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Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated (Genesis 35:8-37:1 June 1, 2008)

It is an old truism that when we finally make it to glory – we will be stunned that sinners like us could be there and shocked some outstanding men and women are not there. But this is the glory of the gospel – no one is beyond the love of God. One man who has joined the ranks of the stunned in heaven – is Jacob. Jacob who seemed to fail so often in life. Jacob the deceiver. Jacob the man who stole his brother’s birthright and lied to his father. Jacob who is blessed by God Himself, yet asks for more wealth in this life. Jacob the man who split his family by favouritism, apathy and lack of leadership. Jacob who led his family too near to the world and allowed them to accumulate foreign idols. Jacob who can wrestle with God one night and lie the next morning. But, by the grace of God – this Jacob was a man of faith – and found eternal life. Yet, if I understand Genesis right – his twin brother – Esau – will not be found among the legions of heaven. Esau the rugged man of the open country. Esau who forgave his brother for stealing his blessing. Esau who led his family to prosperity. But Esau despised his birthright. In many ways Esau is a more endearing character than his deceptive brother – yet the Lord says Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. This verse has riled many for centuries. It seems unfair. It seems too partial. But it actually shows the extent of God’s love for sinners. Even the chief of sinners can find life in Christ. We had an election late last year. The US has one coming up in November. If heaven were populated by us voting on who we think deserved salvation – then men like Jacob and Judah – and you and I – probably wouldn’t make it.

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And it is quite possible that loveable rogues like Esau would impress enough people to make it in. But the doors of heaven don’t open according to the votes of men but according to the grace of God. No one deserves heaven. The stories of Jacob and Judah are stark illustrations of the truth that eternal life is all of grace. Grace through the love of Jesus Christ is a constant theme of the Bible. No one gets to heaven through works – but only by the grace of God. You cannot read Genesis and fail to realise that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – were all very flawed men. They became the Patriarchs of Israel not because of their godliness – but through their faith in the grace of God. Grace is a major theme in Genesis. It repeats over and over again. It repeats so often it almost becomes monotonous. But it has to because grace is such a hard concept for us to grasp. We are wired to gravitate to works. We want to think we have done something to deserve grace. And so to try and drive this out of us – the Bible presents picture after picture of God’s grace poured out upon flawed, sinful, undeserving men. This is crucial for anyone at any time to grasp. But it was especially crucial as Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land. Remember that when Moses pulled out his parchment and penned Genesis – the children of Israel had been delivered from Egypt and were preparing to enter the Promised Land. But one of the great questions on their lips was – why us – why are we the special object of such love? What have we done that the Lord would deliver us from the hand of the Egyptians and drive out the Canaanites before us? And the tempting answer is to say – well obviously we deserve it. We may not be perfect – but clearly something in us is worth saving. But the Lord wanted every man woman and child in Israel – and for all time – to know why they were being blessed in this way. Deuteronomy 7:7-9 is very clear:

The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

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It had nothing to do with Israel’s worthiness and everything to do with God’s faithfulness. The truth is – Israel was an idol worshipping, grumbling, faithless people who deserved nothing but destruction – yet they received grace. So imagine that you are among the children of Israel – about to enter the Promised Land – and you assemble and Moses reads his newly written account of Genesis to you. You hear of Abraham and Isaac. Men who sound surprisingly flawed – surprisingly like you. You hear the account of Jacob. How he left the Promised Land and spent years in exile in Paddan Aran – until God delivered him and brought him back to the land of promise. As you listen to this account – you would hear an echo of your own Exodus – the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. When you think of Jacob’s Exodus – consider the striking parallels to Moses’ Exodus.

Jacob/Israel leaves the land – but with a divine promise of return. While in exile – Jacob/Israel grows large and wealthy. Requires divine deliverance to rescue them from exile. Disobedience stops them returning immediately to the Promised Land and leads to severe consequences. Finally, the Lord leads Jacob/Israel into the Promised Land.

So in a very real sense – the entry of Jacob into the land parallels the Exodus.

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Israel would read of Jacob – his sins and failures – and realise the reason for his return to the land was entirely grace. And they would grasp that their entry to the land was only due to the grace of God in their lives. This is the point we have arrived at in our study of Genesis. After leaving Aram, Jacob had failed by not returning to Bethel – and as a consequence his family suffered at Shechem. Then God appeared to Jacob again and commanded him to move to Bethel. They got rid of their idols – purified themselves – and headed for Bethel. They arrived and Jacob built an altar. But if you look with me at Genesis 35:8 we find that the first thing that happens after their return is that there is a death. Genesis 35:8:

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So it was named Allon Bacuth.

This is the first of three funerals that end this chapter – Deborah, Rachel and Isaac. These three funerals signify the end of one era and the transition to a new era. Much of Genesis deals with the fact that God is faithful throughout the generations. Although each generation remains as sinful as the one before – God’s love remains for each generation to experience anew. We have reached the section of Genesis where the generation of Jacob is ending and the generation of the twelve tribes is beginning. Jacob finally arrives back in the land and it seems that his beloved mother – Rebekah – has already died – so it is the death of Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse that signifies this end of an era. Just as burying the idols under the tree at Shechem signified the end of one era – and the beginning of a new era – so burying Deborah marks this change. Verses 9 and 10:

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.

As we saw last week – the failure of Jacob to lead his family to Bethel – his failure to lead his family resulting in the sin at Shechem – these were not minor matters. I suspect that somewhere Jacob was wondering – has my sin disqualified me – has my sin turned away the love of God?

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You don’t sin in the way Jacob has – you don’t fail in the way Jacob has – and not wonder about whether you have alienated God. We have all been there haven’t we? We have sinned – often the same old sins – ingrained sin – and in the aftermath of guilt and regret – we wonder – has God removed His love from me? – how can God love a sinner like me? But what God wants Jacob to know – what God wants us to know – is that He didn’t choose to love us because of our moral purity – nor does He remove His love because of our moral transgressions. God chooses to love with a love that He will not revoke. Listen to Psalm 89:30-34. One of the great passages:

If [David’s] sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes, if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.

That is a passage that should let us sleep easy at night. Our sin cannot drive the love of God away. Sin does means consequences for us – but it does not mean God turning His love away. God comes to Jacob and reminds him – despite your sin – I am still with you. I remind you that you are no longer Jacob – deceiver – you are Israel –which means – Let God rule. You are to obey Me. You are to be committed to Me. You are to allow Me to rule over you and your family and the nation that will come from you. Then we find these amazing verses 11-13:

And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.

In Genesis 28:3 Isaac had blessed Jacob and said:

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.

But now in Genesis 35 – you would think that this has been fulfilled. Jacob has become fruitful and has become a community of peoples. Four wives – eleven sons and a daughter is quite fruitful. How much more fruitfulness and increasing in numbers did God want?

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You might interpret this as saying that his sons should take up the mantle and grow in numbers. But verse 11 seems to take this even beyond the nation that will come from the twelve tribes:

A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.

What is this community of nations? In a technical sense – only one nation came from Jacob – the nation of Israel. But this promise reiterates the original covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17:6:

I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

The Lord reminded Jacob of why He chose Abraham and Isaac and Jacob himself. God has a greater purpose in his dealings with the chosen seed. You cannot say that a community nations were physically descended from Jacob. It is just Israel who is a nation descended from Jacob. So in what way will Jacob become the father of community of nations? Here is where the rest of the promise God made to Abraham back in Genesis 12 comes into play. In Genesis 12:3 the Lord said:

All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you. The promised blessing extended beyond Abraham and the Jews – God had a plan to save men from every people and nation. Here is how John Piper describes this promise as originally given to Abraham:

The way Abraham becomes the father of many nations is by those nations coming to share his faith and being united to the same source of blessing that flows through the covenant God made with him.1

The covenant with Abraham is a covenant of faith. Men from every tribe and tongue and nation receive the glories of that covenant if they have faith. God has a plan that is greater than just Israel. God is reminding Jacob that he was chosen and blessed for a purpose. The Abrahamic covenant – which now passes through Jacob – is the way in which God will save the nations. Jacob is part of the greatest movement in history – God’s plan to save men.

1 John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993), p. 191.

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As we saw with the promise to Abraham – this salvation occurs through the promised Son.

Kings will come from your body. God raised up a line of Kings. He called David – from the tribe of Judah – Jacob’s son – to be King. But – the plan leads to one King – the King of kings. In 2 Samuel 7:12-14 the Lord said to David:

When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son.

This line of Kings would reach to the King of kings, the Messiah, the true Son of God. Jesus is the One the blessing to the nations will come through. He is the One who will form a community of nations. Revelation 5:9:

Because Jesus was slain, with His blood He purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Through Jesus – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – become the father of many nations spiritually. All those who share in the faith of Abraham can call God their Father. We saw with Abraham that the promise of land extended beyond Jacob’s descendants gaining the Promised Land – it went much further and pointed to the ultimate Promised Land – heaven. Jacob had been content to buy a small piece of land from Hamor. God is saying – you should have bigger plans. I am going to give your descendants the whole land – and I will give them heaven. Why are you settling for so little? The Lord is reminded Jacob of why he was called. God called Jacob out from the nations for a purpose. Not just so Jacob could be blessed. Not just so he would become the father of a nation. No! Jacob was to be a part of something much bigger – God’s plan to save men from every tribe and tongue and nation. To be the line through which Messiah would come. Jacob had spent much of his life being focussed on himself and on the world. He had let his family – the men who would become the twelve tribes – the son who would bear the seed line – he had let them become worldly.

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He seemed to pay scant heed to God’s plan of salvation for the world. But had God called him for a reason – and he had to remember that reason. I am sure that as Jacob listened to these words he would have thought:

Lord, I am so sorry. You have picked the wrong family. I am messed up. My kids are dysfunctional. I have failed you. We just can’t do it.

But as we have seen so often – God delights to use the dysfunctional and messed up – so that He gets the glory. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29:

God chose the foolish things of the world …; God chose the weak things of the world…. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—… so that no one may boast before him.

When Jacob left Aram to return to the Promised Land he was a 97 year old man. By the time he finally gets to Bethel – he is well over a hundred. He is an old man – and much of his life has been wasted. These words have to cut Jacob to the core – but they have to encourage him as well.

I chose you for a purpose. I blessed you for a purpose. I gave you a family for a purpose. You have wasted all these years – but it is not too late – you have a task to do. You still have a great role in My plan to reach the world.

Just this week I was talking to a friend who has a relative – a Christian – who sold his farm in his early 40s – made a packet – and retired. He has spent the last twelve years travelling the world. What a waste. Give your time to a church. Sign up as a missionary. Stand in King George Square declaring the gospel. Sailing a boat around the Pacific isn’t going to save souls. God has a task for each one of us. We are all links in the chain of redemption. We are meant to be living our lives in such a way that we reach others with the glory of the gospel. That is to be our purpose. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Too many of us live like Jacob – focussed on self, family, work, career. Too many of us give little heed to the great calling on our lives. This morning – God wants you to hear these words – He has a task for your life. He has you here for a great purpose. Even if you are as messed up as Jacob – God can use you.

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Even if you have wasted as much of your life as Jacob – God still wants you. He chose you to be a part of His plan to develop a community of nations. By raising a godly seed – raising a generation passionate for Christ. By declaring to a lost a dying world that there is salvation in Jesus Christ. By living your life to make a difference. We get one shot at this life – don’t waste it! Whether you are forty, sixty, eighty – while you have breath – you have a task – to declare the glories of Jesus. I trust it doesn’t take a divine visitation to remind us of this truth. To stir us to declare His gospel to the nations. There is a task before us – don’t ignore it. I am sure many of you saw those pictures this week of the tribesmen in the Amazon who have never had contact with the outside world. I saw those pictures and thought – they need the gospel. Jesus came for them to hear the good news. There is still so much work to do – what am I doing? Jacob heard this call and he heeded it. Verses 14-15:

Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.

This is worship and consecration. This is Jacob’s vow to serve the Lord. We now come to verses 16-29. What happens here are a number of events that set the scene for the decision as to which son will bear the seed line. The son through whom God will work out his plan to save the world. Again, these transitions in Genesis have many similarities. A decision has to be made as to where the seed line goes. And this decision is never based on works – but on the choice of God. So these events prepare the way for the decision among the sons of Jacob. Firstly, the last of the twelve sons is born. Verses 16-20:

Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for

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you have another son.” As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.

Having fulfilled his vow to return to Bethel and erect an altar – Jacob now begins the journey back to where Isaac was in Hebron. On the way – Rachel goes into labour – but the delivery does not go well. She is dying – blood loss, sepsis – some severe problem. Rachel had longed for children. She had demanded of Jacob – Give me children or I’ll die! When Joseph was born – she gave him a name that means – add. She longed for another son and prayed, “May the LORD add to me another son.” Here we see that the Lord granted her wish – but its fulfilment is bitter – so she names him – Ben-Oni – son of my misfortune. Jacob has let his wives name all of his children to this point – even names like – Hire and struggle. But he cannot let this last son go through life bearing the name – son of my misfortune. That is not how Jacob sees him. He renames him – Benjamin. There is debate about what this name means. Some think it means – son of my right hand – but more likely it means – son of my good fortune. Yes, he lost his beloved wife – but by faith he believes that God is in control. Jacob is back in the land. God is working out His plan. This is the only one of the twelve sons born in the land. Jacob sees this as good fortune – blessing from the hand of God. The passing of Rachel and birth of Benjamin also reinforce the picture of the end of one generation and the beginning of another. Verses 21-22:

Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.

It is easy to miss the point of this verse. You might think that Reuben merely fell into sexual temptation – and committed a sick act. Bilhah is his step-mother – the mother of his brothers Dan and Naphtali – and he sleeps with her! But this was not an act of lust – this was a deliberate choice. This was an attempt by Reuben to claim the birthright – to set himself up as the son through whom the blessing will pass.

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The fact that Jacob is called Israel in these verses shows the focus here is the question of leadership of the family – not lust. Everyone in that family knew that Dad loved Rachel and not Leah. They all knew the sordid family history. Now Rachel was dead – the question was – would Leah become the favoured wife? Bilhah was the beloved Rachel’s maid – she was the obvious threat to fill Rachel’s position. So Rueben defiled her. It was the custom in those days that if a wife was defiled in this way that the husband would never lie with her again. Remember that King David’s son Absalom tried to assert his right to the throne by sleeping with ten of his father’s concubines. 2 Samuel 20:3 says:

When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

Rueben was trying to ensure that Leah – his mother – became the favoured wife – and as Leah’s oldest son – he would be the heir. He consigned Bilhah to the status of living widowhood. Also, sleeping with a ruler’s concubine is an explicit statement that you believe you have the right to take over from that ruler. We see this happen three times in the lives of Saul and David. Rueben is asserting his right to the seed line. But, in fact his sin led him to forfeit those rights. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2:

The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph).

Despite his efforts – his sin disqualified him. Then comes a very interesting genealogy. Verses 22-26:

Jacob had twelve sons:

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The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

The sons are not listed according to birth order – but according to matriarchal origin. What is going on here is this. The Lord has come to Jacob and said – a community of nations will come from you – and kings will come from your body. The seed line is leading to Messiah. The question is – which son will the seed line go through? Which son will the plan of salvation lead through?

Twelve sons – twelve choices. The sons of Zilpah won’t make it. Zilpah is the maidservant of the less favoured wife – Leah. Then we can eliminate Bilhah – not only is she the maidservant of Rachel – but she was defiled by Rueben. So we come to the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel. Leah is the first wife – and the one who bore Jacob the first sons and the most sons. Rachel is the wife who he loved. When we look at Leah – Rueben was the firstborn – the one that convention said should receive the rights of the firstborn. But by defiling Bilhah – he sacrificed his right to the birthright.

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Then Simeon and Levi sacrificed their claim by their bloodthirsty act of vengeance against the Shechemites. So the question of birthright in the line of Leah settles on Judah. And in the line of Rachel – the question of birthright settles on Joseph. In the chapters that follow – the question becomes – which of these two sons will bear the seed line – Judah or Joseph? This has been the pattern. Two sons – one seed line. Ishmael and Isaac. Esau and Jacob. Joseph and Judah. Finally, we come to a section which stretches from Genesis 35:27 and finishes at Genesis 37:1. Again this is a transitional section. The main part deals with the genealogy of Esau. In some ways – not the most riveting section to read or preach on. This is not a passage many preachers choose to preach on. But it is here for a reason – a crucial reason. If you read over this section – one thing jumps out at you – how similar this is to Genesis 25:1-19.

Genesis 25:8-9 Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him. Genesis 25:12-17 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael

Genesis 35:29 [Isaac] breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Genesis 36:1-43 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).

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These are the names of the sons of Ishmael. v.13 These are the names of the twelve tribal rulers. v.16 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. v.18 And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers. v.18

Genesis 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. Genesis 25:19 This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Esau and Jacob

These are the names of Esau’s sons. v.10 These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants. v.15 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned. v.31 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. v.8 This was Esau the father of the Edomites. v.43

Genesis 37:1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. Genesis 37:2 This is the account of Jacob.

Joseph and Judah

Abraham is buried by his sons – Isaac and Ishmael. Isaac is buried by his sons – Esau and Jacob. Then the very next part is an account of the genealogy of the older son – Ishmael and Esau. You ask why? It has been made clear that these are not the sons that the line of promise is passing through – so why look at them. The reason is that we are given a glimpse of their lives – a glimpse of where the line could have gone if God did not choose. On one level – you read these genealogies and think – maybe God chose the wrong son. The son who did not receive the blessing seems to have flourished. Note that both of these sons had a lot going for them. They prospered. They bore many sons and grandsons. In the case of Ishmael – they became tribal rulers.

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In the case of Esau – they became chiefs and kings. Remember – God had said to Abraham and again to Jacob – Kings will come from you. Genesis is written by Moses as Israel is about to enter the Promised Land. As Moses wrote this the contrast between Jacob and Esau is stark. Israel owns no land – has no Kings – has spent the past 400 years oppressed in Egypt. But during this time – Esau had become the kingdom of Edom. They had prospered and grown strong. Verse 31 says that Edom had kings before any Israelite king reigned. Here is the contrast – Jacob the deceiver. Jacob with the dysfunctional family. Jacob whose family ends up in captivity in Egypt for 400 years. Jacob’s sons become the nation of Israel – but at the time of the Exodus they have no land and no Kings. In contrast – Esau – has prospered – has possession of the land of Edom – and has kings in the land. If you were looking for a son through whom the blessing would flow – you would choose Esau over Jacob. But that is not God’s way. God needs no mighty nation to work His will. God is not looking for human prosperity – He desires faith. God said – the seed line will pass through Isaac. God said – Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. God does not choose based on worldly criteria. God elects to place His love on whom He chooses. God asks for faith. And the passage makes it clear which son is the line of faith.

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Both Ishmael and Esau chose to settle outside the Promised Land. They did not chose to be a part of the blessing given to Abraham. Both despised the promise. Ishmael laughed at the birth of Isaac. Esau despised the birthright. They did not cling to the promise by faith. Both took wives from the pagan nations. And both lived in open hostility to Israel. Ishmael became the father of the Arabs – who oppose Israel to this day. Esau became Edom. Remember in Numbers 20 – Israel is coming out of Egypt and wanted to pass through Edom – but the King of Edom forbade them. Throughout the Old Testament – Edom opposes Israel. But, Isaac and Jacob took wives from the people of Abraham and lived in the land. They failed at times – but they clung to faith in the promise of God and were the sons of blessing. The point is to reinforce for us that God does not look on men the way the world does. God looks on the heart. God seeks men and women of faith. This is important for us to remember as we begin the next section – the transition to their sons. In the case of Isaac – the question was who will receive the blessing – Esau or Jacob? And in the case of Jacob – the question is who will receive the blessing – Joseph or Judah? And the choice – Joseph or Judah is the most stunning of all. What is the point? God did not choose Abraham or Isaac or Jacob because they deserved salvation. God did not choose Israel because they deserved salvation.

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God did not choose us because we deserve salvation. We are not gathered here because we are such morally good people. Far from it. We are sinners saved by grace. Romans 5:8:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Ephesians 2:8:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

But God did not choose us to come to salvation and then patiently wait to die. He chose us and gave us a great task – to proclaim the glories of Jesus. To tell men and women – no one is beyond salvation. Tell them of the moon-worshipping Abraham – the deceptive Jacob – the immoral Judah – who all become sons of the promise. Tell them of the Father who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. That is why we are here – we have a task to do. Brothers and sisters – too many of us think – I am not gifted enough or godly enough – I am not brave enough or good enough – I am not committed enough – to really do something for God. But God doesn’t usually use the incredibly gifted – He uses men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah – then He can use us. He wants faithful men and women. God wants men and women who trust in the power of the gospel. Who believe in the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. Who long to see the gospel go to the nations – to see a community of nations worshipping Jesus. God has a plan that is bigger than us. God has a plan for the nations. Perhaps there are some here this morning who think they don’t deserve heaven. Well you don’t. But the good news is that heaven opens through faith in the blood of Christ – not on our works. No one is beyond the love of God. We read Genesis and see how Esau and his sons turned away from God. But this does not prevent any son of Esau from coming to faith. It is fascinating that in Acts 15 – the Apostle James quotes Amos who speaks of restoring the remnant from the Gentiles. In Amos – part of this remnant is Edom – the descendants of Esau.

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The gospel is for every man, woman and child. The gospel says anyone who has faith can be saved. A Jacob can be saved – a descendant of Esau can be saved – anyone who has faith can be saved. We have a message for the nations. We have life and strength to share that message. We have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. May the God of Bethel encourage us to serve Him and enjoy Him forever.