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Esau's Birthright - The Book of Genesis (2024) · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And Jacob said, Swear to me this day,
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  Speaker 1: and he swear unto him, and he sold his birthright
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  Speaker 1: unto Jacob. Genesis 25.33 Dear Lord, through the eyes of
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  Speaker 1: this text, thank you for opening my eyes to ways
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  Speaker 1: of being that could derail my future. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: I will be mindful to cherish and and to honor
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  Speaker 1: the inheritance you have for me as your child. I
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  Speaker 1: decree that I will not settle and sell myself short
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  Speaker 1: for the things in life that offer temporary pleasure and
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  Speaker 1: relief like Esau. Help me, Lord, to stay mindful and
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  Speaker 1: sober when it comes to the schemes of the enemy.
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  Speaker 1: I will guard my future and my promise with wisdom
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  Speaker 1: and wise counsel. I will not compromise my stance or
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  Speaker 1: my values when opportunity is within reach. Instead, I will
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  Speaker 1: hold fast to that which belongs to me, for I
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  Speaker 1: know that you are my provider. Heavenly Father, man can
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  Speaker 1: only give what you allow. From this moment on, I
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  Speaker 1: guard what's mine. I stay alert at all times, and
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  Speaker 1: I wait for my promise to come to pass. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year, brought to you by Bibleinayear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Esau's Birthright Before this story, we learned about Sarah passing away.
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  Speaker 2: and God's faithfulness to continue His promises through Isaac. He
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  Speaker 2: provided Isaac with a wife, Rebekah, and the two loved
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  Speaker 2: one another deeply. Now we will learn about the passing
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  Speaker 2: of Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah's sons, Jacob and Esau,
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  Speaker 2: as inspired by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous passage, we
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  Speaker 3: learned of Sarah's passing and Abraham's quest to find a
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  Speaker 3: wife for Isaac, his son, a woman to help him
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  Speaker 3: carry on the family line and fulfill God's prophecy regarding
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  Speaker 3: Abraham's descendants. Today, we come to the end of Abraham's life.
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  Speaker 3: Far from being a perfect man, he was full of contradictions,
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  Speaker 3: faith and failings, trust and trepidation. God has been with
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  Speaker 3: him through it all, however, never wavering in his promise.
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  Speaker 3: Now his legacy is established. Abraham is ready to go
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  Speaker 3: to the heavenly father. Notice how as he knows his
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  Speaker 3: time is nearing, Abraham continues to lead his family, seeking
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  Speaker 3: to establish for them a future and a fulfillment of
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  Speaker 3: God's plan. You'll hear how two brothers, Isaac and Ishmael,
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  Speaker 3: come together for the sake of honoring their father. We'll
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  Speaker 3: then hear about Isaac and Rebekah and a story that
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  Speaker 3: in many ways echoes that of Isaac's father and mother.
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  Speaker 3: the struggle to bear children, the patient waiting on God
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  Speaker 3: until finally God grants their greatest desire. But not just
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  Speaker 3: one child. God gave them twin boys. And as you
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  Speaker 3: probably have come to expect by now, when brothers are involved,
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  Speaker 3: strife is not far behind. Today's passage is no different.
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  Speaker 3: But listen as the struggles start before Rebecca even gives birth.
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  Speaker 3: This will not be a harmonious relationship, but it is
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  Speaker 3: made even worse by the parents who who each choose
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  Speaker 3: a favorite. The seeds are being sown early for a
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  Speaker 3: difficult relationship and a conflict that divides a family. This
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  Speaker 3: theme of close family conflict is one that keeps getting repeated,
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  Speaker 3: and it's one that many of us know all too
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  Speaker 3: well from personal experience. What can we learn from this
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  Speaker 3: story to help us in our own situations with our
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  Speaker 3: own families? Let's listen to today's passage and see.
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  Speaker 2: In the last years of Abraham's life, HE WAS MARRIED
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  Speaker 2: TO A WOMAN NAMED KETURA, A YOUNG WOMAN WHO BORE
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  Speaker 2: HIM SIX SONS. ABRAHAM WAS BLESSED IN HIS FINAL YEARS,
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  Speaker 2: GETTING TO SEE MORE OF GOD'S PROMISES UNFOLD BEFORE HIS EYES.
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  Speaker 2: WHEN HE KNEW THE TIME WAS NEAR, HE GATHERED GIFTS
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  Speaker 2: FOR HIS WIFE AND SONS AND COMMISSIONED THEM TO THE
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  Speaker 2: EAST TO BE FRUITFUL AND START THEIR OWN FAMILIES. YET
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  Speaker 2: ISAAC WAS TO REMAIN IN HIS LAND WITH REBECCA. Abraham,
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  Speaker 2: the father of nations and God's chosen inheritor of the covenant,
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  Speaker 2: departed from the earth at age 175. His life was
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  Speaker 2: filled with riches and woes, peaks and valleys, faith and failure.
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  Speaker 2: His life was a beacon of hope to all those
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  Speaker 2: who follow God and proof that the Lord keeps his
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  Speaker 2: promises despite our foolishness. After Abraham had passed, Ishmael returned
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  Speaker 2: to his brother Isaac, and the two buried him together
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  Speaker 2: beside Sarah. The God of Abraham looked to Isaac and
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  Speaker 2: became the God of Isaac. The promised covenant given to
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  Speaker 2: Abraham was passed to Isaac, and he would bless Isaac
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  Speaker 2: and his descendants as he did with his father. Twenty
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  Speaker 2: years of marriage had passed for Isaac and Rebekah. The
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  Speaker 2: two lived in the love of the Lord and one another,
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  Speaker 2: expanding their land and influence. Yet Rebekah in twenty years
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  Speaker 2: was unable to have children. The two found themselves in
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  Speaker 2: a similar situation as Abraham and Sarah once did. Yet
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  Speaker 2: they waited on the Lord and trusted in Him to provide.
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  Speaker 2: They came before God daily, waiting for Him to move.
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  Speaker 2: They knew He would, and He did. When Isaac and
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  Speaker 2: his wife Rebekah had reached twenty years of marriage, Isaac
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  Speaker 2: prayed to God that she would become pregnant because she
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  Speaker 2: was unable to bear children. God blessed Rebekah and answered
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  Speaker 2: Isaac's prayer. That is when Rebekah became pregnant with twin boys. Lord,
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  Speaker 2: what is happening to me? she prayed. The Lord responded,
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  Speaker 2: You have the makings of two nations inside you. Two
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  Speaker 2: people groups will come from the children in your womb.
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  Speaker 2: One will be stronger, and the older will serve the younger.
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  Speaker 2: As the Lord had promised, Rebekah became pregnant. A few
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  Speaker 2: months into pregnancy, Rebekah felt a wrestling in her womb. Concerned,
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  Speaker 2: she asked the Lord what was happening to her. The
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  Speaker 2: Lord prophesied over her and told her that she was
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  Speaker 2: having twins. He said, You have the makings of two
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  Speaker 2: nations inside you. two people groups that will be divided.
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  Speaker 2: One shall be stronger than the other, and the older
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  Speaker 2: will serve the younger. Rebecca kept these things close to
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  Speaker 2: her heart, for she would watch them unfold as her
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  Speaker 2: children grew older. When Rebecca came to term and gave
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  Speaker 2: birth to her twins, she was surprised to see the
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  Speaker 2: oldest baby was red, and his whole body was covered
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  Speaker 2: in hair. She named him Esau, The second child came
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  Speaker 2: out grasping the heel of his brother Esau. They named
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  Speaker 2: him Jacob, which means heel-grabber. Isaac was sixty years old
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  Speaker 2: when Esau and Jacob were born, and the two children
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  Speaker 2: grew up together in the promises of God. Esau grew
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  Speaker 2: up to be a skilled hunter. He was a man
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  Speaker 2: of the field, strong and filled with dignity. He often
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  Speaker 2: left for weeks to find meat for the family. and
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  Speaker 2: became skilled in the craft of hunting and killing. Jacob
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  Speaker 2: grew up to be a mild and quiet man, spending
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  Speaker 2: most of his time with his mother among the tents
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  Speaker 2: away from the elements. Esau was loved by his father,
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  Speaker 2: because he was a provider and hunted wild game and
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  Speaker 2: the firstborn son. Therefore, he was the inheritor of Isaac's birthright.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob was loved by his mother, yet Jacob's mildness was
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  Speaker 2: not to be mistaken for weakness. Jacob was a man
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  Speaker 2: of ambition and wit. His clever tongue and opportunistic attitude
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  Speaker 2: would be overlooked by his father and brother, to both
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  Speaker 2: their humiliation. Esau once returned from weeks out in the wilderness.
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  Speaker 2: He was hunting, traveling, and running towards the point of exhaustion.
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  Speaker 2: Starvation had led him back home, and near the point
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  Speaker 2: of death, he stumbled his way back to camp. Jacob
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  Speaker 2: was awaiting his brother. with a fresh pot of stew
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  Speaker 2: simmering on the fire. Esau, gasping out of starvation, groveled
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  Speaker 2: towards Jacob, saying, Let me eat some of that red stew,
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  Speaker 2: for I am exhausted. Jacob, with a sly grin that
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  Speaker 2: can barely be seen through the smoke of the fire, said,
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  Speaker 2: Sell me your birthright. Confused and exhausted, Esau said, What
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  Speaker 2: use is a birthright to me if I am about
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  Speaker 2: to die? Swear it to me. Jacob said swiftly. So
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  Speaker 2: Esau swore over his birthright to Jacob and ate of
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  Speaker 2: the stew Jacob prepared. Ravenously devouring the red stew, Esau
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  Speaker 2: was the first victim of Jacob's ambition. He ate and
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  Speaker 2: drank and then went his way. Ever since, Esau despised
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  Speaker 2: his place in life, and bitterness would be the bond
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  Speaker 2: between Esau and Jacob for years after.
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  Speaker 3: We open the story today with Abraham remarrying his wife,
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  Speaker 3: giving him more sons. These will not be the men
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  Speaker 3: who will make up the great nation of Israel, but
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  Speaker 3: as sons they would be blessed and fruitful. Before we
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  Speaker 3: move on to their story, I want to point out
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  Speaker 3: something that happens. When Abraham dies, Isaac does not bury
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  Speaker 3: his father alone. He is joined by a familiar character
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  Speaker 3: who we last saw wandering in the wilderness with his
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  Speaker 3: mother after he mocked a young Isaac in jealousy. Ishmael
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  Speaker 3: returns and together with Isaac bury their father. This relationship,
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  Speaker 3: which was so strained, beyond repair really, is at the
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  Speaker 3: very least able to be reconciled for a time to
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  Speaker 3: lay their father to rest. You may be living through
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  Speaker 3: a very difficult situation today or having experienced one where
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  Speaker 3: it seems there is no reconciliation possible. But with God,
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  Speaker 3: all things are possible. And today we see these two brothers,
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  Speaker 3: who you may never have expected to speak again, coming
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  Speaker 3: together to honor their father, righteous Abraham. a man who
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  Speaker 3: left each with a powerful legacy of faith in God.
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  Speaker 3: And then there is this. Isaac and Rebekah, like Abraham
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  Speaker 3: and Sarah, must wait for many years for a child.
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  Speaker 3: But they remain faithful, and after 20 years, Isaac goes
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  Speaker 3: to God and asks him to give Rebekah a child,
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  Speaker 3: and the Lord answers. So she becomes pregnant with twins. Early,
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  Speaker 3: it's obvious that the brothers will be at odds. Even
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  Speaker 3: in the womb, they wrestle with one another. They couldn't
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  Speaker 3: be more different. Esau, the oldest, is a powerful hunter,
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  Speaker 3: a man of the land. Jacob is mild and peaceful,
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  Speaker 3: not made for outdoor living. He is also cunning and sharp-witted.
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  Speaker 3: But the real problems arise because of the attitude of
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  Speaker 3: the parents. Listen to what Genesis 25, 28 says. Now,
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  Speaker 3: Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game,
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  Speaker 3: but Rebekah loved Jacob. Sibling rivalries are common and may
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  Speaker 3: be even expected, but when parents play favorites, the results
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  Speaker 3: are disastrous. You shouldn't be surprised to see now that
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  Speaker 3: Jacob tricks Esau, his brother, to give up his birthright
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  Speaker 3: for a bowl of stew. This birthright would have given
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  Speaker 3: Esau claim to a much larger portion of his father's estate.
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  Speaker 3: This was his right as the firstborn son. But in
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  Speaker 3: his hunger and exhaustion and in his inattention, And in
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  Speaker 3: his self-indulgence, he gave it all away for something that
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  Speaker 3: lasted no more than a day, a bowl of food.
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  Speaker 3: We should be very careful not to give up the
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  Speaker 3: treasures of God for the pleasures of man. Jacob took
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  Speaker 3: advantage of his brother, and his own selfish ambition took
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  Speaker 3: hold in his heart. This was the first, but certainly
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  Speaker 3: not the last, of his injuries to Isaac. As the
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  Speaker 3: story goes on, these brothers would, just as God told Rebekah,
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  Speaker 3: be in a lifelong struggle with each other. It was
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  Speaker 3: a struggle with no real winners. And at the center
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  Speaker 3: of this are two parents who chose to pick a
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  Speaker 3: side and choose a child that they love more than
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  Speaker 3: the other. We will continue to see the downward spiral
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  Speaker 3: of this relationship and the explosive consequence of Jacob's deceit
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  Speaker 3: in our next passage. Dear Lord, thank you for this
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  Speaker 3: story that shows us how we can mend relationships as
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  Speaker 3: in the case of Isaac and Ishmael. And thank you
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  Speaker 3: for the story of Jacob and Esau because it teaches
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  Speaker 3: us how we can avoid the danger of favoritism among
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  Speaker 3: parents and the destructive effects of unresolved conflicts among siblings.
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  Speaker 3: Help us to apply these lessons to our own lives
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  Speaker 3: and relationships. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack
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  Speaker 3: Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and make
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  Speaker 3: prayer a priority in your life. And if you have
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  Speaker 3: sharing this podcast can make a difference in someone's life.
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  Speaker 3: And if you want more resources on how to tap
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  Speaker 3: into God's power for your life, be sure to visit jackgraham.org.