Twledh: Generations

Breshiyth 25:19-28:9 Haftarah Mal.1:1-2:7

Etz Chayeem Hoo (He Is a Tree of Life) Yeshua is a tree of life to those who take hold of Him, and those who support Him are praiseworthy. His ways are ways of pleasantness and all of His paths are shalom. Bring us back YHVH to You, and we shall come, renew our days as of old.

To begin, let us first read the haftarah portion found in Malachi 1:1-2:7. Here I believe well answer many of the questions we have yet to consider that will come to pass as we study through this weeks Parsha, Tol-dot, otherwise known as Generations. As we prepare to study this portion well observe a great many characteristics that give us a view into the type and personality of the people God uses to bring about His purpose. According to Rabbinic commentary in Stones Edition Tanach, Isaacs key character trait was said to be gevurah, or strength because one requires strength to differentiate between good and evil . However, within the reading of the parsha we observe what may appear to be somewhat of a contradiction to this since repeatedly witnessing the absence of any corrective measures toward his eldest son Esau as he spends all his time hunting game and feeding it to Isaac as his means of approval. In the final analysis we see Rebekah was wise in that she was able to influence her husband to do what was correct without having to tell him what to do. Isaac was wise enough to humble himself and listen to his wife Rebekah, and 1

advised his son Jacob rightly even after learning that he had been deceived. Here we have another case-in-point where Adonai speaks through the wife to help the husband keep on course for fulfilling Gods plan for their lives. There is some wordplay in the comparison between the two brothers, Jacob and Esau. Esaus other name Edom, means Fully, or complete. Jacob we learn, bu t for much different reasons, also is said to be complete as well. One of the most tragic lessons we see is for one to spendwaste even, a lifetime being passionate, even exceptionally gifted at something, and yet being exceedingly in error. The sages say that Isaac and Rebekah produced two sons; one became the personification of righteousness and the other of wickedness, and the parents had to make the distinction so that the nation of Israel would be pure. Here we will explore some of the pivotal truths The Father has established in the family of Isaac, that speak into our personal families and lives today. In the opening we begin with observing Abraham going on to remarry Keturah, a Canaanitish woman and she gave birth to several children for Abraham. We also have a record of the children of Ishmael as well. I am not going to stay here, as it is not in our interest at this time, but may later be worthy of some investigation for a future study. What we do see in the beginning of this parsha is Gods peopl e struggling again with barrenness. Now we have addressed this in the previous parsha as we sought understanding for Sarah concerning the very same issue. What we see here is the stigma man attaches to such a condition, but in truth, weve already established, this was a sign, or wonder from The Father to demonstrate His favor, His grace and His miracle with the seed of promise; and much like Resurrection we see Adonai take a barren field, and make salvation, life itself, sprout up from the ground! As it says in the Amidah, or Standing Prayer, within the sub prayer called Gods Might, we read, Who is like You, O Master of Mighty deeds, and who is comparable to You, O King Who causes death and restores life and makes salvation sprout! And we find in the commentary of this very prayer specific reference is being made to the miracle of Isaac from Sarahs barren womb.

Isaac we learn in Genesis 25:21 prays for Rebekah, and she conceives. Shortly thereafter so begins the drama that further reveals a greater plan at work, and teaching us as Gods children how we too can learn from both Esau and Jacob. The word used here for prayed in verse 21in Hebrew is aw-thar and it means to burn incense in worship, intercede, intreat, and pray.

Further study recognizes this word as a somewhat unusual entry in the vocabulary of prayer. The Theological Wordbook of the O.T. goes on to suggest that there was no fixed liturgy, and that it was spontaneous. However we discover some points of interest that may cast some light on the type of intercessory prayer Isaac prayed to The Father using this incense. In Alfred Edersheims Book The Temple: Its Ministry and Services we learn Prayers with the Incense offered by priests and people at this part of the service are recorded by tradition. And what we find is they prayed the prayer of Thanksgiving, and concluded with the Priestly Blessing, also known to us as The Aharonic Benediction. Of special interest we read in this prayer of Thanksgiving the words We shall thank You and relate Your praisefor our lives, which are committed to Your power and for our souls that are entrusted to You; for Your miracles that are with us every day; and for Your wonders and favors in every seasonevening, morning, and afternoon. The Beneficient One, for Your compassions were never exhausted, and the Compassionate One, for Your kindnesses never endedfor we have always put our hope in You. Whats more we find a very similar situation occurring in the first chapter of Luke of the N.T. Lets read this account in verses 5 -17. Its significant to point out that the duty of the officiating priest for burning the incense, was a duty awarded through a system of drawing lots. With 24 courses of priests and each course comprised of numerous priests, it was suggested that the duty of burning the incense was a once in a lifetime opportunity. We read in Edersheims again referring to the passage we just read in Luke, His coursethat 3

of Abiawas on duty for the week, and the house of his fathers for that special day. More than that, the lot had fallen on Zacharias for the most honourable service in the daily ministrythat of burning the incense on the golden altar within the Holy Place. For the first time in his life, and for the last, would this service devolve on him. (Edersheim, p. 120). Make no mistake, this was fulfillment of a prophetic type and shadow hearkening us all the way back to Isaac and Rebekah. We read in Genesis 25:22-24, But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is so, why then am I this way?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples shall be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other;

*And the older shall serve the younger*.

24

When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

Rebekah is having a painful, difficult pregnancy. She enquires of Adonai, and He gives her the explanation that there are two different people, more specifically two different nations, and they are struggling in her womb. But most importantly and in my honest opinion oftentimes either overlooked or minimalized is the critically prophetic statement. Here, before the children are even born into the world Adonai reveals to Rebekah that the birthright shall belong to the younger, who is Jacob! Technically, we could just stop right here, as this is the heart of the entire parsha. But there are more lessons to follow, so lets continue. The word there for struggled in verse 22 is Raw-tsats.

A Resh-Tsadi-Final Tsadi, and it means to crush something in pieces, also an oppression or struggle as crushing. Here again we have the prophecy being revealed that YHWH had spoken to Adam and Chava and the serpent in the garden in Breshiyth 3:15

I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen 3:15 KJV) The word in Hebrew there for bruise is Shuwf, and it means more specifically to crush. So, true to form, the enemy since creation is always attempting to corrupt the seed of man and thereby destroy Gods plans as we continue to discover and begin drawing some stark contrasts between these newborn twins. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. (Gen 25:25 KJV)

And

=Esav- Ayin-Shin-Vav;S#H6215, The sense of handling

rough. Also from

=Asah- Ayin-Shin-Heh; S#H6213, To do, make or perform. =dm- Alef-Dalet-Mem Sofid; S#H123, Another name for
Esau meaning red, ruddy, or fully.

And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: (Gen 25:26 KJV)

=Ya-aqob- Yod-Ayin-Kuf-Bet; S#H3290, Heel catcher,

supplanter. Verse 27 says that Esau became a man knowing hunting, or in Hebrew, yada tsayid. The word knowing or yada possesses several applications, but in this context it means to observe, or to reflect. So Esau reflected upon what he observed, and he also began to reflect, or behave like that which he observed. The word for hunting 5

Tsah-yeed; Tsadi-Yod-Dalet is defined as the game, the chase, hunter,

one who lays in ambush. We learn in the Theological Wordbook of the O.T. the root of the word hunting, or tsah-yeed

( tsadi-vav-dalet) metaphorically indicates one who pursues the life of another to destroy it.
Verse 27 goes on to say that Esau was a man of the field. Intriguing we find that Jacob too, may very well have been a man of the field also, but in a very different respect. A brief look at the word for field:

Saw-dah- Shin-Dalet- Heh; S#H7704, to spread out; a field,

country, land, wild, ground. If we study this in light of Esau, it reveals some things about his character. While designating an open field, it also opens up the understanding that the open field is a place that is exposed to violence (Gen.4:8 the murder of Abel by Cain in the field), and the violence of wild beasts (Ex. 22:31). But it also suggests that the open field is outside the walled city, or more importantly, the camp. To live life outside the camp suggests Esau pursued a life of lawlessness, or Torahlessness. As Matthew Henry put it regarding Esau, He was a man for this world. He was a man addicted to his sports, for he was a hunter; and a man who knew how to live by his wits, for he was a cunning hunter. Recreation was his business; he studied the art of it, and spent all his time in it. He never loved a book, nor cared for being

within doors; but he was a man of the field, like Nimrod and Ishmael, all for the game, and never well but when he was upon the stretch in pursuit of it. On the other hand we read that Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents (Gen 25:27 KJV). In the King James translation it says Jacob was a plain man. What is the uninformed casual reader supposed to think at the first reading of this verse? Jacob must not have been a handsome man, not entirely unattractive? Greens Interlinear it doesnt get much better as it identifies him as a simple man. Are we to think he was mentally deficient in some form or fashion? The New American Standard translation we read Jacob was a peaceful man. Now were getting somewhere. At least here we can connect the dots as we read earlier in the Etz Chaim, that Yeshuas paths are paths of shalom. But the point being, this is still such a far cry from what the Hebrew states out in plain view, but is completely lost in translation! The word is

=
finished.

tm, tawm; from S#H8552; complete, Tam means perfect and

stresses integrity.From S#H8549.

tmam, taw-mam; from S#H8549; to be complete or

This is the same word used to describe Noah in Genesis 6:9, of Abraham in Genesis 17:1, of Just weights and Just Measures in Deuteronomy 25:15!, of Gods Way in 2 Sam. 22:31 , and of His Torah in Psa. 19:7!

What we witness here is that Jacob grew up to become a man of integrity, just like his Fathers Noah, Shem, Eber, Abraham, and Isaac. He walked with God because he grew up learning, meditating upon and walking in Torah. 7

The word for tent used in this verse is

O-hel- Alef-Vav-Heh-Lamed; and it means tent. It also is

used as an object to point to for direction. Taken from the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon we learn, The shining light of the campfire next to the tent in the distance is a guide for those returning home late just as a star is used as a guide. Sidenote, it reminds me of when Yeshua was about to be born of Mary, in Luke chapter 2 verse 8, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night . Which if correct was during The Feast of Tabernacleshmmm tabernacles, sukkot, tentsthere is a connection here. In the Paleo Hebrew it looks like this

Tents were used in ancient times predominantly by the nomadic classes, specifically shepherds; which is why the Heh-Lamed gives us a clearer picture of the life of a shepherd. Messiah is called our Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20). At the end of the day the shepherd would guide his flock back to the penfold where he had set up camp by erecting his tent and oftentimes started a small fire next to it. The Heh-Lamed root taken together is a picture meaning Looking towards something. Can you see the weary shepherd lookin g for the light of his campfire, spotting it off in the distance, pointing with his shepherds staff and sa fely guiding his flock back to camp? According to Scripture it speaks of the relationship we have with our Heavenly Fatherwe discover this idiomatic expression means to study Torah; as the tent is not only a picture of the home, but also recognized as

 the Tent of Meeting (Ex.33:7 -11) and the Tent of Testimony (Num. 9:15), where Moshe met with YHWH in the doorway, and also the location where the two Tablets of Testimony were safely kept in the Ark of The Covenant. 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 say that our bodies are the temple of God. If we are the temple, or tabernacle, then the word picture we get from that is His Tablets of Testimony, which is Torah, is written upon our hearts!

The other word of significance in verse 27 of Genesis 25 is the Hebrew word for dwelled. In Hebrew the word is Yashab.

Yashab- Yod-Shin-Bet; S#H3427; and it means dwelling, to

sit,; a place of dwelling as the place returned to. To set oneself down in the dwelling place for the night or for long periods of time. To settle or remain. So we find that as a shepherd goes out with his flock to pasture, at the end of the work day he returns to set himself down and to retire to his tent to dwell and rest. The focal point I want you to see however is the two-letter root word at the end of Yashab. It is the two letter root, Shin-Bet, or

Shub; or Shuv. To Turn Back, To Return.

The root word we find here is the same root word we find in every scripture verse that The Father uses to tell us to repent, and to turn away from the things that weve let pull us away from Him and the things weve let become an idol in our lives.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and

turn (The word there in Hebrew is

or Shuwb, S#H7725, to return, to turn back) from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Ch 7:14 KJV)

: To Repent, To Return.
In Matthew Henrys commentary he suggests that Jacob was a man for the other world. As a shepherd. he was attached to that safe and silent employment of keeping sheep, to which also he bred up his children, ch. 46:34. Or, As a student. He frequented the tents of Melchizedek, [suggested by some to have been Shem] or Heber, as some understand it, to be taught by them divine things. As Abraham and his son Isaac after him both spent time learning Torah in the tents of Noah and Shem, so Jacob too spent time there and in the tent of Eber, Shems son learning Torah. It is also accurate to say Jacob spent time in his parents tent as a child learning Torah from his mother Rebekah as it is the responsibility of mothers to teach the nurturing truths of Torah to their young (Prov. 6:20). We read in verse 28 that Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. The Sages confirm the Hebrew wording as Isaac would love Esau, suggesting his love was conditional as Isaac loved Esau only for the tasty food he prepared for him as it says of Isaac, because he had a taste for game. Rebekahs love for Jacob however is recognized in the present tense, or loves indicating a perpetual affection. 10

B kwrh: The Birthright

In Breshiyth chapter 25:29-34 we have the official selling off of the birthright to Jacob. What we see here are few key things that would serve us well if we paid heed to them as well. Verse 29 Esau comes in from the field and The Word says that he was famished. Esau asks Jacob who has been boiling a red pottage stew for a swallow of his bread and lentil soup, which some suggest was a staple Mourners Dish, or meal that was prepared especially when a person had died. Some commentators suggest that on this day Abraham had passed, which is within reason since he lived until both Esau and Jacob were approximately 15 years of age. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. (Gen 25:30 KJV) Esau comes in from the field, hes exhausted from hunting all day in the field, and then he comes back home. He sees, and probably smells this absolutely delicious aroma coming from Jacobs pot of red stew, and says, quite matter -offactly, FEED ME! The word in Hebrew, La-at means to swallow greedily. Jacob agrees, but it comes with a price, a large one. In verse 31 we read Jacob says, First, sell me your birthright. the Right of the Firstborn. You can know a man/woman by what they view as important: Esau weighs out what Jacob says and

he Chooses.
Esau prefers the immediate, temporal satisfaction of a meal, over the eternal blessing of having the right of the Firstborn. He says, eh, what good, or what use is it to me? He sees the birthright as useless, of no value! Jacob makes him swear, he does and in exchange for the birthright, Jacob feeds Esau. A tragedy, but nonetheless, it was already foretold to Rebekah before the boys were born. 11

Esau, eats and drinks his soup, rises up and goes on his way, and we read and thus he despised his birthright. The word for despised there is

bzh-Bet-Zayin-Heh; S#H959, meaning to disesteem,

contemptible, disdained, vile person, scorn. Pictographically Bet is a picture of a house. Zayin is a agricultural implement, or weapon, and Heh means to see or to behold. Taken together it means Behold the attacked house, or the house is spoiled/plundered. The house in this case must be the Birthright. For Esau to despise his birthright is to see that there was nothing of value in it. Ezekiel 22:8 You have despised My holy things and have profaned My sabbaths.

Proverbs 19:16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul; but he that despiseth His ways shall die. Hebrew 12:14-17 Keep pursuing shalom with everyone and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (15) See to it that no one misses out on God's grace, that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and thus contaminates many, (16) and that no one is sexually immoral, or godless (profane) like Esav, who in exchange for a single meal gave up his rights as the firstborn. (17) For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to obtain his father's blessing, he was rejected; indeed, even though he sought it with tears, his change of heart was to no avail.

12

= Bekwrh, S#H1062, Bet-Kaf-Vav-Resh-Heh, and it means the

firstling of man or beast; birthright, taken from = Bekwr, S#H1060, Bet-Kaf-Vav-Resh, meaning firstborn, firstling,

eldest. The root word of firstborn is Bkar.

Bkar, S#H1069, Bet-Kaf-Resh, meaning to burst the womb, bear or

make early (of woman or tree), Firstfruit. The firstfruits of the crop of womb, the firstfruits being the choicest. What we find at the outset is that the firstborn can represent an individual born into a family, the firstborn of a nation, and it can be applied to the firstborn animal of a herd, as firstborn animals were often used for offerings in the Sacrificial system established by . The firstborn son is recognized as the first of the procreative strength of the father; and it meant primarily that he received The special family blessing, which meant spiritual and social leadership with preferential treatment, and A double portion of the Fathers possessions as his inheritance. Identified as the firstborn, You were also recognized as the kinsman redeemer. The word for redeem is g-al or and it means to restore one to his original position or avenge his death. It is the role of the nearest relative to redeem one in slavery, or avenge his murder. The perfect example of one who fills the role of Firstborn is Messiah, Yeshua. He is our Redeemer as He redeemed the world by His death on the cross so that we could be restored in right relation to the father; and He came to serve, so the Firstborn was responsible to be a SERVANT to his family, just as Messiah is Servant. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and 13

transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born ( )of all creation. (Col 1:12-15 NAS) Isaiah 42:1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isa 42:1 NAS) Not only is Yeshua The Firstborn, but He is the root word of firstborn, which is first-fruits. () But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits ( )after that those who are Christ's at His coming, (1Co 15:23 NAS) And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits ( )of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Rom 8:23 NAS) So, if we are Christs, and weve received His Spiritthen how are these firstfruits of His Spirit to be manifested in our lives? the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; (Gal 5:22 NAS)

Guess who else is recognized by as His Firstborn:

"Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My first-born. (Exo 4:22 NAS)

14

Chapter 26: A Famine in the Land Deja Who? We read in Chapter 26, verses 1-6 that Isaac has a mind to go down to Egypt to get food so he and his family can survive the famine. As a side-note, can I just point out that we saw this with Avraham, now were seeing this with Isaac, later we see it with Israel, Jacobs offspringand when they went it resulted in slavery to Egypt, and it all started with a lack of food! I understand theres a famine, Egypt was apparently well equipped to weather the famines that came and went. We also know that used Egypt to accomplish His purpose; but the question I have to ask, just like the what if question to if Adam and Chava had not eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God could have taught our ancestors Torah without the 400 years of bondage in Egypt if we would have stayed away! It is a story repeated over and over. Gods people are in need of physical nourishment, and theyre willing to walk into the mouth of hell to find it. Why do we do this over and over?? You would have thought Jacob might have picked up on it when his father opted to stick around in Gerar instead of going to Egypt after God told him not to go to Egypt. Sometimes I guess we have to touch the stove to learn its hot. Isaac stays in Gerar and goes to Abimelech (remember Abraham and Abimelechs father Abimelech the first made a covenant, so they supported one another). tells Isaac in verse 4 that He will multiply and bless his seed like the stars of the sky because his Father Abraham

shema, obeyed my voice, shemar, guarded and did what I told him to do ( mitvah) followed my mitzvoth, ( chukim) my regulations, ( Torah) and my teachings.

15

Exodus 13:9 "Moreover, it will serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes, so that Adonai's Torah may be on your lips; because with a strong hand Adonai brought you out of Egypt. Joshua 1:7-8 Only be strong and very bold in taking care to follow all the Torah which Moshe my servant ordered you to follow; do not turn from it either to the right or to the left; then you will succeed wherever you go. (8) Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed. We read that Isaac planted in that land, and did indeed bless Isaacs seed as it reproduced 100 fold in that land. What we see here is The Father making good on his promise He made with Isaacs father Abraham. In verses 12-15 we see that The Father continued to bless Isaac and his family and grew his possessions until he became a very wealthy man. His crops, herds, livestock, all grew greatly, until the Philistines envied him and the king told him to leave because Isaac had prospered so much. And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. (Gen 10:6 NAS) And Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim 14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines). (Gen 10:13-14 NAS) Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for want of knowledge. Because you rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as cohen for me. Because you forgot the Torah of your God, I will also forget your children. Hosea 8:12 I write him so many things from my Torah, yet he considers them foreign. H2114 zur to be a foreigner, strange, profane .
13

The Philistines originated from the loins of Ham, who was one of Noahs three sons. This just illustrates the point that a person can be born into a Godly home, a 16

Godly name, have the promise available to them to have a right relationship with God, and instead choose a life orrebellion; and after a few generations, what held so much potential has now drifted so far that they are recognized now as STRANGERS to Gods Torah! Selah. So Isaac moves down to the Vally of Gerar. He puts a little space between him and them and sets down a ways from them. The greed of Esau, the lack or honor and respect, responsibility. The envy of the Philistines. These characteristics are of a wicked spirit that only creates strife and division between man and God and his fellow man. Greed and envy are the kind of character traits that make a person fill in wells that first of all never belonged to them in the first place, and then fill them up with dirt so that no one else could be blessed by them! So Isaac illustrates what we too must do in our daily lives. If we want to allow The Spirit of The Living Elohim to fill us up, then we must carve those things out that would hinder Him from filling us up. The word for well is

= Ber, S#H875, a pit, especially a well, from S#H874

= Bar, baw-ar; to dig; by analogy to engrave.

But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water! (Gen 26:19 NAS)

Mayim Chai!
Living water was the result of searching out Isaacs Fathers wells! We would do wellto seek the well of The Fathers word. As we seek, and carve it out we too will find that He in carving upon our hearts to fill us up with His Living Torah, Yeshua Messiah! 17

 Jeremiah 2:13 "For my people have committed two evils: they have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water! Jeremiah 17:13 Hope of Isra'el, Adonai! All who abandon you will be ashamed, those who leave you will be inscribed in the dust, because they have abandoned Adonai, the source of living water. John 7:38 Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!" We All Have a Responsibility to dig the Wells! As we dig we find living water We find our heritage in the wells of living water Avraham and Yitzchak have taught us how to hold on to the covenant promises; Even in famine Even when all those around you fight with you Even when no one has anything good to say about you Even when the world around you is pagan Hold on to the promise When we trust YHWH and obey Him, it is evidence of our love for Him Contention, Hostility, and finally Relief!!! The Last Well Isaac calls Broad Places. The word in Hebrew is

=Rechbth, S#H7344, Streets, from S#H7337

=rchab, S#H7337, to broaden, enlarge, wide, make room. 18

 Sometimes in our search for truth, we will come against forces that will attempt to discourage us. Like we find with Abimelech, they were jealous of Isaacs wealth. Sometimes we will find people will come against us because they identify that we are walking a Torah obedient lifestyle. Such truth demonstrated by our conduct and behavior will at times draw the negative attention of those who like Esau think a person foolish for walking in the footsteps of eternity. But as we found out, Esauthe man of the here and now and living for the moment, lost the greatest treasure he could have ever possessedthe Birthright, the Blessing of The Firstborn! Chapter 27: The Blessings on the FirstBorn Much discussion can be made over this chapter, suffice it to say, this will have to be studied out further when more time is available. The Sages contend that Rebekah did not tell Isaac about the prophecy foretold her about Jacob becoming the one to have the birthright, because she assumed since Isaac was a prophet that He had to have known When Isaac had grown old and was ready to give the blessing to Esau, Rebekah realized that Isaac was unaware, and also unaware that Esau had already sold his birthright to Jacob. This in mind, Rebekah made the decision rather than to tell Isaac then about the prophecy, she would devise the ruse out of fear that if she told him, then he would withhold blessing Esau, but not necessarily bless Jacob either. The fact is GOD had already spoken the right of the firstborn over Jacob. So when we read of Esau coming in to His fathers room bringing freshly prepared game and missing the blessing, we feel some tinge of sympathy. But in truth, let us not forget! ESAU DESPISED THE BIRTHRIGHT!!!! 19

The Blessing of Yaakov Genesis 27:28-29 So may God give you dew from heaven, the richness of the earth, and grain and wine in abundance. (29) May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be lord over your kinsmen, let your mother's descendants bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!" Deuteronomy 32:2-3 May my teaching fall like rain. May my speech condense like dew, like light rain on blades of grass, or showers on growing plants. (3) "For I will proclaim the name of Adonai. Come, declare the greatness of our God! The Blessing of Esau You will serve your brother Live by the sword Over time you will break his yoke from you Now, Esav couldnt wait for his father to die so he could kill Yaakov

For the remainder of the Parsha we see Jacob fleeing the fury of his brother. In the process his mother instructs him to go to her brother Labans house. In a separate conversation sometime afterwards, Rebekah inserts a welltimed and well-placed suggestion to her husband Isaac about the pagan Hittite women, of which Esau had married 2 and been so dishonorable as to bring them into his parents house. We read in Yasher they worshipped their fathers pagan idols and were a grievance to Rebekah and Isaac. Isaac realizes the significance of her frustration, calls Jacob to him and instructs him to not take a wife from Canaan, but rather he is to go to 20

Rebekahs brothers house in Haran, Laban and from there he will take a wife. Esau in his anger and agitation towards Jacob overhears their conversation, and in an attempt to dishonor his parents even more, goes to the house of Ishmael and takes one of his daughters to be his wife. Her name is

=machlath, S#H4257, meaning sickness.

The heart of this teaching is recognizing that we are identified as Firstborn. Romans 8:29-30

because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; (30) and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified! Esau lived for the here and now, Jacob lived for Higher Matters. Now that we have been given the birthright, and we are the firsfruit, what will we do with it? Which Son or Daughter will you be? Of the Promiseor of Rebellion? Deuteronomy 11:26-28 "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse the blessing, if you listen to the mitzvot of Adonai your God that I am giving you today; and the curse, if you don't listen to the mitzvot of Adonai your God, but turn aside from the way I am ordering you today and follow other gods that you have not known. 21