February 26,2008      

 

 

Genesis Chapter 27

 

 A Picture of God’s Permissive Will

 

To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the passage.

For previous lessons on Genesis or previous Bible studies, please visit our archives:     http://www.twosmallfish.org/Archives/index.html

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 Prayer:

            Father, deception surrounds me and there is no place to hide other than the Rock of my Salvation. I place my identity and all that I am in Your safekeeping for all eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

    Introduction:

           

            When Melinda was a teen, she and I played a role-reversal game. For the entire day, she took on the role of being the mom, and I became the daughter. The object was to help us understand the other’s point of view, but I think we learned more about ourselves. It taught us to value who we were and to guard other’s identity in the process. Nothing is more important than understanding the characteristics, which form our identity.

            Back in the seventies, everyone talked about their “identity crisis.” Retreats and conferences geared to help you “find yourself” sprang up like poppies across the nation. Without Christ, those poor lost souls are still wandering aimlessly in search of themselves.

            Today’s society is experiencing a new meaning to the term “identity crisis.” How many times a day do we hear the word “identity theft?” We are living in perilous times in which we can be vandalized without leaving our homes and without anyone entering them. Never before has it been possible to be financially destroyed without our knowledge as it is currently.

            When someone refers to our vital numbers, we don’t know if they mean our heart rate and blood pressure or our social security and bank account numbers. The media has publicized identity theft so efficiently that people are eager to have a computer chip injected into their right hand or forehead. Are we ready for the tribulation period? 

 

         The Lesson:

 

            Identity theft is not a new concept. The first recorded ID theft appears in Genesis chapter 27. Undoubtedly, Rebekah told Isaac as well as her favored son, Jacob, about the LORD’s word to her during her pregnancy—And the LORD 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 (Genesis 25:23). Like her mother-in-law, Rebekah had difficulty in trusting God to work out His plan.

            As was the cultural tradition, Isaac planned to ignore God’s election and to bless the elder son, Esau, proclaiming him heir to the family fortune as well as the bearer of the covenant promise made between God and Abraham.

            After Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing, it was irrevocable. In those days, people understood the power and importance of the spoken word. A blessing, a curse, constructive criticism, and destructive gossip can all produce extraordinary results when spoken in faith.

            Although Jacob acted outside the perfect will of God, the LORD honored Isaac’s prayer because He had already chosen Jacob to be the heir of the covenant. This is a clear example of God’s permissive will. While we cannot understand the mysteries of God’s election, we can see God’s providence at work in our lives as opposed to human planning and strategy.

            On the other hand, we also observe God’s chastisement on Jacob. He didn’t sail right into the position of head of the house. Not by a long shot! In stealing the birthright and the final legal blessing, Jacob caused a serious breach in his relationship with his father and his brother. Esau hated Jacob and threatened to kill him. As a result, Rebekah persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to her brother to find a wife. When the stakes are high, the cost is always higher. A popular cliché puts it this way: Sin will take you further than you ever intended to go and keep you longer than you ever intended to stay. And Jacob would soon live that reality. He had to leave his home, his inheritance, and his mother to escape his brother’s wrath. It was the last he saw his parents alive.

            God had some crucial life-lessons to teach Jacob along the way, before the deceptive man could become the father of God’s chosen nation, Israel. The first one taught him that you may be able to “pull the wool over the eyes” of people, but God cannot be fooled by identity theft.

           

 Conclusion and Challenge:

           

            For nearly 2000 years, Jesus Christ has been under the scrutiny of spiritual identity thieves. They have attempted to become the Lord and have succeeded in the dimmed eyes of many religious fanatics.

            But we have a reliable “identity detector” in the Bible. If the doctrine you are listening to does not line up with the Biblical Jesus, it is an imposter. If they claim that Jesus is a “spirit guide,” they are not talking about the Biblical Jesus. If they are telling you that Jesus of Nazareth died to elevate himself to a higher “spiritual plateau,” they are speaking of another Jesus. If they preach about God’s love, mercy, and grace, but never mention His distain and judgment on sin, don’t listen. They’re not speaking the Truth. If they proclaim that tolerance is the key to peace, don’t walk—RUN! Jesus Christ is the only answer to peace.

            The Bible says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world (1 John 4:1-3).

            In these trying times, it is imperative that we learn discernment.

 

Start a Ministry

 

            Start a new ministry. Print some business cards with a picture of a penny and the slogan “In God We Trust.” Under the slogan write: But are we trusting the one true God? If you like, place my website on it or yours or your church’s site. Hand them out—with your tip a restaurants, to passers-by, to cashiers, put them in all your outgoing mail. Pray earnestly for our nation’s revival.

            If you don’t have a computer or time to make cards, but would like to invest in this ministry, write to me via e-mail and I’ll send you some-FREE.