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Jan 23 Pursuing the right thing the wrong way

January 23


23_Pursuing the right thing the wrong way

Gen 27:5-10 5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

A traveler walking through difficult terrain found a shortcut that promised to save him time and effort. Overjoyed at this discovery, he eagerly took the path. Halfway through, he realized that the shortcut was riddled with hidden dangers and obstacles. Instead of saving time, the path cost him far more in time, effort, and resources than the longer, safer route. This story illustrates a profound truth: pursuing the right thing the wrong way takes us nowhere. Jacob’s life, particularly in the events of Genesis 27:1–5, underscores this truth with startling clarity.

Jacob likely grew up hearing from Abraham, Isaac and Rebekah about the promises of God to their household. The blessing of being chosen by God, inheriting the promised land, and being a blessing to all nations was no small matter. Jacob’s father, Isaac, was the son of promise, born miraculously to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Jacob understood that the blessing was something to be greatly desired. However, as the younger of twin sons, Jacob was not in line for the birthright.

Esau, Jacob’s twin, was a man of the field. He spent most of his time outdoors, and was probably robust, and full of vitality. His father, Isaac, loved him for the savory meat he hunted and brought to him. Esau’s personality appears to be warm, open, and generous, making him naturally appealing. However, Esau did not think much of God. He undervalued the blessings of God.

This flippant attitude is reflected in his decisions. He married Canaanite women, disregarding the covenant heritage. He bartered his birthright to Jacob for a mere bowl of stew, willing to lose eternal blessings to satisfy his immediate appetite.

Esau regretted losing both his birthright and his father’s blessing but failed to take responsibility for the choices that led up to this loss. Instead, he put all the blame on Jacob. He never understood that his casual indifference to God had cost him the lasting blessing of God.

Jacob, in contrast, felt the value of God’s promises. He believed they were worth possessing. But his faith was not strong enough to teach him to pray and wait on God for his blessing. Impatience often leads to disastrous outcomes. Jacob and his mother Rebekah must have known and remembered God’s promise that the elder would serve the younger. They should have known that no merely human plan, such as Isaac’s, could derail its fulfilment. Yet they worked together to deceive his father and gain the coveted blessing instead of Esau. Their actions betrayed a lack of trust in God’s ability to fulfill His word.

Isaac, too, faltered despite knowing God’s revealed plan. Mindful that Jacob was God’s chosen, he attempted to override it by blessing Esau with dominance over his younger brother. He sought to bless Esau in secret, moved by his fleshly affection for Esau because of the meat he had often brought home. This dishonesty reveals a deeper rift in their relationship. Both of them seem to have drifted away from God’s will. This episode triggered a chain of painful consequences for all those involved.

Rebekah and Jacob saw the success of their plan in the short term. Jacob received the blessing intended for Esau. But the cost was enormous. His brother became estranged from him. He had to flee his home, remaining away for more than 20 years. He never saw his beloved mother again, for she passed before his return. In his uncle Laban’s household at Padanaram, Jacob the cheater was himself cheated repeatedly. First, Laban tricked him into marrying his elder daughter Leah, though Jacob had worked seven years in lieu of the bride-price for the younger daughter, Rachel, on whom he had set his heart. Laban allowed him to marry Rachel as well, but set him to work again for seven more years. Following that, he worked for Laban as a servant, with his uncle always trying to cheat him out of his wages.

Jacob’s life was marked by hardship and conflict, but God preserved him through it all until the day came when he was forced to leave for his own country. 20 years before, God had promised to bring him back to his land and to his father’s home in peace. Now Laban pursued him but God warned him against harming Jacob. Jacob heard that Esau with 600 men was on his way to meet him, and panicked. But Esau only welcomed him and turned back.

Jacob could have traveled fearlessly, confident in God’s assurance of safety. But he worried and planned constantly, unable to trust and be at rest. Despite Jacob’s fears and maneuvers to try and keep himself safe, it was God who brought him unharmed to Canaan. Worrying ruins our peace and testifies to our lack of trust in God’s faithfulness. It does not annul God’s promises.

The story of Jacob’s deception underlines the danger of adopting wrong means even when our goals appear to be noble. Faith in God must lead us to wait for God to do things in his own way and in his own time. Hebrews 6:11-12 urges believers to exercise both faith and perseverance, and thus imitate those who inherit God’s promises. Jacob found it hard to persevere in times of crisis. He tended to try and get what he wanted by his own methods.

There is a common temptation to rely on human effort and shortcuts to get the blessings that only God can give. This same temptation confronted Jesus in the wilderness. He was hungry, but he was the Son of God. When Satan urged Him to prove it by turning stones into bread for himself, he had the wisdom to know that the power he had was to do his Father’s will. One can do nothing, not even satisfy one’s legitimate needs, outside God’s commandments.

Yet God is great enough to carry out his plans despite our errors and sins. Though the wicked bear their guilt, their evil cannot block or thwart God’s plans. The Lord Jesus came to the Jews as their Messiah. He was crucified by wicked men. Yet by this act, they brought God’s redemptive plan to fruition.

Jacob’s flawed decisions were part of God’s covenant plans. Yet he bore the consequences of his sinful actions. Through the pain, Jacob experienced repentance and came to understand the goodness, faithfulness, and power of God as his fathers did.

We have to confess our attempts to manipulate circumstances and people to achieve what we believe is God’s will. We have to acknowledge that we have prioritized immediate results over patient obedience. Pursuing the right thing the wrong way may bring temporary success, but also long-term pain and loss.

Psalm 1:1-3 pictures the happy man who finds continual delight in understanding and keeping God’s law, thinking about it and applying it to all of life all the day long. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season and prospering in all they do. This kind of blessing—deep, fruitful, and eternal—comes not from fleshly shortcuts but from the presence of God in our thoughts and actions.

The story of Jacob also reminds us of God’s grace. If we repent of our wrongdoing, we are forgiven. We can turn back to walk righteously again. God can use even our mistakes to help us know him. Though painful, it will turn us from foolishness into his wisdom and holiness.

God’s blessings are sure to the one who waits for them. His promises are tried and proved. Let us learn to submit our desires to the authority of God’s will. Let us trust Him and know that He is faithful to fulfill His promises. When we sin, let us return quickly to Him so that we may continue to walk with him. By doing so, we will be blessed with his presence and become a blessing to the world.

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Date:
January 23