Family Problems
If you think your family isn’t perfect, then read the stories in the bible.
No one’s family is perfect. Even Jesus didn’t have a perfect family and His parents successfully raised God! His brothers didn’t even believe who He was.
Isaac comes from a dysfunctional family. He knows what it’s like to be the favoured son. When Rebekah gives birth to twin boys, he favours Esau the first-born, while Rebekah favours Jacob.
So we’ve got a time bomb there. One gets the love of mom while the other gets the love of the one in power with all the money and that guy happens to be the first-born twin. Seems like an easy win for him.
So I’m pretty sure when he casually sold his birth right for some stew, he didn’t actually think that’s what he was doing. He probably just figured that his jerky brother was being his usual jerky self and with-holding food from him and he was too tired from working in the fields all day, to knock him to the ground and take some. So it was easier to just say, “yeah, sure, whatever”, and carry on and forget about it.
And it wouldn’t have worked anyway if it hadn’t been for Rebekah and her schemes. See, it turns out, she doesn’t like Esau’s wives (yeah, he had two) and she didn’t want them to get their hands on the birth-right that she wanted for Jacob. So she tells her plan to Jacob. Jacob being the jerk that he is, goes along with it, and they fool Isaac and take advantage of his old age and blindness.
Now Isaac suspected something, but it seems like he was in some kind of dementia stage on top of his blindness – because that’s the only thing that makes sense. People who lose their sight have heightened their other senses. But Isaac, who has spent his life around goats and has known his son Esau for decades, confuses the feel of a goat hide with the skin of Esau. Which leads me to wonder how hairy Esau actually was. Like, was he Mediterranean hairy like some men are - or does he have that rare disease where you are literally covered with thick hair like an animal all over your body? Even if that were the case, why wouldn’t Isaac recognize this and know it was Jacob and not Esau? He even says that he hears Jacob’s voice.
Whatever happened, Isaac doesn’t listen to what he knows and accepts Jacob as Esau and gives Jacob the blessing that goes to the first-born.
When Esau hears about this, he’s furious and wants to kill Jacob. Understandably so.
But first we hear the disappointment and pain as he begs his father for a blessing. “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” - Genesis 27:36
The blessing that Isaac gives to Esau is nowhere near as grand as the one he gave to Jacob.
So now Rebekah, has one son wanting to kill the other so she has to tell Jacob to run away.
What did she think was going to happen? She’s known these guys for decades and she figures that this is all going to be hunky dory with Esau?
And then she goes to Isaac and complains about Esau’s wives.
See, totally messed up family - although I'll give Rebekah props for teaching both her sons how to cook.
Throughout the bible are stories of totally messed up families. And even though they rode camels and we drive cars, and they send messages by people running, and we just call them from a device we carry in our pocket, and they have to kill the food to prepare it and we just get it from our fridge, the family problems remain the same.
Jealousy, dishonesty, dislike of in-laws, distrust, taking advantage of the elderly, favouritism, taking advantage of each other…same family problems wrapped up in different coloured paper.
So take heart. Your family isn’t beyond redemption. You are not beyond redemption. Whatever mistakes that are made, God can work with them.
He built great nations through these dysfunctional families. The Son of God is descended from these dysfunctional families. The entire earth is one big dysfunctional family and yet there is a plan to save those who want to be saved.
Those who follow the pathway of God will be redeemed. Even while we make mistakes along the way.
He wants us to come Home!
