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Guest (Male): Seeking to save us from needless heartache, Pastor Thom Keller shares what is done by so many only to deeply regret it.

Pastor Thom Keller: Men who have lived their lives by trading away their birthright, by living in sinful ways, and they live with such regrets. Decisions they made when they were 15, when they were 20 years old, that continue to haunt them, plague them all through their life. And now as they look back over their life, they live with such regret for having trashed, for having given away the birthright that God had for them. For what? For nothing. For a little bit of drugs, for a little bit of sex, for a little bit of money, they gave up everything God wanted them to have.

Guest (Male): It's been said the seized opportunity renders joy and the neglected, regret. Hello, and thanks for joining us today for Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller of Calvary Chapel Lebanon. We've been making our way through the book of Genesis.

If you were with us last time, you'll remember in Genesis 27, Jacob is coaxed by his mother to manipulate his father into giving him the blessing. They succeed but live to regret it. It's always better to submit to God's plan and promises. You can't stop them anyway. God's plans will not be thwarted. Beginning on that point, here's Pastor Thom.

Pastor Thom Keller: God will not be frustrated by the disobedience of man. The result after all of this scene: Jacob flees, she never sees him again. Her other son goes on an emotional campaign to kill Jacob. Esau is determined to kill. And I would imagine that this would have caused a severe strain between her and Isaac the rest of their lives. All because she undertook in the flesh what God wanted to do anyway.

Here's a huge lesson here for us. You know, God doesn't want us to strive after things in life. It doesn't mean we don't work. It doesn't mean we just lay down and wait for things to happen. It's been said that we should work like prayer doesn't make any difference, and we should pray like our work doesn't make any difference. There's really a wisdom to that. To people that would just passively sit and wait for God to make something happen versus those who work and never ask God, thinking it's all my responsibility and God doesn't play into this.

But there's something to be said for not striving. God doesn't want us to strive. At the core meeting this afternoon after church, we're going to talk about the Calvary Chapel affiliation and how that all came into being. To me, it was a miracle. I didn't understand it at all. About a year ago, almost exactly a year ago, we had asked to be affiliated. On the basis of what we considered to be a somewhat small issue, they said they would prefer us to wait.

So, we did. We got under that. Those of you that know me, that's not my nature. That's not my flesh at all. It's to try to make things happen. You grab hold and you start selling, go after it. You just keep going until they see it your way. In this one, I didn't. I just backed down. We all just backed down.

When I talked to Jerry about a month ago now, and he said, "Look, there's nothing standing in the way. You guys can be a Calvary Chapel," I felt like saying, "Jerry, what are you talking about? That's not..." But I wasn't going to go there. I didn't understand. I thought, "God, why did You do this? What was this all about?" I just wondered why that whole thing took place.

Then later on in prayer, as I was praying about it, it just became so clear that God didn't want us to strive after it. He just wanted it to happen. It may be because there was a timing issue. I don't know. It may be that He just wanted it to be a lesson in not trying to force things, just letting God bring things to be in His timing.

But there's a huge lesson here for us. God doesn't want us to strive. He wants us to work but not strive, not become so emotionally invested that if we think something isn't going to happen, it's going to destroy us somehow. Not to strive. All of her striving was unnecessary. God's plan would have come to be.

In this deception that takes place here, all four are implicated. There are four parties to this. Isaac knows of the prophecy, and yet is determined not to go that way. Esau, in selling his birthright, broke God's plan and really enabled all of this to happen. He didn't have a right to have the blessing. He sold it to his brother. Rebekah is implicated in that she goes about deceiving her husband to bring about what God wanted to do anyway. And Jacob, in demanding the birthright be sold for a little bit of food when his brother's desperate, kind of cons his brother and then in this scene goes along with his mom. All four are involved.

Well, let's go on, verse 11. So she says, "Go out and get the food. I'll prepare it. Take it into your father." Verse 11, Jacob says, "But Mother, he won't be fooled that easily. Think how hairy Esau is and how smooth my skin is. What if my father touches me? He'll see that I'm trying to trick him and then he'll curse me instead of blessing me." "Let the curse fall on me, dear son." And in fact, it does. "Let the curse fall on me, dear son," said Rebekah. "Just do what I tell you to. Go out and get the goats."

So Jacob followed his mother's instructions, bringing her the two goats. She took them and cooked a delicious meat dish just the way Isaac liked it. Then she took Esau's best clothes—Esau's best clothes—which were there in the house, and dressed Jacob with them. She made him a pair of gloves from the hairy skin of young goats, and she fastened a strip of goatskin around his neck.

She knows where he's going to feel. She knows that her husband's going to go to his neck, pull him in, and she wants that to feel like her rougher-skinned eldest son. She then gave him the meat dish with its rich aroma and some freshly baked bread. Jacob carried the platter of food to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it? Jacob or Esau?" See, he is blind because he can't tell the difference. "Who is it? Jacob or Esau?"

Jacob replied—a lie—"It's Esau, your older son. I've done as you told me. Here is the wild game, cooked the way you like it. Sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing." Isaac asked—there's something a little funny here—Isaac asked, "How were you able to find it so quickly, my son?" "Because the Lord your God put it in my path," Jacob replied. He brings up some religion here. Interesting how that can be convenient at times.

Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come over here. I want to touch you to make sure you really are Esau." So Jacob went over to his father, and Isaac touched him. "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's," Isaac said to himself. But he did not recognize Jacob because Jacob's hands felt hairy just like Esau's. "Are you really my son Esau?" "Yes, of course," Jacob replied.

Then Isaac said, "Now, my son, bring me the meat. I will eat it and then I will give you the blessing." So Jacob took the food over to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. Then Isaac said, "Come here and kiss me, my son." He's still not sure. So Jacob went over and kissed him.

When Isaac caught the smell of his clothing—these were Esau's clothing—he was finally convinced, and he blessed Jacob. He said, "The smell of my son is a good smell of the open fields that the Lord has blessed. May God always give you plenty of dew for healthy crops and good harvest of grain and wine. May many nations become your servants. May you be the master of your brothers. May all of your mother's sons bow low before you."

Who is his mother's son? Jacob, Esau. So what he's saying is Esau is to bow low before you. "All who curse you are cursed, and all who bless you are blessed." Now, there's something about a blessing here that needs to be stated. Blessings were irrevocable. You could not take them back.

Now, in the event that you think that's something that kind of stands alone, it doesn't. In the Old Testament days, it is fascinating how God held people to their promises. There are a number of stories in the Old Testament where people were deceived into making a promise, a commitment. They were deceived into making it. This is a case in point.

Yet once they committed to do something, they could not break it because they had been lied to or deceived. That's how seriously God takes a commitment, a promise. That's how serious He takes it. In contract law today, that's why we have a contract. You break your end, I'm out of here. Any contract says that. Imagine a contract that says no matter what I promise to do and this is what you promise to do, but in case you break every single thing you said you'd do, I promise to do what I would do. Anyone ever see a contract like that? But it's interesting how serious they took this. He could not take this blessing back. People have read this and say, "Why didn't he just cancel it?" Can't. Once it was out of his mouth, it was done. It was a commitment made. It was good as law. It was gold. It was the law.

Let's go on, verse 30. As soon as Isaac had blessed Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father... okay, he eats the food, he gives the blessing, he's just done speaking. It says Esau returned from his hunting trip. They may have even crossed paths as he went into the room. You can almost picture that. Picture Jacob seeing him with this thing around his neck and thing on his hand and the plate of food thinking, "What?"

Verse 31, Esau prepared his father's favorite meat dish and brought it to him. Then he said, "I am back, Father, and I have the wild game. Sit up so you can give me your blessing." But Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "Why, it's me of course," Esau replied. "It's Esau, your older son." Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. A better translation there would be: most excessively with a great trembling.

Isaac began trembling uncontrollably. See, this is probably the best indication in this whole chapter that Isaac was aware that the blessing was to go to Jacob and that he messed up. This was God's condemnation of the fact that God's plan was done. God's will was accomplished even though he tried another way. God won.

Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. He said, "Then who was it that just served me the wild game? I've already eaten it." Imagine Esau's face as this is going on. "Then who was it who just served me the wild game? I have eaten it, and I have blessed him with an irrevocable blessing before you came."

When Esau understood... there's something in that. When Esau understood, can you imagine that? You sit back and you're trying to take this all in. Remember, it was 57 years ago that the birthright was sold. You probably didn't think a lot about it. In this culture, the birthright always went to the eldest. It always went. That's just how it worked. The eldest got a double blessing. He got the blessing, double portion. He got the blessing.

When Esau understood, he let out a loud and bitter cry. "Oh, my father, bless me too," he begged. But Isaac said, "Your brother was here and he tricked me. He has carried away your blessing." Esau said bitterly, "No wonder his name is Jacob," which means heel grabber or grabber. "No wonder his name is Jacob, for he has deceived me twice: first taking my birthright..." Is that true? No, he didn't take it. He sold it. It was a deal. Bad deal, but he sold it. "...first taking my birthright—whose fault was that? His—first taking my birthright and now stealing my blessing." That is true. "Oh, haven't you saved even one blessing for me?"

Can you hear this son, father, one blessing? It's his favorite son. They had a close relationship. Forget what the basis of it was. They had a close relationship. You can almost picture him on his knees: "Father, not one blessing? Not one?" Isaac responded, said to Esau, "I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all of his..." and again, these are twins. Remember that. There's something about twins. You know, there's just that little more competitiveness, little more closeness.

"I've made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine. What is left to give?" Esau pleaded, "Not one blessing left for me, Oh my father? Oh my father, bless me too." Then Esau broke down and wept. For 57 years, he was indifferent to the birthright that he gave away. And now he cares.

And you know, I sit down with men in different sessions and different settings who have lived their lives by trading away their birthright, by living in sinful ways. And I meet with them now when they're 50, 60 years old, and they live with such regret.

Decisions they made when they were 15, when they were 20 years old, that continue to haunt them, plague them all through their life. And now as they look back over their life, they live with such regret for having trashed, for having given away the birthright that God had for them. For what? For nothing. For a little pot of stew. For a little bit of drugs, for a little bit of sex, for a little bit of money, they gave up everything God wanted them to have.

And you know what they say? And it is tragic when I meet with them. It's almost like they're saying to me, "Oh God, bless me too. Don't you, can't you bless me too? Can't you undo this? God, bless me." How do you undo 40 years of living like that? Is there any blessing to give? Their life can be different from that point forward. There's hope. God has a plan from that point to bless their lives. But there's no going back.

You young people, you sell your birthright, there's no going back. You can change it at some point in your life, but don't throw it away. The Bible says that God wants you to have an abundant life. "I've come that you might have life and have it abundantly." That's what His goal is for you. This is what His plan is for every one of us in this room. And every time we sin, every time we make a bad choice for a pot of stew, we're throwing away the blessings that God wants to give you. Every time. How foolish.

Verse 38: "Not one blessing, Oh Father, bless me too." Then Esau broke down and wept. His father Isaac said to him, "You will live off the land and what it yields, and you will live by your sword. You will serve your brother for a time, but then you will shake loose from him and be free."

It's interesting, but the Amplified Bible says there: "By your sword you shall live and serve your brother, but the time will come when you will grow to resist and break loose, and you shall tear his yoke off from your neck." It's interesting, but there's no record that he ever served him. The first time they meet is when we're coming up to that, but is where he's fearful that his brother... Jacob is fearful that Esau is coming to kill him. That's the first time they come together.

And it ends in a beautiful way. Esau forgives him. And I'm not so sure that what this doesn't mean is when it says, "You shall serve your brother for a time, but then you will shake loose from him and be free," that that doesn't actually mean that through the forgiveness, you're shaken free. He's consumed, he's owned. Esau is owned by his bitterness and anger toward his brother. But when they meet in the wilderness and he forgives him, he's set free. It's that way with all of us. When we're bitter, when we're angry, we serve the person we're bitter toward. The way we get free from that is by forgiving. It doesn't say that, but I'm not so sure that's not the case.

It's also interesting that this would go on. Esau was the beginning of the Edomites. The last Edomite that is recorded is in the New Testament: King Herod the Great was an Edomite. It's the last Edomite that shows up in the Bible. King Herod the Great was the king that was in power when Jesus was born, who sent his soldiers to kill all the baby boys. He was a ferociously jealous ruler.

Verse 41: Esau hated Jacob because he had stolen his blessing. And he said to himself, "My father will soon be dead." Not true, 40-plus years. "My father will soon be dead and gone, then I will kill Jacob." But someone got wind of what Esau was planning and reported it to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him, "Esau is threatening to kill you. This is what you should do."

She's still pulling the strings. She's still calling the shots. "This is what you should do: Flee to your Uncle Laban in Haran. Stay there with him until your brother's fury is spent. When he forgets what you have done, I will send for you." She never sent for him. His fury was never spent. She never saw him again. "Why should I lose both of you in one day?" She did. She lost her one to bitterness, she lost her other one to another country.

Then Rebekah said to Isaac—she's still plotting, still strategizing. She doesn't tell her husband why she wants to send him away. She comes up with another reason. Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am sick and tired of these local Hittite women. I'd rather die than see Jacob marry one of them." Well, they already had terrible relationships with Esau's wives, local women. So that's the basis of her reason to get him away from there and send him to her Uncle Laban's house.

Let me make a quick application. Esau was a profane man. He did not care about his birthright. He did not care about spiritual things. He was indifferent to them. But he wanted the blessing. And that's still how it is today. I meet with people in counseling all the time in marriage settings where their marriage is in shambles and they want the blessing of a godly marriage. They want the blessing of having a marriage where Christ is in the center, but they're not willing to pay the price, to live the way that will bring about those blessings.

"Do you want to be blessed? All more than anything. Do you want God's blessings more than anything? This is what you do." "I don't want to do that." "But you won't get God's blessing." "Well, I want God's blessings." "Well, then this is what you do." "I don't want to do that, but I want God's blessings." You won't get God's blessings. They only come one way. Blessings come through surrender and obedience.

I want to close with this thought. It's interesting when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He never responded to that temptation on the basis of the temptation. When Satan said, "Turn these rocks into bread," He didn't address that. He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone." When he said, "Jump off, jump off this high peak in the temple," He never answered that directly. He said to not put the Lord your God to foolish test. When Satan said, "Look at everything around here, it's all mine to give you," He never argued that point. He said the Bible says that we are to worship God and God alone.

Jesus always went to the root issue. When we hedge on something God wants us to do, when there's something that you know God wants for you—you know He wants you to do it, or you know He wants you to stop doing something and you're fighting Him on it—the root question that He wants to take you to is not that issue. It's not that subject. It's not that matter. It's not that person. It's not that drug. It's not that alcohol. It's not that sexual sin. It's not that.

He takes you to the root. And His root question is this: "Are you My disciple? Are you My disciple?" See, that's the root, isn't it? Who are you following? Who do we want to follow? Whose disciple are you? Are you walking after Jesus? Am I walking after Jesus? Or are we walking after something else? Are we walking after ourselves, what we want and the way we want to do it?

God has a plan, but you're not going to find it by walking after it the way you want to walk after it. It isn't by striving. It isn't to your plan. It's by surrender. It's by yielding. It's by trusting. It's by not striving. And in the not striving, you will see God do miracles that he will never... He will never get the credit and glory for if you strive after it. "Are you My disciple?" Jesus asks. And if you are, walk after Me.

I'm going to pray a prayer, and I'm going to ask you to respond to God with that, to that question. That God, I am walking after You. I am Your disciple.

Guest (Male): We're studying Genesis right now with Pastor Thom Keller on Study the Word. You can hear this message again by going to ccleb.com. Again, we're at ccleb.com. There are many other messages for your growth and edification there too. Or call and request a CD copy at 717-507-7862. That's 717-507-7862.

Thanks for remembering that Study the Word is a listener-supported ministry. We look to listeners like you to help us provide these Bible studies on your station every day. Here's where to write: Study the Word, 740 Willow Street, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 17046. Or call 717-507-7862.

Thom Keller is a senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Lebanon, and if you're in the area, we hope you'll come by for a visit. For directions and service times, go to ccleb.com. When you get a chance, download our free Android app. Search Calvary Chapel Lebanon in the Google Play store. To give you an opportunity to commit yourself to God as His disciple, here's Pastor Thom.

Pastor Thom Keller: Father, I confess, we confess that so many times we had our own plan. We wanted to do things our own way. We've went and we strove after things when, Lord, You just want us to rest and to watch You bring blessings into our life as we walk after You, as we obey day by day.

And Lord, that really isn't the issue that You're after. You're not after these specific instances going on in all of us. The real question You're asking is, "Thom, Sue, Carol, Joe, are you My disciple?"

And Lord Jesus, there are some of us that want to commit to that. And if you do, just say this inside your heart: "Lord Jesus, I do want to follow after You. I do want to be Your disciple. And I realize that by walking after You, by being Your disciple, it means I do want to walk after You. I don't want to sell my birthright. I don't want to strive. I don't want the best that I can bring into my life. I want the best that You can bring into my life. And that means being a disciple, a follower of Christ. Lord Jesus, I do want to be Your disciple." Just let the Lord know that. Make that commitment clearly. And we pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, and all of God's people said, amen.

Guest (Male): Thanks for studying the word with Pastor Thom Keller. We'll get back into Genesis with Pastor Thom next time. We hope you can join us.