Genesis: Lesson 9

Overview

God's Sovereign Choice in the Story of Jacob

The line of promise traced through Genesis—from Abraham's call in Genesis 12:1–3 to the birth of Isaac and then to Isaac's twin sons—reaches a striking moment in the womb of Rebekah. Before either child had done anything good or bad, the Lord declared, "The elder shall serve the younger" Genesis 25:23. Esau, the firstborn, would have been the natural heir of the blessing; instead, through Rebekah's scheming and Jacob's deception Genesis 27, the blessing passed to Jacob. The narrative does not whitewash the sin involved—Jacob is, plainly, a rascal—and yet God's purpose moves forward through him.

This raises the hard question: how can God allow such crookedness to carry the covenant line? Malachi answers with startling directness: "I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated" Malachi 1:2–3. The Hebrew idiom of "hate" here means something closer to "not chosen"—the same usage Jesus draws on when He says a disciple must "hate" father and mother Luke 14:26. It is the language of election, not malice. Paul makes the point explicit: God's choice of Jacob over Esau happened "before they had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls" Romans 9:10–16.

If God dealt with us according to merit, none would be chosen, for "none is righteous, no, not one" Romans 3:10. If He dealt with us according to strict justice, all we could expect is the wage of sin, which is death Romans 6:23. Instead, God moves beyond deserving and beyond bare justice to mercy—a mercy grounded in Christ, who satisfies divine justice at the cross. Jacob's story shows this mercy in vivid form: as he flees the consequences of his own deceit, God meets him at Bethel with the vision of the ladder and renews the Abrahamic promise Genesis 28:10–15. Jesus later applies that very image to Himself, telling Nathanael, "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" John 1:51. Christ Himself is the true ladder, the uninterrupted communion between heaven and earth.

The pastoral application is humbling and freeing at once. We are fellow rascals with Jacob. Every Sunday we confess the sins we have committed in thought, word, and deed, and the good we have left undone. Like Jacob, we bring nothing to the table that would commend us to God—and yet, "he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… he predestined us for adoption" Ephesians 1:3–6. Our security rests not in our performance but in His mercy, freely bestowed in the Beloved. That is the steady ground on which weary, stumbling believers stand.

Transcript

Good morning. 3s

Let's pray to get the place. 4s

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this time to study your word. 7s

How precious O Lord is your word, inerrant and infallible. 12s

And so Father, as we open up the pages of this old book, Genesis, we do so in the confidence 17s

that you will speak to us, your people, and that you will speak to us law and gospel in Jesus' 24s

name. 32s

Amen. 32s

Well, it's a joy to continue on in the study of the book of Genesis, and we're going to take 34s

a look at chapters 26 to 50. 39s

So just to remind you here of where we were in the first 25 chapters, we had studied 44s

about God who was powerful and personal. 52s

We studied about two lines of people, one from Cain and one from Seth. 57s

We took a look at how God patiently protected people so that the lifeline to the Messiah 64s

could continue. 70s

We examined Abraham, and how Abraham came from a world of pagans to carry on the line of 73s

promise, how God converted him. 81s

We took a look at the life of Abraham, a life punctuated by both faith and also incredible 83s

expressions of human doubt. 92s

We took a look at a dominant theme of Genesis, which is grace and judgment. 94s

And we took a look at how the story of the covenant Lord and his humanity, the way of grace. 101s

And so as we turn now to chapters 26 to 50, this story continues. 108s

And we're going to see in these old stories, fresh, fresh application for us today. 113s

Let's go back to a key portion of God's Word. 120s

Genesis the 12th chapter, please. 124s

Genesis chapter 12. 126s

And we'll take a look beginning at verses 1 to 3. 130s

This is the Abrahamic covenant. 134s

And it's just a crucial portion of God's Word for us to keep in mind for us to understand. 137s

So Genesis chapter 12, the Scripture says, now the Lord said to Abraham, go from your 145s

country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 151s

I will make of you a great nation. 157s

And I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 161s

I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse. 167s

And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 171s

God, here is establishing a line out of which comes the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. 177s

Abraham's first born son was Ishmael. 184s

Remember Ishmael? 189s

And Ishmael, the mother was not Sarah. 191s

The mother of Ishmael was Hegar, who was the maid for Sarah. 195s

Ishmael was not to be the inheritor of the blessing. 203s

Isaac was born. 208s

And from Isaac's wife, Rebecca, come two boys. 211s

Come two boys. 216s

Let's go now to Genesis chapter 25 verse 19. 218s

Genesis 25 verse 19. 232s

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son. 237s

Abraham was the father of Isaac in Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca, 242s

daughter of Bethuel, the aero meen of Padam Haram, sister of Laban, the aero meen. 249s

Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren. 256s

And the Lord granted his prayer and his wife, Rebecca, conceived. 261s

The children struggled together within her and she said, 266s

if it is to be this way, why do I live? 270s

So she went to inquire of the Lord. 273s

The Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb, 277s

and two peoples born of you shall be divided. 280s

The one shall be stronger than the other. 284s

The elder shall serve the younger. 287s

When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 292s

The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle, so they named him Esau. 297s

Afterward, his brother came out with his hand gripping Esau's heel, 305s

so he was named Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them. 310s

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, 319s

living in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game, but Rebecca loved Jacob. 325s

You can see here the seeds of problems, can't you? 340s

Right in that. 343s

Take a look back at chapter 25, verse 23, 347s

where the Lord says to her, two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you 352s

shall be divided. The one shall be stronger than the other. The elder shall serve the younger. 358s

Esau became the ancestor of the Edamites, and the Edamites were 364s

the traditional enemies of Israel. Here the very prophecy that was given here 370s

with regard to the two in her womb comes true. 375s

In ancient date, what we see in Scripture is we see that the blessing of God was 382s

determinative of destiny. That still obviously continues today. It's a promise that we see 389s

in Holy Scripture. Blessing is determinative of destiny. Now, in ancient day, the eldest Esau would 394s

have been the one that would have received the blessing to come upon him. But Jacob and his 403s

deceiving mother come up with a plan to rest away from Esau, the blessing that should be his. 412s

Let's go to chapter 27, verse 1, 423s

when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see. He called his elder son Esau 430s

and said to him, my son, and he answered, here I am. He said, see, I am old. I do not know the day 436s

of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and 442s

hunt game for me. Then prepare for me, save refoods such as I like, and bring it to me to eat so 447s

that I may bless you before I die. Now, Rebecca was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. 454s

So, when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, Rebecca said to her son, Jacob, 463s

I heard your father say to your brother Esau, bring me game and prepare for me, save refood to 471s

eat that I may bless you before the Lord before I die. Now, therefore, my son, obey my word 477s

as I command you. Go to the flock, get me two choice kids so that I may prepare from them, 483s

save refood for your father such as he likes, and you shall take it to your father to eat so that 490s

he may bless you before he dies. But Jacob said it was Mother Rebecca, look, my brother Esau is a 497s

hairy man and I am a man of smooth skin. Perhaps my father will feel me and I shall seem to be mocking 504s

him and bring a curse on myself and not a blessing. His blessing said to him, his mother said to him, 511s

let your curse be on me, my son, only obey my word and go, get them for me. So he went and got 519s

them and brought them to his mother and his mother prepared save refood such as his father loved. 528s

Then Rebecca took the best garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, 533s

put them on her younger son Jacob and she put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth 538s

part of his neck. Then she handed the save refood and the bread that she had prepared to her son, 546s

Jacob. So he went into his father and said, my father and he said, here I am, who are you, my son? 554s

Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, your first born. I have done as you told me, now sit up 560s

and eat of my game so that you may bless me. But Isaac said to his son, how was it that you have 568s

found it so quickly, my son? He answered because the Lord your God granted me success. 574s

Then Isaac said to Jacob, come near that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really 584s

my son Esau or not. So Jacob went up to his father, Isaac, who felt him and said the voice is 588s

Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. He did not recognize him because his hands 595s

were hairy like his brother's Esau's hands so he blessed him. He said, are you really my son, 601s

Esau? He answered, I am. Then he said, bring it to me that I may eat of my son's game and bless you 609s

so he brought it to him and he ate and he brought him wine and he drank. Then his father, Isaac said 616s

to him, come near and kiss me, my son. So he came near and kissed him and he smelled the smell of 623s

his garments and blessed him and said, oh, the smell of my son is like the smell of a feel that the 630s

Lord is blessed. May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of 639s

grain and wine that people serve you and nations bow down to you. Be Lord over your brothers and 645s

may your mother's sons bow down to you. Curse it be everyone who curses you and blessed be everyone 651s

who blesses you. The first born then, Esau, was not the one that was saved, the blessing. 658s

So how can it be? How can God allow that? How could God allow this lying and this scheming to go on 670s

that birthed this? Okay, let's go to the very last book in the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, 683s

please. Malachi, chapter 1. Malachi, chapter 1, and we'll pick up in verse 2. 692s

Malachi 1, verse 2. I have loved you, says the Lord, but you say, how have you loved us? 712s

Is not Esau, Jacob's brother, says the Lord? Yet I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. 724s

I loved Jacob. I hated Esau. Well, the plot thickens here now, doesn't it, right? He's now 740s

the question is, well, how could God allow this? How could he allow this lying and this scheming to 750s

occur? And Malachi tells us that he loved Jacob and hated Esau. Okay, let's complicate this 755s

some more, shall we? Let's go to first John chapter 4, New Testament. A good way to find that is 767s

to go to the book of Revelation, the last book, and then slowly work your way backwards. You're 775s

going to pop into one of the letters of John very quickly. First John chapter 4, verse 8. 781s

And here John writes, whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. Okay, well, 800s

if God is love, then why does God say, I love to Jacob, but I hated Esau, because that comes across 815s

as a tad bit problematic for us, doesn't it? I love Jacob, I hated Esau. We have to understand 832s

what the word hate means in Hebrew usage is the translation into English and accurate translation, 841s

absolutely it is. But the word hate used here means a little more than the opposite of prefer. 847s

It means it means to choose, means to choose. When we read that in our English understanding of 856s

hatred, we read it a whole different way than what the Hebrew understanding of that word is all 864s

about. We see that elsewhere in scripture. Let's go to Luke the 14th chapter, Luke chapter 14, 871s

verse 26. Here's the same concept. 881s

Verse 25 says, now large crowds were traveling with him and he turned and said to them, 897s

whoever comes to me, this is Jesus speaking, and does not hate father and mother, wife and 902s

children, brothers and sisters, yes, even life itself cannot be my disciple. Now, is Jesus 909s

literally calling us to hate in all those relationships? No, what is he communicating? 916s

It's the same understanding of the Hebrew concept there, but it'll more than prefer, it means to 924s

choose. Jesus is saying that he is to be first. Every other relationship comes after that, 930s

after that. God chose Jacob. He didn't choose Issa. God chose Jacob. He didn't choose Issa. Paul is 938s

starting to get at this or does get at this in Romans the 9th chapter. Let's turn there, please. 959s

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and then Romans. Romans chapter 9, verse 10 and following. 964s

He writes, nor is that all, something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children 985s

by one husband, our ancestor Isaac. Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad, 991s

so that God's purpose of election might continue not by works, but by his call. She was told, 1001s

the elder shall serve the younger as it is written. I have loved Jacob, but I hated Issa. 1010s

But then are we to say, is there injustice on God's part? By no means. For he says to Moses, 1021s

I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 1031s

So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. 1039s

Is God being unjust or unfair in choosing Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Issa? 1053s

That's the question, right? If God were to choose to deal with people on whether or not they deserved to be chosen, 1064s

well then no one would be chosen, right? Because none of us are righteous. If we want to say, 1076s

they are not deserving here. Jacob is not deserving to be chosen. Well, if we want to apply that 1085s

standard then no one is deserving of being chosen, right? Because where's the problem? Let's go to Romans 1096s

chapter 3, Romans chapter 3, verse 10. As it is written, there is no one who is righteous, 1104s

not even one. There's no one who has understanding. There's no one who seeks God. All have turned aside. 1122s

Together they've become worthless. There's no one who shows kindness. There's not even one. 1128s

Their throats are open graves. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of vipers is under their 1134s

lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. 1140s

Ruin and misery are in their paths. And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God 1146s

before their eyes. If we want to maintain that God should choose then based upon who is deserving to 1154s

be chosen, that's a tough position for us to be in, isn't it? It's a tough position. 1161s

Well what if God simply deals with us based upon justice, justice? Let's go to Romans 6 chapter. 1170s

Romans chapter 6, verse 23. 1182s

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. 1191s

You see if God were to deal with us simply on the basis of justice then what should we receive? 1202s

The eternal death penalty in hell itself. All we would receive would be the wages of what we've earned, 1209s

which is death itself. On what basis then does God choose to deal with us? Let's go to Romans chapter 9 1217s

once again. Romans chapter 9 verse 15. 1228s

For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I 1239s

have compassion. So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. 1246s

See God moves beyond, deserving he moves beyond justice and he deals with us based upon mercy 1257s

and compassion. A mercy rooted in Jesus Christ who satisfies the justice of God on the cross by 1264s

taking all of our sin upon him. God is God and God chose Jacob and there was nothing about Jacob 1274s

that deserved him to be chosen. It was all about God's mercy, all of it, his choice, his mercy. 1289s

Let's go to Genesis 27. Genesis chapter 27 will pick up in verse 41. 1305s

Now, he saw hated Jacob. There the word does not mean preferred or chose. 1329s

There hated is how we understand the word hated. Now, he saw hated Jacob because of the blessing with 1341s

which his father had blessed him and he saw said to himself, the days of mourning for my father 1349s

are approaching. Then I will kill my brother Jacob. But the words of her elder son, 1354s

he saw were told to Rebecca so she sent and called her younger son Jacob and said to him, 1361s

your brother, he saw as consoling himself by planning to kill you. Isn't that an interesting phrase? 1366s

consoling himself by planning to kill? Now therefore my son obey my voice. 1372s

Flee at once to my brother, Laban and Heron and stay with him a while until your brother's fury 1379s

turns away until your brother's anger against you turns away and he forgets what you have done to him. 1384s

Then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day? 1391s

Jump down now, chapter 28, down to verse 10. 1402s

Jacob left Bersheba and went toward Heron. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night 1408s

because the sun had set, taking one of the stones of the place. He put it under his head and lay 1416s

down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it 1421s

reaching to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 1429s

And the Lord stood behind beside him and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your father and 1436s

the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give to you and to your offspring. 1442s

And your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth and you shall spread abroad to the west 1449s

and to the east and to the north and to the south and all the families of the earth shall be blessed 1455s

in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go 1461s

and will bring you back to this land for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised 1470s

you. The picture here that he has given is uninterrupted communion with God. The angels here 1479s

protecting. It is the assurance from God for Jacob's welfare here and how Jacob is going to be 1487s

blessed. How can this be? Jacob is a rascal. He is a rascal. He didn't earn this. He didn't deserve this. 1497s

And in fact, we are going to see as we go further now into Genesis, we are going to see more and more 1512s

examples of Jacob being the rascal that he is. It just continues. And God here says, 1518s

the angels come, I protect, I will bless Jacob. 1531s

Let's go to 1 Timothy chapter 4 in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 1541s

Acts and Romans. 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Then you get to 1547s

the two books. You will do 1 Thessalonians and then you come to 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1555s

And we see that deception is not that which is localized with regard to Jacob. 1570s

Where we see in 1 Timothy 4, now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times, 1576s

some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons 1580s

through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. Let's go to 1 John chapter 1587s

1, head back toward Revelation. 1 John chapter 1. You finished with the Peters, you're right there. 1596s

1 John chapter 1 verse 8. And a very familiar verse, right? If we say that we have no sin, 1606s

we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. What we need is a savior, right? Because the sin 1616s

of deception is simply part of the catalog of sin that is part of our lives. Now let's go to the 1626s

Gospel of John chapter 1. Matthew, Mark, Luke and then John. John chapter 1. 1634s

And we'll pick up in verse 51. Let's go with more of a context here. Let's go to verse 43 of 1646s

John 1, like Gospel of John 1 chapter. The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found 1657s

Philip and said to him, follow me. Now Philip was from Bessada, the city of Andrew and Peter. 1665s

Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, we found him about whom Moses in the law and also the 1671s

prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathaniel said to him, can anything good come out 1676s

of Nazareth? Philip said to him, come and see. When Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him, 1682s

he said of him, here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel asked him, 1690s

where did you get to know me? Jesus answered, I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. 1697s

Nathaniel replied, Rabbi, you are the son of God, you are the king of Israel. 1706s

So Jesus answered, do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, 1710s

you will see greater things than these. And he said to him, very truly, I tell you, 1718s

you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the sun of man. 1726s

See what image he's using here? It goes all the way back into the image here that Jacob was given. 1736s

The promise here that God will care for us and that God will care for us through the Messiah. 1745s

Here's the point. We're all rascals. We're all rascals. Every single one of us, 1753s

we confess it every Sunday morning. Rascal isn't part of our confessional language, right? 1764s

But when we say we've sinned against you and thought, word and deed, what we've done and what we've left 1772s

undone, you know what we're saying? Lose translation. God, we're rascals. Rascals. 1777s

We don't deserve to be chosen. It's his choice. It's his mercy. Just as Jacob brought nothing to the table, 1787s

nothing, and yet Jacob's chosen, we bring nothing to the table, and yet we are chosen by God. 1807s

Lesson, let's go to Ephesians, the first chapter of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Romans. 1820s

First and second, Corinthians, Galatians and then Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 1 will pick up in 1827s

verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ 1833s

with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Now watch this. Just as he chose us in Christ 1839s

before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love, he destined us 1848s

for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 1855s

to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. 1862s

He destined us, and before the foundation of the world was laid, we were elected to be part of his family. 1870s

And what do we bring to the table? Nothing, fellow rascals, absolutely nothing. 1882s

And that's the point with regard to Jacob, and that's the point with us. We'll continue next week 1894s

with a plot line that is so popular but love. 1905s