Genesis 28:1-9 Isaac, Jacob and God’s Promise

The Book of Genesis contains some important themes that help us to understand the rest of the Bible. Some people find the Bible confusing because they lose sight of the big picture. By paying attention to the main themes we can more easily understand the details as well.

One of these themes is the Abrahamic Covenant. Recall that the Lord made special promises to Abraham in Gen 12, 15 and 17. Abraham reiterated those promises to his son Isaac. Now Isaac is blessing his son Jacob with these same promises.

Isaac tells him that God will bless him, make him fruitful and multiply so that he would become a great nation of people. Isaac gives him the blessing of Abraham to Jacob and his descendants so that he might possess the land God gave to Abraham.

Muslims believe that God gave the land promises to Ishmael rather than Isaac. Gen 28:3-4 answers that false claim. God’s promise went through Isaac to Jacob.

As we read the Bible we must keep the Abrahamic Covenant in mind. The ultimate fulfillment of the covenant is yet future. As we continue reading our Bible we will notice in 2 Samuel 7 that the Lord gives David a promise: “And your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever; your throne shall be established forever.

As the Scripture enfolds we find that Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah is the One who will sit on this throne in the land that God gave Abraham back in Genesis 12! Many Christians deny this truth and choose to believe that the promises to Abraham are not being fulfilled in the church. They argue that we must interpret them allegorically because the church has replaced Israel in God’s program.

The Bible does not teach that God has abrogated these promises. He will fulfill them literally just as He has fulfilled all of the other prophecies literally.

What does this mean to you and me? First, it shows us that God will do all the things He has promised. When the Bible says that heaven is a real place where we will go one day if we have trusted Jesus as Savior, we know that God will absolutely fulfill that promise. When the Bible says that we can know we have eternal life, we can take it at face value. When the Bible says that God hears our prayers, we can be encouraged knowing that He knows our situation and is powerful to answer according to His plan.

Second, notice the context of this passage. Jacob and his mother have just tricked their father in order to get the blessing. They should never have acted in this way. However, their actions did not negate the promise that God had made. He is still faithful to do all that He says.

All of these truths are important to us as we go through life. We live in a day in which people ridicule the Bible and God’s promises as being nothing more than myth. People who would rarely read the Bible eargerly read books such as “The Da Vinci Code that calls into question the inerrancy of God’s Holy Word.

Many churches even reject critical truths in the Bible. However, we can stand on the Word of God and know that He will be faithful to do all that He has promised. Abraham trusted God in that way, and we can too.

This week let’s consider the steadfastness of God and His absolute faithfulness to do all that He has promised.