The twisted tale of Jacob and Esau is a train wreck and seems more fit for a daytime talk show than Genesis. But here we are.
Genesis 28:3-4 recounts Isaac passing the covenant blessing to his youngest son, Jacob, “May the Sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation. May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.”
We went through details of the plot and deception earlier this week, but each of the people involved in this mess – Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob – had missteps along the way. God foretold that “the older will serve the younger” in Genesis 25:23 when Rebekah asked why the children struggled inside of her. Still, flesh and favoritism marked these lives: Isaac favored Esau, Rebekah favored Jacob, Esau despised his birthright, Isaac planned to pass his blessing to Esau, Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac to steal the blessing.
But, plot twist: God is sovereign. Always.
He used imperfect people (again) to accomplish what He had always planned to happen. We’ve seen recurring stories of God using faithful but imperfect people. God valued their faith over their perfection.
What else have we learned about God as we’ve moved through this study?
God is trustworthy. In reference to Abraham believing that God would give he and Sarah a son in their old age, Hebrews 11:11 says, “he [Abraham] regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.” (Some translations call God faithful instead of trustworthy in this verse.)
God can be trusted. Admittedly, that can be hard to do in tough situations. Why is there cancer? Why are marriages falling apart around us? Why did that trauma happen? Why, why, why? We all have questions without easy answers.
To be quite honest, I like immediate answers. I like knowing what the plan is ahead of time. And, quite frankly, I like getting to make the plan and to see it through completion. It probably comes as no surprise to you that this is not how God works.
His answers are not always quick or easy.
His plans are not always obvious to us from the start, or even along the winding way.
His plans do not always turn out how we would like.
His promises to us are not always completely fulfilled during our lifetime.
Does that mean He’s not good? No, not at all. He remains good, and sovereign, and trustworthy. He sees it all in a way that we can’t, and He always fulfills His promises.
Have you purchased The Greatest Gift Given Bible study journal yet? Not only will you find all of the daily reading passages and SOAP journaling pages, but you’ll have each of the daily devotions in printed form–no need to check the app on your phone while working through your study!
Don’t forget, the Bridge Reading Plan is only available in the printed journals! The Bridge is a two-week long reading plan designed to bridge the gap between two studies. In the Greatest Gift Given journal you’ll find the Bridge Reading Plan along with two weeks of SOAP journaling pages and daily Scripture reading! Don’t miss this! The Bridge reading plans will walk through the entire Book of Psalms during 2021. This plan is found only in the study journals, so grab one today! You don’t want to miss out!
When you purchase a journal, you are helping us reach women around the world with the gospel. By purchasing a journal you help our incredible team of volunteer translators build up leaders around the world. Your journal purchase allows women to read God’s Word in their native language and have access to quality Bible study materials in the language they best understand. We hope you’ll join us on our mission to make God’s Word accessible to women in every nation and in every language!
Order The Greatest Gift Given and The Greatest Gift Given for Kids journals here!
