THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
Genesis (Chapters 25-27)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Kevin Pendergrass.
Welcome to the Gospel of Christ. This is the third lesson on our study of the Book of Genesis. In today’s lesson we will be studying Jacob and Esau so that we can learn from their examples—especially their bad examples. We must not only look at the positive examples of people and follow them, but we also must look at the negative in order to know what we should not do. In Romans 15:4 Paul taught that the Old Testament was “for our learning.” There are everlasting principles that we can find in the Old Testament, and that we can apply to our lives today as we live under the New Testament.
Who were Jacob and Esau? And where did they come from? In Genesis 25:20 the Bible says that Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. Verse 21 says, “Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Here we learn that Isaac and Rebekah wanted children. Isaac pleaded with God, Who allowed them to have children. Verse 22 says that “the children struggled together within her, and she said, ‘If all is well, why am I like this?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord.” The children growing in her womb were struggling and fighting with one another. Rebekah wondered what this meant, so she asked the Lord. Verses 23 and 24 state,
“The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.’ So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.”
Two nations would come from Jacob and Esau, and they would fight their entire lives. We see throughout history that those nations did indeed fight with one another. In verses 25 through 28 we are told,
“And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”
Esau was a hunter, while Jacob was more mild mannered. Here we see the origin of Jacob and Esau. We also learn that Isaac loved Esau, while Rebekah loved Jacob. This favoritism will play a part later in this lesson as we continue to read.
Now let’s look at the bad examples set by Jacob and Esau. We will begin with Esau. In verse 29 the Bible says, “Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.” Esau had been in the field all day hunting. When he came home he was tired and weary. Verse 30 says,
“Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’” Before we go any farther, I want us to talk about the importance of the birthright, and what it meant to be the firstborn male child with his advantages. There were both physical and spiritual advantages to the birthright. In Deuteronomy 21:17 the Bible says, “He shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.” Here we learn that the son who had the birthright received a double portion of the father’s inheritance. This was the physical advantage. But there also was a spiritual advantage. The son who held the birthright would be the chief of the family and heir of the promised blessing (Gen. 28:4). In other words, the son with the birthright was the one who could invoke the three-fold promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. These are the issues that were at stake regarding Esau’s birthright. This was not something that was insignificant, but was something of great importance that Jacob was requesting of his brother. Verses 33 and 34 state, “Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’ Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Esau’s mentality was that since he apparently was going to die anyway from hunger, what good would the birthright be to him? But was Esau really going to die if he missed that one meal? We often say, “I’m starving to death.” When was the last time we ate? It probably was three hours ago. So we’re not actually “starving.” Yes, we might be hungry, and our stomach might be growling. But we are not literally starving to death. How do we know that Esau would not have died if he had missed a single meal? In Hebrews 12:16 the writer says, “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Esau was called “profane” because he sold his birthright for a single morsel of food! Esau did not consider the value of what he was giving up. Rather, he considered only the way he felt at that moment in time as he desired food to stave off his hunger. Esau chose the physical over the spiritual. He chose the “here and now” instead of considering the value of what he had and what he was giving up.
Here is where we find an important principle for us today. In Matthew 16:26 the Bible asks, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” If a person has everything in this life, but loses his soul, what has he profited? The text goes on to ask, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” What are you willing to give in exchange for your soul? Have you sat down and counted the value of your soul? In America, most of us have insurance on our houses, cars, and other things. Why do we have those things insured? We have them insured because we do not want anything to happen to them. If a fire or tornado were to hit, we want insurance to protect the things we own. We realize the value of those things. But what about the value of our souls? Have we sat down and considered the value of our souls? Are you insuring your soul? Or, are you, like Esau, going to trade your soul for the first thing that comes your way? In Luke 14:28 Jesus taught that we must count the cost: “Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?” We need to count the cost to be sure that we are willing to make a commitment to the Lord, follow Him, and be obedient to him (Heb. 5:8-9). If we have done that, then we must follow the Lord. However, if we are unwilling to do that, then we must not say to Him, “Lord, Lord” (Lk. 6:46). Your soul is worth anything else in this world. You can literally have everything, but if you lose your soul, then what have you profited? Absolutely nothing! In 2 Timothy 4:10 we read of Demas, who had traveled as a companion with Paul. Demas had once served the Lord, but Paul said that he “forsook me, having loved this present world.” Demas traded his soul for this present world. Was it worth it? At the time he might have felt like it was. But it was not. Esau chose the present over the future. And what a bad bargain that was. I had a friend who told me a story once about his daughter. She was 2 or 3 three years. He had a candy bar. He told her, “I can give you this candy bar now, or I will buy you a brand new car when you turn 16.” He said that he really intended to do that, and even recorded his statement to his daughter. What do you think she chose? Did she say, “When I’m 16, I want that car”? Of course not—because she wanted the candy bar. We, many times, are like her. We want the “here and now.” But sometimes we end up trading our souls for that. What a bad bargain that is. Let’s learn from this lesson.
Let’s also look at another practical lesson. Esau’s birthright belonged to him. But he gave it up. As Christians, we have a spiritual inheritance. We are heirs according to the promise made to Abraham (Gal. 3:29). We are “joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17). We are able to call God our Father. But we can give up that inheritance. When we are born again, we have our sins washed away (Rom. 6:3-4; Jn. 3:3,5). We have the promise of eternal life. But we can trade away that promise. We can fall from grace (Gal. 5:4). In 1 Corinthians 10:12 the Bible says, “You who think you stand, take heed lest you fall.” We can give up our inheritance and birthright. We need to make sure that we do not do that because we are making a bad bargain if we do. In Mark 10:17-22 we read of Jesus walking along a road. A rich young ruler came to Jesus to ask, “Lord, what must I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him that he needed to keep the commandments. The rich young ruler said that he had kept those commandments since his youth. The text goes on to say, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’” Mark 10:22 is one of the saddest verses in the Bible: “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” The ruler wanted to follow the Lord, but he was not willing to do what it took to make such a choice. He gave his soul to Satan so that he could enjoy his riches. How sad that is. You will always go away sorrowful if you trade your soul for anything in this life. Thus, let us learn from the bad bargain that Esau made, and from the bad example that he set.
Now let’s look at the bad example set by Rebekah and Jacob. Rebekah had a lot of influence on Jacob. She really loved him, and he was always her favorite. This played a big part in what we’re about to read. In Genesis 27:1-4 we read,
“Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, ‘My son.’ And he answered him, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.’”
Esau was about to be blessed by his father. But we learn as we continue reading in verse 5, “Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.” Rebekah was spying, and heard what Isaac told Esau. So what does she do? She did not want Esau to receive the blessing because she did not love Esau as much as she did Jacob. She wants Jacob to receive the blessing. The Bible tells us what she did next:
“Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, ‘Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, “Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.” Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you’” (Gen. 25:6-8).
Rebekah had been deceitful, and had shown favoritism when she should not have. When we speak of favoritism, we are not saying that a person cannot have friends who are closer to you than certain others. Even Jesus had the twelve apostles. Rather, we are talking about favoritism that can lead you to the point of sinning. In Acts 10:34 the Bible teaches us that God shows no favoritism: “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” We have a heavenly Father Who shows no partiality. Romans 2:11 teaches us that we are not to show partiality either. But Rebekah was doing exactly that. In James 2:9 the Bible says, “But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” In James 2:1 the Bible says, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” We must not exhibit a sinful type of favoritism because it will lead to more sin. In fact, this very thing led to Rebekah taking over. In Genesis 27:9 we read her statements to Jacob:
“Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.’”
Rebekah was not submitting to Isaac as the head of their household. She did not submit to her husband as the Bible teaches wives that they must do. In Ephesians 5:22-24 the Bible says,
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”
Rebekah went behind Isaac’s back, and talked to Jacob to encourage him to do what was wrong. In 1 Corinthians 11:3 the Bible says, “I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” This is the way that God has set up things. When we violate this principle, only bad can result. Rebekah was not submitting. And because of that, only bad resulted.
The next point I want us to see is how Rebekah said that she would take the blame for Jacob’s sin. In Genesis 27:11-13 we read,
“Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.’ But his mother said to him, ‘Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.’"
Rebekah said that she would take whatever blame came. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we are told that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” We cannot have the mentality that we can sin, and then blame it on someone else. Nor can we convince someone else to sin, yet tell them that we will take the blame for their actions. That is a lie. In Revelation 20:11-15 the Bible teaches that we will be judged according to our works and our sins. All accountable people will be judged for their actions.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
We will be judged according to our works. So what happened in the matter between Jacob and Esau? Jacob ended up doing what his mother convinced him to do. He lied, and he followed her bad influence. In Genesis 27:14-17 we read,
“And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.”
Even though Rebekah pushed Jacob to do this, Jacob still was the one who did it. He couldn’t say, “I’m just a victim because it was my mom who told me to do this.” He listened to his mother, and he decided to do what she said, even though he knew it was wrong. In verses 18-20 we read,
“So he went to his father and said, ‘My father.’ And he said, ‘Here I am. Who are you, my son? Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.’ But Isaac said to his son, ‘How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?’ And he said, ‘Because the Lord your God brought it to me.’”
Not only did Jacob lie, but he also said, “…the Lord your God brought it to me.” Think about the terrible influence that Rebekah had on her son Jacob. However, it still was up to Jacob to do the right thing or the wrong thing—and at this point in time he chose to do the wrong thing. We cannot lie or deceive in any way. Revelation 21:8 teaches us that liars will burn in Hell for eternity. How sad that is. There is no difference between a “white lie” and a “big lie.” A lie is a lie. An untruth is an untruth. In 1 Corinthians 15:33 Paul said, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” Sometimes those “evil companions” might even be in our own families. They might be a mother or father. But we are not to follow the bad example of Jacob. We must not listen to our mother just because she is our mother. We must not allow anyone, including our parents, convince us to do that which is wrong. Jacob did. We need to learn from his bad example.
What lessons can we learn from these bad examples? First, we must always count the cost of what we do. Esau did not count the cost. All he was interested in was the here and now. We cannot have that mentality. We must sit down and count the cost. If we are willing to do the right thing, we better do it. If we are not, we should not be lukewarm, but should count the cost and make a choice. However, if we choose the wrong thing, we need to realize that this will be the only “Heaven” we ever experience because we will not inhabit Heaven for eternity.
Second, we should not choose the physical over the spiritual. It might make us happy for a short time, as sin sometimes does. If sin was something we were never tempted to do, then it wouldn’t be sin. When it comes to sin, even though it promises a little bit of pleasure, it can never deliver all that it promises. Sin is “here today, and gone tomorrow.” We must never choose the physical over the spiritual.
Third, we must not make hasty decisions. That was one of Esau’s problems. He made a hasty decision. He did not sit down and think about what would be the best decision he could make. Rather, he made a hasty decision. When we make hasty decisions, we oftentimes end up with a lot of regret.
Fourth, we are accountable for our own sins, not someone else’s sins. We also cannot pass off our sins to others.
Fifth, evil companions corrupt good habits, even in our own families. You might say, “My mother told me I’m right.” Jacob’s mother told him that everything he was doing was OK, and that she would take the blame if he just did what she told him to do. We cannot do that. We must listen to our Father in Heaven through the Word of God.
Are you a Christian? Have you learned anything in this lesson about the bad examples so that we can make sure that we do not follow such examples, but that we do the right thing? This is what the Bible teaches that a person must do to be saved. You must hear God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In John 8:24 Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” You must repent of your sins. Acts 17:30 says, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” You must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom. 10:10. And you must be baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 22:16). If you have yet to obey the truth, we pray today that you will obey the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
607 McLish Ave.
Ardmore, OK 73401
You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the web at www.thegospelofchrist.com. We encourage you to attend the church of Christ, where “the Bible is loved and the Gospel is preached.”
1. According to the apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 15:4, what is one good reason for Christians to study the Old Testament?
2. In Genesis 25:19-20 we learn of two people who played an important part in the initial beginnings of the Israelite nation. Who were they?
3. According to Genesis 25:25-26, the people mentioned in question #2 above had twin sons. What were the names of those boys?
4. According to Genesis 25:28, the parents of the two boys mentioned in question #3 above made a serious mistake during the boys’ upbringing. What was that mistake?
5. According to Genesis 25:29-34, what important event took place in the lives of the two boys mentioned in question #3 above?
6. According to Deuteronomy 21:17, what was the significance of a firstborn son’s birthright?
7. In Hebrews 12:16 the writer refers to one of the boys mentioned in question #3 above as being “profane.” Why was he labeled as such?
8. What important spiritual principle did Jesus teach in Luke 14:28 that applies to us even today?
9. This lesson mentions a man by the name of Demas (2 Tim. 4:10). What did Demas do that caused him to be called by name in Scripture?
11. How do Galatians 3:29 and Romans 8:16-17 describe Christians?
12. In Mark 10:17-22 we read of a rich young ruler who came to Jesus. Why did that young man leave Christ’s presence in a sorrowful condition?
13. According to Genesis 27:1-8, what scheme did a wife and her son plan and execute against the wife’s husband the boy’s father?
14. In Genesis 27:13 the mother (mentioned in question #13 above) said to her son, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice.” According to 2 Corinthians 5:10, what was wrong with that statement?
15. According to Revelation 20:12, how will we all be judged on the Day of Judgment?
16. What untrue statement did one of the characters mentioned in this study make in Genesis 27:20 that actually implied God’s help in carrying out a deceitful action?
17. What important spiritual principle is found in 1 Corinthians 15:33?
18. What does Revelation 21:8 have to say about the eternal fate of liars?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 607 McLish Ave., Ardmore, OK 73401; (580) 223-3289; www.thegospelofchrist.com