Genesis 94 – Crisis (Part 2): Who Are You?

 

The Word of God is from Genesis 27:30-35.

 

"As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also prepared savory food and brought it to his father and said, 'Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.' Isaac his father said to him, 'Who are you?' He answered, 'I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.' Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, 'Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me? And I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him; yes, and he shall be blessed.' When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, 'Bless me, even me also, O my father!' But Isaac said, 'Your brother came with deception and took away your blessing.'" Amen.

 

The Characters of Genesis 27: Finding Truth in Complex Relationships

Last time, we explored the contents of Genesis 27 together. Interestingly, not a single truly good character appears in this chapter. It's difficult to find perfect qualities in any of the four main figures (or characters): Isaac, Esau, Rebekah, and Jacob. The story they weave together sometimes makes it ambiguous as to what we should accept as fact and how we should interpret it. Even lies are recorded in the Word of God, which can make us wonder how to understand them. To properly grasp such a complex chapter as Genesis 27, the help of the New Testament is essential. So, what exactly is happening in this story?

 

Isaac's Problem: When Self-Satisfaction Comes First

In our last sermon, we examined together how Isaac poured everything into what gave him the greatest satisfaction. The Bible records that Isaac loved Esau because he ate his hunted game. This isn't simply about a piece of meat. He was willing to give everything to the one who brought him satisfaction, to the point where it superseded God's promise and His Word. Placing his own satisfaction above all else was Isaac's biggest problem.

 

Esau's Life and Disregard for Birthright: Worldly Desires

Today, the character we'll focus on is Esau. Esau made a strong impression from birth, didn't he? He was hairy all over and reddish, which is why he later received the name Edom, meaning 'red.' The etymology of the name 'Esau' itself isn't entirely clear, but it's certainly related to his characteristics.

 

As Esau grew, he became what we might call a "man's man" today. We can infer his extroverted nature from his going out to hunt animals and cooking them for his father. Those familiar with Romance of the Three Kingdoms might think of characters like the red-faced Guan Yu or the rough, hairy Zhang Fei. (Of course, descriptions of Zhang Fei's appearance are said to be later dramatizations by novelists.) Regardless, Esau is depicted as a character with a strong presence.

 

I emphasize Esau's strong impression because he showed the demeanor of a firstborn son who would lead the household, in contrast to Jacob, who lived with his mother until he was 70 and hadn't married. From a general perspective, Esau seemed more like a firstborn.

 

However, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of red stew. This wasn't just a momentary mistake due to hunger. The Bible supports this by recording his marriage to Canaanite women. If we recall that Abraham sent his servant all the way to Haran to find a wife for Isaac, then Esau, if he valued his birthright, would have listened to his parents' opinions and chosen a spouse carefully. But his marriage brought great distress to his parents. This shows that Esau had little interest in his birthright. While Isaac missed the most important thing by being tied to trivial satisfaction, Esau became a person who forgot the important and clung to the trivial.

 

Warning from Hebrews 12: The Importance of Peace and Holiness

Now, let's turn to Hebrews 12 in the New Testament to consider an important warning we need to heed.

 

Everyone, let's look at verse 14, which we committed to memory today:

 

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Amen.

 

This verse appears, and now, with the new Korean Revised Version, much content that wasn't there before has been added to the Bible. This is the addition of a theme for each paragraph (though it's not always perfect). Those of you with good Bibles probably have that text in your Bibles. What is written above verse 14 as the theme of that paragraph? "Warning to those who reject God's grace." That means it begins from verse 14. (If you don't have it, you should buy a new Bible.) So, what is it going to talk about from now on? It's going to give a warning.

 

To explain what came before, chapter 11, as you well know, is the faith chapter. In chapter 12, it says, "What did these ancestors of faith look forward to? They looked forward to the Kingdom of God and that city, and they lived by faith." Who is the true object of that looking faith? It tells us to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. In this way, the command to look to Jesus is, in fact, a very important theme of the faith chapter, chapter 11.

 

And then, there's a discussion about discipline. "When you are disciplined, don't lose heart, for it's proof that you are God's children." If that's what it says, then, conversely, a warning comes. There are many such warnings in Hebrews. "If you fall away after having tasted the light of the Holy Spirit, you can never be brought back to repentance" – very frightening words appear. However, when you read the Bible, you should always consider: who reads the Bible first? Believers or non-believers? That's right, it's a letter written to believers. Therefore, it's not trying to tell you, "You are an apostate, you are finished if you make just one mistake like this." What is it trying to tell you? It's trying to say, "Therefore, you must live this way, you must strive to live this way."

 

Looking at the structure again with that in mind, it says that this is very important to the point of saying, "Without this, you will not see the Lord." But it's not talking about things like "Read the Bible, pray, don't miss worship" as we often think. Perhaps, I think, the Apostle Paul or the author of Hebrews and all the apostles thought those were truly basic among basics and didn't mention them, or perhaps they didn't mention them because without such things, one couldn't even understand this. But currently, it's not talking about those things as much as it's saying, "If you don't live in peace with one another, if you don't pursue holiness, you will not see the Lord as children of God." It's emphasizing how important this is.

 

The Meaning of Peace and Holiness

This peace doesn't simply mean "get along well with everyone" as we commonly think. Jesus Christ died to break down the wall between us, making us peaceful and becoming our atoning sacrifice. This atoning sacrifice doesn't just refer to your relationship with God. The Bible, especially Ephesians, emphasizes that it broke down the dividing wall between Israel and Gentiles at that time.

 

At that time, Gentiles and Israelites were as far apart as the East and West Seas. They couldn't even sit and eat together. Orthodox Jews didn't associate with Gentiles and wouldn't even buy fruit from places where Gentiles had walked. They wouldn't even buy anything from nearby shops for fear that a fly that had landed in a Gentile's shop might then land in a Jewish shop. This is beyond your imagination. Deaconess Seo and Elder Jang operated a hotel for Jews in Palm Springs in the past, and they heard many stories about it. On Friday, the day before the Sabbath, all the lights had to be left on, and the gas had to be left on, because they wouldn't do any work on that day. Even the elevators had to be prepared in advance. The rules for Orthodox Jews were that strict. Why? Because they considered contact with Gentiles to be unclean.

 

But the Lord is said to have broken down the dividing wall between these two. Why do I emphasize this part? The wall between us as believers, in fact, can hardly be called a wall at all. A wall between us is absurd. Therefore, the Bible strongly states, "Do you know what it means to love one another? If you don't have this, if you don't pursue this at all..." Sometimes we feel so sad and frustrated as if a new wall has appeared. It can be so difficult that we even wonder if someone is a true believer or not. But what we should be looking at now is to reconsider what Jesus Christ died for and what kind of relationship we have because of it.

 

We need to remember what the Church is and how God has called us. If we fail to achieve this peace, it shows that we haven't properly understood the Gospel. And at the same time, it strongly warns us to pursue holiness.

 

God's Grace and Bitter Root

Not only that, but it then moves on to a very famous passage that you all know. Let's read verse 15 together: "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." Two things are being talked about here.

 

The first is amazing. We talk a lot about living by God's grace, and there are many grace-filled praise songs. We emphasize grace. But the context here is a warning that says, 'If you don't do this, you cannot be called a child of God,' and what it emphasizes is, "if you fail to obtain the grace of God."

 

This is in the present tense and means, "if you continually fail to enjoy God's grace." It's a very strong warning that says, "If you don't continually live in God's grace, you are not living as a child of God." So, we might think, "Well, it's like this today, but tomorrow I'll live by the Lord's grace again," or "I'm tired today, but tomorrow I'll be able to rise again by God's grace," or "Yes, that's right, I live by God's grace." But that's not it; it says that this is as important as your life and death.

 

Because if you don't live by God's grace, what will you live by? You will live by relying on yourself. You have no choice but to live by your own strength. What is left in the world apart from God's grace? Only yourself. Only what you have, your resources, your strength, your ability. We know all too well how terrifying it is for a human being to be responsible for their own life by their own strength. It may seem very dignified and cool on the surface, but if it were only cool and dignified, there wouldn't be so many dramas in the world. The content of dramas is all about that: the process of finding oneself, of discovering who I am, constantly failing and trying to get up from there. The astonishing thing is that this world always depicts itself as being able to live without God. In fact, it has never been that way throughout human history, but when humans lived by their own strength and their own decisions, what was the real cause of all the wars we have experienced and are still experiencing? How could people living by God's grace so easily wage war and kill each other within it?

 

We often forget how terrifying it is to rely on humans. This is because we live in a relatively good country, a rich country (though I don't know if it's a good country), enjoying many things. But that's not true. We cannot live without God's grace. So, it's not just "Oh, I wish I had grace," but "Lord, I will die without God's grace" – that understanding is very necessary. If you think that way, to know God's grace, to understand its depth, you'll realize how trivial a life plan like "Oh, I'll do this and that this morning, and live the day this way" is. We planned a life this morning that no one can guarantee. Without God's grace, no one can guarantee a single moment we breathe and live, and we can't find meaning, but we take this for granted, so we don't stake our lives on it. So it warns, "You must stake your life. You must truly realize what it means to live without grace."

 

And then it immediately says that not enjoying grace is not a simple matter, mentioning the bitter root. This 'bitter root' is one of the most misunderstood verses, and I've heard many such interpretations myself. People say, "Always pray so that no bitter root grows in you, are you perhaps hating someone?" And they also say, "The wounds you received from your parents in the past, or from family or friends around you, have remained as bitter roots in your life, and if you don't get rid of them, you cannot live a righteous life." In that sense, it certainly has meaning. Today's me cannot be separated from yesterday's me. The difficult things you experienced in the past, the wounds in your heart, which may be dim memories now, but many things that remain like so-called traumas in us are probably influencing your life in many cases. And the Bible would not say that seeing it that way is the problem itself.

 

However, the 'bitter root' here has a slightly different meaning from that broad sense. The 'bitter root' here is a passage rooted in the book of Deuteronomy. Let me read it to you so you can see what it's talking about: "Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those other nations. Beware lest there be among you a root producing poisonous and bitter fruit." What is it talking about? Poisonous and bitter fruit, meaning idolatry. What the author of Hebrews is talking about is that idols appear within us. In relation to that, it's the right way to specifically understand the bitter root you commonly know in this way.

 

Of course, you can have bitter roots. Everyone has a past in their life. There's pain. Sometimes, I even wake up startled from sleep when something from the past comes to mind, and I break out in a cold sweat. There are so many embarrassing and shameful things. There are things I remember so vividly that I wake up from sleep. But everyone, the world says that you are that kind of person and that's why you are acting this way, but believers cannot end there. Because what defines a believer is not your past. Saying, "Because I went through this, because I received this wound from someone, because I experienced such difficulties from my children or parents, because I had these difficulties during my life, I am like this now" is not enough. A believer is not someone who defines themselves by their past and the wounds they have received, but rather, what defines you is God's Word.

 

You are children of God. Despite all the difficulties, you are with God in His good place, and the Lord is with you. The cross of Jesus Christ, which can overcome even your wounds, is with you. Therefore, you do not define yourself by your past. You define yourself by the cross. Because of that, you can win, and because of that, you are already winning. Even if all those things are true, they cannot defeat you because Christ died for them.

 

If the things of your past that you think about are still moving your present, and even making it impossible to properly see the Lord, then that is an idol. Even your past, your pain and sorrow, can become an idol. The author of Hebrews is warning precisely about the danger of such idols. He's not warning about your past difficulties, but about anything that can become an idol. Therefore, you and I realize once again how serious this is.

 

Esau's Profanity and Pursuit of Worldly Values

And thirdly, following the first three points, Esau's story appears again at the end. This is connected as a single unit with Esau's words that we're looking at today. Let's read verse 16 together to see how Esau is portrayed here: "See to it that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal."

 

The term 'unholy' used for Esau here might seem a bit difficult. In simple terms, it means 'worldly'. It also relates to the meaning of 'secular'.

 

The Bible, especially the book of Hebrews, states that the very first of Esau's problems—that he disdained and sold his birthright—shows that he loved the world. The Bible emphasizes that this wasn't simply a mistake or a single wrong action he made. He completely failed to understand the true meaning of the term 'firstborn'. His interest wasn't in 'what is a firstborn?' but rather, 'what can being a firstborn give me?' So, even after selling his birthright, when Isaac said he would bless him, Esau wanted to receive that blessing. He wanted the blessing. In our terms, it's like thinking, 'It's a hassle to believe in Jesus, but surely I won't go to hell,' or 'Of course, I'll go to heaven, what have I done so wrong?'

 

One of the things that constantly shakes and torments you is this. Even as you firmly confess before the Lord that you believe in Jesus and have become a child of God, Satan can instantly shake you. He makes you disappointed in yourself and shakes 'who I am'. If your eyes are fixed more on 'who I am a child of and that I am a human being and therefore make mistakes and fail every day' than on 'I am a child of God', and if that seems bigger than God, then that is an idol. We fall into this trap too easily.

 

The birthright was the Abrahamic covenant, and the promise to Abraham was indeed meant to be carried on to the last Firstborn, Jesus Christ. Christ is the Firstborn, and He accomplished and perfected all firstborn status. Because He accomplished everything that a firstborn should enjoy, what do we say? We say, 'We also became sons and daughters by following Him,' and at the same time, we say that we are those who receive the Kingdom of God as an inheritance.

 

If you went home today and received a call from Korea saying, "Hey, we didn't know it, but some land we bought a long time ago was suddenly discovered, and a document was found, and it turns out this land is now worth hundreds of millions! We bought it for about 1.5 million won back then, but now it's worth hundreds of millions!"—your car would probably be different next week. You might even move. But when I shout until my voice breaks, "You will inherit the Kingdom of God, you will inherit it!" how do you feel? You probably think, "Oh, okay. I'll get it when I get it."

 

Everyone, the Kingdom of God is all of God's glory and abundance, and the most beautiful and greatest thing you can imagine, and even things you can't imagine. You have become an heir to inherit it. It doesn't say, 'You are trying to become an heir,' but 'You have become an heir.' To you who believe in Jesus now, it says, 'You have become an heir.' You might have a look that says, 'I'll believe it when I see the document, anyone can say it.' But everyone, that's what it means for us to receive the firstborn's authority by God's grace, but Esau didn't love heaven, the Kingdom of God; instead, he loved earthly things. We are those who possess heavenly things and belong to heaven, which is another name for saints, but Esau didn't choose that; he became a person who belonged to the earth and loved earthly things.

 

Esau's Regret and Missed Opportunity for Repentance

How big of a problem was this? If you think that living with an attitude of loving earthly things while still trying to "hang onto the name of God's Kingdom" is like all of us, the Bible talks about how serious this problem is in the next verse. Everyone, let's read verse 17 together: "For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind, though he sought it with tears." This is a tremendous warning, wouldn't you agree? As you read this verse, you might have been startled, "Oh my goodness!" And at the same time, you might have thought, "Isn't this too unfair? Not even giving him a chance!"

 

The passage we read in Genesis today contains this story. When Isaac spoke to Esau and Esau asked, "Where is my blessing?", Isaac replied, "I have already given it. I gave that blessing to Jacob, and I have made Jacob your lord. I have given all his brothers, including you, Esau, as servants to Jacob, and all the grain and wine and all my possessions I have given to him. I have nothing left to give you."

 

Everyone, Isaac's words here are not a typical situation, and I'll give you a hint because they connect to Isaac's story that we'll cover at the end. Think about Jacob. Jacob should have blessed Reuben, right? Because he was the firstborn. He blessed Reuben. So, did all the other sons get nothing? Did the other children not receive any blessings? No, please don't look at me as if you don't know this. This is something I was going to move on from because you all know it, but of course, he blessed all his sons with the word of God. So, "I have nothing to give you because I gave everything to Jacob" is not a typical situation. But there's a reason Isaac says this. We'll find out later, "Ah, so Isaac's story ends this way."

 

First, since we're talking about Esau, let's return to Esau's story with just that hint. Esau is now in a situation where he receives no blessing. What does he say then? "Bless me too!" he cried out. He cried. Everyone, why did he cry? Did he repent? Do you think he repented? No.

 

The phrase we know, "he found no place for a change of mind," doesn't mean 'he wasn't given a chance to repent.' This has been somewhat easily translated in English Standard Version and other translations, probably to make it easier to understand. In fact, a better translation is found in a few Bibles that are harder to obtain. But a literal translation of this word is a good translation. 'He found no place for a change of mind.' But the problem is that we feel it's unfair. "No, how can he not be given a chance? He should be given a chance."

 

But everyone, did Esau really not get a chance? Could he not repent? He could have. It wasn't that there was no opportunity. God didn't silence him and say, "You can never repent." So, of course, there was an opportunity to repent. The phrase 'he found no place for a change of mind' literally means "he did not find a place for repentance." What does it mean that he did not find a place for repentance? It means that he did not repent where he should have repented. He should have repented but didn't, and so, as a result, he was rejected. To put it more simply, he didn't repent but instead pleaded with his father for what he wanted. What did his father do? He rejected it. So, the New Living Translation translates it slightly differently: "he could not convince his father to change his mind." That's what the marginal note in the New Living Translation says. But you now understand the meaning. Esau, who should have repented, did not repent where he should have repented. He didn't find a place for repentance.

 

True Repentance: Standing Before the Word

So, we can tell from the beginning that Esau didn't repent. Why? Because if he had truly repented, the very first aspect of repentance is confronting one's own sin. It's knowing what one has done wrong. But he doesn't talk about where his sin was at all. If he had properly understood what a firstborn was and what it meant, he wouldn't have neglected that position, but he doesn't mention it.

 

However, let's think about it from Esau's perspective for a moment. Esau went hunting and returned home to receive a blessing from his father. But Jacob deceived his father and stole the blessing. What could Esau have said then? Would he have said, "Oh, I messed up because I didn't understand the birthright and sold it"? No. What would have come out first? "I was deceived. Whose fault is this? It's Jacob's fault!"

 

But everyone, why does this kind of situation happen? It's because Esau's most important way of confronting sin is not his conscience. Of course, conscience is important, and it's one of the laws God has etched in our hearts, but what's more important is that you don't place your actions and your life before God's Word. He only thought that being a firstborn meant "one who possesses many things, one who receives double from his father."

 

But the Abrahamic covenant is connected to the concept of the firstborn. And Esau didn't stand before that Word of God. So there's nothing for him to clash with. What does he clash with? Only the blessing he's supposed to receive. The things he's supposed to receive, his inheritance from his father, the donkeys he's supposed to receive, the servants he's supposed to receive, the wealth he's supposed to receive. Those are the only important criteria for him. So, of course, he feels wronged. He'll only say, "It was mine to receive, why did you take it? That deceiver Jacob is all bad." So, he has no reason to repent.

 

Everyone, when is a believer's most terrifying situation? The most terrifying situation we learn through Hebrews and through Esau is this: the problem is when you don't place yourself before God's Word but before your own common sense or your own standards, and therefore you think you have little to repent of. Why is there so little to repent of? Because you think, "What have I done so wrong?" In arguments between couples, what's often the biggest problem? "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong," which makes you seethe inside. Why? Because it implies that you weren't actually wrong, right? "Let's just say I was wrong," isn't it? Even though you really didn't do anything wrong. What else makes you seethe inside? When someone says, "I was wrong, yes, I was wrong, but..." and adds a qualifier. What are they saying? "You were wrong too. I'm not the only one who was wrong."

 

Humans can rationalize everything if we don't stand before God's Word with our own standards. That's why our wise ancestors left us with this saying: "There's no excuse for a grave." There's no one without an excuse. Think about it. If you don't stand before the Word, everything is explainable. There's no life event where 'only I' was wrong. "Why should I bear all the responsibility? Is the child's problem only my fault? My husband is also wrong, and of course, I'm a little wrong," but we can sufficiently rationalize ourselves.

 

However, when you stand before God's Word, it's different. "'God, murder? I haven't killed anyone.' 'The Lord says, 'Do you really think that? You who insulted your brother with 'Raca' have murdered your brother.'" You are startled. Everyone, when you stand before God's Word, there's absolutely no reason to rationalize or compromise. Just stand before the Word as it is. That Word, those Ten Commandments, are the commandments as they are. You stand honestly before that Word. If you truly want to know who you are, don't say, "Oh, who can keep all of this? Who can do all of this? This is something everyone in the world knows," but you must truly stand before the Word. Otherwise, you won't be able to find the way to hear the Word that God speaks to us.

 

The Grace of the Cross and Isaac's Repentance

It can't end there, can it? Because the Bible always tells us two things. But the first is very important. We avoid too many things, so there's too little repentance and fruits of repentance in our lives. You just live that way and often gloss over countless things you should repent of. We should be amazed every time we see through the Bible how thoroughly our spiritual predecessors placed themselves before God's Word, repented, and turned back. It's truly so. Don't try to compromise before God's Word. Don't think, "This Word must mean this." You must accept the truly genuine meaning, the inherent meaning, of that Word as it is. "Ah, standing before the Word, this is the person I am. Ah, I truly am someone without love. I truly think this way about my neighbor. What kind of heart do I have toward believers?" Stand before the Word. Everyone, you might have areas where you do better than others. Some of you might know God's Word more than others. But when you stand before that Word, your true self is revealed.

 

But at the same time, secondly, you must go before Jesus Christ, who did not abandon you but died for you. That cross doesn't simply keep you in that place. Those who know who they are because of Jesus Christ realize again how they should live because of Christ. That is the Gospel, and that is the Word of God given to us. If you truly want to know who you are, if you don't humbly stand before the true Word of God, revealing everything, you will never fully understand the amazing grace of the cross.

 

Isaac's Late Realization and Faith

Everyone, this is not just Esau's life, but in fact, it's a life revealed more clearly in Isaac, who came before him, through the Bible. As we've seen, do you truly long for God's Word, for standing before that Word? How interested are you in God's promises? Do you genuinely long and yearn for God's Word to be fulfilled in your life? "Let your Word be fulfilled in me!" Do you know how immense this statement is for you? Jesus knew how immense this statement was, which is why when He said, "Take up your cross and follow me," He told us to calculate the cost. What kind of thing this is. You can suffer loss, your pride can be shattered. You can lose money, and in Jesus' case, you could even be betrayed. Do you still want God's Word to be fulfilled in you? No matter how much I threaten, doesn't an "Amen" come out?

 

Everyone, when we come here and say we believe in Jesus, there's something we should naturally consider. "Why do I worship? Why do I call myself a believer? Why do I say I believe in Jesus? Why do tears come to my eyes when I see the cross? Why do I understand and feel moved by the fact that I am saved?" Why? Why? Because you are under God's promise.

 

We all know what Isaac did to Esau. We all know what he did to Jacob. We know from the text how Isaac ended up giving his blessing to his two sons. So, since you know that, let me read this verse to you, and think about how unbelievable it is: "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future." I think this is quite difficult to accept. Because we all know how he blessed them, don't we? Didn't Isaac originally intend to give everything to Esau, but unknowingly gave it to Jacob? So, what happened? It was God's judgment looking at life. The important part here is, of course, the phrase 'by faith'. This event could not have happened if 'faith' were removed from the beginning. We cannot view Isaac's life that way. Isaac was a person who showed favoritism to his son, and because of that, he intended to give everything to Esau but was deceived by his son and gave the blessing to Jacob, becoming utterly dumbfounded, and a father who received immense criticism from Esau.

 

But the Bible says, "By faith, he was a man of faith, and he gave to Esau and Jacob, not some other thing." Here, the verse you read earlier is connected. Isaac hears that story. As soon as Esau comes and says, "I am your son Esau," what does Isaac say? He says he "trembled violently." This is a very important verse. He was a very meticulous person. He wasn't someone who was easily deceived as we might think. He knew for sure, he verified thoroughly, and he checked each thing carefully. When Jacob came, he didn't just bless Jacob. But he thought he had perfectly completed this whole affair with all his wisdom, all his thoughts, all his abilities, and all his resources, not by God's Word but as he intended. But what happened? The conclusion was that Jacob received all the blessings. He was so surprised. He said he trembled. Why? Because he surrendered to God.

 

At that moment, he realized what God's sovereignty was, what God's promised covenant was, and that he was not the one making this happen but that God was the sovereign over this matter and that God's work was being accomplished, and he trembled violently. So, he didn't say, "Okay, Esau, I'll give you what blessings are left," but instead said, "All that I have spoken will surely be fulfilled for Jacob." He no longer asserted his own thoughts and desires before God's sovereignty and power.

 

"Lord, that's right. If You are at work, then God's work must be in all the results of this matter, and You will accomplish Your work." I want to explain all of it in more detail, but I've explained it to you this way because I want to tell you something: God didn't just look at that one slice of his life, but He saw the work God accomplished throughout his entire life. Biblical scholars call this Isaac's repentance. When he repented and acknowledged that God's will would be done, what did the Lord say about the confessions of his life and how he had lived? He said, "He lived by faith." By faith.

 

Our Repentance and Faith Today

So, the same appeal is made to you and me. Your life might be difficult, tiresome, and shameful today. Why wouldn't there be times 10 years from now when you look back and think, 'Why did I do that?' and feel frustrated? Perhaps today was a day you wished hadn't happened. But everyone, no matter how difficult, shameful, astonishing, or hard it is now, if you come before Christ, rely on the cross, and confess, "Lord, I want to live by Your grace. Help me to see again what kind of heart I am trying to live with, and Lord, I repent, so please enable me to be one who fulfills Your will" – if you endure your present reality today, you will be revived, your eyes will be turned to heaven, and if you don't give up, there will truly come a day when you will say, "Today, I'm glad I repented, I'm glad I endured, I'm glad I didn't give up, I'm glad I turned back today."

 

Because you will inherit the Kingdom of God, and you will realize that all your days are in God's hand. And you and I will hear these words: "Pastor Han Sung-yoon, throughout his life, truly hurt many people's hearts, sometimes lived boastfully, and sometimes thought he was the best and looked down on others, but even in the midst of that, he strived to become a pastor, and as a pastor, he delivered God's Word to the saints sometimes lazily, sometimes quite well, and sometimes boastfully. But one day, he lived by faith because he confessed every day, 'Lord, my life is not my own, but God's.' So, he repented, turned back, and lived to bear the fruits of repentance, and his life was different." Everyone, I apologize for using my name, but your name will be in that hall of faith. Everyone, don't just let today pass by; repent. Turn back. And live according to the grace of the Lord.

 

Let us pray

Loving Lord. Even though Jacob deceived his father, there was a more astonishing event for Isaac beyond that deception. It was because God's Word was fulfilled. Therefore, Isaac could not bless Esau again, and instead told Esau, "You shall serve your brother." Lord, You saw Isaac's changed heart, You saw his lips, You saw his life, and You said, "He lived by faith."

 

Lord, it is indeed our lives that need to turn back. It is indeed our lives that need to repent. We confess that we are nothing, Lord, so please enable us to live by Your grace today, to turn back to You tomorrow, and in every single day, every single moment of my remaining life, to turn to You and draw closer to You. Loving Lord, please hold us and help us so that all of us can be called people of faith. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.