Jacob lived another seventeen years after he arrived in Egypt and died at the ripe old age of one hundred and forty-seven. Very venerable to the Egyptians. Before he died, he called all of his sons together to bless them. These blessings were not only expected but were important to the inheritance of the father’s wealth and authority. We will find as Jacob blesses his sons that, again, birth order does not count.
Tag: blessing
HEY! PAY ATTENTION!
Jesus told us to do it to the least of these. Who is that? Your neighbor. Your friend. Your hair stylist or barber. The person behind you at McDonald’s drive-through. The person behind you in line at the grocery store or even the cashier ringing up your groceries. What I am saying is be sensitive to the prodding of the Holy Spirit. You never know what God has in store for the person you reach out to or for yourself, for that matter.
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GOD GETS ANOTHER HELPING HAND
When Isaac told Esau that he was going to bless him, he asked Esau to hunt wild game and fix it form him the way he liked it. So, Esau followed Isaac’s request and went hunting. Rebekah had heard Isaac’s request. To me, it seems obvious that she knew what Jacob had done to Esau regarding Esau’s birthright. Jacob wanted that blessing and Jacob was going to get that blessing if she had anything to do with it. She told Jacob what they were going to do to ensure that Jacob was blessed as if he were the first born. He hesitated at first, fearful of being caught tricking his father. But Rebekah took on herself any consequences for the deception.
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WATCH WHAT YOU’RE GRABBING
The story of Jacob and Esau is one of a third generation on the road to creating the nation of Abraham’s descendants that was promised. It shows us how God works in spite of one’s life choices. Let’s face it, Jacob was a jerk. He took advantage of his brother’s hunger to steal his brother’s birthright as the eldest son. He tricked his father into giving him the blessing that should have been given to the first born, Esau. He had been so devious that he had to run for his life. The story of the relationship between Jacob and Esau reads almost like a soap opera. It is full jealousy, favoritism, greed, deception and hostility between brothers.
