The Evil of Man will Praise God (Gen 27:1-29)
Speaker: Pr Joshua Yong
Date: 08 Sep 2019

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Sermon notes taken by:

Tina Wong

Man cannot thwart God’s plan nor go against God’s will. When we obey God, it is the co-operative will of God to bless us and to grant us success. When we disobey God, it is the punitive will of God to chastise and discipline us. Genesis 27:1-29 records a family of scheming members who followed after their own will, forgetting what God had told them. Slowly and patiently, God led them back to Himself so that Jacob could fulfil His promise and will. Even the disobedience and wickedness of man can glorify God. However, this does not mean that their wrongdoings are justified. The decretive will of God is an aspect of God’s will that is not fully revealed to us. God is God, He is sovereign and almighty, and is always in control. Nothing happens by chance. We must submit and yield to Him.

1. How man try to work his own plans . The four family members in Genesis 27 have their own motives and desires. God, without their knowing, saw to it that His plans are fulfilled.

(a) Isaac’s plan: The pronouncement of blessing is culturally the bestowing and entrusting of inheritance to the firstborn son, but here it is also prophetic in nature. God chose the younger son Jacob (Gen 25:23), and had already appointed him to be the seed from which the Messiah was to come. But Isaac favoured the older son Esau and planned to bless Esau (Gen 27:4).

(b) Rebecca’s plan: Genesis 27:5-17 records Rebecca’s elaborate plan to deceive Isaac into blessing the younger son Jacob.

(c) Jacob’s plan: Jacob, wanting the promise and blessing of the firstborn son, executed Rebecca’s plan. In the process, he lied and deceived, even using God’s name in his deception (Gen 27:19).

(d) Esau’s plan: Esau had already sold his birthright to Jacob, showing that he despised God’s blessing. According to Hebrews 12:16, it was an act of profanity. In Genesis 27:33-34, Esau understood that Isaac had already given the specific blessing of the firstborn to his younger brother Jacob. So Esau planned to kill his brother Jacob (Gen 27:41).

2. We must be responsible for what God has given us and be accountable . Our plans and preparation must not be against God’s will. Isaac and his family members ignored God’s plan, and made their own plans, taking God out of the picture. Yet we see the wonderful working of God such that His plan would be fulfilled. God can use the ordinary, little things in life to work out His plans. We must not resort to lies or deception, but trust in God’s will and timing. He may choose not to reveal everything to us but to lead us one step at a time. All we have to do is to follow Him step by step.



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