Isaac (v1-5)

Reinforces his trust in God by repeating blessing. He may have had his ups and down in his walk with God, but Isaac stays steadfast here at the end by giving fully to Jacob the blessing.

the unusual phrase a company of peoples adds a new richness to the promises made to Abraham and Isaac. In the word company, from the root ‘to assemble’, the Old Testament term for the church or congregation makes its first appearance, bringing with it the idea of coherence as well as multiplicity.

Esau (v6-9)

Marries two Hittite (Caananite) women (26:34-35), which shows him not waiting for God to lead (like He did for Isaac and Jacob in their spousal searches)

Seeks parents approval and adds to his sins by getting a third wife…from Ishmael. Though he is seeking to find favor and probably forgiveness from his parents, he was not looking for it from God and only went from bad to worse by picking this third wife from a family that was left out of the main line of promise.

Jacob (v10-22)

Jacob obeys and goes (maybe partially out of fear, but he obeys)

Jacob recognizes God’s contact with him during the dream. He knows it is God.

Jacob chooses to trust and follow; setting up the altar as a spot to worship when he returns. He sees his place in the promise and leaves himself something to come back to and praise God for.

Jacob’s reply is often condemned as mere bargaining; yet it was as thorough a response as he knew how to make. It expressed profound awe (16, 17), a preoccupation first of all with the One who had been encountered, not with the things that were promised. From this it issued in homage and in the vow to pledge himself in covenant. The vow was no more a bargain than any other vow (the ‘if’ clause is inherent in the form).

He sees God as the giver of all things and doesn’t hold ownership, but sees his role as a steward with a responsibility to return it to God.

SO WHAT?

The effectual revelation of God’s protective presence and promised blessings for Christians will inspire devout and faithful worship. Those who fully realize God’s gracious provision, those whom the Word of God has powerfully impressed, will respond with consecration and commitment. Where there is no reverential fear, no commitment or no devotion, there is probably very little apprehension of what the spiritual life is all about. Like the revelation to Jacob, the written revelation of God makes people aware of the Lord’s presence and prompts them to a more abundant life.

In other words, is your heart open or closed? To a heart open to Jesus, blessings and promises will flow to us like a raging river. To a closed heart, no matter what a person does, they are only heaping burning coals on their head. The promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are repeated, and even magnified, to believers today. As we are told in Hebrews 13:5, God promises to never leave nor forsake us. Ephesians 1 tells us that we are blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms; chapter 3 says that God will do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

You may be struggling with some sin or a situation that is out of your control, but if you are already in relationship with Jesus, then these promises are already yours. If you are open to Jesus this is available to you too; all you need is to begin a relationship with God. It works like this:

1. Recognize that God IS…. (holy, perfect, the creator) and that God loves you; in fact, He created the world just so that He could love and be in a relationship with you. Psalm 139
2. Admit that you have sinned and realize that sin is what separated you from a holy God. Romans 3:23
3. Agree that Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection really happened. Choose to trust in that sacrifice for you to make you right with God. Hebrews 9:11-14
4. Reach out to Jesus through prayer and introduce yourself, confess your sin and ask for His forgiveness. Once is enough. Romans 10:9. You are then in a relationship with God and He will lead you through the rest of your life. Those promises I mentioned earlier become yours. IT ALL STARTS AT THE INTRODUCTION. The Holy Spirit in you becomes the guarantee of the inheritance we all have in Christ. Ephesians 1:14