Foundational themes in Genesis – Study 79

(Key verses: Gen 27:14-41)

In our last discussions on the theme of sonship in Genesis, the focus was slowly shifting away from Isaac, the son of Abraham, to Jacob. In his old age Isaac was losing his vision physically, but spiritually he also could not distinguish the true elected son, namely Jacob. Isaac attached himself to Esau instead and became progressively more dependent on his earthly desires and senses. Spiritual maturity is measured by how we have grown (“because of use”) to distinguish truthfully between right and wrong, good and evil, the called and the chosen. This all-important discernment is restricted by God through His extremely strong and powerful work called delusion, which is now witnessed in Isaac (2Co 10:7; 2Co 11:14-15; 2Th 2:11):

Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, even those who because of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

From the lives of Abraham, Isaac and now Jacob we learn that spiritual sonship also is indeed an ongoing progressive work of the Father through Jesus Christ which He bestows on a few to be overcomers over their own flesh first (Joh 16:33; Rom 12:21; 1Jn 5:4; 1Jn 5:10-13; Rev 2:7; Rev 2:11; Rev 2:17; Rev 17:14). These sons of God are those who are being judged in this age, but they will be used by God to rule in the thousand year reign on earth, but also to be the judges of those who will come up in the second resurrection (1Pe 4:17; Rev 20). This is what the double portion of the firstborn son spiritually means which was in shadow introduced under the law of Moses (Deu 21:15-17):

2Co 5:10 (Darby) For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of the Christ, that each may receive the things done in the body, according to those he has done, whether it be good or evil.

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Before the sons of God can see and appreciate their double portion, they must first mature in disobedience and sin (their spiritual Amorites must be “full”), and then be the first to be judged and experience the wrath of God before obtaining spiritual salvation in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:22-23; 1Th 5:9; Heb 9:27; 1Jn 2:17). This is also seen in Abraham and his offspring through Isaac and Jacob. This offspring of Abraham will be held in bondage and must first serve under their fleshly masters until the time is fulfilled by God:

Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither [in the promised land] again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

It is important to note that the elect must also be counted with the transgressors because they live by all the words of God, the good ones, but also the evil words:

Luk 22:37 For I [Jesus] say unto you [His disciples], that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
Luk 22:38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus, the Head of the body, did not commit any transgressions while here on earth or at any stage of His existence, but His body on earth is a body of sin, even His church, and they do transgress. This is how Jesus also fulfils the trespass offering in us by dying as a transgressor (Lev 5:1-19; Psa 51:5; Mat 26:51-52; Luk 22:37-38; Rom 6:6; 2Co 5:21; Eph 5:30):

Rom 4:25 (Diaglott-NT) who was delivered up on account of the offences of us, and was raised up on account of the justification of us.

Gal 4:3 So we [the sons of God] also, when we were children [“of the wicked”], were held in bondage under the principles of the world;
Gal 4:4 but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, come of woman, come under law,
Gal 4:5 that he might redeem those under law, that we might receive sonship.
Gal 4:6 But because ye are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Darby)

In our last discussion, we also touched on the negative application of this double portion which indeed also applies to the sons of God “when” in “times past” they walked according to “the course” or “the principles” of this world “even as others” in the world. This evil applies to both our outward earthly “members” (the land) and to our mind (our thoughts which is our heavens or “the air”). This also relates to the will in us and the actions we take:

Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

Eph 2:1 And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins,
Eph 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience;
Eph 2:3 among whom we also had our way of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (MKJV)

Jer 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Although it is a very humbling and extremely painful “double” which the elect of God is ordained to go through, God’s judgment on our old man is indeed a very great comfort when we afterward “may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Mal 3:3):

Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Isa 40:2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

God is a God of great mercy as He deals righteously in His wrath on those sins in us when we actually were ignorantly glorifying in ourselves being in deep deception and delusion (Isa 26:9; 2Co 1:3; 2Th 2:11; Jas 2:13). This wrath of God links with the receiving of the “double” out of the hand of God when we receive the punishment and judgment for sin, even as Babylon has her ways in the sons of God “in times past” before her fall is witnessed in us:

Rev 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

When these “Amorites” are fulfilled, the sons of God are getting the clear instruction to come out of the great harlot to first receive the “double” and drink the bitter cup out of God’s hand (Psa 75:8; Isa 51:17; Jer 24:1-7; Jer 25:28-29; 1Pe 4:17). This is when our will is brought to submit to God’s will, and our actions follow His commandments:

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

The phrase “such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” tells us that the intensity of the tribulations brought upon the elect has no equal. The higher the rank in an army, the more intense is the training. The sons of God are constantly under close scrutiny from God because much is required of them as they will receive the better portion:

Luk 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

This bitter and painful “double” applies to every aspect of our lives – from the visible flesh right down to the invisible depths of the bottomless pit of our carnal minds. Our flesh and outward lifestyle is brought to judgment through physical afflictions, but also our carnal mind when it is exposed by the brightness of His Word which is used to bring the refining fire (2Co 11:18-33; 2Co 12:7; 2Th 2:1-8):

Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

This is why the life of Jacob is given to us to see how we are guilty of all, before we are brought to receive God’s reward. Jacob himself was at this stage “living in tents” and was seemingly still untested in the many trials in the outside world (Gen 25:27; Luk 15:11-32). His own evil heart also needed exposure. What will come after this event in the life of Jacob typifies how God will cause us to leave our own comfort zones to be exposed to the evil inside our own heart, which reflects in the outside world (1Jn 2:16). This also reminds us of the prodigal son who was the younger brother of the two sons, who had to go through his wanderings under “the course of this world” before he could understand or appreciate his father’s true love and inheritance. The younger son, a type of God’s elect, wanted his portion of the inheritance, which was how he was set up to receive the “double” punishment also. It is in his return and repentance that this son was given back the inheritance to the dismay of the elder brother, who was in the field when he heard the music and dancing (Isa 30:15):

Luk 15:21 And the [prodigal] son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luk 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

We can only see the true condition of our own hearts through the painful trials God mercifully brings to us, because without these tribulations no son of God will become an overcomer and be ruling in God’s kingdom (Deu 8:2; Jer 17:9; 2Th 2:3-4):

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Like all of us, Jacob started off by walking according to the ways of the world and tricked his own brother out of his birthright, and now will deceive his own father to get the blessing of the firstborn with the help and instructions from his mother, Rebekah:

Gen 27:14 And he [Jacob] went, and fetched, and brought them [the two good kids of the goats] to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
Gen 27:15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
Gen 27:16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
Gen 27:17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Rebekah (her name means “ensnarer”) made sure that all angles were covered and all details were correctly followed in the preparation of the meal. This was meticulously done to deceive Isaac into believing that Jacob was Esau whom Isaac was awaiting to bring to him his favoured venison meal. Jacob even introduced himself as Esau to Isaac, but the plot thickened with each of the questions Isaac put to Jacob:

Gen 27:18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
Gen 27:19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
Gen 27:20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
Gen 27:21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
Gen 27:22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
Gen 27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
Gen 27:24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
Gen 27:25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
Gen 27:26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
Gen 27:27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
Gen 27:28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn [Hebrew: “dâgân” = grain/wheat] and wine:
Gen 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

The very earthly senses Isaac depended on have failed him! Flesh is not a trustworthy ally and will always disappoint bitterly, as it falls far short of perfection. Dependence on our physical senses indicates our reliance on the limited and unstable information available to our natural mind which relates spiritually to our deep-seated affection and association to spiritual Babylon. Isaac will soon find out what his reliance on his physical senses brought about, even as the blessing was given to the true elect of God. Even as the sons of God “in times past” dealt treacherously, they will eventually learn through their “double” or “many stripes” to not resist evil, as evil is one of God’s instruments to form and shape His sons:

Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

To not resist evil is what Esau could not do as the news of God’s election is never good for the rejected:

Gen 27:30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
Gen 27:31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
Gen 27:32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
Gen 27:33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

Esau, like all who are the rejected, will never in this life accept God’s choices which are never according to human standards and liking:

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

The sons of God learn in this life that everything God does is good and perfect for His purposes, and everything has its precise time and place according to the will of God (Gen 1:31; Ecc 3:1; Eph 1:11). It is all done for the sakes of God’s elect (Joh 12:28-32; 2Co 4:15):

Gen 27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
Gen 27:35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
Gen 27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

The flesh cannot accept this and will always rebel against God’s ways. But the spirit of God is the Lord over all flesh, as Christ is the true firstborn and Lord of all (Act 10:36: Col 1:15-18):

Gen 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
Gen 27:38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Gen 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
Gen 27:40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Gen 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand [Isaac’s death]; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

In verses 28 and 39 we also see the positive and negative applications of what dew and fat spiritually represent. Jacob was given the dew of heaven and the fat coupled with plenty of corn and wine, typifying how God’s elect treasure the Word of God through which “people [will] serve thee, and nations bow down to thee.” This will later manifest in Jacob’s life, typifying the portions of the sons of God:

Jer 31:11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Jer 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
Jer 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Jer 31:14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.

Esau’s portions of fat and dew was to be an adversary to his brother when his heart is to be ruled with hatred and murder:

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

The flesh is the enemy of the spirit of God, and even in these twins of Isaac and Rebekah, this hatred is typified:

Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Rev 18:1-4 Babylon’s Hold
Rev 18:5-9 Our Lament
The Seven Last Plagues
The Spiritual Significance of The Trespass Offering
Babylon Is For Our Good