185
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
April 1932
o f the chosen line through which would come the Messiah. Yet Esau, the first born, “ despised his birthright.” He cared more for the sensual things of life than for the spiritual. Jacob, ’with all his faults, saw true values clearly. He became a link in the chain which stretched from the sin ful Adam to the sinless Christ. He be came one o f the ancestors, on the human side, of the Saviour o f the world. God’s choice was made before the twins, Esau and Jacob, were born, and it was in order that “ the purpose of God according to election might stand” (cf. Rom. 9:10- 13). The natural man always rebels against the sovereign choice o f God. But man himself has a similar sovereign right. For instance, should the head of a corpor ation wish to engage an executive, he will take into consideration all the circum stances, and will then choose according to the wisdom he possesses. History will prove the wisdom, or the unwisdom, of his choice. Just so, God chose Jacob accord ing to the wisdom which is His, and the later history abundantly proves the wis dom o f that choice. It is concerning this history that Malachi 1 :1 to 5 is written (cf. Rom. 9:10-13; Heb. 12:16). The “election o f grace” is not a question of what a man deserves to receive, but o f what God is pleased to give to him. The prodigal son talked of being merely a ser vant. A fter behaving as he did, he did not deserve even a servant’s place. Hence he had to take just what the father was pleased to give him—and that was the highest place. When, we rest upon God’s free grace, the highest place becomes ours. When we rest upon our own merit, the lowest place is too high for us. II. T he D ifference B etween the B oys (27, 28). Jacob and Esau were different in their daily occupations. Esau was a hunter, a lover o f the excitement of the chase, a sportsman, desiring to roam over the open spaces. He was hale and hearty, a good- fellow-well-met sort of person to whom others would be drawn. A t first sight, he seems to be the better man o f the two. When his character is analyzed, however, he appears light, -fickle, changeable. At one moment, he was ready to murder his brother, and the next, he could fall on his neck and kiss him. At one time, he could despise his birthright, and the next, he could weep bitterly because he had bar tered it away. Unlike Esau, Jacob was a quiet, home-loving man. Although he was subtle, and deceptive, always waiting for an opportunity to take advantage o f his brother and to snatch his birthright, Jacob possessed two rare virtues, patience and persistence. T h e s e were manifested throughout his life. He could wait until Laban was beaten at his own game. He could wait through the years for his loved Rachel, without being changed in his con stancy o f heart toward her. He knew what he wanted, and he could bend himself to obtain it. He was o f the sort that creates “big business” today. In the lives o f these two boys, the dif ference between the walk by sight and the walk by faith is clearly set forth. Esau valued only the material and the immediate present. He illustrates the man who says, Outline and Exposition I. G od ’ s C hoice B etween the B oys
error, pulled from his pocket some money, and forced it upon the wondering old black woman, exclaiming, “ God bless you, kind mother 1 I’ll never do the like again.” Isaac Follows His Father’s Example Genesis 26 :1, 18-22 Memory Verse : “ Be at peace one with another” (Mk. 9:50). Approach: Abraham had a son named Isaac. He loved his son very dearly. And I think that most o f all he wanted Isaac to worship the true God, as his father did, and to live peaceably with his fellow men. L e s s o n S t o r y :
forth Isaac’s God also. W e read that “he called there upon the name o f the Lord.” Then he “pitched his tent there.” Thus he was settled in the land. The lesson for us lies in the fact that, while the Lord may give material prosper ity to His own while they are not fully in His way, He cannot give His revealed presence to any one outside His chosen place for that one. When one is in that place, there will be public acknowledg ment o f it in- the altar, which speaks of worship, and there will be public testi mony to it in the tent or dwelling place, which speaks of the daily walk by faith. Lesson Questions Vs. 12-17. ¿¿Vhere was Isaac living at the time o f our lesson? In what did his wealth consist? Why do you think God allowed him to prosper as he did? Was his material prosperity an indication o f God’s presence with him? What characteristic is seen in Isaac’s response to Abimelech’s command? Did he show1 weakness or strength ? Vs. 18-22. Why were wells especially valuable in Isaac’s time? What was the unwritten law regarding their possession? Show how God used the strife between the herdsmen to prosper His purpose for Is aac-—moving him out o f the enemy’s coun try into a place o f t fellowship with Him self. Is this the divine purpose in all ad versity? Vs. 23-25. When Isaac was in God’s ap pointed place for him, how long did he have to wait for the Lord to manifest Himself to him? What did He say to Is aac? What do the building o f the altar and the pitching of the tent symbolize for every Christian? Golden Text Illustration A worthy old negress was walking quietly along a street in New York carry ing a basket o f apples, when a mischievous young sailor pushed against her, upset her basket, and then stood by to enjoy a laugh at her expense. But what was his astonishment when she meekly picked up the apples, gave him a look o f mingled sorrow, kindness, and pity, and said, “ God forgive you, my son, as I do.” That touched a tender chord in the sail or’s heart. He felt ashamed, self-con demned, and repentant. He confessed his
Years after Abraham had died, there was a famine in the land in which Isaac lived, so he moved his flocks and herds and ser vants and family over among the Philistines. And God was with him and increased his flocks and herds, and he was very great.
The Philistines were jealous o f him and said to Isaac, “ Go from us: for thou art much mightier than we.” Now Isaac was a peaceable man, and he didn’t want to fight with the Philistines, so he moved to another country, to Gerar. There was no water here for his cattle and his family to drink, so Isaac dug some wells. A fter the wells were finished, the people o f Gerar saw that Isaac had plenty o f fresh water, and they were jealous, too. The herdsmen o f Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “ The water is ours.” Still Isaac wouldn’t fight about it. He dug another well, and again the herdsmen quarreled, so Isaac moved again and dug another well. And there he stayed, and the herdsmen o f Gerar didn’t bother him any more. Later, Isaac went back to Beersheba where his father Abraham had lived. And God was pleased with Isaac. On the same night that he returned to Beersheba, God appeared to Isaac and said, “ I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and mul tiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.” unit of society at that time was the fam ily. The family consisted o f all the wives and children and children’s children o f the father, as well as all the hired servants and retainers. The father was the abso lute ruler of this band. In the case of A b raham, the “ family” consisted o f at least 350 souls. It is quite likely that the tribe o f Isaac was fully as large, if not larger. Thus Esau gave up the right to be at the head o f a group of about 400 people. He would have had the right to govern them as he pleased. He could have taken them where and when he wished. They would have had to go or stay, as he directed. The sale o f the birthright in Esau’s case meant even more. God has made special promises to Abraham which were repeated to Isaac and were to be handed down to his sons. The first-born son had the ad vantages o f these promises. He was to be
M AY 8, 1932 ESAU SELLS HIS B IRTHR IGHT (Temperance Lesson) G enesis 25:27-34
Golden Text: “ Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things” (1 Cor. 9:25). The Birthright sau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. That does not mean much to most o f us Westerners,' for we do not realize the meaning o f the birthright. T o the young man o f patri archal times, living in the East, the birth
right was his most prized possession. A c cording to the custom, the eldest son inher ited his father’s titles and, position. T h a t frequently does not mean much in our country now, but it did in Canaan in the days o f Isaac. The
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs