I Did It My Way

Genesis 25: 19 – 34

I did it my way

19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” 24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Let’s see if you can quickly find a verse. It is, “God helps those who help themselves.”

I’ll give you a few minutes to look, but to save you time, you’ll find it in the book of 2 Errors chapter 6 verse 66.

If you’re looking for the book 2 Errors, you won’t find that in the Bible anywhere. This statement, no matter how much they align with the way we believe in our culture, is biblical or necessarily true.

But modern, materialist culture is firmly imbued with the idea that whatever success we achieve in life is due to our own efforts, and if we are not successful — i.e., wealthy — then it’s our fault because we have not done the right things.

When we read the Bible, it’s important to recognize that it’s a book of truth, and the whole thing says something, not just individual verses that we invent out of non-biblical statements. And when you read the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, you encounter several themes, one of which is that God is in control — of everything — and that includes our lives. To achieve success — which in His terms doesn’t necessarily translate into prosperity, power, and prestige — we need to cede to Him that control.

We read in the book of Isaiah 48: 17, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” While you’re at it, start with Isaiah chapter 40, and read all the way to 50 and beyond. Much of what the prophet is discussing there has to do with events that will happen 100 years hence from his writing, and three basic themes emerge:

1) God not only knows the future, he plans and directs it. (I know — that’s a rough one to wrap our minds around, but He’s in complete control, or He’s not and if He’s not, then who else is sharing power with Him?)

2) Idols —are anything that takes precedence over the authority of The Lord God Almighty — are powerless, so calling on them for help defies reason.

3) We are God’s people — In the book of Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11 our Holy and Great God wants us to know, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Isaiah 41: says, For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’