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Daily Devotions

Genesis

Genesis 
Day 
Day 203

"And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints." Psalm 89:5

Text: Genesis 28:1-22

A MOVING SIGHT

The send-off for Jacob was not done secretly. Esau was present when he heard and saw his father blessing Jacob. How much had he understood what his father said?

“Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away
to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as
he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying,
‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,’
and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and
had gone to Padan Aram.”

GENESIS 28:6-7

“Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob”

How he had longed for his father to bless him. How he must have wished that he was in the place of Jacob as he was blessed by his father! But that was not to be!

“As he blessed him he gave him a charge”

With the blessing came a solemn charge! Jacob, must on no account, marry one of the daughters of Canaan! What was the problem with the Canaanite women? He married two of them! He could never understand why his parents were not pleased with him when he married two Canaanite women!

“And that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother”

Jacob may not have been his favourite brother, but at least, Esau had to admit that his parents’ words were obeyed! If there was any redeeming feature in Jacob’s life, it may well have been this fact – that he was obedient to his parents!

“Gone to Padan Aram”

Jacob was gone from home! Only Esau was at home! How was that going to work out? The heir of his father was not going to be around! Where did Esau fit in? What was his role in the family now?


AN APPPROPRIATE RESPONSE?

Just how much had Esau really understood of the meaning and significance of the farewell blessing given to Jacob? His response to what he heard and saw was a good reflection of how he understood things.

“Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please
his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath
the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth,
to be his wife, in addition to the wives he had.”

GENESIS 28:8-9

Quite obviously, the spiritual dimension of Isaac’s blessing was lost on Esau! He comprehended little of the spiritual significance of the whole event!