that Jacob took from his brother

423
00:31:26,280 –> 00:31:29,920
Esau.
But we saw that there was

424
00:31:29,920 –> 00:31:34,480
another blessing, another
blessing there that God now

425
00:31:34,880 –> 00:31:38,200
through Jacob gives through
Isaac, gives to Jacob.

426
00:31:38,200 –> 00:31:41,160
And it’s there in verse 3 of
chapter 28.

427
00:31:42,800 –> 00:31:44,240
So here then we, we’ve got
Jacob.

428
00:31:44,240 –> 00:31:46,400
He’s got 2 blessings, hasn’t he?
He’s got 2 blessings.

429
00:31:46,680 –> 00:31:49,640
He’s, he’s got the blessing that
he he stole from Esau.

430
00:31:49,840 –> 00:31:53,080
And now he’s gets this blessing
here in chapter 28.

431
00:31:54,200 –> 00:31:59,000
And God Almighty El Shadi eye.
Remember that Genesis 17 the El

432
00:31:59,000 –> 00:32:02,640
Shadi eye of Abraham and El
Shadi I bless thee, and make

433
00:32:02,640 –> 00:32:05,400
thee fruitful, and multiply
thee, that thou mayest be a

434
00:32:05,400 –> 00:32:07,960
multitude of people.
The ecclesia, the ecclesia of

435
00:32:07,960 –> 00:32:10,880
God.
First use of the the Hebrew word

436
00:32:10,880 –> 00:32:14,520
there and and give thee the
blessing of Abraham to thee and

437
00:32:14,520 –> 00:32:18,680
to thy seed with thee that thou
mayest inherit the land wherein

438
00:32:18,680 –> 00:32:23,480
thou art a stranger which God
gave unto Abraham.

439
00:32:26,280 –> 00:32:29,120
So we mentioned, didn’t we in in
chapter 28 when we were were

440
00:32:29,120 –> 00:32:31,680
referring to this that this
blessing is altogether

441
00:32:32,040 –> 00:32:33,840
different.
This is an Abrahamic blessing,

442
00:32:33,840 –> 00:32:37,920
isn’t it?
It’s got land, it’s got a name,

443
00:32:39,040 –> 00:32:43,760
it’s got a seed and it’s got a
nation, all the things that we

444
00:32:43,760 –> 00:32:47,760
would expect of an Abrahamic
promise patterned off Genesis

445
00:32:48,000 –> 00:32:52,600
chapter 12.
So it’s fascinating, isn’t it?

446
00:32:54,280 –> 00:33:04,000
Before Jacob leaves his father’s
house, Isaac gives the blessing,

447
00:33:05,120 –> 00:33:11,120
the Abrahamic blessing to him.
And in this Abrahamic blessing,

448
00:33:11,800 –> 00:33:19,400
Isaac was declaring that this is
the son, this is the chosen son

449
00:33:20,120 –> 00:33:23,040
that would continue the
covenant.

450
00:33:23,840 –> 00:33:29,280
It would be through this lad’s
line that Messiah would come.

451
00:33:30,840 –> 00:33:33,840
That’s what the statement was
making.

452
00:33:36,520 –> 00:33:39,480
And as we made that comparison
between those two blessings, and

453
00:33:39,480 –> 00:33:41,680
now Jacob’s got these two
blessings, one that he’s stolen

454
00:33:41,680 –> 00:33:44,160
from his brother, and the other
one which was the Abrahamic

455
00:33:44,160 –> 00:33:57,400
blessing, it is clear that Isaac
never ever intended to give the

456
00:33:57,440 –> 00:34:06,080
Abraham blessing to easel.
He never ever intended to give

457
00:34:06,080 –> 00:34:11,920
that blessing to easel.
Now remember that Isaac was

458
00:34:11,920 –> 00:34:15,400
almost blind.
Jacob pretends to be the the

459
00:34:15,400 –> 00:34:19,400
face of easel.
Remember how he lies there in

460
00:34:19,400 –> 00:34:23,560
verse 19 of chapter 27.
I am Esau, thy first born.

461
00:34:23,760 –> 00:34:29,600
It wasn’t the blessing that
Jacob was supposed to receive.

462
00:34:30,679 –> 00:34:36,600
This blessing was for Esau and
the Abrahamic blessing was for

463
00:34:36,600 –> 00:34:39,120
Jacob.
Now suddenly everything now

464
00:34:39,120 –> 00:34:42,400
makes sense.
Remember I mentioned that it was

465
00:34:42,400 –> 00:34:47,080
an unusual thing that Jacob,
that Isaac doesn’t mention the

466
00:34:47,080 –> 00:34:56,400
covenant name of God, that, that
Isaac tells Esau to go out and

467
00:34:56,400 –> 00:35:04,200
get venison, Not a lamb, not a
bull, not an ox, not a goat, not

468
00:35:04,200 –> 00:35:07,040
a sacrificial animal.
And we’ve already seen in

469
00:35:07,040 –> 00:35:10,440
Leviticus 17 that there was a
careful stipulation regarding

470
00:35:10,440 –> 00:35:14,640
the, the, the, the, the
sacrifice of game meat, that the

471
00:35:14,640 –> 00:35:17,400
blood had to be poured upon the
altar and then covered in dust.

472
00:35:17,680 –> 00:35:21,800
All these details are emitted
not because Isaac was

473
00:35:21,800 –> 00:35:26,160
spiritually blind, because he
never ever intended to give the

474
00:35:26,160 –> 00:35:32,240
Abrahamic covenant to Esau.
You see that brothers and

475
00:35:32,240 –> 00:35:36,400
sisters and so otherwise in, in,
in other, in other words,

476
00:35:36,400 –> 00:35:40,480
although his eyes were dim, he
was he was seeing brightly

477
00:35:40,480 –> 00:35:43,520
spiritually.
It was Rebecca.

478
00:35:44,360 –> 00:35:48,280
It was Rebecca that didn’t
understand the situation.

479
00:35:49,080 –> 00:35:52,880
It was Rebecca that went to
Jacob, said go and get the goat.

480
00:35:53,120 –> 00:35:57,280
It was Rebecca who got the
garment of the high priest, the

481
00:35:57,280 –> 00:35:59,840
responsibility of the first born
within the home.

482
00:36:00,440 –> 00:36:04,440
It was the brekka that three
times said to Jacob, obey my

483
00:36:04,440 –> 00:36:07,320
voice.
And it was all motivated

484
00:36:07,320 –> 00:36:09,320
genuinely because she’d had that
vision.

485
00:36:09,440 –> 00:36:11,400
The elder just served the
younger.

486
00:36:11,560 –> 00:36:13,840
She’d taken things into her own
hands.

487
00:36:14,680 –> 00:36:17,120
It was a complete
misunderstanding in family life.

488
00:36:17,200 –> 00:36:19,240
How often does that happen,
brothers and sisters?

489
00:36:19,560 –> 00:36:22,840
But Isaac, he knew exactly what
he was doing.

490
00:36:23,080 –> 00:36:28,920
This was a son who he loved,
Esau, But he was never, ever

491
00:36:29,000 –> 00:36:38,160
going to give the blessing of
Abraham and Isaac to this lad.

492
00:36:40,240 –> 00:36:46,760
Isaac knew that Esau, although
he loved him, was undeserving.

493
00:36:51,240 –> 00:36:57,680
And so the situation for Isaac
was by Jacob having the two one

494
00:36:57,680 –> 00:37:01,040
that he shouldn’t have had.
He had one son with zero and

495
00:37:01,160 –> 00:37:06,400
another with two, and suddenly
you have a predator and a prey.

496
00:37:07,560 –> 00:37:12,920
You have Esau the cunning
hunter, and Jacob now is off as

497
00:37:12,920 –> 00:37:22,960
a prey and Isaac knew how good
Esau was as a hunter and unless

498
00:37:23,240 –> 00:37:30,760
God intervened in Jacob’s life,
Jacob was dead.

499
00:37:33,760 –> 00:37:36,560
And that’s why Isaac is in
Hebrews 11.

500
00:37:37,720 –> 00:37:42,320
He places like Abraham finds
himself in Hebrews 11.

501
00:37:43,480 –> 00:37:52,320
He hands his son over Jacob into
the loving arms of his God and

502
00:37:52,320 –> 00:37:58,760
he trusts his son with him
because he knows that Esau will

503
00:37:58,760 –> 00:38:01,960
kill him.
And the reason why, brothers and

504
00:38:01,960 –> 00:38:08,560
sisters, Isaac shook from head
to toe, because in that decision

505
00:38:08,560 –> 00:38:16,120
that he made, placing his trust
in God, if Jacob died, the

506
00:38:16,120 –> 00:38:19,080
promised seed would be wiped.
Out.

507
00:38:21,080 –> 00:38:25,640
But why was Abraham placed in
Hebrews 11 when he offered his

508
00:38:25,640 –> 00:38:28,640
son?
It tells us because he believed

509
00:38:29,040 –> 00:38:32,120
that Isaac would be raised
again.

510
00:38:32,120 –> 00:38:35,640
And that became a pattern for
all believers.

511
00:38:35,800 –> 00:38:37,720
Now that’s a very important
detail.

512
00:38:39,160 –> 00:38:44,360
Abraham believed that Isaac
would be raised and that became

513
00:38:44,520 –> 00:38:49,040
a pattern for all believers.
And now Isaac takes the belief

514
00:38:49,360 –> 00:38:54,880
of his father and he now looks
to Jacob and that becomes a

515
00:38:54,880 –> 00:38:58,520
pattern for him.
He believes that something, if

516
00:38:58,520 –> 00:39:01,920
something happens to Jacob, then
God would raise him again.

517
00:39:05,200 –> 00:39:07,160
Really beautiful brothers and
sisters.

518
00:39:10,800 –> 00:39:13,000
So then.
What was Isaac intending to?

519
00:39:13,000 –> 00:39:16,880
Do he was intending to give
Esau.

520
00:39:19,120 –> 00:39:24,080
The natural double.
Portion the natural status of

521
00:39:24,080 –> 00:39:30,480
the first born.
The good things, but the

522
00:39:30,480 –> 00:39:35,560
spiritual blessing.
Was always going to Jacob.

523
00:39:37,240 –> 00:39:39,440
Now now just thinking about.
That, for a moment, is that an

524
00:39:39,440 –> 00:39:44,240
unusual thing of splitting the
blessing and the double portion?

525
00:39:45,440 –> 00:39:47,600
Well, it was going to happen
later in Jacob’s life, wasn’t

526
00:39:47,600 –> 00:39:50,200
it?
Think about the end of his days.

527
00:39:52,720 –> 00:40:00,800
He gives Judah, he gives Judah
the Abrahamic blessing, and he

528
00:40:00,800 –> 00:40:06,360
gives Joseph the double portion.
The splitting of the two

529
00:40:07,920 –> 00:40:11,320
learning from this.
Experience of his father.

530
00:40:13,520 –> 00:40:18,400
And so, brothers and sisters.
Then let’s just think, just for

531
00:40:18,400 –> 00:40:30,680
a moment, 20 years later, I
believe Jacob had two blessings,

532
00:40:31,640 –> 00:40:32,920
and I believe what?
We’re going to see.

533
00:40:32,920 –> 00:40:37,920
Now is that he gives 1 back.
He understands.

534
00:40:38,680 –> 00:40:42,000
I have all things and he gives.
One back look at this.

535
00:40:42,000 –> 00:40:45,960
Then you can see that the
references on the screen, or you

536
00:40:45,960 –> 00:40:50,720
can just keep a hand in Genesis
Chapter 27 and Chapter 32, but

537
00:40:50,720 –> 00:40:53,080
just look at the correlation of
what’s going on.

538
00:40:53,080 –> 00:40:55,480
Remember, I’ve already said that
this was carefully

539
00:40:55,480 –> 00:40:58,160
choreographed.
This was a a master class in

540
00:40:58,160 –> 00:40:59,960
humility.
Look look at this if you’ve not

541
00:40:59,960 –> 00:41:04,080
noticed this before.
So think about the two.

542
00:41:04,080 –> 00:41:10,160
Parts of the blessing here that
that Jacob wrongly took from

543
00:41:10,240 –> 00:41:13,160
Esau.
So the first thing then.

544
00:41:13,160 –> 00:41:19,160
He sends back herds and flock as
a present to Esau the the 580

545
00:41:19,160 –> 00:41:22,800
animals there in chapter 32,
verses 14 and 16.

546
00:41:23,000 –> 00:41:26,800
And the first part of the
blessing that he wrongly took

547
00:41:27,080 –> 00:41:31,120
went with the words The Jew of
heaven and the fatness of the

548
00:41:31,160 –> 00:41:34,280
earth and plenty of corn and
wine.

549
00:41:34,440 –> 00:41:38,360
I believe then the 580 animals
symbolize this.

550
00:41:38,760 –> 00:41:41,840
It was giving back of the first
born natural status.

551
00:41:42,000 –> 00:41:44,320
This is what I believe Jacob was
doing.

552
00:41:44,440 –> 00:41:47,000
He’d learned something from the
wrestling with the Angel.

553
00:41:49,480 –> 00:41:53,520
Look at the the second thing.
Remember how he bows down 7

554
00:41:53,520 –> 00:41:58,480
times and he calls himself
Esau’s servant and he refers to

555
00:41:58,480 –> 00:42:02,640
Esau as my Lord.
And you see there in verse in,

556
00:42:02,640 –> 00:42:07,280
in verse 29 of chapter 27 that
the second part of the blessing

557
00:42:07,280 –> 00:42:11,680
was this, Let people serve thee
and nations bow down to thee.

558
00:42:11,760 –> 00:42:15,920
Be Lord over thy brethren.
Notice and let thy mother sons

559
00:42:15,920 –> 00:42:19,800
bow down to thee.
Jacob had amassed wealth in

560
00:42:19,800 –> 00:42:22,360
Laban’s house.
And he gazes at everything that

561
00:42:22,360 –> 00:42:24,800
he has, and he commits
everything to Esau.

562
00:42:25,040 –> 00:42:30,040
And he says, it’s yours.
I’ve been blessed by an Angel.

563
00:42:31,960 –> 00:42:35,920
And Jacob for the 1st.
Time in his life he felt

564
00:42:35,920 –> 00:42:39,920
complete.
He was able to say I have

565
00:42:40,360 –> 00:42:43,160
everything.
He no longer crave riches or

566
00:42:43,160 –> 00:42:49,880
might I have seen God’s face and
suddenly everything makes sense.

567
00:42:50,480 –> 00:42:54,400
Everything now has fallen into
place.

568
00:42:58,200 –> 00:42:59,440
We can think of these words of
the.

569
00:42:59,440 –> 00:43:03,840
Apostle Poor set your affection
on things above, not on things

570
00:43:04,080 –> 00:43:07,680
on earth.
And this is the destination.

571
00:43:07,680 –> 00:43:12,040
Now that Jacob has arrived at
this is what he understood.

572
00:43:13,120 –> 00:43:16,000
The penny had dropped.
He had.

573
00:43:16,000 –> 00:43:20,440
Learnt there’s a lovely
reversal.

574
00:43:20,440 –> 00:43:25,640
Here, if we reflect for a moment
on the name Jacob, a heel

575
00:43:25,640 –> 00:43:30,600
catcher, it does give the idea
of striving, struggling,

576
00:43:30,920 –> 00:43:34,320
wrestling, and if.
We think about the name.

577
00:43:34,320 –> 00:43:37,760
Israel we looked at yesterday
means striving with God again.

578
00:43:37,760 –> 00:43:40,680
It’s the idea of struggling and
striving.

579
00:43:41,600 –> 00:43:46,040
So in many ways, although they
are different names and we see a

580
00:43:46,160 –> 00:43:49,480
a spiritual progression, they’re
also similar in a way.

581
00:43:49,960 –> 00:43:52,400
At the heart of it, it is about
struggling.

582
00:43:53,320 –> 00:43:57,000
But struggling with who
struggling.

583
00:43:57,000 –> 00:44:00,800
With you, who is the?
Question so so that first name,

584
00:44:00,800 –> 00:44:04,960
then Jacob.
What Jacob had to learn.

585
00:44:04,960 –> 00:44:08,800
And what he had learned.
Is that what he?

586
00:44:08,800 –> 00:44:12,160
Needed to do was to.
Struggle.

587
00:44:12,560 –> 00:44:19,800
With God, not with easel and by.
Struggling and.

588
00:44:19,800 –> 00:44:25,960
Wrestling with God, he could be
strengthened and prevail against

589
00:44:25,960 –> 00:44:31,040
his enemies like Esau.
Remember what we.

590
00:44:31,040 –> 00:44:34,200
Talked about that father and son
relationship that’s the meaning

591
00:44:34,200 –> 00:44:39,000
of the name Israel our father
strengthens his son or his

592
00:44:39,000 –> 00:44:44,040
daughter so that thus son and
daughter is is ready to take on

593
00:44:44,920 –> 00:44:49,240
the big challenges in life and
we saw.

594
00:44:49,240 –> 00:44:53,240
Also that.
The Jacob was all about seeing

595
00:44:53,240 –> 00:44:56,160
the face of Esau.
And now?

596
00:44:56,160 –> 00:45:01,360
We see in chapter. 33 that
everywhere he looks he sees the

597
00:45:01,360 –> 00:45:09,920
face of God.
In the past Jacob was holding on

598
00:45:09,920 –> 00:45:15,760
the heel of Esau, and in the
future now he was to learn to

599
00:45:15,760 –> 00:45:20,360
hold on to God.
And to hold on to.

600
00:45:20,360 –> 00:45:24,040
God.
You have to let.

601
00:45:24,040 –> 00:45:30,440
Go of the heel, don’t you?
A simple statement.

602
00:45:31,560 –> 00:45:32,840
Think about your.
Own life.

603
00:45:34,240 –> 00:45:38,760
To hold on to God you.
Have to let go of the heel.

604
00:45:39,800 –> 00:45:45,760
But the wonderful thing is, when
we hold on to God, He is never

605
00:45:46,160 –> 00:45:51,160
going to let go.
And so, brothers and sisters.

606
00:45:51,520 –> 00:45:56,200
Jacob emerge complete.
He had the face.

607
00:45:56,200 –> 00:46:04,960
Of God on his mind, and he sees
the hand of Providence and.

608
00:46:04,960 –> 00:46:09,000
There’s going to come a.
Point in time when the Lord

609
00:46:09,000 –> 00:46:13,040
Jesus Christ is returned, and by
God’s good grace we’re in the

610
00:46:13,040 –> 00:46:16,360
Kingdom.
We’re in the Kingdom by God’s

611
00:46:16,360 –> 00:46:21,520
good grace, and we’re going to
look back upon our lives and

612
00:46:21,520 –> 00:46:25,720
suddenly in that moment of
clarity, everything will be

613
00:46:25,720 –> 00:46:28,800
understood.
We will comprehend every single

614
00:46:28,800 –> 00:46:34,560
moment that we have gone through
in this journey of life and.

615
00:46:34,560 –> 00:46:37,600
In that moment, brothers, and.
Sisters, our perfect clarity

616
00:46:37,600 –> 00:46:40,320
with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we look back upon our lives,

617
00:46:40,440 –> 00:46:43,680
we’re going to see the moments
in our lives when we were

618
00:46:43,680 –> 00:46:46,960
broken, when we were at the
lowest point of our lives, when

619
00:46:46,960 –> 00:46:49,440
we felt we couldn’t go any
further at all.

620
00:46:51,880 –> 00:46:55,120
When we felt we couldn’t go.
Any further at all?

621
00:46:56,760 –> 00:46:58,240
And we’re going to see in that
moment.

622
00:46:58,240 –> 00:47:04,400
Of clarity that that was the
moment we wrestled with God.

623
00:47:07,080 –> 00:47:12,840
That was the moment that we
wrestled with God, and that was

624
00:47:12,840 –> 00:47:20,400
the moment that we held on.
We held on for our dear lives.

625
00:47:20,440 –> 00:47:25,160
And it was in that moment of
endurance that we were

626
00:47:25,160 –> 00:47:29,200
transformed.
And brothers and sisters.

627
00:47:29,400 –> 00:47:32,800
The only weapons that we have in
this life, as we’ve seen in the

628
00:47:32,800 –> 00:47:36,640
life of Jacob, are tears and
prayers.

629
00:47:37,960 –> 00:47:38,720
That’s.
All.

630
00:47:38,720 –> 00:47:43,760
We’ve got all we’ve got as we
go.

631
00:47:43,760 –> 00:47:46,360
Through this life as we.
Make our way to the Kingdom

632
00:47:46,760 –> 00:47:54,320
tears and prayers.
But through these trials,

633
00:47:54,960 –> 00:47:59,160
through these moments of
despair, through these moments

634
00:47:59,160 –> 00:48:10,160
of brokenness, a new identity
will emerge, a person holding a

635
00:48:10,160 –> 00:48:18,800
new name, the name of Israel.
And it is then.

636
00:48:19,320 –> 00:48:25,720
Brothers and sisters, that we
will receive that gift from God

637
00:48:26,320 –> 00:48:31,160
through the Lord Jesus Christ,
which will complete our true

638
00:48:32,000 –> 00:48:37,720
transformation.
As we sit here and.

639
00:48:37,720 –> 00:48:44,880
We marvel at the life of Jacob.
Think about your own life.

640
00:48:45,480 –> 00:48:52,120
And how your life is following
in the footsteps of that man we.

641
00:48:52,120 –> 00:48:53,920
Have our peaks and our.
Valleys.

642
00:48:55,280 –> 00:49:00,800
We have our feasts.
And our famines, just like Jacob

643
00:49:02,760 –> 00:49:04,280
and.
Let’s just do one thing.

644
00:49:04,280 –> 00:49:08,120
That he did.
Let’s just do one.

645
00:49:08,320 –> 00:49:13,600
Thing that he did.
Let’s hold on to our.

646
00:49:13,600 –> 00:49:22,520
Lord, with all our might and say
within our hearts, Lord bless

647
00:49:22,960 –> 00:49:23,320
me.