A Promise is a Promise--Gen. 27

"And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he shall be blessed" (Gen. 27:33).

It's a well-known story, that of Jacob and Rebecca's deception.

Esau leaves to fulfill a dying father's wishes, and in his stead comes Jacob, the true inheritor of the blessing, and by disguise and fraud secures that which God had already promised him.

Echoes of Hagar and her son ring in the thoughts.

The angel had told Rebecca that God had blessed the younger son. God was pleased with Jacob, and was determined to make him the one who would carry on the line, inherit the blessing. Regardless of what Isaac did or didn't do.

This is God, after all.

Are His promises worth so little that His purposes are always seized upon and accomplished by ways other than His own?

"Jacob and Rebekah succeeded in their purpose, but they gained only trouble and sorrow by their deception. God had declared that Jacob should receive the birthright, and His would would've been fulfilled in His own time had they waited in faith for Him to work for them" (PP 180).

God had promised.

In His own time, and His own way, things would've turned out as they ought to.

But faithless Jacob, fearing Rebekah, doubted that God could stay the hands of Isaac from blessing Esau. Doubted that the birthright could be gained by any other way.

And so they stepped in and took matters into their own hands.

And Rebekah never saw her son again.

They paid dearly for their mistake.

In this life, there are often things we desire. Things that we feel God has brought to us, that we are near certain God is calling us to. He has promised to give us the desires of our hearts in time, His time. And we wait.

But then, something happens. It seems as though this thing God has brought into our lives to bless us, and to be with us forever, is disappearing. We fear that we'll never be able to get it back...that we'll lose it.

And so we reach out and take things into our own hands. Put our own foot in.

And often we retain it for a time.

But ultimately, we pay for our interference with a separation of some kind.

Whether it's eternal or temporary, one cannot tell, save God alone.

But God is still working. Through the separation. Though the separation is forever.

His promises are just that…

...still promises.

And His purpose, His ways, His plans, will be accomplished in His time.

Lord, forgive my impetuous faithlessness...teach me to learn to accept Your time...