(Genesis) Genesis 28:1-9
Isaac instructs Jacob to marry a woman from Laban's family and to multiply, while Esau's lack of spiritual perception leads him to make a decision that displeases his father.
In this sermon, the focus is on Isaac calling Jacob and blessing him. Isaac instructs Jacob not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, but instead to go to Padenarum and marry one of Laban's daughters. Isaac understands that the blessing of God is to be passed on to Jacob. Esau, on the other hand, marries daughters of Ishmael in an attempt to please his father, but this shows his lack of spiritual perception. The sermon also clarifies that Abraham was not a Jew or an Israelite, but the father of the Israelite line.
Full Transcript
And Isaac called Jacob, and I'm reading now at verse 1 again, and I'll read on from here. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padnerim, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from Thance, of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother.
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. And give thee the blessing of Abraham to thee, and to thy seed with thee, that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. Now, obviously, Isaac understands that the blessing that had been given of God was transferred to him, and now he understands it's to be passed on to his son Jacob.
Verse 5, And Isaac sent away Jacob, and he went to Padnerim unto Laban, son of Bethuel, the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. When you ask the nationality of these people, you have to say they're Syrians. That's what they're called here in Scripture.
Now, you could say that actually of Abraham, that he was a Syrian. That is the way that you could designate him. Sometimes the question is asked, was Abraham a Jew? Was he an Israelite? No, he was not.
He was not an Israelite until we come to Israel, until you come to Jacob, not until you see his 12 sons. The line came from Abraham, but Abraham is the father. But you're not going to call Abraham a Midianite, I hope, and yet he's the father of the Midianites also.
Now, Isaac sends Jacob away, though, and he's to make this trip. Now notice verse 6, "...when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padnerim to take him a wife from thence, and that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan, and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padnerim. And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father, then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Neba, Joth, to be his wife." And here Esau goes out and marries daughters of Ishmael.
He thinks that will please his father. You see what a lack of spiritual perception he had, that the Ishmaelites were as much rejected as any of the Philistines were rejected, or any of the Canaanites.
Sermon Outline
- Isaac's Instructions to Jacob
- The Purpose of Jacob's Journey
- Esau's Response to Isaac's Blessing
- Esau's lack of spiritual perception
- Esau's decision to marry a woman from Ishmael's family
Key Quotes
“He was not an Israelite until we come to Israel, until you come to Jacob, not until you see his 12 sons.” — J. Vernon McGee
“You see what a lack of spiritual perception he had, that the Ishmaelites were as much rejected as any of the Philistines were rejected, or any of the Canaanites.” — J. Vernon McGee
Application Points
- We should seek to understand God's will and instructions for our lives.
- Lack of spiritual perception can lead to poor decisions and consequences.
- We should strive to please God and follow His instructions, rather than trying to please others.