PASSING THE TORCH

When I read through Genesis, I am always kind of shocked when I read Jacob's story.  

Do you remember him?  

First came Abraham - God's beginning of a new nation!

Abraham had a son named Isaac.

Isaac had two sons:  Esau and Jacob.  It was announced by God that the younger [of these twins] would be the heir of the family blessing.  It's a bitter story that unfolds in chapters 27-28.  

In chapter 28, Isaac sends Jacob on a long journey to the area he had left many years ago:  Haran [far to the northeast in Syria]. Isaac [and Rebekah] do not want Jacob to take a wife from among the Canaanite women - as Esau had.  

So, Jacob sets out on this long journey alone.  The first night out, he has a dream and sees a stairway to Heaven with angels ascending and descending on it!  God spoke to him directly in this dream and renewed the covenant that He had made first with Abraham and then with Isaac!  God renewed His promise of a great nation and the land of Canaan to this third generation: Jacob.

Jacob recognizes this place [Bethel - House of God] as a holy place and sets up a pillar to acknowledge God!  The chapter ends with him making this declaration:   [vs.20-22]

Jacob made a vow.

Jacob: If God is going to be with me, keeping me safe on this journey and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I return to my father’s house in peace, then the Eternal will be my God. And this stone I have made into a pillar will be the first stone laid in God’s house. And Lord, of everything You give me, I will give one-tenth always back to You!  

[All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted]

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I am always astonished at Jacob's seeming ignorance of the God of his father and grandfather. 

Clearly Isaac had flaws.  He may not have cultivated a close relationship with his wife, Rebekah.  They each favored one son over the other:  Rebekah advocated for Jacob, while Isaac loved Esau.  

Isaac illustrates a lack of trust in God on two occasions when he tells Rebekah to say that she is his sister instead of his wife!  

However, other than these incidents, Isaac and Rebekah seem to serve and obey God.  

Yet, it seems apparent that they failed to develop - in either of their sons - an intimate relationship and regard for the Most High God!  

It makes you wonder, did Isaac ever tell his boys about when his dad took him up the mountain to make a sacrifice?  What a faith-building family story!  Esau and Jacob wouldn’t even be alive if God hadn’t intervened!  

Esau marries Canaanite women.  He experiences anger and rage against Jacob and plots to kill him after his parents die.  He hardly illustrates a life dependent on God and recognizing His Lordship!

Jacob comes across as a pagan who is surprised when God opens Heaven and speaks directly to him!  

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True believers who have genuinely experienced the grace of God in their lives, have a significant challenge in raising children that God blesses them with!  

The fact that God has saved you, redeemed you and blessed you, does not automatically imply that your children will appreciate God in the ways that you do!

Godly parents [hopefully children have two of them] must be focused and diligent to cultivate love for God in their kids!  It takes more than just taking them to Sunday School and church every Sunday!  

Parents must model their love for God all day, every day!  They must speak about this relationship with their children and show them the high priority that God - alone - maintains in their life!  

I once heard an evangelist tell about walking through the kitchen in the dark and tripping over his mother's legs as she was silently praying for her family.  He advocated that it is essential that your children 'catch' you praying from time-to-time!  

Let them see your dependence on God!  Tell God-stories of intervention in your lives!  Let them see you praising God and worshiping with others.  Give them pictures of your honesty and integrity!  

Pray for them, of course, but even more important - PRAY WITH THEM!  And don't stop when they become teenagers!  That's when they need your modeling the most!  

Break the mold and have a time for family devotions and prayer!  Find a time that works for everyone.  Put some energy and preparation into it.  Tell them what you're excited about as you read the scriptures.  Together - as a family - pray for people that you all care about!  

You're establishing a legacy!  It takes intention and diligence.

If you don't focus on this, you may be disappointed like Isaac and Rebekah.

Why not sit down with your kids tonight and quiz them?

• Do they know 'The Lord's Prayer'?
• Can they name the four gospels?
• What is their favorite worship song?
• Can they quote John 3:16?
• What can they tell you about Psalm 23?
• What's their favorite Bible story?
• Do they know why we celebrate Easter?
• Ask them what the difference is between the Old and New Testaments.
• Test them with their Bible; how quickly can they find:
• the book of Psalms?
• the book of Revelation?
• Mark's Gospel? 

[Were they able to find these books on their own, or did they have to use the table of contents?]

How did YOU do on this quiz?  

God bless you as you shepherd your child(ren) into a life of rich faith!  

BLESSING YOUR MARRIAGE AND YOUR CHILDREN!

A summary of Genesis 27:

Isaac is close to dying. 

He instructs his first-born son, Esau, to prepare a wild game meal and be ready to receive his  blessing. 

Rebekah, Isaac's wife, overhears the conversation.

Loving Jacob more, she coaches the younger son to deceive his father by impersonating his brother and stealing Esau's blessing.   

Jacob pulls it off - even though Isaac seems suspicious. 

Esau returns and discovers what has happened.  He is desperately disappointed and furious. 

He vows to kill Jacob after Isaac's death. 

Rebekah schemes to have Jacob sent to live with her brother, Laban, until Esau's temper cools.  She doesn't want him to marry a Hitite woman.

WORDS ABOUT MARRIAGE AND PARENTING

Previous glimpses of this marriage were positive in nature.  Isaac and Rebekah appeared to have a good marriage when they were younger.  But, with the birth of children, they apparently grew distant.  According to Genesis 25:28, Isaac loved Esau while Rebekah loved Jacob.   This is a recipe for disaster.  To be healthy, wealthy and wise, children need the love and attention of both father and mother!  That's why God designed marriage the way He did!  We do not have the luxury of loving one child more than the other!  

The world can be harsh!  Children will need the love and devotion of both parents to be able to make it!  Gary Smalley and John Trent claim that there are five elements to the blessing that we must provide to EACH of our children:  [THE BLESSING, 2004, Thomas Nelson Publishing]

• meaningful touch
• spoken words
• expressing high value
• picturing a special future, and
• active commitment

When they are deprived any of these from either parent, the potential for maladjustment is increased!  

Parents must pull together to raise children in a healthy, fair, balanced environment!  Competition has its place, but siblings need to be taught that they are on the same team!  Playing 'favorites' will inevitably create jealousy, animosity and meanness!  These are destructive forces that can and will destroy relationships and lives!  

Isaac may not have understood this since he was raised as an only child.  He put great stock in the belief that the blessing went to the first-born son.  Rebekan, on the other hand, had been told by God [25:23] while her twins were still in her womb, that the older child would serve the younger.  Perhaps she was simply guilty of trying to facilitate God's revealed will.  

Rebekah's character is exposed, however, in this story.  She is an eavesdropper and a schemer who clearly acts to deceive her husband.  Although her intentions may have been right, her actions were clearly not!  

There's another point that often eludes us in this passage.  According to Isaac's blessing of Jacob, there were other brothers as well!  [27:29]

Be master of your brothers and may your mother's sons bow down to you.

How were these other children affected by this conspiratorial act?  

Isaac and Rebekah failed to cultivate a closeness and shared concern for their children.  They had apparently allowed their relationship to stagnate and develop into petty rivalries.  How sad!  The damage of such a development is always manifested in the lives of the children!  

Don't let this happen in your family!  Stay close and committed in your parenting goals.  Love one another openly and genuinely;  it is the best way to maintain health, comfort and confidence in the lives of your children!  Together, give them the blessing by studying and implementing Smalley and Trent's list [above].  

And PRAY!  Pray for wisdom, guidance, unity and grace!  Pray together!  Pray together for your children!  Pray with your children!  Never stop praying with them - even when they mature and leave home!  Keep passing them the blessing as long as you live!