Discerning the Difference Between God’s Plan and God’s Will, Genesis 27:42-28:5

 

Genesis 27:42
And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.

This is a red hot hairy mess.

Verse 41 says that Esau, said in his heart, after dad dies, I will kill my brother.

So, evidently his words came out of his heart for someone to hear and tell Rebekah. Or, the Lord told her, or mom just knew what her hairy red son was up to.

Either way, Rebekah does what Rebekah does; devises another plan. Remember, she’s the one who cooked up the scheme for Jacob to trick dad into giving him the blessing.

The blessing Isaac intended to give to Esau.

The blessing God intended to give to Jacob.

So, does that mean Rebekah and Jacob fulfilled God’s will?

No. Not at all.

God’s Divine Plan went another step forward, not because of the deception of Rebekah and Jacob, but in spite of it.

God’s Divine Plan is always fulfilled, every jot, every tittle.

However, sad to say, God’s will is often, not fulfilled.

It was not His will for Adam and Eve to listen to the serpent instead of their Creator. Or, for Cain, the first kid ever born, to murder Abel, his brother. Or, for the wickedness of man to grow so great that God grieved ever creating them.

It was not His will that, His own, those He came to save, would reject Him, spit on Him, beat Him, crucify Him. It was not His will, yet He allowed it; but before He did, He wept and prayed, “Not My will, but Thine be done.” Luke 22:42.

Herein, His Divine Will, and Divine Plan, are one. So, that whosoever will, can receive His Divine Will, of eternal salvation instead of eternal damnation.

It’s not His will for any to perish, but all come to repentance; 2 Pet. 3:9.

Unfortunately, many willingly reject His will; thus, God’s will is often, not fulfilled.,

So, the next time someone says, “Well if it’s God’s will, it’ll happen.” You tell them: HOGWASH. In Love, of course.

Then, tell them if it’s God’s plan, it’ll happen. If it’s God’s will, we need to pray it through, ask if there's anything He wants us to do, be ready to roll up our sleeves and take action.

God is big enough to make sure His Divine Plan is fulfilled.

No matter who’s in the oval office. No matter how many gas guzzling cars you drive, no matter…

He has certain Divine appointments on His Calendar, they will be fulfilled, there’s nothing man can do about it.  

It was His Divine Plan to birth a nation through one man, Abraham, and then to plant Seeds of faith for generations. Until one day one young girl, from a small hick town, would have the faith to say, be it unto me according to your word. Thereby, according to His Divine Plan, His Seed was planted into the womb of a virgin. To birth, Himself, Emmanuel, God with us; to become a Man, to live perfectly, die sinlessly, be raised victoriously.

Without forcing anyone, but working with everyone, His Divine Plan was fulfilled to the letter. Maybe that’s why it took so long; trying to find folks willing to work with Him.

Now, His Divine Plan is still working.

It is His Divine Plan to call His Church Home, in the twinkling of an eye, at any moment.

It’s in His Divine Plan to save those who are savable, now, and through seven years of warning signs and wake up alarms, and Great Tribulation. 

It’s in His Divine Plan to continuously protect His chosen nation, Israel. Near the start and the finish of the Tribulation, God will notably, miraculously, defend Israel as she stands alone. Even though written about 2,600 years ago, Bible prophecy is falling into place as we speak. Many weapons for the first war are already in place. As foretold in Ezekiel 38-39, Russia and Iran and Turkey and others, will attack Israel. At the end of the Tribulation will be Armageddon. Then, not just a handful of nations but all will come against Israel, and the God of Israel. Jesus Christ, the Commander in Chief, will show up this time in Person, all eyes will see Him. Israel will recognize Him as the One they pierced, and they will weep, and repent, and in that day, all Israel will be saved.

Hallelujah! God doesn’t give up on His people.    

Then, it’s in His Divine Plan to rule and reign from Jerusalem for 1,000 years with peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

After that, His Divine Plan includes the Great White Throne Judgement, when all His enemies will be cast into the lake of fire, forever.

Then, He will renovate the earth with fire, make a new heaven, and a new earth, and make all things new. The New Jerusalem will descend from heaven, therein will be the River of Life and the Tree of Life. It will literally be heaven on earth.

And then and there, it is His Divine Plan, that we, shall ever be, with the Lord, forever and ever, amen.

In that day, it won’t be a fairy tale to say, “And we all live happily ever after.”

All of that, is God’s Divine Plan. It will be fulfilled, just as He said.

Fulfilling God’s plan is not our job. It’s His.

Our job is to do His will.

Not scheming and deceiving like Rebekah and Jacob. Not figure out, work out, go have a Hagar, like Abe and Sarah. Not finesse and finagle, freak out, save the whales, hug the trees, worship the planet, clean the climate… We have trouble just cleaning our own closet.

Our job is to do His will. Step by step. Breath by breath. That’s it.

Even Jesus, God in the flesh, said, I’ve come to do the will of My Father; John 6:38. I’ve come to do Thy will o’ God; Hebrews 10:7-9. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Matthew 6:10.

Yeah, but Doug, back to our text, Rebekah and Jacob had to trick Isaac, because he was going against God’s Divine Plan. He was going to give the blessing to Esau. That wouldn’t work, that wouldn’t do, that’d cause God’s plan to fall through. The lineage would be broken, there’d be no Messiah, no Christmas, no Easter, no Christians, no salva—

Stop.

Isaac was planning to, not going to.

Many are the plans of man; but God’s plan prevails. Proverbs 19:21.

If Rebekah hadn’t intervened, Isaac may have tried to give the blessing to Esau, but wouldn’t have been able to do it.

Remember, the blessing was a prophetic message given by God, not dad.

Even if Isaac tried, God’s big enough and smart enough to handle it. He shows us when Balaam tries to curse Israel; God twangles his tongue and blessings come out instead. Numbers 22-24.

If Rebekah had bit her tongue, or used it to intercede instead of deceive, God would’ve stopped Isaac and still blessed Jacob.

God’s Divine Plan would prevail.

But she didn’t and so, here we are in this big red hot Hairy mess, with Becca barking orders once again.

⁴³Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.

This is no trip across town, it’s over 400 miles, northeast.

Flee to my brother, your uncle, Laban. Abraham’s great nephew; his brother Nahor’s grandson.

Laban’s daughters are Jacob’s cousins; before long they’ll be his kissing cousins (but we’re getting ahead of ourselves).

Now, before Jacob saddles his horse to head north, I have a question. Why don’t they tell Esau to take his quiver and bow, and hit the road? At least until he cools his red-hot hairy jets?

Afterall, didn’t Jacob just get placed in the driver’s seat?

Yes, kind-of, however, if you’re sitting in a seat, you just stole, you’re more paranoid and timid, than bold and courageous.

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion Proverbs 28:1.

Besides that, the Divine Plan of God is in motion.

⁴⁴ And stay with him a few days…

Her few days turned into over 20 years. She probably dies before Jacob returns.  

Man’s plans come to naught, God’s plans prevail.

⁴⁴…until your brother’s fury turns away, ⁴⁵ until your brother’s anger turns away from you,

Sounds like she just said the same thing, twice.

His fury, (depicts an inner rage like a furnace).

Maybe, when she said, “fury” Jacob’s eyes got big, face turned pale, and he got scared; so, she rephrased, softened the wording a bit.

Until his anger (his flaring nostrils); until he stops stomping around snorting like a red bull.

  ⁴⁵ …and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there.

Wait. What?

Mom, you meant to say, “what we have done to him.” Right?

Afterall, this was your idea. I was just the pawn, the actor. You made the meal, you designed the disguise, you wrote the script.

Thanks mom.

Jacob doesn’t say any of that. He was just thinking it. Maybe.

⁴⁶ …Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”

The day your father, Isaac, dies will be bad enough, but then if Esau kills you too, that’d just be too much.

FYI: Some think she’s talking about an avenger of blood, killing Esau, if he kills Jacob.

But the odds of it happening the same day are unlikely. Furthermore, it’s out of context with the conversation. She’s talking about the death of Isaac triggering the murder of Jacob, by the hand of Esau. Thus, bereaved of both (Isaac and Jacob) in one day. Not all three of them.

⁴⁶ And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

And Rebekah takes a bow as she receives the very first Academy award for best actress.

Once again, she uses her scheming skills to manipulate her hidden agenda.

The scene continues…

28:1; Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.

Wonder how he came up with that idea?

² Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.

Go marry one of your cousins.

³ “May God Almighty bless you,

And make you fruitful and multiply you,

That you may be an assembly of peoples;

⁴ And give you the blessing of Abraham,

To you and your descendants with you,

That you may inherit the land

In which you are a stranger,

Which God gave to Abraham.”

⁵ So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

They pursued their will and followed their plan and it resulted in: hatred between brothers, separation of family, decades of hardship (especially for Jacob).

God’s will wasn’t fulfilled, but His plan prevailed.

Jacob will get a taste of his own medicine, and be deceived into marrying a lady named Leah; not of Jacob’s choosing, but God’s. She will bear seven children, six boys one girl. Half of the twelve tribes of Israel are from Leah. One of the boys is Judah; he is the one to carry the seed, to lead to the Seed, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

God’s plan prevailed, and still prevails to this day.

Knowing the will of God, and the plan of God, will keep us walking in the peace of God, free from the snares of this world.

Proverbs 13:14-15
The way of the wise is a fountain of life, free from the snares of death; but the way of the transgressor is hard.

Which way do you choose? Way of wise, with fountain of Life? Or, way of transgressor, with snares of death?

Way of the Wise.
Good choice.
Here’s what it looks like…

Proverbs 3:13-17

Wisdom

¹³Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;

¹⁴ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.

¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor.

¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

Friends the world is a red hot hairy mess; but, there is a fountain of life, and a tree of life, for those who discern the will of God and the plan of God, by walking in the wisdom of God.

Awesome! Sign me up. I want that. I need God’s wisdom. How do I find her, how do I retain her?

Glad you asked:

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, ask of God, who gives to all generously without rebuke.

But, the next two verses qualify it by saying:

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; James 1:6-7.

Let’s ask. Let’s pray.

Lord, we need to discern Your Divine Plan and Your Divine Will. We know Your Word is True. We just read that You give wisdom to those who ask, in faith.

So, we ask for Your wisdom, so we can rightly divide Your Word of Truth, discern Your plan and walk in Your Divine Will.

We ask in faith, and believing, we receive, and therefore, give thanks.

You are so Good. We love You, forever.

Amen.

Ephesians 5:15-17 
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

 

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