Disobey Your Mother

DISOBEY YOUR MOTHER

GENESIS 27:1-45

#mothersday2022

INTRODUCTION

Today is Mother’s Day which is a Sunday where ever since 1907 folks gather and focus on the importance and impact of mothers. Today we are focusing on mothers, but we are also thinking about obedience to mothers. Obedience to parents is a command in the Bible.

READ EPHESIANS 6:1-2 (ESV)

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

When I think about obedience to mothers, I also think about disobedience to mothers. I was thinking about my mother and my obedience to my mother and so I called her last week and asked her for some help with this sermon. I asked her for stories of when I disobeyed her. She first could not come up with any stories because… and I quote… “you were a very compliant child.” That quote alone lets you know why talking about growing up is not a favorite topic for my sister.

Eventually my mother came up with three… not one… but three examples of my disobedience.

#1 As a child I would often swing my arms around at the table while eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She would tell me not to. I would do it anyway and at every meal I would spill my milk. Then there was literally “crying over spilled milk.”

#2 As a child of the 1980s, I loved big wheels. I would often stop my big wheels by dragging my legs and stopping the big wheel with the tops of my shoes. This completely ruined a pair of shoes in a short amount of time. My dad was an enlisted NCO at the time and we did not have the money for a new pair of shoes weekly. I did not listen.

#3 My mother specifically remembers telling me not to hang out with a young boy named Clayton. Clayton was bad news. I did not listen. It was with Clayton that I broke into a house and was discovered when the family came home to us sitting at their kitchen table. It was also with Clayton that we rolled car tires down the hill to see how far they would go and bounced them into cars along the way not to mention those vehicles at the bottom of the hill that were the barriers to stop the tires.

As I reflect on my life, I believe that I was a “very compliant child” who occasionally got into trouble. And yet, the message today on this wonderful Mother’s Day is: Disobey Your Mother.

NARRATIVE INTRODUCTION

Happy Mother’s Day! Today we are going to be looking into the lives in one particular family and the lesson we are going to learn is: Disobey Your Mother.

There are four people in this particular family:

First, we have Isaac who is a good guy, but if I am honest seems a bit like a taco short of a combination plate. His father was a famous man in the Bible named Abraham and true story… Isaac was once almost sacrificed to God as a test, but his dad passed the test and Isaac was spared.

Second, we have Rebekah who comes from a family of liars and cheaters and likes to play favorites among her children. Her brother is one of the cheat-ing-ness people we see in the Bible and is only out cheated by one person in the Bible… Rebekah’s son Jacob. We’ll get to him in a minute.

Third, we have the older boy of twins named Esau. They are not identical twins and the defining characteristic of this guy is that he is a walking rug. This guy is the inspiration for chia pets and Chewbacca from Star Wars. He is a hunter and loves the outdoor life.

Fourth, we have the younger of the twins named Jacob. He is not exactly the outdoors type, but rather prefers to stay home among the tents and stay inside and is completely a ‘momma’s boy’ in all the ways that term is bad. Also, as I mentioned before, he takes after his mother and is a master cheater and liar.

So that is who we have in this passage: Father Isaac, Mother Rebekah, Son Esau and Son Jacob. Let’s get into the passage.

NARRATIVE: THE CHEATERS SET UP THE DEED (VERSES 1-13)

READ GENESIS 27:1-13 (ESV)

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” 5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”