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Jacob and Esau - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy
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  Speaker 1: soul may bless me. Genesis 27.19 Dear Heavenly Father, today
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  Speaker 1: I am choosing to break generational cycles that no longer
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  Speaker 1: serve my purpose or my destiny. I do not use
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  Speaker 1: deception to try to protect myself at the risk of
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  Speaker 1: my loved ones, like Isaac and like his father before him, Abraham.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that integrity and uprightness of heart will be
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  Speaker 1: my guiding compass. I decree and declare that as I
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  Speaker 1: move with integrity, you will multiply my life and shower
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  Speaker 1: me with your blessing. I confess that I don't have
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  Speaker 1: to use manipulation and trickery as Jacob did to get
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  Speaker 1: what you have for me. Rather, I will stay in
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  Speaker 1: my lane and keep my eyes toward you and your word,
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  Speaker 1: because what you have for me is mine, and no
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  Speaker 1: one can take what's mine out of your hand, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: In my life, when others seek to hinder my blessings,
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  Speaker 1: I don't have to panic or worry, because you will
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  Speaker 1: continually protect and cover all that I have. Thank you, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: that because you bless me, I am blessed indeed. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob and Esau. Before this story, we learn of Abraham's death.
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  Speaker 2: The father of nations went to be with his Lord.
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  Speaker 2: He was buried by Isaac and Ishmael beside his wife Sarah.
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  Speaker 2: Isaac and Rebekah had twins named Jacob and Esau. The two,
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  Speaker 2: even from the womb, warred against one another. Esau, the
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  Speaker 2: older twin, was tricked by his younger brother and sold
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  Speaker 2: his birthright. Now, we will learn about Rebekah and Jacob
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  Speaker 2: tricking Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing, inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
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  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgraham.org slash stress. That's jackram.org
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  Speaker 3: slash stress. Today we begin with a famine that takes
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  Speaker 3: Isaac and his family to another land, and here, just
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  Speaker 3: as his father did, Isaac tells a lie about his
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  Speaker 3: wife to protect himself. Fear has once again ruled in
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  Speaker 3: the heart of one of God's chosen people. History is
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  Speaker 3: repeating itself in a new generation. You'll once again hear
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  Speaker 3: how despite a lack of faithfulness on their part, God
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  Speaker 3: continues to bless and protect Abraham's family, now through his son, Isaac.
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  Speaker 3: Listen to how Isaac prospered in this new land and
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  Speaker 3: how he was met with disdain and distrust by others
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  Speaker 3: who resented him for the blessings he was reaping, blessings
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  Speaker 3: God was giving him. You will also hear how Isaac
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  Speaker 3: followed the model of his own father, created remembrances of
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  Speaker 3: God's faithfulness and monuments to the God who provides. And
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  Speaker 3: in this passage, will return to Jacob and Esau and
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  Speaker 3: the conflict that began to brew in yesterday's story. You'll
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  Speaker 3: hear of hidden intentions, heartbreak, and hatred. Watch how Jacob's
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  Speaker 3: craftiness and cleverness and deception finally strike a blow to
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  Speaker 3: both Esau and Isaac that will forever alter the course
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  Speaker 3: of this family and history. In today's passage, he is
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  Speaker 3: not acting alone, but is teaming with Rebekah, his mother,
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  Speaker 3: who favors him over Esau. Together, they will trick Isaac
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  Speaker 3: into giving Jacob what is meant for his older brother.
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  Speaker 3: The family conflict will come into an explosive climax and
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  Speaker 3: you'll hear echoes of two brothers we've heard of long ago.
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  Speaker 3: One accepted and the other rejected. Will all be lost?
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  Speaker 3: Is there any way for this family to heal? These
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  Speaker 3: are the questions you'll be left with as you listen
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  Speaker 3: to today's passage. So, let's hear the story now.
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  Speaker 2: There was a great famine that plagued the land. The land,
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  Speaker 2: once adorned with fertile fields, ceased its growth. The land
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  Speaker 2: would soon return to its former glory, yet for the
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  Speaker 2: time being, Isaac needed to escape to healthier plains. They
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  Speaker 2: escaped to Girar, a hostile land in which Isaac had
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  Speaker 2: never ventured before. When his family settled there, the men
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  Speaker 2: in the city were asking about his wife Rebecca, for
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  Speaker 2: she was pleasing to the eye. Isaac, out of fear
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  Speaker 2: that they might kill him to take his wife, claimed
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  Speaker 2: she was his sister, as his father Abraham had done
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  Speaker 2: before him. And Adam did generations before him. Isaac compromised
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  Speaker 2: the integrity of his wife to protect himself. Yet it
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  Speaker 2: did not take long for Isaac to get found out,
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  Speaker 2: and a great distress was put upon their leader, Abimelech.
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  Speaker 2: Once again, the family of Abraham had underestimated the integrity
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  Speaker 2: of foreigners and had created strife amongst them. And yet
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  Speaker 2: Isaac worked the ground well. The Lord had instructed Isaac
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  Speaker 2: to remain in Gerar instead of fleeing to Egypt, and
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  Speaker 2: he was fruitful for it. Isaac grew richer during the famine,
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  Speaker 2: and his influence reached far beyond the land of Gerar.
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  Speaker 2: The Philistines who dwelled in the land grew envious of him,
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  Speaker 2: and Isaac became villainized for his success. Abimelech sent him away.
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  Speaker 2: for they did not want him growing even more rich
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  Speaker 2: off of their land. Isaac and his family wandered for
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  Speaker 2: many weeks, and they were met everywhere they went with
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  Speaker 2: disdain and conflict. Yet God remained faithful and reminded Isaac
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  Speaker 2: of his promise to him. God blessed him, saying, I
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  Speaker 2: am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for
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  Speaker 2: I am with you and will bless you and multiply
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  Speaker 2: your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake. and Isaac dug
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  Speaker 2: wells as a monument to God's faithfulness. During this time,
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  Speaker 2: Esau had married a Hittite woman named Judith. The two
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  Speaker 2: of them made Rebekah and Jacob's life miserable and openly
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  Speaker 2: mocked them both. Isaac grew old, and his eyes began
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  Speaker 2: to fade. He could no longer open his eyes to
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  Speaker 2: see the fruit of his labor or the ones he loved. Isaac,
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  Speaker 2: knowing that his time was drawing near, called to his
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  Speaker 2: oldest son Esau. My son, he said. Here I am,
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  Speaker 2: Esau replied. Go into the countryside with your bow and
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  Speaker 2: hunt me an animal. Prepare me a meal and you
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  Speaker 2: and I will sit together to eat. Afterwards, I will
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  Speaker 2: bless you before I depart. Esau left immediately to hunt
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  Speaker 2: for his father, anticipating the blessing that would come afterwards.
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  Speaker 2: Rebecca overheard Isaac and Esau and immediately grabbed her son Jacob.
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  Speaker 2: Rebecca told Jacob what Isaac was planning on doing, and
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  Speaker 2: together they devised a plan to steal away Esau's blessing.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob killed a goat and made his father a delicious stew.
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  Speaker 2: Rebecca then dressed Jacob in Esau's clothes. Since Esau was
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  Speaker 2: a hairy man, Jacob covered himself in goat fur. With
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  Speaker 2: Esau's clothes, fur, and stew Jacob entered into his father's tent,
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  Speaker 2: determined to come out with a blessing. Slowly entering into
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  Speaker 2: the tent, Jacob lowered his voice and spoke, Here I am, Father. Isaac, blind,
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  Speaker 2: looked towards Jacob and said, Who is here? It is Esau,
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  Speaker 2: your firstborn. I have done what you asked. Please, get
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  Speaker 2: up and eat so that you may bless me. Isaac, perplexed,
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  Speaker 2: inquired how Esau was able to kill the.
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  Speaker 1: Animal so quickly.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord guided my hand and gave me success. Jacob lied.
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  Speaker 2: Come here so I can touch you, son. I must
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  Speaker 2: know if you are truly Esau. Jacob drew near to
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  Speaker 2: Isaac and allowed him to feel his arms and clothes.
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  Speaker 2: The trick had worked. Isaac was convinced he was speaking
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  Speaker 2: to Esau. The two ate together. And Isaac placed his
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  Speaker 2: hands on Jacob. With love and excitement, Isaac spoke over
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  Speaker 2: Jacob with the same adoration he would have given Esau.
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  Speaker 2: The tender and intimate moment between father and firstborn son
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  Speaker 2: was stolen by Jacob. Isaac spoke his blessing over Jacob,
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  Speaker 2: reciting a type of ancient poetry, one that would echo
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  Speaker 2: throughout all of Jacob's life. See, the smell of my
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  Speaker 2: son is as the smell of a field that the
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  Speaker 2: God has blessed. May God give you of the dew
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  Speaker 2: of heaven, the sustenance of the earth and plenty of
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  Speaker 2: grain and wine. Let all people serve you and nations
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  Speaker 2: bow down to you. Be king over your brothers and
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  Speaker 2: may they bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who
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  Speaker 2: curses you and blessed be everyone who blesses you. As
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  Speaker 2: Isaac was finishing his blessing over Jacob, Esau returned from
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  Speaker 2: his hunt. Esau tirelessly worked as he skinned the deer,
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  Speaker 2: butchered it, and prepared his father's favorite meal. Blessing was
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  Speaker 2: in reach, and he hurried to his father's tent with
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  Speaker 2: a meal. Jacob had left Isaac's side, and Esau approached him. Father,
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  Speaker 2: I have come back from my hunt. Here, take and eat,
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  Speaker 2: so that you may bless me.
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  Speaker 3: Who are you?
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  Speaker 2: He answered crossly. I am your firstborn son, Esau. I
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  Speaker 2: have come back from my hunt. Isaac trembled and became violent.
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  Speaker 2: In a rage, Isaac raised his voice, saying, Who was
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  Speaker 2: it then that brought me food? I have blessed him,
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  Speaker 2: and he will be blessed. As soon as Esau heard this,
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  Speaker 2: he bellowed a deep and bitter cry. Sorrow, rage, and
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  Speaker 2: anguish welled up in Esau's heart. His brother had tricked
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  Speaker 2: him into giving up his birthright, and now he had
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  Speaker 2: stolen what mattered most, his father's blessing. Frantically, And with
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  Speaker 2: tears filling his eyes, Esau begged his father, Bless me also,
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  Speaker 2: my father. Have you not reserved any blessing for me?
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  Speaker 2: Please do not leave me here alone. Isaac was enraged
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  Speaker 2: at Jacob, yet could not recant his blessing over him.
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  Speaker 2: I have made him lord over you, Isaac said. I
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  Speaker 2: have blessed him as an inheritor of all God has
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  Speaker 2: given me, and you will serve under him. Esau wept bitterly.
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  Speaker 2: His face fell into his hands as he managed to ask,
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  Speaker 2: Is there any blessing you can give me? Anything at all?
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  Speaker 2: Isaac spoke again in ancient poetry. Welling up with sadness
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  Speaker 2: for his son, he spoke saying, Behold, away from the
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  Speaker 2: richness of the earth you shall dwell, and away from
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  Speaker 2: the dew of heaven on high, You shall live by
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  Speaker 2: your sword, and you shall serve your brother. But when
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  Speaker 2: you grow restless, you shall break his yoke from your neck.
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  Speaker 2: A dark part of Esau's heart was awakened that day.
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  Speaker 2: Thousands of generations had passed since Cain had killed his
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  Speaker 2: brother Abel, yet that same hatred lingered, seeking whom it
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  Speaker 2: may take hold of. When Isaac had breathed his last,
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  Speaker 2: and went to be with his father Abraham, Esau sighed
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  Speaker 2: a deep breath and said, The days of mourning my
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  Speaker 2: father are approaching. After I mourn, I will kill my
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  Speaker 2: brother Jacob. Esau spoke these words to himself, yet they
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  Speaker 2: caught the ear of his mother Rebekah. She sent for
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  Speaker 2: Jacob and said to him, Your brother plans to kill
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  Speaker 2: you after he has mourned your father. Gather your things
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  Speaker 2: and flee to my brother Laban. He will take care
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  Speaker 2: of you until your brother's fury subsides. So Jacob fled
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  Speaker 2: in the dead of night and waited there until his
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  Speaker 2: brother's anger dimmed and he could return to claim what
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  Speaker 2: was now rightfully his.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's passage, there is a famine sweeping
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  Speaker 3: across the land. Isaac and his family are unable to
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  Speaker 3: stay where they are and the Lord speaks to Isaac
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  Speaker 3: to tell him where not to go and where he
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  Speaker 3: should settle. This was not a case of Isaac fleeing
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  Speaker 3: in fear and not trusting God. He was following God's
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  Speaker 3: direction and taking his family to a better place for
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  Speaker 3: a season. Sadly, his trust only went so far because
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  Speaker 3: just like his father Abraham on two separate occasions, Isaac
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  Speaker 3: feared for his life in a land of pagans and
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  Speaker 3: he told people that Rebecca was his sister. Rather than
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  Speaker 3: being the leader and protector she needed, Isaac thought of
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  Speaker 3: his own safety more highly than that of his wife's.
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  Speaker 3: And just like his father, his lies found out by
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  Speaker 3: the king, Isaac discovers that he has underestimated the righteousness
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  Speaker 3: of those around him, but worse, he failed to trust God. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 3: God blesses Isaac in his planting efforts, and Isaac bears
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  Speaker 3: much fruit from this land. Eventually, this does not sit
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  Speaker 3: well with the locals, who become envious of him. Soon,
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  Speaker 3: Isaac and his family are forced to leave and wander.
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  Speaker 3: meeting opposition and conflict at every turn. But once again,
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  Speaker 3: we see God remaining faithful to his promise. He protects
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  Speaker 3: and blesses Isaac and his family and provides for them. Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: following the good example of his father this time, digs
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  Speaker 3: wells as a form of remembering God's faithfulness. There is
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  Speaker 3: a great importance in setting up ways of remembering what
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  Speaker 3: God has done. You may not build an altar or
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  Speaker 3: dig a well or erect a monument, but you can
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  Speaker 3: still do things that help you remember what God has
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  Speaker 3: done in your life and your family. The next thing
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  Speaker 3: we find in our story is Esau, who has grown bitter.
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  Speaker 3: Likely as a result of giving up his birthright, he
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  Speaker 3: is married and he and his wife show utter contempt
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  Speaker 3: for his parents. And yet, even as he grows old
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  Speaker 3: and blind, Isaac continues to choose Esau as his favorite.
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  Speaker 3: It is to him that Isaac intends to give his
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  Speaker 3: paternal blessing. But Jacob wants that blessing. It's worth noting
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  Speaker 3: that Jacob wasn't wrong to want the blessing. He was
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  Speaker 3: seeking God and his favor. The intention, the desire itself
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  Speaker 3: was not wrong. In fact, it was a good thing
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  Speaker 3: to want the blessing of God. The problem was how
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  Speaker 3: he went about getting it. Jacob, prompted by his mother, Rebecca,
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  Speaker 3: schemes with her to take this blessing away from his brothers.
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  Speaker 3: They take advantage of Isaac's frailty and inattention and trick
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  Speaker 3: him into thinking Jacob is his older brother. This was
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  Speaker 3: no simple deception. They went to great lengths to ensure
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  Speaker 3: it was Jacob and not Esau who would get the blessing.
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  Speaker 3: So while Esau is out hunting to make a meal
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  Speaker 3: for his old and dying father, we see here in
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  Speaker 3: this passage a total severing of the family bond. The
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  Speaker 3: deceit and bitterness and jealousy and rivalry has reached maturity.
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  Speaker 3: Esau is consumed with anger and hatred towards his brother
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  Speaker 3: and vows to kill him, an echo of the first
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  Speaker 3: two brothers in history, Cain and Abel. Jacob, despite having
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  Speaker 3: received the blessing, is terrified and forced to run away
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  Speaker 3: to Rebekah's family where he will live for many years.
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  Speaker 3: There's so much to be learned in this story. Once again,
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  Speaker 3: we see the destructiveness of favoritism. But there's something even deeper.
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  Speaker 3: Rather than getting his house in order as his life
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  Speaker 3: neared to an end, Isaac was interested only in filling
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  Speaker 3: his stomach. Listen to the words of Genesis 27, 2, 3,
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  Speaker 3: and 4. Isaac said, Behold, now I am old, and
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  Speaker 3: I do not know the day of my death. Now then,
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  Speaker 3: please take your gear, your quiver, and your bow, and
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  Speaker 3: go out to the field and hunt game for me,
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  Speaker 3: and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love,
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  Speaker 3: and bring it to me that I may eat, so
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  Speaker 3: that my soul may bless you before I die. Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: knowing that he would soon die, could have brought his
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  Speaker 3: sons together along with his wife and charged them with
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  Speaker 3: maintaining unity and love and continuing trust in God. Instead,
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  Speaker 3: all he wanted was dinner. It would take years for
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  Speaker 3: this family conflict to resolve, and by then so much
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  Speaker 3: had been lost. While Abraham was a shining example of
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  Speaker 3: how to carefully order one's last days to ensure a
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  Speaker 3: legacy that honors God, Isaac's life shines as a light
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  Speaker 3: on the danger of selfishness and self-indulgence. May we seek
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  Speaker 3: to be more like Abraham and less like Isaac in
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  Speaker 3: our old age. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this
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  Speaker 3: story and how you continue to show yourself faithful and
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  Speaker 3: true to Isaac, even as he stumbled and failed to
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  Speaker 3: trust in you. Thank you also for the valuable lesson
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  Speaker 3: about family and the warnings about dishonesty, favoritism, and being
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  Speaker 3: passive in our leadership with our children. Help us to
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  Speaker 3: honor you with our families. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily tasks and
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 18:54
  Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.