Missions Paul

“Now there was a famine in the land – besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time … The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you….” (Genesis 26 v 1-3)

Abraham had gone down to Egypt when the famine had previously struck. But God told Isaac to sow in the place of famine. God wanted to do something new. He wanted to do something in that place of famine.

The wisest thing would be to do what his father had done.

The wisest thing would have been to choose common sense.

No. Not on this occasion.

The wisest thing is always to respond to the appearance of the Lord to you in whatever form that is.

Isaac was told to stay in the crisis.

The Lord spoke 5 things to Isaac:-

· Do not go down to Egypt. Don’t look at what the last generation did, and don’t look at what seems obvious in the present. Ask the question: Lord, what path are you closing that I keep trying to force open? What “Egypt” am I running toward that you’re protecting me from?

· Live in the land where I tell you to live. Living is the option. You will live. The Lord promises to show him where. Ask the question: Lord, where are you already speaking that I haven’t been listening? Show me not just where to live, but how to truly live—fully present and fully alive—right where you’ve placed me.

· Stay in this land for a while. Even though every part of you may want to leave, stay. It is time-limited—for a while. This indicates that the Lord hasn’t forgotten Isaac; this is a purposeful season. Ask the question: Lord, what are you doing here that requires me to stay? What am I being prepared for that can only happen in this place, in this season?

· I will be with you. Staying is not staying alone. It is staying in His presence, with the Lord. He doesn’t leave—He stays with you in the difficulty. Ask the question: Lord, how can I recognise your presence in this hard place?

· (I) will bless you. The blessing and provisions were not to be found in Egypt’s grain stores of plenty but in the proximity of God’s presence. God doesn’t need Egypt. God doesn’t need circumstances to be right. Ask the question: Lord, what blessing are you offering that I’ve been overlooking while searching for different circumstances?

A moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips. A phrase that seems to have been around for a lifetime, warning us of high-calorie cakes and desserts, which lead to weight gain. What follows in these next verses seems most ordinary and happens every day when the urgent drowns out what is essential. In a moment, the tomorrow of Esau’s life seemed so far away to his need of today. In that flash of a moment, his life changed forever.

“Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” ³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” ³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” (Genesis 25 v 29-34)

Think of the characters who acted as Esau did. If only they had made a different decision at that moment. Aaron created a golden calf for worship to please people; Koran, Dathan and Abiram slandered Moses and died; Samson found Delilah and lost his eyesight; Eli kept silent with his sinful sons and lost God’s presence; Uzziah became proud of his achievements and became leprous; Moses struck the rock twice and missed the Promised Land; there are so many. None of these people needed to end the way they did. If only they had considered before they acted.

If Esau had acted differently, “Jacob, I’m exhausted. Let me rest. Then we talk.” Perhaps his birthright would not have felt worthless compared to satisfying his appetite.

What are you about to trade in? What will you regret tomorrow?

Our health? Our integrity? Our children’s presence? The list goes on and on.

• If we name what we are so willing to let go of, then maybe we would reconsider.
• If we check those vulnerable moments and call for wisdom before we make rash decisions, then maybe we would reconsider.
• If we had a better self-awareness of our ‘appetites’, and when they kick in, we have a way to deal with them, then maybe we would reconsider.

It’s not a guarantee we won’t make mistakes, but considering before we act is good wisdom.

We are moving into one of the most dysfunctional of family stories. Isaac and Rebekah are married, and they have twins. Isaac favoured Esau, the older twin and skilled hunter; his father loved the BBQs Esau cooked, while Rebekah favoured Jacob, the younger son. Division has emerged in marriage.

“When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. ²⁵ The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.²⁶ After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. ²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. ²⁸ Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (Genesis 25 v 24-28)

Imagine the scene. Jacob comes out, grasping at his brother’s heel, as if trying to pull him back. He doesn’t want to be second. He obviously doesn’t know he is in the line of the covenant promised child, Christ. Neither do his parents. Their division and his grasping are pointless. For God has a plan.

Most divisions and competitive ambitions are pointless. God has a plan.

Esau, the one you can see and feel the hairs of, is the firstborn. Jacob, the heel-grabber, the one born second but wants to be first, the deceiver, will be the main character of the Bible story.

They grow and follow different pursuits. Then comes the major schism.

“Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

We know that sentence could have been written so much better, fairer, and more loving.

Isaac loved what he was getting from his son (the wild game). Rebekah just loved.

What must it do to a child to know one of their parents doesn’t love them as much as the other sibling?

Do we love conditionally?

Do we love those who feed our ego and satisfy our appetites?

Do we spend our lives grasping at heels, jealous of what was given to others?

The story is beginning. We know the end.

Importantly, we know God has a plan that can navigate the divisions, deceptions, and selfish ambitions within families and friendship circles.

Now for the other brother, the youngest, the promised child, Isaac.

“This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, ²⁰ and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aramand sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹ 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. ²² The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. ²³ 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 v 19-23)

There are so many similarities among the next generation descended from Abraham and Sarah.

Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, is barren. A few verses later, we read that Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born. So for 20 years (v20), they prayed for her to conceive. I am sure you know the experience of praying for something for a long time. Prayer often needs persistence. But notice the difference within the similarity. Unlike his father, Isaac didn’t take matters into his own hands. There was no new Hagar in this story. Just patient intercession.

Then God answers only to find that what should have been a joyous occasion was actually a painful one. Sometimes the new chapter of our lives contains new complications, questions and struggles. The question that is often cried, ‘Why?’ is uttered. When was the last time you prayed that prayer? ‘Why God?’ Sometimes the gift is wrapped in confusion.

Again, a mirror of the story already told: ‘older will serve the younger’. Like Ishmael not being the main character, it comes up again here: Esau will serve Jacob. Man’s expectations of what will happen are again overturned by God. People around you may assume one thing today; they may have their predictions, but God’s purposes often challenge and usurp man’s understanding.

Your life may not be making much sense right now. Bring it before God. It makes sense to Him, and His plan will roll out and bring glory to His name.

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Before we read the family line of Ishmael, let’s remind ourselves of a few things.

Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar.

Sent away into the wilderness so that Isaac (the promised son) could have the freedom to grow.

God found Ishmael and his mother and promised that a nation would come from him.  These verses are the fulfilment of that promise.

¹² This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. ¹³ These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. ¹⁷ Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. ¹⁸ His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility towardall the tribes related to them.” (Genesis 25 v 12-18)

The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah would mention these tribes in their prophecies. I have emboldened the interesting part of the hostilities amongst them.

Families have break-ups and break-downs, don’t they? You might be in one of them right now. Yet somehow, the struggles do not mean you step outside God’s purposes. God manages to work through the complications and strain of imperfect families. He will still fulfil His purposes despite us.

The whole passage is full of amazing grace.

The fact that it is recorded is one thing. The main character of the story is Isaac, whose bloodline will lead to Christ.

But here, the Bible story pauses to record the other brother on the margins of the main story. You may think you are not important, not the centrepiece, an add-on, but you couldn’t be further from the truth in terms of what God thinks of you. He sees you. He sees your family.

• Your life can be one long struggle, but you can know the blessing of God at the same time. The struggle doesn’t disqualify you from the blessings.
• Look at the blessing – the twelve sons that became tribes, the long life of 137 years. Look at the pain – the hostilities. See the honesty? You don’t have to pretend everything is fine in order to be thankful for the good that God has done. When I was a Pastor, people came to me often and said, ‘Pastor, my testimony is nearly ready to give.’ They were referring to the fact that God still hadn’t completely healed them, or they hadn’t quite secured that promotion yet. I changed things. I began asking for testimonies of the cancer members and those without jobs to testify to the blessings and purposes of God within the presence of struggle and pain.
• God works through the mess. He won’t wait for us to get ourselves perfected. He just carries on working through our dysfunction. Struggle doesn’t mean you are outside of His purpose for your life.

I’m not sure how many funerals I have conducted over the years, but they are always unique, even if the ceremony is the same. That’s obviously because we are all different.

When I read these next few verses, I at first skipped past something that caught my eye the second time. It was the occasion of the funeral of Abraham.

“Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.” (Genesis 25 v 7-11)

Ishmael, the eldest son of Abraham (but the son of Hagar and not of Sarah), was with Isaac, the promised son, born to Sarah in her old age.

It may have been some time since they had been together. Isn’t that the case even today? We have no record of whether they had seen each other in the intervening years.

Isaac was the heir to the covenant given to Abraham, and Ishmael became the father of twelve rulers. They live separate lives with separate families, but on the occasion of their father’s death, they stand together to bury him. Death had brought them back together. Grief over their father was the uniting factor.

Maybe they had so many differences, one being their age, that they would never be walking together in life. But they each shared a love for their father. They both would carry something of his image and standing at the cave of Machpelah were two sons in grief. Well, we don’t know the extent of that grief, so I am presuming there were tears; maybe they both gave eulogies? Did they embrace? This certainly wasn’t a 30-minute crematorium slot. This funeral would have lasted a while and would have taken time to work it all out together.

But that is the word, isn’t it? Even if it was the very last time. They were together.

It is never too late to stand together with your brother, sister, parent, child, etc. It is never too late to call that friend. You see, they, too, despite your many differences are made in the image of God, just like we all are.

It’s never too late to come together. Even at a grave side.

This woman’s name isn’t well-known as the wife of Abraham. Generally, people will say his wife was Sarah, and he had a concubine, Hagar. But Keturah is forgotten, probably because we don’t have any story about her life.

“Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. ² She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. ³ Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. ⁴ The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. ⁵ Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. ⁶ But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” (Genesis 25 v 1-5)

After Sarah’s death, Abraham and Keturah came together. Interestingly, here it says she was his wife, but in 1 Chronicles 1:32 it records her as his concubine. There’s no confusion, really, because the concubine was seen as a wife, but one of a lower legal status, and the resulting children also had fewer inheritance rights. So in verse 6, the gifts given as leaving presents to his sons from the concubines were those of Hagar and Keturah.

They were not heirs to the covenant promise of God through Sarah and Isaac. This is the main point of these verses. The primary inheritance, the promised blood-line would run through Isaac. That was always the case, and Abraham protected it.

Abraham didn’t dismiss this part of his family; he sent them, he provided for them, and he directed them. His kindness also protected the other side of the family, Isaac’s. That was the reason. Keeping distinctions in your life so that your primary purpose is protected is wisdom. Let me illustrate this.

1. All your working life, you have had more than one job. Many of us do. You have had a paid role and at least one other voluntary role. At various seasons, like the present one, this has amounted to several voluntary roles. But you have had to work hard at protecting the primary role, which is the one others pay you for. Of course, if you understand what it is to ‘tent-make’, then your primary role could be the voluntary one, and the paid role is supporting that.

2. The focal point of your life is Jesus. He is the start, the race and the finishing line. You have other things in your life that are pleasurable and important. There’s nothing wrong with the social circles, the leisure pursuits and the investments of your time and energy. But these do not compare to the importance of your life as a disciple and as a member of His church. So you don’t let these attractions become distractions from the primary purpose of serving Jesus.

You are keeping distinctions in your life. Keep clarity around the true purpose of your life. You will then be able to protect it and separate it so that it can grow into fulfilment. Treat your commitments differently, and then you will find contentment with your true purpose for then you will be faithful to it.

Within all of us is the capacity to love.

Today could be that day when your words and actions of love can change the hearts of people who are hurting. This romantic story we have been reading over the last few days demonstrates this, but it doesn’t need to be a romantic one to bring healing to someone’s difficult season.

“Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. ⁶³ He went out to the field one evening to meditate,and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. ⁶⁴ Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel ⁶⁵ and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. ⁶⁶ Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. ⁶⁷ Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Genesis 24 v 62-67)

Isaac is still grieving his mother. He is 40 years of age (25:20), and Sarah had died 3 years before. She was 127 years old when she died (23:1), 90 years old when Isaac was born (17:17), and Isaac was therefore 37 years old when she died.

Even grown men at 40 years of age grieve their mothers.

Here we find him (and Rebekah too) in the desert one evening, meditating, his heart needing to find solace.

From that moment, this story became a love story.

But it was more than that. It became a healing story.

He opens his heart again after his loss. Love was there.

He permits his life to continue past his mother. Love was there.

He receives his needed comfort. Love was there.

When he went out to meditate that evening, we don’t know what he was thinking over, but we do know the state of his heart. The ordinariness of that evening became a moment that would change his world as he knew it. He moved from hurt to healing. This is the power of love.

You don’t need a married partner to do that. The principle also applies to the love of a friend. Let today be a day of love, for you may not know the people you will meet who are hurting.

We will all be speaking to people today. We do it every day. We can use those words carelessly or intentionally. Sometimes careless criticism can cause lasting damage. Similarly, if we were more careful and less fake, truly encouraging and blessing someone with words of hope and destiny, perhaps we could make someone’s world a better place.

Abraham’s servant has found Rebekah and, after a short stay with her family, is now ready to take her back to marry Isaac, his master’s son. Her family are basically waving her goodbye. But they do more than that.

“So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. ⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.” ⁶¹ Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.” (Genesis 24 v 59-61)

They didn’t just wave goodbye.

They didn’t express concern or anxiety. “Be careful, Rebekah, this is a long journey ahead. Be safe. Stay on that camel. Be careful in this new land you are travelling to. Don’t trust strangers easily. If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back.” 

No. They blessed Rebekah with words that she would carry in her heart forever.

The words from the family were not just well-wishing; they were blessing her into her destiny. Such is the power of words. They carry the same ability as seeds we sow in the ground. Our words can sow seeds of faith for increase and possession. These words of blessing look beyond the initial challenges to destinations and dreams fulfilled. We know the story; they didn’t when they blessed her. We know she became the mother of Jacob, whose twelve sons and their descendants would become the twelve tribes of Israel, and ‘thousands upon thousands’ were indeed her inheritance.

You may know someone today about to venture into something new. Your friend or family member hasn’t been down this road before. You have a choice. There’s nothing wrong with the words of wisdom and advice. However, perhaps words of blessing will do far more than the words of concern.

There are moments when it is wise to wait and not act with impulsion. However, I wonder how much of our lives we spend in delay rather than taking the opportunities given to us? In this story, we see Rebekah act in faith by saying ‘I will go’ and actually going immediately.

“Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewellery and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. ⁵⁴ Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” ⁵⁵ But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you^[e] may go.” ⁵⁶ But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” ⁵⁷ Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” ⁵⁸ So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said.” (Genesis 24 v 53-58)

Will you go?

The servant didn’t want more time. It wasn’t wrong to have ten more days to prepare, to work things through or to say goodbye. But ten more days would make obedience even harder. There are times when, if you have decided to go, you had better go. Even an understandable reason not to go now can be wrong for you.

Rebekah didn’t know all the details. She didn’t know Isaac. This was either stupidity or faith. That’s how ‘I will go’ looks. An act of faith doesn’t seem certain to some.

How about us?

We may be waiting for another confirmation, and the days and weeks have gone by. All along, God has been waiting for us. When will you go? Of course, waiting can be wise. But it can also be fear or a refusal to let go of comfort. It’s not naïve to think that if God has already orchestrated a meeting with this servant, Rebekah should now be willing to go immediately. The best thing she did was to move quickly.

There are times in our lives when the Holy Spirit moves quickly, and He wants you to keep up.

What is God waiting for you to stop delaying? Has God called you, but you are still analysing the details? Is it about time you said ‘I will go’ and that you went?