How Not to Keep Promises

Isaac and Rebekah: Rearing Rivals

or

How Not to Keep God’s Promises

Sabbath School Lesson

July 21, 2007

Teacher: Larry R Evans

Quiz

1. Prayer and worship should be listed as “critical success factors.” T/F

2. How we go about our daily work may yield consequences not related to the work itself. T/F

3. Serious family problems suggest that a mistake in the choice of a marriage partner was made. T/F

4. Hunger for a spiritual blessing can lead to non-spiritual solutions. T/F

5. When we see injustices in culture or society it is appropriate to use whatever means to defeat the unjust practices. T/F
6. If we make bad choices we can offset them by adding good choices to them. T/F

Introduction

Most of us have heard of the organization called “Promise Keepers.” The Promise Keepers’ vision is simply put in three words: “Men Transformed Worldwide.” In 1997, an estimated one million men gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for “Stand in the Gap,” marking arguably the largest gathering of Christian men in modern U.S. history. At its core are seven promises that that men promise to keep. Men can change themselves and their families if they stand by these seven promises.

In some ways our lesson today looks at the other side of the coin. It is not so much about us being the Promise Keeper but God and how He did everything He could to pour out the blessings He promised to us. Unfortunately we made it difficult for Him to do so! The story of Abraham begins with a promise by God and Abraham is the keeper of “God’s” promises! In other words God is the initiator of the promise and Abraham assumes certain responsibilities of for “keeping God’s promises” alive. One of those responsibilities is seeing that the covenant promise is handed down to the next generation. Today’s lesson is about handing down the covenant promise to the second and third generations – from Abraham to Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob.

There are other promises too that God has made. But once again we have made it difficult for Him to pour out His promises! Some that have come to mind are:

• God blessed the Sabbath (an inherent promise in the blessing with our responsibility mentioned in Ex.20:8-11)
• Parents and children (Ex 20:12)
• God’s love (Jn 14:9-11)
• The Second Coming (Acts 1:11 with 1 Thes 4:13-18)

We have indeed been commissioned to be the keepers of God’s promises and we do so by the way we live and by what we share. God is so good and Scripture makes it clear that He wants to do more for us than we can even imagine. As we look our own history in today’s lesson we need to keep in mind that God is the greatest promise keeper of all time. He has promised far more than we can imagine and He will deliver if we will only let him!

Our Lesson Study

1. Prayer and worship should be listed as “critical success factors.” TRUE

The idea of CSFs was first presented in the 1960’s and then built on and popularized a decade later. Since then it has been used extensively to help businesses implement their strategies and projects.

Critical Success Factors were defined as,

"The limited number of areas in which results, if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organization. They are the few key areas where things must go right for the business to flourish. If results in these areas are not adequate, the organization's efforts for the period will be less than desired." Furthermore, they are the areas of activity that should receive constant and careful attention from management.”

Abraham was adamant that his son Isaac, the inheritor of the covenant promises made by God, find a believing wife – not a pagan. So Abraham explained very carefully the mission he was sending his chief servant on:

Gen 24:2-4

2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." (from New International Version)

When the servant arrived at his destination the Bible says, “he prayed.” (Gn 24:12). After finding Rebekah the Bible says, “Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord.” (24:26) And then once again when Laban gave permission for Rebekah to go with him the servant once again “bowed down to the ground before the Lord.” (24:52)

It is clear from these accounts that the critical nature of this mission was important and that the one sent on it knew that to be successful he needed the assurance of the Lord’s guidance. Prayer and worship were not optional. They were critical factors and without question he was successful.

2. How we go about our daily work may yield consequences not related to the work itself. TRUE

Gen 24:18-21

18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. (from New International Version)

Rebekah’s work ethics imbedded with thoughtfulness and kindness opened doors for her that placed her in a new setting beyond her imagination. Wealth and honor came to her not by an impressive resume but rather by the way she treated a servant with thirsty camels! It would have been easy for her to complain about the lot given to her in life but what she did she did with a heart of kindness and service as seen in the way she related to this total stranger.

3. Serious family problems suggest that a mistake in the choice of a marriage partner was made. Perhaps and Perhaps Not.

We’ve seen how the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah was surrounded by prayer and how miraculously they were brought together. We could hardly question the marriage. In Gen. 25:21 we find this important statement,

Gen 25:21

21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. (from New International Version)

Once again we find the Lord intervening.

But from here on the story gets complicated. The parents have different favorite sons and the sons become rivals. Can we conclude from this that Isaac should never have married Rebekah? Can we conclude from this that the Lord was wrong in answering Isaac’s prayer for children? When children make mistakes what does it mean? – that the parents should never have married, that the children should never have been born?

Often when difficulties in families arise emotions run unbridled and even what God has blessed is blamed for the present problems. Such tactics only make matters worse.

Perhaps one lesson to consider is just how important it is for mother and dad and children to continue their dependence upon the Lord for wisdom and guidance. They must be careful not to allow personal likes or dislikes within their own children to cause unnecessary prejudices.

Note the following comment by Ellen White:

“Let parents seek, in their own character and in their home life, to exemplify the love and beneficence of the heavenly Father. Let the home be full of sunshine. This will be worth far more to your children than lands or money. Let the home love be kept alive in their hearts, that they may look back upon the home of their childhood as a place of peace and happiness next to heaven. The members of the family do not all have the same stamp of character, and there will be frequent occasion for the exercise of patience and forbearance; but through love and self-discipline all may be bound together in the closest union.” {PP 176.2}

4. Hunger for a spiritual blessing can lead to non-spiritual solutions. TRUE

One of the remarkable chapters of Jacob’s life was his attempt to receive the “birthright.” Up to almost the last moment it was going to Esau. Remember how his grandfather, Abraham, was tested. Up to the very last moment Abraham trusted in God. As Abraham and Isaac journeyed to the place of sacrifice Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the offering?” and Abraham’s historical statement of faith was simply, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Gn 22:8)

Jacob did not endure the test. He and his mother took it into their hands. While there may be times when we need to act on our faith that is not the what happened here. The means they used was deception.

What was there about this birthright that Jacob craved? Note the following:

Jacob had learned from his mother of the divine intimation that the birthright should fall to him, and he was filled with an unspeakable desire for the privileges which it would confer. It was not the possession of his father's wealth that he craved; the spiritual birthright was the object of his longing. To commune with God as did righteous Abraham, to offer the sacrifice of atonement for his family, to be the progenitor of the chosen people and of the promised Messiah, and to inherit the immortal possessions embraced in the blessings of the covenant--here were the privileges and honors that kindled his most ardent desires. His mind was ever reaching forward to the future, and seeking to grasp its unseen blessings. {PP 178.2}

So we must be careful that our desire to be in communion with God, to be his servant, to be his spokesperson does not cause us to abandon the very principles of his kingdom. Non-spiritual means to gain positions or privileges of spiritual responsibility are of the same spirit as Jacob’s deceptive maneuvering.

5. When we see injustices in culture or society it is appropriate to use whatever means to defeat the unjust practices. FALSE

Gen 27:5-13

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies."

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing."

13 His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me."

(from New International Version)

For a moment try to put yourself in the place of Rebekah. No doubt she loved both Jacob and Esau but she sees Jacob, the younger one, as having more of the characteristics suited for the spiritual side of the birthright. She also knows of the “injustice” of the custom of the time: Only one receives the blessing – the other receives nothing.

Gen 27:35-37

35 But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing."

36 Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?"

37 Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" (from New International Version)

So out of the desire to see the “right” prevail Rebekah suggested that Jacob deceive his father. For her “what is right is what has the best consequences” and from where she was this meant she needed to do whatever was necessary for Jacob to receive the birthright blessing. In so doing she became the controller. She also added to the family tension and put a permanent separation between her and Jacob. Using unjust means to accomplish even spiritual goals is not an acceptable approach in the sight of God.

6. If we make bad choices we can offset them by adding good choices to them. FALSE

Gen 26:34-35

34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. (from New International Version)

Gen 28:6-9

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

(from New International Version)

Esau missed the point. He violated the basis of the covenant given to Abraham by marrying the Hittes and marrying someone within the covenant restrictions and adding them to his other wives did not make his choice before better.

At this point, would divorcing his Hittite wives have been the right thing to do? Was he right in marrying the “right” person now? What would you recommend Esau do when he realized how he had displeased his parents?

Conclusion

We sometimes think that it is we who make the promise to be faithful. In this lesson we’ve learned that God made His promise to bless beyond measure but accompanying that promise was an expected response. God is the one who has taken the initiative to see us through, to bless us, to redeem us.

Historically our response has not been all that great even by those listed in Faith’s Hall of Fame. We tend to try to change things by being more controlling even if it means being deceptive. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all guilty of deception.

What is encouraging is that Scripture even records it! There is no cover up. It is in the open for generations to see. Why? Because human tendencies are part of who we are yet there is hope. The hope is grounded in the promises made to the Abrahamic family of which we are a part (Eph 2:19-22; Gal 3:28,29). God is faithful and His invitation to join His family is still open and the promises for coming are still assured:

Matt 11:28-30

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

(from New International Version)