The Promises of God, Part III

Genesis 25:19-34

• Birthright - naturally belonged to the firstborn son; double portion of the father's inheritance; became the patriarch of the family; also, generally received the father's blessing (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

• Blessing - to invoke the blessings of God upon one's child(ren); "Blessing means more than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God's kingdom. Being 'blessed' by God means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward experience." (Life Application Study Bible)

• Being the firstborn son, Esau was the rightful heir to Isaac, entitled to all that the birthright entailed, including the promises that God had made to Isaac's father, Abraham.

• Esau showed contempt for his birthright by trading in everything that he would have been entitled to, simply to satisfy his momentary hunger.

• Do we do the same? Do we show contempt for our spiritual birthright? Do we carelessly or callously throw aside eternal gains for temporary carnal pleasures?

Genesis 27:1-40

• The Father's blessing was a shadow of the blessings that would be conferred through Christ (Matthew 5:3-12), who was the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham.
• Jacob meant "deceiver," yet, even in his deceitfulness, the promises and blessings were legally and irrevocably his, and could not be contested. How much more so are the promises and blessings that God has made to us, not attained by deceitful means, but freely extended?

• Are we much different from Jacob? "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? (Jeremiah 17:9)"; "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8)."

• Jacob eventually was renamed Israel. "And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. 17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root (Romans 11:16-18)."

Hebrews 12:14-17

• Don't be like Esau, choosing the pleasures of this world over the inheritance we are promised through Jesus Christ.

• Take the gift of your birthright and blessing in Christ seriously; like Jacob, let it change your very nature and character.

Romans 9:10-16

• These promises and blessings of God are not dependent on anything we do, but are completely based upon God's sovereignty, His kindness, and His love for us.
• We may often feel that we don't deserve these things; we must receive them, believe them, and live by them in faith.
• Satan offers instant gratification on credit (buy now, pay later). We must learn to practice delayed gratification. (Marshmallow test, psychologist Walter Mischel - two marshmallows, three control groups --taste & texture, clouds, pretzels -- "In other words, one of the most effective ways to distract ourselves from a tempting pleasure we don't want to indulge is by focusing on another pleasure." http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201207/the-power-delaying-gratification)

Colossians 1:11-12 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, [12] always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.