God Prefers Jacob
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's word comes from Malachi 1:1-5 primarily, but I had to do some studying to understand better what the Lord was saying. You know, there are some really perplexing verses in the Bible; ones we tend not to explore unless we are studying His Word.
Like this one from Malachi 1:1-3, for example.
"I have loved you," says the Lord. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?'
Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the Lord says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
Now I don't know about you, but these verses challenge me. Does God really "hate" Esau and "love" Jacob? Obviously, the Word is true, so the question is: what does He mean by love and hate in this passage?
To shed some light on this I had to study out the context of the words used and went to Luke 14:26 where Jesus tells the people:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
Obviously, Jesus was saying that in order to serve him people had to prefer/favor/love him more than their immediate family, even more than their own selves. He was talking about the highest devotion we can possibly give Him. So, love and hate here are not emotions, but rather more like attitudes expressed by our actions.
Therefore, we can better understand Malachi 1:1-3 this way: The Lord prefers/favors/loves Jacob and does not show preference/favor/love to Esau. That explains the rest of verses 4-5:
Edom (Esau) may say, "Though we have been crushed, we shall rebuild the ruins." But this is what the Lord Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. You will see it with you own eyes and say, 'Great is the Lord--even beyond the borders of Israel!'"
In other words, those verses are saying that Esau is arrogant and still resists the strong hand of the Lord by "rebuilding the ruins;" they do not want to acknowledge that their hardships and trials are from the Lord--His correction for their self-sufficiency and rebellion towards Him.
That is an important prophetic word for us now because it flies in the face of what is being tossed around so liberally by other prophetic voices; namely, that this is a year of rebuilding, restoration, and blessings for our hardships of the past. So let me put it out there this way: true restoration will come, and true blessings will come, and true rebuilding will happen this year by the hand of the Lord as long as we are "Jacob" and not "Esau."
Yes, I said that right. Some "rebuilding" this year will only be done by the sweat of Esau's brow, while they return to old thought patterns and beliefs systems, attitudes and behaviors that the Lord had sought to "tear down" by their recent trials and hardships. You see, a "Jacob" learns from discipline and "Esau" continues on in his ways, selling his birthright for a meal (following his fleshly desires), spurning correction and then lamenting the eventual negative outcome.
For example, as many of you know, the Lord has been having me for several years now teach and preach against the dangers of witchcraft, divination, astrology, and sorcery and enlighten people of the consequences of such activities. While there are a whole spectrum of excuses they give for their actions, it all boils down to this--they simply don't believe the message is true and dismiss it because they "don't take it (the books, movies, games, etc. on sorcery) that serious." Actually, I am sad to tell you that there is another percentage of "believers" that even vehemently resist this message from the Lord and continue on in their error by refusing to get rid of their Harry Potter books, movies, and other forms of sorcery from their lives out of sheer rebellion and pride. Some even go so far as to persecute me for the message...but I am only the messenger. Ultimately, they are the ones who suffer.
That is what today's prophetic word is about...those people out there who act like "Esau" but are expecting and desiring the blessings of "Jacob." Be realistic. As I've said before, this season of reprieve gives ample time to do some housecleaning in our lives, to apply the nuggets of wisdom we have learned from our past trials and put them to good use to draw nearer to God. However, Esau was arrogant in that he did not learn from his trials and instead pushed ahead without submitting to God and suffered for it.
In 1 Peter 5:5-9 and James 4:1-12, both authors expand on this point by talking about submission and humility; first, one to elders and the other to God.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) The James chapter 4 passage is more direct, in that he tells the reader plainly:
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill (intensely hate) and covet, but you cannot have what you want...You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:1-3
James is clearly stating the dynamic found in Esau--he wanted what he wanted, when he wanted it and believed he was always right. That behavior caused problems between Esau and Jacob, and Esau and God. That's why James goes on to talk about how "friendship with the world is hatred toward God. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." Sad to say that their are many "Esau" Christians out there, who live to satisfy their own desires, spurn correction, envy others intensely, arrogantly think they know better than the Word of God (unsubmissive) and persecute the righteous thinking they are doing a service unto God. It is in this context that both authors Peter and James quote the verse:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
It is interesting too, that in both passages the authors tell their readers to submit to God and resist the devil...then the devil will flee--and then they will be uplifted by God. Stop being an "Esau" and receive the true blessings of "Jacob." Then this year will indeed be a year of godly restoration, rebuilding, and blessings!
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's word comes from Malachi 1:1-5 primarily, but I had to do some studying to understand better what the Lord was saying. You know, there are some really perplexing verses in the Bible; ones we tend not to explore unless we are studying His Word.
Like this one from Malachi 1:1-3, for example.
"I have loved you," says the Lord. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?'
Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the Lord says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
Now I don't know about you, but these verses challenge me. Does God really "hate" Esau and "love" Jacob? Obviously, the Word is true, so the question is: what does He mean by love and hate in this passage?
To shed some light on this I had to study out the context of the words used and went to Luke 14:26 where Jesus tells the people:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
Obviously, Jesus was saying that in order to serve him people had to prefer/favor/love him more than their immediate family, even more than their own selves. He was talking about the highest devotion we can possibly give Him. So, love and hate here are not emotions, but rather more like attitudes expressed by our actions.
Therefore, we can better understand Malachi 1:1-3 this way: The Lord prefers/favors/loves Jacob and does not show preference/favor/love to Esau. That explains the rest of verses 4-5:
Edom (Esau) may say, "Though we have been crushed, we shall rebuild the ruins." But this is what the Lord Almighty says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. You will see it with you own eyes and say, 'Great is the Lord--even beyond the borders of Israel!'"
In other words, those verses are saying that Esau is arrogant and still resists the strong hand of the Lord by "rebuilding the ruins;" they do not want to acknowledge that their hardships and trials are from the Lord--His correction for their self-sufficiency and rebellion towards Him.
That is an important prophetic word for us now because it flies in the face of what is being tossed around so liberally by other prophetic voices; namely, that this is a year of rebuilding, restoration, and blessings for our hardships of the past. So let me put it out there this way: true restoration will come, and true blessings will come, and true rebuilding will happen this year by the hand of the Lord as long as we are "Jacob" and not "Esau."
Yes, I said that right. Some "rebuilding" this year will only be done by the sweat of Esau's brow, while they return to old thought patterns and beliefs systems, attitudes and behaviors that the Lord had sought to "tear down" by their recent trials and hardships. You see, a "Jacob" learns from discipline and "Esau" continues on in his ways, selling his birthright for a meal (following his fleshly desires), spurning correction and then lamenting the eventual negative outcome.
For example, as many of you know, the Lord has been having me for several years now teach and preach against the dangers of witchcraft, divination, astrology, and sorcery and enlighten people of the consequences of such activities. While there are a whole spectrum of excuses they give for their actions, it all boils down to this--they simply don't believe the message is true and dismiss it because they "don't take it (the books, movies, games, etc. on sorcery) that serious." Actually, I am sad to tell you that there is another percentage of "believers" that even vehemently resist this message from the Lord and continue on in their error by refusing to get rid of their Harry Potter books, movies, and other forms of sorcery from their lives out of sheer rebellion and pride. Some even go so far as to persecute me for the message...but I am only the messenger. Ultimately, they are the ones who suffer.
That is what today's prophetic word is about...those people out there who act like "Esau" but are expecting and desiring the blessings of "Jacob." Be realistic. As I've said before, this season of reprieve gives ample time to do some housecleaning in our lives, to apply the nuggets of wisdom we have learned from our past trials and put them to good use to draw nearer to God. However, Esau was arrogant in that he did not learn from his trials and instead pushed ahead without submitting to God and suffered for it.
In 1 Peter 5:5-9 and James 4:1-12, both authors expand on this point by talking about submission and humility; first, one to elders and the other to God.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) The James chapter 4 passage is more direct, in that he tells the reader plainly:
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill (intensely hate) and covet, but you cannot have what you want...You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:1-3
James is clearly stating the dynamic found in Esau--he wanted what he wanted, when he wanted it and believed he was always right. That behavior caused problems between Esau and Jacob, and Esau and God. That's why James goes on to talk about how "friendship with the world is hatred toward God. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." Sad to say that their are many "Esau" Christians out there, who live to satisfy their own desires, spurn correction, envy others intensely, arrogantly think they know better than the Word of God (unsubmissive) and persecute the righteous thinking they are doing a service unto God. It is in this context that both authors Peter and James quote the verse:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
It is interesting too, that in both passages the authors tell their readers to submit to God and resist the devil...then the devil will flee--and then they will be uplifted by God. Stop being an "Esau" and receive the true blessings of "Jacob." Then this year will indeed be a year of godly restoration, rebuilding, and blessings!
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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