MY/God's Plans

When We Try to Help God: Lessons from Isaac's Family
Have you ever felt like God needed your help to accomplish His plans? The story of Isaac's family in Genesis reveals the dangerous consequences of trying to manipulate circumstances to achieve what we believe is God's will.

What Did God Promise About Jacob and Esau?
When Rebekah was pregnant with twins, she experienced unusual struggles in her womb and sought the Lord for answers. God revealed His plan clearly: "Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23).
This divine revelation established that Jacob, the younger twin, would ultimately receive the birthright and blessing, despite cultural traditions that favored the firstborn.

How Did Family Favoritism Create Problems?
The family dynamics in Isaac's household were deeply dysfunctional. Isaac loved Esau because he was a skilled hunter who brought home venison. Meanwhile, Rebekah favored Jacob, who was described as a "plain man dwelling in tents."

This favoritism created a toxic environment where each parent was working against God's revealed plan. Isaac, despite knowing God's prophecy, intended to bless Esau simply because of his personal preferences.

What Happened When Esau Sold His Birthright?
One day, Esau returned from hunting, exhausted and hungry. Jacob was cooking a red stew (essentially ancient chili), and Esau desperately wanted some. Jacob saw an opportunity and said, "Sell me this day thy birthright."

Esau, driven by his immediate physical needs, replied, "Behold, I am at the point to die, and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" He sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, showing how easily we can trade our future for temporary satisfaction.

The Bible concludes this account by saying, "Thus Esau despised his birthright."

How Did Rebekah and Jacob Deceive Isaac?
Years later, when Isaac was old and nearly blind, he decided to bless Esau. He sent Esau hunting for venison to prepare a final meal before receiving the blessing. Rebekah overheard this conversation and devised an elaborate deception.
She instructed Jacob to:

• Kill two young goats that she would prepare to taste like venison
• Wear Esau's clothes to smell like him
• Cover his smooth skin with goatskin to feel hairy like Esau
• Pretend to be Esau when presenting the meal to Isaac

The deception worked. Isaac, though suspicious because Jacob's voice sounded wrong, was fooled by the smell, feel, and taste. He gave Jacob the blessing intended for Esau.
What Were the Consequences of Their Manipulation?

When Esau returned and discovered what had happened, he was filled with rage and planned to kill Jacob after Isaac's death. This forced Jacob to flee his home, separating him from his family for many years.

The consequences were severe:

• Jacob lost his home and family relationships
• Rebekah lost both sons (Jacob fled, and Esau likely resented her involvement)
• The family was fractured permanently
• Years of conflict and separation followed

Why Do We Try to Help God Accomplish His Will?
We Struggle with Waiting
Waiting on God's timing is incredibly difficult. Like Abraham and Sarah before them, Isaac's family knew God's plan but grew impatient with His timing.

We Think Our Way Is Better
Sometimes we believe we can see a clearer path to accomplish God's will than simply trusting and waiting. This arrogance assumes God needs our help to fulfill His promises.

We're Driven by Personal Desires
Our flesh is always at war with God's Spirit. What we want often conflicts with what God wants, clouding our spiritual judgment.

What Does It Mean to Trust God's Sovereignty?
Trusting God's sovereignty means believing that:

• His plans are always better than ours
• His timing is perfect, even when we can't see it
• He doesn't need our manipulation to accomplish His will
• He is faithful to His word regardless of our faithfulness

The story shows us that while Rebekah and Jacob's deception didn't negate God's plan, it certainly complicated their lives and caused unnecessary pain.

How Does God Remain Faithful Despite Our Failures?
One of the most encouraging truths from this story is that our faithlessness never negates God's faithfulness. Jacob still received the birthright and blessing, just as God had promised. However, the path was much more difficult because of their manipulation.
God's grace covers our failures, but it doesn't erase the consequences of our choices. We still reap what we sow, even when we're forgiven.

What Can We Learn About God's Character?
This story reveals several important truths about God:

• He reveals His will through His Word
• His plans will come to pass regardless of human interference
• He is patient with our failures and manipulation
• His grace is sufficient to cover our mistakes
• He works all things together for good, even our poor choices

Life Application
The challenge for us this week is to identify areas where we might be trying to "help God" accomplish His will through manipulation, scheming, or forcing circumstances. Instead of taking matters into our own hands, we need to trust God's sovereignty and timing.
Consider these questions as you reflect on this message:

• Where in your life are you tempted to manipulate situations to get the outcome you desire?
• What does it practically look like for you to trust God in the midst of uncertainty and delayed gratification?
• Are there areas where you're trying to "dress right, act right, talk right, do right" instead of simply developing a closer relationship with Jesus?
• How can you resist the temptation to help God out and instead focus on knowing Him more intimately?

Remember Philippians 1:6: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." God is already at work in your life. Trust Him to complete what He has started, in His way and in His timing.