Verses 1-29
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God had prophesied to Rebekah that the older of her two sons would serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). Over the process of time, Rebekah came to favor Jacob, her younger son, over Esau (Genesis 25:28), and this is what inspired her plot to make Isaac bless Jacob instead of Esau.
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We are reminded, again, that God's Word always comes to pass.
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God uses all kinds of situations to bring His Word to fulfillment. In this case, God used Rebekah's and Jacob's deceptive plot to cause the very thing that He foretold.
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Remember that even people's choices for evil are useable for God's plan. Do not worry about the evil in the world. All will end for the glory of God.
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Verses 30-46
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Verse 36. Esau here places the entire blame for his misfortune on Jacob. However, he forgets that he was the one that gave away his birthright.
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Esau did not want to accept responsibility for giving away his birthright. He did not value his birthright. Because of this, Hebrews 12:17 teaches that Esau was rejected by God from receiving anything more; he was not merely tricked by Jacob. God used Jacob's deception to reject Esau.
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Verse 38. Esau was sad about losing his birthright and blessing, but he never truly repented from his sins (Hebrews 12:17).
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We can learn two main things from this:
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1. If you do not value what you have from God, you will lose it (Matthew 25:29).
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2. Sadness does not equal repentance. God doesn't care much about whether you cry about your sin. He cares about whether you change or not (repentance is about changing your ways).
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The only kind of sadness that's good is the kind that leads to changed behavior (2 Corinthians 7:10).
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If you're sad about your sin, but you do not truly repent, it will become worse for you, as it became worse for Esau. Don't prioritize emotion; prioritize changing your actions.
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Verses 41-45
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Time heals most wounds. Whether it be offense, anger, or resentment...there is usually a process of time that is needed before peace in a relationship can be fully restored.
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Be patient with people. If someone is offended or angry with you, give them time before you revisit the conversation.
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If you become impatient and try to force things, it will only get worse.
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