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T H E K IN G ’S B U S IN E S S
IV. A Quartette o f Schemers. 1. Isaac’s error. G o o d m en find “g o o d " ( ? ) excuses fo r conscience. Isaac, p ro b ab ly , though t, “T o th e first-bo rn belongs, b y natu re, th e b irth righ t. I w ill b estow th e b less ing. Je h o v a h will own its re a son ableness, pass it on, a n d ratify m y so lem n b en ed ic tio n .” H e h a d n o t learn ed , “My tho u g h ts a re n o t yo u r th o u g h ts” (.Isa. 55 :8 ) ; n o r th a t G o d “m ak es foolish th e w isdom of m en” (2 Cor. 1 :2 0 ). N o t n atu re, b u t grace, m oves H im . H e is a t g re a t pain s to te a ch this. Eve chose Cain, b u t G od , A b e l; A b ra h am Ishmael, b u t G od , Isaac; Isaac Esau, G o d J a c o b ; Sam uel Saul, G o d D av id ; Israel law, G o d g ra c e ; Jew an d G re ek th e flesh, G o d th e cross. A b e tte r excuse fo r Isaac is th a t h e was p rem a tu re ly in his d o ta g e— sight, feeling, smell, all defective. 2. Esau’s unfairness. Esau, as th e sequel shows, a lthough he h a d b a rte re d aw ay his b irth righ t, fell in w ith his fa th e r’s p ro p o sa l a n d d e te r m ined to ta k e th e blessing from Ja co b . Esau w as n o t th e frank, h o n o ra b le soul som e p ic tu re him to be. E v e ry b o d y despises a m an fo r going b a c k on his barg ain , b u t m o st m en w ill do it if th ey can. It’s Esau cu t Ja co b , Ja c o b c u t Esau. 3. Rebekah’s deceitfulness. Re- b e k a h ’s p a rt in th e case was w orse th an all. She p ro p o se d th e d e c e p tio n ; p la n n e d it a n d c a rried ou t h e r p a rt to th e end. She tem p te d an d sedu ced h e r son to his hypocrisy, a n d th a t to e n tra p his b lin d old father. She co n sp ired ag ain st h e r loving, confiding an d ag ed hu sb and , setting his own son ag a in st him . A n d y e t h e r d e e d s a re n o t u n com m on. W ives d eceive th e ir husband s. M o th ers p rom p t th e ir ch ild ren to d e
ception, an d o ften con sp ire w ith th em again st h u sb an d a n d father, and , like R eb ek ah , re ap th e h a rv e st th ey sow. 4. Jacob’s hypocrisy. T h e d e lib e ra tio n w ith which h e c a rried th e frau d th ro u g h w as w o rth y o f th e m o th e r w ho p la n n e d it. Lie No. 1, “ I am E sau” ; lie No. 2, “T h y first b o rn ” ; lie No. 3, “My v en ison ” ; lie No. 4, “Because Je h o v a h th y G o d (h e d a re s n o t say “m y G o d ” ) sent m e go o d sp e e d .” H e re h e lied “ to th e H o ly G h o st” (A c ts 5 :3 , 9 ) . Lie No. 5, h e sto o d while th e p o o r old fa th e r’s feeb le h a n d stro k ed th e skin. A n d thu s w ith th e u tm o st d e lib e ra tio n he p ractically said, “Now , fa th er, you perceive how u n k in d w ere y o u r suspicions, as if y o u r son Ja c o b w ou ld d eceive y o u !” 5. The blessing. T h e S p irit of p ro p h e cy spok e th ro u g h th e p a tri arch, a n d b e stow ed on Ja co b , y e t to b ecom e Israel, (1 ) th e field, ( 2 ) th e dew , ( 3 ) th e fertility, ( 4 ) th e plen ty , ( 5 ) th e au th o rity ov e r n a tions, ( 6 ) superio rity am o n g his b re th ren , ( 7 ) d e fen se ag ain st his enem ies, ( 8 ) an d m ad e him a b e n e fa c to r to his friends. T h is invo lv ed th e co v en an ted m ercies to A b rah am , passing th em on to his d esc en d an ts to th e en d of tim e, b u t n o t b y virtue of J a c o b ’s w orthiness, b u t b y th a t o f his Son a n d R ed e em e r, th ro u g h w hom th e sons o f J a c o b shall b e come, w ith th e ir re g e n e ra te d father, “ th e Israel of G o d .” T h e sto ry so m uch to th e disgrace o f all con c e rn ed in it is to th e g lory of H is g race who in structs p o o r sinners th ro u g h it in these tru th s : (1 ) T h e re is no d if ference fo r th a t all h av e sinned (R om . 3 : 23 ) ; ( 2 ) th a t th e re is no sinner to o b a d to b e sav ed (Isa. 1 :1 8 ) ; ( 3 ) th a t none can b e sav ed b y his own w o rk s (R om . 10 : 3 ) ; ( 4 ) th a t g race is th e g ro u n d of th e blessing.
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