A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

sorrows. Later this same son would add a daughter of Ishmael to his growing harem primarily to
cause his parents added sorrow (28:8-9). But before that occurred, it was Jacob, their other son,
who would take advantage of his father’s failing eyesight and with the help of Rebekah, deceive
him and create yet another family tension.
PERSPECTIVE
While there is a place for respecting and honoring the faith of our fathers, the Scriptures
are more concerned with our experiencing a personal vital faith in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Often those raised in godly Christian homes or in a church setting characterized by the
clear systematic teaching of the Scriptures tend to adopt the faith of those around them and
become “Christian” in their thinking and approach to life without ever becoming a Christian.
Isaac appears to have mimicked the faith of his father Abraham until a personal crisis in his life
brought him to a place where he entered into a personal relationship with God. It is imperative
today that each of us examine ourselves to insure we are of the household of faith; i.e., have a
personal and vital relationship with God and not depending on the faith of others in our church or
family.
TWENTY
JACOB:
The Deceiver
(Genesis 27.1-35:29)
God had promised that Jacob would be heir even before his birth, but it was obvious that
Isaac liked Esau better (Gen. 25:28). Esau was more inclined to do things fathers and sons enjoy
doing together. On the other hand, Jacob was perfectly content to spend much of his time helping
his mother with the sort of chores normally accomplished by women in the culture in which they
lived. Just as Abraham argued with Sarah over their two sons (21:9ff), so Isaac and Rebekah fell
into the trap of having a favorite one splitting family unity.
The selecting of favorites was tragic in the family of Isaac. It was a case of acting in
opposition to the clearly revealed will of God. But Rebekah, rather than reasoning with her
husband or allowing God to intervene directly, had another idea. In an effort to give preferential
treatment to her son, she established a situation which would ultimately separate him from her
for the rest of her life. But for Jacob, the journey from his mother was just the beginning of a
very long journey back to a place called Bethel.
THE JOURNEY TO BETHEL
(Gen. 27:1-28:22) (1929 B.C.)
As Isaac grew older, he began experiencing some of the common physical problems
many older people experience even today. Many people adapt to these problems and age
gracefully, but that was not the response of Isaac. As he began his second century of life, Isaac
was certain he was near death. His eyesight was failing him and he found himself confined to his
sickbed. Perhaps as he thought of the death of his own father twenty-five years earlier, he saw