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Readings: Genesis 25:19-34; 27:1-37, 41; Romans 9:9-12; John 1:11-13
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Isaac was a man of God. Literally. He existed because of God’s miraculous action. His father, Abraham, was 100 years old (Gen. 21:5) and his mother 90 (Gen. 17:17) when he was born. This was long before in vitro fertilization or fertility drugs. There was no scientific intervention. It was pure miracle. The Lord’s promise fulfilled by the Lord’s gracious intervening in the lives of us mere mortals. Now Isaac, the inheritor of God’s promise (Gen. 17:19), to make Abraham a great nation and bless all the families of the earth through Abraham's offspring (Gen. 12:2-3), gets married at 40. (Gen. 25:20) They had a habit of putting things off in this family. But The Lord had promised. So biological clocks don’t matter when the Lord promises you’ll have kids. Except when you run up against cold, hard reality: Rebekah was barren. Infertile. Try though they might, they couldn’t conceive. So Isaac cries out to the Lord. He reminds Him of His promises. He stands in faith on what God Himself had said to him. The Lord is true to His word. She who was barren conceives. (Gen. 25:21)
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Isaac was a man of God. Literally. He existed because of God’s miraculous action. His father, Abraham, was 100 years old (Gen. 21:5) and his mother 90 (Gen. 17:17) when he was born. This was long before in vitro fertilization or fertility drugs. There was no scientific intervention. It was pure miracle. The Lord’s promise fulfilled by the Lord’s gracious intervening in the lives of us mere mortals. Now Isaac, the inheritor of God’s promise (Gen. 17:19), to make Abraham a great nation and bless all the families of the earth through Abraham's offspring (Gen. 12:2-3), gets married at 40. (Gen. 25:20) They had a habit of putting things off in this family. But The Lord had promised. So biological clocks don’t matter when the Lord promises you’ll have kids. Except when you run up against cold, hard reality: Rebekah was barren. Infertile. Try though they might, they couldn’t conceive. So Isaac cries out to the Lord. He reminds Him of His promises. He stands in faith on what God Himself had said to him. The Lord is true to His word. She who was barren conceives. (Gen. 25:21)
But its no normal pregnancy. There is anxiety from the first. Twins. Not just kickers–disrupting her sleep–but brawlers. Wrestling with each other. In utero. She’s concerned. So she goes to the Lord’s prophet. (Gen. 25:22) She inquires–just as when you aren’t sure what the Lord says and you go to your pastor. Sure, you can use Google, or take your chances with searching those wacky online Bible websites. But how much easier is it to come to someone the Lord has appointed to speak His Word to you? So she goes to the Lord's prophet (Martin Luther thought it might have been Shem, Noah's son, who lived till around the time Rebekah bore her sons, Gen. 11:10-26; 21:5; 25:26) and asks, "What’s going on inside me? My husband has inherited the Lord's promises. That means my children have those promises. But I’m concerned." And what an answer. "Yah, the Lord promised to make Abraham into a great nation. But TWO nations are inside you. (Gen. 25:23) Two who will be in conflict with each other for generations to come. So it starts, even now. And the older will serve younger. Against tradition and cultural expectation. For God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) He shows no favouritism. He does what He wants to do. And it delights Him to turn our silly rules on their heads."
So these two nations are born. "Hairy" and "Heel-grasper." Esau and Jacob (Hebrew words which mean "hairy" and "heal-grasper" or "cheater"). Fraternal twin brothers who could not be more different. Born into a family that was about as functional as any on the planet today. Parents who played favourites. Who didn’t communicate well. Who played each son off one another. We’ve all lived through that to one degree or another. But despite their messy family life these are the saints of God. For human perfection does not make a saint. Faith in The God’s promises, specifically His promised Son Jesus who has blessed all the families of earth by dying for mankind’s sins and rising for our justification. (Rom. 4:25) THIS faith makes you a saint. Your sins, big or small, don’t keep you out of the club. For Jesus has died for it all. (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) He turns our stupid human notions of whose in and whose out, whose worthy and who isn’t, on their heads by making all worthy, by dying for all. Blessing all.
God doesn’t care about your worthiness or your goodness. To be sure, you need to be good to those around you. Or you will make your life a living hell. But it's your fellow man who needs you to be a decent person. Not God. Your neighbour needs your "good" works. Not God. God cares about His promise to Abraham to bless all. (Gen. 12:3) He cares about His Son Jesus Christ who has paid the price justice demands of every slight, big or small, you have given to Him or anyone else. (Rom. 3:23-25; 2 Cor. 5:21) He, as a loving Father, has saved you from the messes you have gotten yourself into. Your sins don’t keep you out of His family. Rather His promises He makes to you, His Word He speaks to you, His forgiveness He grants you places you in–in Him, in His family.
God doesn’t care about your worthiness or your goodness. To be sure, you need to be good to those around you. Or you will make your life a living hell. But it's your fellow man who needs you to be a decent person. Not God. Your neighbour needs your "good" works. Not God. God cares about His promise to Abraham to bless all. (Gen. 12:3) He cares about His Son Jesus Christ who has paid the price justice demands of every slight, big or small, you have given to Him or anyone else. (Rom. 3:23-25; 2 Cor. 5:21) He, as a loving Father, has saved you from the messes you have gotten yourself into. Your sins don’t keep you out of His family. Rather His promises He makes to you, His Word He speaks to you, His forgiveness He grants you places you in–in Him, in His family.
I mean, you can be one of those ungrateful types who wants to enjoy privileges of the family name, but doesn’t really want anything to do with the family. After all, all families are psychotic. Family gatherings can be weird and awkward. But for all that God's family when it gathers, like most families gathers around a meal, a meal where not only mutual love is shared, but the life giving body and blood of the God-Man Jesus Christ are eaten and drunk for your salvation. So if you are part of this family, if you want to be part of this family, how can you turn this down by not gathering with the family?
But back to Jacob and Esau. Esau was born first. Which means that one of those little human conventions, just a few minutes of time, the hairy boys’ decent through the birth canal first, means he automatically gets the birthright of the firstborn–a double portion of the material and spiritual inheritance when dear, old dad pops off.
But Esau doesn’t think past the moment. He doesn’t care about the promises of God made to his family. His neglect shows he doesn’t want this inheritance. He only thinks about now. Not the future. Not about God’s promises for his family and the whole world. He sells this glorious inheritance for a bowl of red stew. (Gen. 25:30-32) And he gets new name out of the bargain–no longer is just known as Esau or "hairy," but now as Edom or "big red." This name reminds all that who know the story that he doesn’t have the faith of his father and mother and brother in promises that brought all of them into existence.
But back to Jacob and Esau. Esau was born first. Which means that one of those little human conventions, just a few minutes of time, the hairy boys’ decent through the birth canal first, means he automatically gets the birthright of the firstborn–a double portion of the material and spiritual inheritance when dear, old dad pops off.
But Esau doesn’t think past the moment. He doesn’t care about the promises of God made to his family. His neglect shows he doesn’t want this inheritance. He only thinks about now. Not the future. Not about God’s promises for his family and the whole world. He sells this glorious inheritance for a bowl of red stew. (Gen. 25:30-32) And he gets new name out of the bargain–no longer is just known as Esau or "hairy," but now as Edom or "big red." This name reminds all that who know the story that he doesn’t have the faith of his father and mother and brother in promises that brought all of them into existence.
Meanwhile, the rest of family does have this faith, as messed up as they are. After all, look at what heel-grasping Jacob did. True to his name, he was cheater. He learned from the best. His beloved mother was from a line of shrewd Syrian business people. (Gen. 25:20; 28:1-2; 29:13-30) They knew how to motivate people. How to work them. Meanwhile, believing but somewhat la-de-da dad, Isaac, preferred to bury his head in the sand. He was just be simple rural man. He delighted in his manly man hairy son, Esau. He bragged about his prowess with a bow. His feats of hunting. He preferred not to think on how Esau was going astray. Yet, these foolish, normal sinners like you and me were called by God. They were enlightened with His gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith. Just as we pray that little Emily will be. She has been called by God today, in Holy Baptism. The brokenness of her nature, her inborn selfishness and ego-centricity inherited from her parents, which if it hasn't already tested you, certainly will make itself known around age 3, if not before. This force called "sin" in her, as well as any sins she will commit as she grows, is and are forgiven. (Ac. 2:38-39) Washed away. (Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21) In the waters of Holy Baptism. (John 3:5; Eph. 5:25-27) She has been clothed in Christ. (Gal. 3:27) Declared a saint in Him. (Rom. 6:11; Col. 2:12-14) Given His perfect righteousness and eternal life. (Rom. 6:3-5)
And that’s the thing with the Triune God: He turns our expectations on their ear. He does what delights Him, which is the saving of His children. He doesn’t do what we think is right. He intended to give inheritance to Jacob, not Esau. Because your goodness and Jacob's goodness has nothing to do it. God will do what God will do. He gives things by faith and not by works. And that is a blessing to you and me. Because in reality, try though we might, we aren’t that good. We fail constantly. We neglect to do more than we ever accomplish. We want to think that our intentions are good, but even if they weren't self-centered, the results of what we accomplish pale in comparison. And we all know there are times where our own intentions are downright wicked. So the fact that God saves you in spite of your goodness is awesome!
And that’s the thing with the Triune God: He turns our expectations on their ear. He does what delights Him, which is the saving of His children. He doesn’t do what we think is right. He intended to give inheritance to Jacob, not Esau. Because your goodness and Jacob's goodness has nothing to do it. God will do what God will do. He gives things by faith and not by works. And that is a blessing to you and me. Because in reality, try though we might, we aren’t that good. We fail constantly. We neglect to do more than we ever accomplish. We want to think that our intentions are good, but even if they weren't self-centered, the results of what we accomplish pale in comparison. And we all know there are times where our own intentions are downright wicked. So the fact that God saves you in spite of your goodness is awesome!
After all, tricky Jacob and deceitful Rebekah can’t stop God’s promises from happening. In fact, God ends up using their wickedness to accomplish what He had planned all along: the saving of many souls through the promised ancestor of these sinners. A sinless Son. Jesus. Who is our righteousness because we have none of our own to offer God. (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:30)
What a blessing! But sadly when people get told Christianity is about bein' real good, it breaks them. It kills their faith in this saving and gracious God. And they can often become the most hateful enemies of this God and His Church. Just like Esau who intended to kill this miserable sinner Jacob. (Gen. 27:41) Next week we’ll hear about the results of these sins of Jacob against Esau and these sins of Esau in despising his own faith. But this week we rejoice that Emily is baptized and clothed in Jesus; that all the saints of God are saints because God has declared you so, not because you are actually that saintly. For this is what it means that God is loving and merciful: that He saves sinners, from themselves. (1 Tim. 1:15)
In +Jesus' name, Amen.
---Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
What a blessing! But sadly when people get told Christianity is about bein' real good, it breaks them. It kills their faith in this saving and gracious God. And they can often become the most hateful enemies of this God and His Church. Just like Esau who intended to kill this miserable sinner Jacob. (Gen. 27:41) Next week we’ll hear about the results of these sins of Jacob against Esau and these sins of Esau in despising his own faith. But this week we rejoice that Emily is baptized and clothed in Jesus; that all the saints of God are saints because God has declared you so, not because you are actually that saintly. For this is what it means that God is loving and merciful: that He saves sinners, from themselves. (1 Tim. 1:15)
In +Jesus' name, Amen.
---Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
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