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Giving from our Blessing!
Genesis 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother. 6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram; 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife. 10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Isaac blesses Jacob 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
Isaac gives Jacob the blessing just like God had said that he would
He also charged him or told him not to marry a woman from the Canaanites.
This is a picture of what we are to do
We do not marry from those of this world but God’s people
We are not to be unequally yoked
Now, Abraham blesses Jacob by asking God to work in his life
He asks God to make him fruitful, the blessing that God had promised Abraham and Isaac 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
He asks God to transfer the blessing that was given to Abraham and then to him, to Jacob 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
He will inherit the promised land
He will be a blessing and be blessed
All the original promise now goes to Jacob and not to Esau
Applying this to your personal life
Influence your children to marry right--remember influence
You lose influence when you try to control, use manipulation, or guilt
Influence by having the sweetest possible love relationship you can have
Influence by allowing them to know and see in your life that you are God’s servant
Influence them by causing them to know that you only want what is best for them
Bless your children
Pray for them
Let them know you pray for them
Be publicly proud of and in love with your children
Esau wants to hurt his parents 6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram; 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
The manipulation and deceit that Isaac and Rebekah had used, brings its results
Esau feels no need to please them.
He wants their attention so he tries to do what they do not like to get their attention and to hurt them in return
He has allowed the bitterness to hurt him and to destroy what is left of his family
As parents, we must be careful
They are watching everything that we do
They are learning how to be by watching us
They watch for signs of love and respect
They know when you are using them
They see through the games we play as parents
God gives the promise to Jacob 10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
His dad had prayed for him and blessed him but now God Himself lets Jacob know that the blessing really is his
God will give him the land
God will bless the world through him and his family
God will go with him
God will not leave him until He has accomplished the things that He has promised
This is a beautiful truth that I have appropriated for my life
God told Jacob that He would be with him until He was finished with him
God has a plan for your life as well. He is at work in you
You can trust God to protect you and care for you until He finishes His plan in your life
Much of these promises are ours in the New Testament
He has promised to be with us
He has promised to never leave us
He blesses this world through us
He has blessed us, to be a blessing
Jacob promises to recognize God with his money 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Jacob realizes that God has met with him 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
The fact that God was there, caused Jacob to be afraid 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
How often do we tend to think of God as our buddy and show little to no reverence?
Jacob realized that he was in the presence of the Almighty God
He realized that this was no game. He was afraid
If we ever get a real picture of God, it will be one of reverence and awe
Jacob pours oil on the pillar he builds 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
Pouring will be used in the Bible as a symbol of pouring out our lives
It was worship. It was God you are worthy of all that I am or have
I will hold nothing back. There will be no reserve
Jacob names the place Bethel which means house of God 19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
Do you have a time and a place where you meet with God?
Do you make time for the house of God?
What part does the Word of God and the worship of God play in your life and schedule?
Jacob vows to honor God with his money
The “if” is a problem. God has just said that He is going to be with Jacob. He has made big promises 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
The “if” expresses doubt in God and what He promised
The “if” focuses everything on Jacob and what he is to get out of the relationship
The “if” sounds like a puny man trying to make a bargain with a big God
Though Jacob has a bad attitude when he prays this, we see Him making a promise to give a tenth
The first mention of the tithe Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
This is a story or history of the first tithe and you are not commanded to give
It would appear that you can learn from the picture
Abraham realized that God had given him the victory and the blessings so he gives the tithe as a recognition of that fact
The next mention of the tithe will not be until it is part of the Jewish nation and their worship Leviticus 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.
This time it is for Israel
It is commanded
It is holy to the Lord
It is a tenth
Here, Jacob says that he will give God a tenth as he sees God’s blessings on him 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
It would appear that they had a custom of giving a tithe or tenth since both Abraham and Jacob do so but can’t be proved
They gave this both times because they were recognizing what God was doing in their lives
It was a form of tribute, worship since they saw the hand of God in their lives
New Testament pictures of giving
The word tithe is only used 8 times in the New Testament Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Another time, it is the Pharisee bragging about what he does
Then it is mentioned in Hebrews 7
The New Testament does teach us to give
We give when there are needs Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Systematically II Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Cheerfully II Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Give to those that teach us Galatians 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Romans 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
It teaches us what our attitude should be towards money
Loving money is the root of evil I Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Chasing money will get you hurt I Timothy 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
We are not to trust money I Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
We have to choose between God and money Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
We should pay what we owe James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
We are to take care of our family I Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
We should take care of our brothers in Christ that have needs I John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Be careful with the idea of giving 10%
We do not give out of obligation but love
Nowhere is there the idea that we give God 10% and that is all and the rest is ours to do with as we want
God is not a Mafia boss threatening you, who is happy with a 10% pay off
He owns it all and we are responsible to use it all for Him
All New Testament giving to God is to be voluntary, from the heart, because we love God and the things of God
No guilt, no threat, no manipulation
We give because we want to respond to the One that has given us so much