Friday, February 26, 2016
VIDEO
Esau
knew that his father, Isaac, had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to
find a wife, and that he had warned Jacob, “You must not marry a Canaanite
woman.” He also knew that Jacob had obeyed his parents
and gone to Paddan-aram. It was now very clear to Esau
that his father did not like the local Canaanite women. So
Esau visited his uncle Ishmael’s family and married one of Ishmael’s daughters,
in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife’s name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the
daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. Genesis 28:6-9(NLT)
If
you’ve been following with us this week, we’ve see how Esau had lots of trouble
growing up emotionally and spiritually. The
maturing of Esau's spiritual backbone is first evident in his desire to be obedient. Seeing his mother's anguish over his marital
foolishness, he tries to offset his wrong.
No person can be satisfied with self-gratification as a lifestyle for
very long.
In
the story of the Prodigal Son, he eventually awakened in the hog pen and had a
longing for home and his father. Not a
single one of the hogs wanted to move out.
While the pigs grunted with only a full belly as their need, the pangs
of hell got ahold of the Prodigal and propelled him home.
But
in Esau’s life the transformation of grace is twenty more years in the
making. (That’s a long time in the hog
pen!) We don't get the details, but from
the time he makes his first step back home to the Lord by trying to soothe his
mother's anguish, to the return of his brother (chapter 33), a metamorphosis
happens.
What
caused the change?
It
may have been like the country doctor who had just finished delivering the farm
family's tenth baby in ten years. He was
aware that the mother wasn't in good health, and they could hardly afford food
on the table. As he sat in the kitchen,
the father came up to him and said, "Doc, we've had so many kids, we've
plum run outa names. I sure don't know
what to call this 'un." "If I
were you," said the doctor, "I'd call it QUITS!"
Perhaps
Esau just plain "wised-up". He
began to see that his selfishness and hatred only came back on him, and God had
a better way.
You
will notice in the story that Esau's whole personality and outlook were changed
when he was finally reunited with the brother he had once vowed to kill. His brother Jacob (now Israel) took one look
at the new Esau and exclaimed:
…what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God! Genesis 33:10(NLT)
Where
once there was hate, now there is love.
Where jealousy and vengeance reigned, now there is the face of God. What can bring about a change like this?
In
1852, in North Carolina, the conjoined twins Millie and Christina were born
into slavery. They were joined at the
hip; and lived for 60 years as one person.
Their masters exhibited them at various sideshows and circus
events. When the Civil War brought
freedom, Millie and Christina legally ceased to be slaves. This new freedom changed all the
legalities. They were no more
slaves. However they still chose to
exhibit themselves in the sideshows.
They had been freed from their old Masters, but they chose to continue
some of their pre-freedom practices as a means of making money.
Jesus
died that we might be set free. Many
people claim this freedom as a matter of legality, and then live as if nothing
has changed at all.
People
like Esau decide against that. They
decide that new life in Christ means NEW LIFE!
Esau was able to run to his brother and kiss him and throw his arms
around him to restore his long lost, new found friend.
That
kind of change is available to all who will come to Jesus.
For You Today
Is
that kind of freedom settled with you?
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