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Speaker 1: Let us pray, pray, thee sit and eat of my venison,

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Speaker 1: that thy soul may bless me. Genesis twenty seven nineteen.

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Speaker 1: Dear Hemnly father to day, I am choosing to break

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Speaker 1: generational cycles that no longer serve my purpose or my destiny.

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Speaker 1: I do not use deception to try to protect myself

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Speaker 1: at the risk of my loved ones. Like Isaac and

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Speaker 1: like his father before him, Abraham, I declare that integrity

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Speaker 1: and uprightness of heart will be my guiding compass. I

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Speaker 1: decree and declare that as I move with integrity, you

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Speaker 1: will multiply my life. Then shower me with your blessing.

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Speaker 1: I confess that I don't have to use manipulation and

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Speaker 1: trickery as Jacob did to get what you have for me. Rather,

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Speaker 1: I will stay in my lane and keep my eyes

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Speaker 1: to you and your word, because what you have for

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Speaker 1: me is mine, and no one can take what's mine

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Speaker 1: out of your hand. Lord. In my life, when others

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Speaker 1: seek to hinder my blessings, I don't have to panic

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Speaker 1: or worry because you will continually protect and cover all

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Speaker 1: that I have. Thank you Jesus that because you bless me,

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Speaker 1: I am blessed. Indeed in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you

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Speaker 1: for praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible

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Speaker 1: Bible story brought to you by Bible in a Year

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Speaker 1: dot com.

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Speaker 2: Jacob and Esau. Before this story, we learn of Abraham's death,

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Speaker 2: The father of Nations went to be with his Lord.

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Speaker 2: He was married by Isaac and Ishmael. Beside his wife Sarah,

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Speaker 2: Isaac and Rebecca had twins named Jacob and Esau. The two,

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Speaker 2: even from the womb, warred against one another. Esau, the

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Speaker 2: older twin, was tricked by his younger brother and sold

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Speaker 2: his birthright. Now we will learn about Rebeccah and Jacob

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Speaker 2: tricking Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing inspired by the

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Speaker 2: Book of Genesis.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible

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Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. Today we begin with a famine

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Speaker 3: that takes Isaac and his family to another land. And here,

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Speaker 3: just as his father did, Isaac tells a lie about

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Speaker 3: his wife to protect himself. Fear has once again ruled

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Speaker 3: in the heart of one of God's chosen people. History

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Speaker 3: is repeating itself in a new generation. You'll once again

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Speaker 3: hear how despite a lack of faithfulness on their part.

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Speaker 3: God continues to bless and protect Abraham's family now through

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Speaker 3: his son Isaac. Listen to how Isaac prospered in this

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Speaker 3: new land and how he was met with disdain and

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Speaker 3: distrust by others who resented him for the blessings he

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Speaker 3: was reaping, blessings God was giving him. You will also

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Speaker 3: hear how Isaac followed the model of his own father,

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Speaker 3: created remembrances of God's faithfulness and monuments to the God

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Speaker 3: who provides. And in this passage will return to Jacob

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Speaker 3: and Esau and the conflict that began to brew in

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Speaker 3: yesterday's story. You'll hear of hidden intentions, heartbreak, and hatred.

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Speaker 3: Watch how Jacob's craftiness and cleverness and deception finally strike

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Speaker 3: a blow to both Esau and Isaac that will forever

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Speaker 3: alter the course of this family and history. In today's passage,

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Speaker 3: he is not acting alone, but his teeming with Rebecca,

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Speaker 3: his mother who favors him over Esau. Together they will

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Speaker 3: trick Isaac into giving jail Tacob what is meant for

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Speaker 3: his older brother. The family conflict will come into an

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Speaker 3: explosive climax, and you'll hear echoes of two brothers we've

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Speaker 3: heard of long ago, one accepted and the other rejected.

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Speaker 3: Will all be lost? Is there any way for this

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Speaker 3: family to heal? These are the questions you'll be left

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Speaker 3: with as you listen to today's passage. So let's hear the

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Speaker 3: story now.

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Speaker 2: There was a great famine that plagued the land. The land,

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Speaker 2: once adorned with fertile fields, ceased its growth. The land

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Speaker 2: would soon return to its former glory, yet for the

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Speaker 2: time being, Isaac needed to escape to healthier planes. They

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Speaker 2: escaped to Ghirar, a hostile land in which Isaac had

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Speaker 2: never ventured before. When his family settled there, the men

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Speaker 2: in the city were asking about his wife, Rebecca, for

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Speaker 2: she was pleasing to the eye. Isaac, out of fear

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Speaker 2: that they might kill him to take his wife, claimed

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Speaker 2: she was his sister. As his father Abraham had done

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Speaker 2: before him and Adam did generations before him. Isaac compromised

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Speaker 2: the integrity of his wife to protect himself. Yet it

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Speaker 2: did not take long for Isaac to get found out,

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Speaker 2: and a great distress was put upon their leader, Abimelech.

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Speaker 2: Once again, the family of Abraham had underestimated the integrity

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Speaker 2: of foreigners and had created strife amongst them, and yet

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Speaker 2: Isaac worked the ground well. The Lord had instructed Isaac

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Speaker 2: to remain in Ghirrar instead of fleeing to Egypt, and

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Speaker 2: he was fruitful for it. Isaac grew richer during the famine,

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Speaker 2: and his influence reached far beyond the land of Ghirraar.

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Speaker 2: The Philistines who dwelled in the land grew envious of him,

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Speaker 2: and Isaac became villainized for his success. Abemelek sent him away,

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Speaker 2: for they did not want him growing even more rich

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Speaker 2: off of their land. Isaac and his family wandered from

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Speaker 2: Men weeks, and they were met everywhere they went with

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Speaker 2: disdain in conflict. Yet God remained faithful and reminded Isaac

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Speaker 2: of his promise to him. God blessed him, saying, I

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Speaker 2: am the God of Abraham, your father. Fear not, for

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Speaker 2: I am with you and will bless you and multiply

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Speaker 2: your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake. And Isaac dugwells

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Speaker 2: as a monument to God's faithfulness. During this time, Esau

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Speaker 2: had married a Hittite woman named Judith. The two of

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Speaker 2: them made Rebeccah and Jacob's life miserable and openly mocked them.

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Speaker 1: Both.

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Speaker 2: Isaac grew old and his eyes began to fade. He

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Speaker 2: could no longer open his eyes to see the fruit

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Speaker 2: of his labor or the ones he loved. Isaac, knowing

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Speaker 2: that his time was drawing near, called to his oldest son, Esau.

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Speaker 2: My son, He said, here, I am, Esau replied, go

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Speaker 2: into the countryside with your bow and hunt me an animal.

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Speaker 2: Prepare me a meal, and you and I will sit

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Speaker 2: together to eat. Afterwards. I will bless you before I depart.

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Speaker 2: Esau left immediately to hunt for his father, anticipating the

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Speaker 2: blessing that would come afterwards. Rebecca overheard Isaac and Esau

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Speaker 2: and immediately grabbed her son, Jacob. Rebecca told Jacob what

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Speaker 2: Isaac was planning on doing, and together they devised a

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Speaker 2: plan to steal away Esau's blessing. Jacob killed a goat

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Speaker 2: and made his father a delicious stew. Rebecca then dressed

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Speaker 2: Jacob in Esau's clothes. Since Esau was a hairy man,

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Speaker 2: Jacob covered himself in goat fur with Esau's clothes, fur

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Speaker 2: and stew. Jacob entered into his father's tent, determined to

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Speaker 2: come out with a blessing. Slowly entering into the tent,

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Speaker 2: Jacob lowered his voice and spoke, here, I am father.

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Speaker 2: Isaac blind looked towards Jacob and said, who is here.

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Speaker 2: It is Esau, your first born. I have done what

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Speaker 2: you asked. Please get up and eat so that you

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Speaker 2: may bless me. Isaac, perplexed, inquired how Esau was able

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Speaker 2: to kill the animal so quickly. The Lord guided my

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Speaker 2: hand and gave me success. Jacob lied, come here so

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Speaker 2: I can touch you, son. I must know if you

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Speaker 2: are truly Esau. Jacob drew near to Isaac and allowed

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Speaker 2: him to feel his arms and clothes. The trick had worked.

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Speaker 2: Isaac was convinced he was speaking to Esau. The two

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Speaker 2: ate together, and Isaac placed his hands on Jacob with

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Speaker 2: love and excitement. Isaac spoke over Jacob with the same

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Speaker 2: adoration he would have given Esau. The tender and intimate

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Speaker 2: moment between fire and first born son was stolen by Jacob.

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Speaker 2: Isaac spoke his blessing over Jacob, reciting a type of

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Speaker 2: ancient poetry, one that would echo throughout all of Jacob's life.

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Speaker 2: See the smell of my son is as the smell

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Speaker 2: of a field that the God has blessed. May God

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Speaker 2: give you of thedo of heaven, the sustenance of the earth,

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Speaker 2: and plenty of grain and wine. Let all people serve you,

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Speaker 2: and nations bow down to you. Be king over your brothers,

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Speaker 2: and may they bow down to you. Cursed be everyone

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Speaker 2: who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you.

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Speaker 2: As Isaac was finishing his blessing over Jacob, Esau returned

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Speaker 2: from his hunt. Esau tirelessly worked as he skinned the deer,

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Speaker 2: butchered it, and prepared his father's favorite meal. Blessing was

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Speaker 2: in reach, and he hurried to his father's tent with

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Speaker 2: a meal. Jacob had left. Isaac sighed, and Esau approached him. Father,

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Speaker 2: I have come back from my hunt. Here, take and

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Speaker 2: eat so that you may bless me. Who are you,

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Speaker 2: he answered crossly, I am your firstborn son, Esau. I

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Speaker 2: have come back from my hunt. Isaac trembled and became violent.

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Speaker 2: In a rage. Isaac raised his voice, saying, who was

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Speaker 2: it then that brought me food? I have blessed him

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Speaker 2: and he will be blessed. As soon as Esau heard this,

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Speaker 2: he bellowed a deep and bitter cry sorrow. Rage and

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Speaker 2: anguish welled up in Esau's heart. His brother had tricked

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Speaker 2: him into giving up his birthright, and now he had

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Speaker 2: stolen what mattered most, his father's blessing. Frantically and with

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Speaker 2: tears filling his eyes, Esau begged his father bless me also,

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Speaker 2: my father, have you not reserved any blessing for me?

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Speaker 2: Please do not leave me here alone. Isaac was enraged

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Speaker 2: at Jacob, yet could not recant his blessing over him.

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Speaker 2: I have made him lord over you, Isaac said, I

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Speaker 2: have blessed him as an inheritor of all God has

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Speaker 2: given me, and you will serve under him. He saw

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Speaker 2: wept bitterly. His face fell into his hands as he

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Speaker 2: managed to ask, is there any blessing you can give me?

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Speaker 2: Anything at all? Isaac spoke again in ancient poetry. Welling

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Speaker 2: up with sadness for his son, he spoke saying, behold,

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Speaker 2: away from the richness of the earth you shall dwell,

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Speaker 2: and away from the dew of heaven on high you

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Speaker 2: shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother.

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Speaker 2: But when you grow restless, you shall break his yoke

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Speaker 2: from your neck. A dark part of Esau's heart was

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Speaker 2: awakened that day. Thousands of generations had passed since Cain

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Speaker 2: had killed his brother Abel, yet that same hatred lingered,

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Speaker 2: seeking whom it may take hold of. When Isaac had

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Speaker 2: breathed his last and went to be with his father, Abraham,

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Speaker 2: Esaw sighed a deep breath and said, the days of

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Speaker 2: mourning my father are approaching. After I mourn, I will

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Speaker 2: kill my brother Jacob. Esau spoke these words to himself,

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Speaker 2: Yet they caught the ear of his mother, Rebeccah. She

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Speaker 2: sent for Jacob and said to him, your brother plans

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Speaker 2: to kill you after he has mourned your father. Gather

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Speaker 2: your things and flee to my brother Laban. He will

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Speaker 2: take care of you until your brother's fury subsides. So

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Speaker 2: Jacob fled in the dead of night and waited there

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Speaker 2: until his brother's anger dimmed and he could return to

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Speaker 2: claim what was now rightfully his.

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Speaker 3: As we begin today's passage, there is a famine sweeping

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Speaker 3: across the land. Isaac and his family are unable to

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Speaker 3: stay where they are, and the Lord speaks to Isaac

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Speaker 3: to tell him where not to go and where he

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Speaker 3: should settle. This was not a case of Isaac fleeing

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Speaker 3: in fear and not trusting God. He was following God's

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Speaker 3: direction and taking his family to a better place for

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Speaker 3: a season. Sadly, his trust only went so far, because,

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Speaker 3: just like his father Abraham, on two separate occasions, Isaac

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Speaker 3: feared for his life in the land of Pagans, and

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Speaker 3: he told people that Rebecca was his sister, rather than

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Speaker 3: being the leader and protector she needed. Isaac thought of

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Speaker 3: his own safety more highly than that of his wife's, and,

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Speaker 3: just like his father, his lives found out by the King,

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Speaker 3: Isaac discovers that he has underestimated the righteousness of those

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Speaker 3: around him, but worse, he failed to trust God. Nevertheless,

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Speaker 3: God blesses Isaac in his planting efforts, and Isaac bears

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Speaker 3: much fruit from this land. Eventually, this does not sit

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Speaker 3: well with the locals, who become envious of him. Soon,

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Speaker 3: Isaac and his family are forced to leave and wander,

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Speaker 3: meeting opposition and conflict at every turn. But once again

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Speaker 3: we see God remaining faithful to his promise. He protects

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Speaker 3: and blesses Isaac and his family and provides for them. Isaac,

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Speaker 3: following the good example of his father, this time, digs

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Speaker 3: wells as a form of remembering God's faithfulness. There is

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Speaker 3: a great importance in setting up ways of remembering what

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Speaker 3: God has done. You may not build an altar, or

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Speaker 3: dig a well, or erect a monument, but you can

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Speaker 3: still do things that help you remember what God has

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Speaker 3: done in your life and your family. The next thing

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Speaker 3: we find in our story is Esau, who has grown bitter,

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Speaker 3: likely as a result of giving up his birthright. He

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Speaker 3: is married, and he and his wife show utter contempt

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Speaker 3: for his parents. And yet even as he grows old

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Speaker 3: and blind, Isaac continues to choose Esau as his favorite.

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Speaker 3: It is to him that Isaac intends to give his

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Speaker 3: paternal blessing, but Jacob wants that blessing. It's worth noting

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Speaker 3: that Jacob wasn't wrong to want the blessing. He was

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Speaker 3: seeking God and his favor. The intention, the desire itself

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Speaker 3: was not wrong. In fact, it was a good thing

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Speaker 3: to want the blessing of God. The problem was how

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Speaker 3: he went about getting it. Jacob, prompted by his mother Rebecca,

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Speaker 3: schemes with her to take this blessing away from his brother.

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Speaker 3: They take advantage of Isaac's frailty and inattention and trick

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Speaker 3: him into thinking Jacob as his older brother. This was

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Speaker 3: no simple deception. They went to great links to ensure

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Speaker 3: it was Jacob and not Esau who would get the blessing. So,

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Speaker 3: while Esau is out hunting to make a meal for

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Speaker 3: his old and dying father, we see here in this

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Speaker 3: passage a total severing of the family bond. The deceit

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Speaker 3: and bitterness and jealousy and rivalry has reached maturity. Esau

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Speaker 3: is consumed with anger and hatred towards his brother and

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Speaker 3: vows to kill him, and echo of the first two

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Speaker 3: brothers in history, Cain and Able, Jacob, despite having received

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Speaker 3: the blessing, is terrified and forced to run away to

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Speaker 3: Rebecca's family, where he will live for many years. There's

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Speaker 3: so much to be learned in this story. Once again

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Speaker 3: we see the destructiveness of favoritism, but there's something even deeper.

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Speaker 3: Rather than getting his house in order, as his life

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Speaker 3: near to an end, Isaac was interested only in filling

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Speaker 3: his stomach. Listen to the words of Genesis twenty seven,

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Speaker 3: two three and four. Isaac said, behold, now I am old,

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Speaker 3: and I do not know the day of my death.

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Speaker 3: Now then please take your gear, your quiver, and your bow.

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Speaker 3: And go out to the field and hunt game for me,

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Speaker 3: and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love,

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Speaker 3: and bring it to me that I may eat, that

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Speaker 3: my soul may bless you before I die. Isaac, knowing

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Speaker 3: that he would soon die, could have brought his sons

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Speaker 3: together along with his wife and charge them with maintaining

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Speaker 3: unity and love and continuing trust in God. Instead, all

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Speaker 3: he wanted was dinner. It would take years for this

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Speaker 3: family conflict to resolve, and by then so much had

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Speaker 3: been lost. While Abraham was a shining example of how

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Speaker 3: to carefully order one's last days to ensure a legacy

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Speaker 3: that honors God, Isaac's life shines as a light on

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Speaker 3: the danger of selfishness and self indulgence. May we seek

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Speaker 3: to be more like Abraham and less like Isaac in

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Speaker 3: our old age. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this

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Speaker 3: story and how you continue to show yourself faithful and

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Speaker 3: true to Isaac even as he stumbled and failed to

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Speaker 3: trust in you. Thank you also for the valuable lesson

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Speaker 3: about family and the warnings about dishonesty, favoritism, and being passive.

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Speaker 3: And our leadership with our children. Help us to honor you.

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Speaker 3: With our families in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for

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Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot com app

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Speaker 3: and make prayer a priority in your life. If you

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Speaker 3: enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know, someone

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Speaker 3: you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can make

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Speaker 3: a big difference in someone's life. And if you want

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Speaker 3: more resources as to how to live the Christian life,

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Speaker 3: how to know God and experience His presence in your life,

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Speaker 3: be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you.

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Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare

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Speaker 1: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

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Speaker 4: Welcome to the previous podcast where Hope is our Only bias.

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Speaker 4: Each day we'll unpack the most prominent stories have in

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Speaker 4: the news and offer a Christian perspective. We won't shy

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Speaker 4: away from the hard topics and we won't dilute the

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Speaker 4: hopeful message of Christ. This is more than a daily

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Speaker 4: brief on the news. It's a way to be informed

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Speaker 4: and transformed. Listen to Pray News on the iHeartRadio app,

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Speaker 4: Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts,