Why Are Some Families Blessed and Others Cursed? Genesis 35-36
Genesis #32. Final sermon this series. 4 study guides free Realfaith.com
Genesis part 4 Joseph series in audio all. 365 devo commentary coming
Blessing & Cursing in Genesis
· God speaks blessing – “God said” & “God blessed them”
· 400X in Bible. Over 80X in Genesis. #1 book Bible = “live-giving power”
· BLESSING when we obey what God says. CURSE when we disobey what God says
3 Generations of family – Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
Jacob & Esau contrasted (Gen. 25-35), story moves to Joseph
Blessed Families: Jacob’s Legacy
Genesis 35 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem. 5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth. 9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. 16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. 27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
- Are you living in God’s will where He wants you to be?
-Bethel – “house of God”; Land of Abraham Called back 28:20-22
- Are you worshipping God at home and church? (altars)
- Have you removed or those things hindering your worship of God?
-Buries idols & demonic items where God spoke to him & he was saved.
- Are you trusting God for protection and provision? (terror fell from God)
- Are you seeking to be fruitful and multiply?
- Are you encouraging sexual purity?
-Leah’s young son sleeps w/dads older concubine -secure his mom wife #1 & he head
- Are you setting the next generation up for success?
- Are you living for King Jesus? (kings coming)
-JACOB BECOMES ISRAEL-12 sons = 12 tribes of Israel. Give us OT & Jesus.
-Jerusalem capital Israel 3000 yrs. Attacked 52x, besieged 23x, ransacked 39x, destroyed & rebuilt 3x, captured & recaptured 44x
=NOT A PERFECT FAMILY BUT A BELIEVING & BLESSED FAMILY (PUT OFF. PUT ON)
Cursed Families: Esau’s Legacy
Genesis 36 These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3 and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. 4 And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. 6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.) 9 These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.
Rest of Genesis 36 = family history for generations w/nations they ruled
- Esau heard from God, but did not speak to or walk with God.
- Esau knew believers, but did not become a believer (dad/mom, brother, grandparents)
- Esau was blessed by God but never acknowledged God.
- Esau married unbelievers and raised his kids and grandkids as unbelievers
- Esau’s descendants are rich and powerful but ungodly
ESAU BECOMES EDOM (battles incl. David, joined Syria, Obadiah/Malachi/Jeremiah against)
Amalakites & Haman villain (Esther) Herod
Are you Jacob or Esau? Will your legacy be godly or worldly?
Carle Zimmerman Family & Civilization – one most important Am sociologists 20’s, 30’s, 40’s.
11 Signs of a Culture in Decline
- Divorce: No-fault divorce: increased rapid easy divorce
- Anti-child Anti-parent: Decreased children/population, disrespect for parenthood
- Meaningless Marriage: rites/ceremonies no longer connected to God or covenant
- Heroes Villainized: Defamation of past cultural heroes/woke revisionism
- Marriage Alternatives: cohab, polygamy, same sex marriage, open marriages
- Feminism, Narcissism, Hedonism: = gender confusion, selfishness, pleasure
- Anti-Family Culture: Propagation of antifamily sentiment making parenting harder
- Adultery: Acceptance of most forms of adultery
- Child Rebellion: children encouraged to oppose parental authority
- Juvenile Delinquency: including addiction, mental health
- Sexual Perversion: common acceptance of all forms
The God of the Bible made our world, made us male & female, marriage, sex, family
God has a divine design that He blesses
BLESS – men, women, & children/blessing
TC bday #6 next week. We are a countercultural Church Family