If you don't like the harvest you have received, then check where you are sowing your seed.

 “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.  The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.  The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’   So she went to inquire of the Lord.  The Lord said to her,

‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:21-23)

Before Esau and Jacob were born, here the Lord is telling their mother that the oldest will serve the youngest.  Then the story follows that Esau despised his birthright (Genesis 25:34).  Birthrights are the rights and privileges of the firstborn child.  They included a double inheritance from their parents.  He just didn’t care about these privileges he would receive extra as the first born. 

Jacob and Esau were twins but they seemed to be totally opposite.  One was hairy, adventurous and loved the outdoors and hunting, while the other was quiet and a bit of a homebody. Perhaps Jacob thought it was unfair that Esau gets the birthright as they were only minutes apart in age, or thought he was using his wit to get ahead, but he got Esau to sell him his birthright for lentil stew, bread and a drink.

Then later, as their father was about to die, Jacob lets Rebekah help him to swindle Esau out of his firstborn blessing.  By pretending to be Esau, Isaac blessed him with the richness of the abundance of grain and new wine as well as the blessing of being over his brother.

Isaac prays, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.  Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.  May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” (Genesis 27:29)

Ever notice this natural position of the oldest child?  They seem to be large and in charge in most cases.  They have natural tendencies to be both responsible and for leadership of their siblings.  They may even help care for their younger brother(s) and/or sister(s). 

For me, I easily recognize this as I am the baby of the family.  Both my brother (who is 18 years older than me) and my sister who is only a year and a half older, feel most comfortable when they are in charge and leading.   If I want to direct my sister different on something than she sees, rather than go directly to her, I often do better if I go to my brother.  If I tell her something, she is not open to it.   But if my brother, who is much older, talks to her about it, she listens.  

While I am the youngest in my family, I am also the only one to go on to and complete college.  Besides this, I am the only one of my siblings to pursue a relationship with the Lord in a significant way.  Then I was also the one to take my mom in to care for her and also take her and her sisters on a trip to California for their last hurrah in having special time together.  These various dynamics have brought a little tension in sibling relationships. 

Esau and Jacob also had sibling tension around birth order.  When Esau realizes that he has been swindled out of his blessing, he asks his father for a blessing as well.  His father answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above.  You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.  But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”  (Genesis 27:39-40)

From this, we see that a blessing is more closely related to a prophesy.  It is words that are spoken that are in agreement with the Lord by faith.  It is because they are in alignment that they have such power.  Walking closely with God, Isaac was telling Esau that his reaction would hinder him.  The words had meaning and power to bless because they were truth, aligned with God, and had faith.

Even though Isaac did not know it was Jacob he was blessing and not Esau with the other brother bowing down to him, in Hebrews 11:20, it says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning their future.”  

Are we in alignment with God in the way that we bless our children? Do we see their purpose and encourage it? Our blessings have significance to our children to light up their way and launch them into purpose. Our belief in them will strengthen them. If we are not in agreement with God, it will leave our children disillusioned and angry when they come to the realization for themselves as they try to fit in a box that is not made for them.

Having his blessing taken, needless to say Esau felt betrayed, was angry and held a grudge.  Interesting that his birthright in receiving the double inheritance didn’t cause him to blow his top, but the blessing that made him as the older, serve the younger did.  This blessing is what really mattered to Esau.    He let it fester until he can think of nothing else but murdering his brother.  As a result, Jacob has to flee to Rachel’s family where he finds his wife from among his lineage with the Israelites.  

Meanwhile, Esau had married several Hittite women from the area that served other gods.  As he was confronted about his choice by Isaac blessing Jacob and sending him for a wife from Rachel’s family, he went to Ishmael and married his daughter.  

As Jacob headed home to his mother’s family, the Lord met him.  He entered into this place of having a personal relationship with the Lord.  He made a vow, asking God to be with him, watch over him, and give him the necessities in life, and promising to give God a tenth of everything God gave to him.  (Genesis 28:22)

All this to say, the birth starts with this prophesy about two nations, the younger serving the older, and growing stronger, then we see this played out in their lives.  The choices that Esau makes and the choices that Jacob make, reflect back to this prophesy.  

Then later, we see Jacob use wisdom to reconcile with his brother when he is called back to Canaan.  He sends gifts ahead and tells them to say “your servant, Jacob” sent these gifts.  In doing this, he speaks healing into the place that was the initial tension.  

Jacob and Esau finally reconcile and come back together, Jacob stays in Canaan where God told him to go and Esau settles in mount Seir and is the founding father of Edom.  Jacob founded the Israelites in Canaan that ended up in Egypt for 400 years and came back to take the land while Esau founded Edom-- a very prosperous and powerful nation. 

None of this was planned out by Esau and Jacob, yet it all fell into place.  There was free will involved all along the way even though the choices fell together so beautifully as planned.  Each brother made their own choices and experienced the consequences of them and became the nations that they were called to be.  God, in His masterful planning, orchestrated just the right opportunities for both of them.  Even in their blunders, they moved them toward their purpose. 

Don’t be foolish and sell short, the plans of the Lord as your life you abort.  Learn from these boys there is more to life, than filling your stomach and being right.  Fight for the things that God has your life, seek out His blessings and always keep them in sight.

Recently I was having lunch with a beloved mentor of mine, the wife of the retired CEO of where I work.  She talked about her thoughts on the difference between predestination and what she calls “preparedness.”    Predestination says that there is no self-will and choices involved.  God says something and it is determined.  While this is true to an extent, it is not without the will and choices of the people involved.  God bends His plans to allow for our free will.

I love the thought of “preparedness” as this speaks of God making the way for us.  He knows the beginning from the end and all the ways to get there.   He forms us in our mother’s womb and writes out our days before one comes to be.   Yet, he doesn’t force any one of those days upon us.   He prepares them and invites us into them.  

The Lord prepares the way before us and leads and guides us.  He leads us not only by prompting, but even in the way that He forms us.  We are gifted and have preferences, personalities, and desires that are formed around fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.  He gives us everything we need, and all the right people to walk along side of us.

This preparedness is the story of Jacob and Esau.  God prepared the way for both of them to become great nations and they became who they were called to be.   Jacob made all these wonderful choices that led him to having a relationship with the Lord and carrying on the covenant promises, inheriting the promised land.   And Esau had a bent that naturally took him in a different direction that led him to be another great nation.  

It is possible to not fulfill your destiny and calling.  As an example, Terah, the father of Abram, took him and his wife, Sarai, along with Lot and set out for the land of Canaan.  But he never made it.   When he arrived in Haran, he settled there.  (Genesis 11:31).  This is an example of someone settling (literally) for less than God’s best.  But it didn’t thwart God’s plans, he just used his son, Abram to fulfill this purpose.

Often life is messy and it doesn’t always look the way we anticipate as we follow God’s call.  It sometimes seems to be a winding journey, where, like the Israelites in the desert, we wander around for a time first. David, called to be a king by prophesy, spent a time running for his life and hiding in caves.  He had to hardly feel called at that point.  But God would send people along his path like Jonathan and Abagail to remind him of his purpose and calling.   This would encourage him.

It was as David experienced great trials that he grew into great faith. He had to come through some stuff to see that God was faithful and would meet him in it.   It stretched his faith.    Our gifts, ability and anointing will grow to the level of our faith.  I imagine some people don’t come into all that God calls them into because they flee from rather than go through the challenges.  

Also, prophesy does not always come to pass as spoken as a result of us living in a broken world and people being able to choose.   We see this with Nineveh in a good way for a time.   Jonah prophesies that in 40 days that the city will be overturned.  Yet, it was not overturned on this timeline because the people repented and God relented.

Here, Jonah’s words had power as he came out of a belly of a fish declaring the truth.  If they didn’t repent, God was going to destroy them in 40 days.   As we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, our words have power to partner with God in shaping the world around us.  

Words have power to shape and form the world around us.  Our feet will step into what we confess and have faith to come about. For instance, if I confess that all my conversations are difficult, I will have difficulty in conversations.  But if I confess that all my conversations are filled with love, slowly, things will turn in this direction as I believe it.   It is part of the authority we are given as we partner with God. 

But if I confess that I will be an NFL Football player, everything in me says that is totally ridiculous.  I absolutely do not have faith or a desire to have this.  Therefore, confessing random things do not gain traction.   It is only as we agree with God, believe and confess the truth that God meets us in it with His power and we are blessed.

God gives us this rich position of blessing others with His blessings.  Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.”  A blessing is not, therefore, speaking our own will and expecting God to act.  It is partnering with God.  

This is the same with cursing. Proverbs 26:2 tells us that a curse causeless avails nothing.  Balaam says in numbers 23:8, “How can I curse what God has not cursed?  How can I denounce what the Lord has not denounced?”  Under the protection of the Lord, a curse cannot land on you and cause you harm unless it has a place to land. 

Sometimes we see people giving a curse a landing place.  We see people who confess terrible things about themselves, get stuck as a result of their very own words.  It is because they believe it and act on it in self-destructive ways.   We also see parents curse their children and it cause terrible pain in their lives, damaging their self-esteem.  Again, it is because they receive it, believe it and live out of it.  

All that to get to the point of what we believe and speak is often what we live out of.  In living out of our purpose, we have to believe we have purpose and value and then put our hands to what our heart’s prompt.  It is not arrogance to agree with the Lord’s plan for our life.  We humbly submit to Him and let Him guide the way while confessing the truth.

He Promotes the Humble (Psalm 138)

I will give you thanks with all my heart, singing your praises from evening until the new day starts.  I bow down and I look to You, as Your loving devotion and faithfulness see me through.  I have exalted your Name and Word above all else; on the day I called, your encouragement I immediately felt.  As soon as I prayed, You answered me; by giving me strength, You set me free.  You emboldened me and encouraged my soul, knowing my life you so preciously hold.  All the leaders of the earth surely give you thanks, for the ways your goodness lifted them from the ranks. They will sing of the ways that the Lord is great.  As for each one of us, He holds our fate.   Though He is on high He cares for the humble, He directs my path and picks me up when I stumble.  The proud He keeps living in the insignificant, as they miss how He is so magnificent.   Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble, holding them close when surrounded by trouble.  To save me You reach out Your right hand, and for my life You work out meaningful plans.  For your faithful love, O Lord, endures for all time, so standing in Your love, shelter I will find.