When We Make A Mess Of Our Lives…

Sometimes when we get together with others and they tell us of some unusual thing that has happened to them, we feel almost compelled to share some unusual thing that has happened to us.

Illus: For example, little Johnny was talking to a couple of boys in the school yard. Each was bragging about how great their fathers are and who was the fastest.

• The first one said: "Well, my father runs the fastest. He can fire an arrow, and start to run, and he gets there before the arrow arrives!"

• The second one said: "Ha! You think that's fast! My father is a hunter. He can shoot his gun and be there before the bullet arrives!"

• Little Johnny listened to the other two boys and shook his head. He then said, "You two know nothing about fast. My father works for the government. He stops working at 4:30... but he arrives home at 3:45!"

However, if we had been with Jacob it would have been hard to top what happened to him.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? It happened during a FAMILY FEUD.

Illus: This family feud began even before Jacob’s birth. The Scripture tells us in Genesis 25:22, that during Rebekah’s pregnancy, "... the children struggled together within her...".

At birth, Esau was born first, but Jacob wasn’t far behind! The struggle in the womb had started and would continue through their lives.

WHAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM? Jacob, through deception, tricked his elderly father into thinking he was the eldest brother Esau, and stole his birthright.

Jacob became a deceiver, and it was probably because of his deceiving mother.

• She seem to favor Jacob

• Isaac seem to favor Esau

Since Esau was the eldest brother, he was the rightful heir to his father’s wealth. But she wanted Jacob to receive it, and she came up with an evil scheme to deceive Isaac so that Jacob could get the inheritance.

Rebekah was a deceptive mother, and she passed her deceptive ways down to her son.

SHE AND JACOB PULLED IT OFF! But you can imagine how Esau must have felt toward his brother who had stolen his birth right? He was not a happy camper.

Illus: This reminds me of a recently divorced woman that was walking along the beach contemplating how badly treated she had been over the divorced settlement, when she saw a magic lamp wash up on shore. She rubbed the lamp, and out popped a genie!! The genie sensed her anger and allowed her to vent her troubles to him. As a consolation, the genie informed her that he would give her three wishes. But he cautioned her that because he did not believe in divorce, he would give her ex-husband ten times the amount of whatever she wished for. The woman is steaming mad, thinking that this is hardly fair, but she makes her first wish.

• The first wish was for a billion dollars. The genie granted her wish and she found herself sitting on a pile of one billion one-dollar bills. The genie then reminded her that her husband was now the surprised recipient of ten billion dollars.

• The woman could barely contain her anger when she made her second wish. The second wish was for a beautiful mansion on the shore of her own private beach. In an instant it was granted, exactly as she had imagined her dream home, in every tiny detail. But the genie reminded her again that her ex-husband now owned ten of what she had wished for, and pointed out across the bay to a small development of ten such mansions. Upon seeing this, the woman took her time to consider her final wish.

• Just as the genie was about to give up on her, the woman said she had made up her mind. But, before she could say anything, the genie again warned her that her ex-husband would get ten times whatever she wished for. "No problem," said the woman, smiling at last. "For my final wish ... I'd like to give birth to the meanest set of twins that have ever lived on this earth."

Esau was very upset for the way that Jacob had done him. After many years of unhappiness in the family, Jacob wants to make things right as best he can.

Look at Gen. 32:3 5, "And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with (His uncle) Laban, and stayed there until now: And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight."