The History of Restoration Abraham's Family 4

Emotions and he was subject. He was at peace with himself. So when he went to meet Esau, Esau could feel this person; he could feel that Jacob was completely at peace with himself. If Jacob had been in conflict with himself, this would have resonated with the conflict within Esau. But because Jacob was completely at peace with himself, this peaceful atmosphere in spirit went to Esau, and Esau then felt this kind of thing as well. So you don't think he bodily wrestled; he may have done, but at the end of the day, I think that's what it means substantially. It was like that. I mean, this may have happened then, but I'm also interested to know how this affects our own spiritual life and the kinds of things that we go through ourselves, which are by analogy similar to that. I can imagine you think, 'Oh, he's just physically wrestling with an angel,' which is not so profound. But if you realise actually what he's wrestling with, in that sense, with his fears, and he was able to overcome them and become completely an integrated person, he got victory over himself. That's what Father often says: before you can get victory over the world, you have to get victory over yourself. And so that's what Jacob was doing; he was becoming completely self-controlled, completely at peace. That does hark back to what God said to Cain; he said, 'Your sin is crouching at the door; you have to master it.' Yes, and so that's a very good connection. So that's what he was doing there. Anyway, before the angel went, he gave him a kicking and put his hip out of joint. So when he went to meet Esau, he went along with a limp. Sometimes you go through these battles and you come out with scars. It's not that he came out untouched by this thing that he went through. And so he won, you know, by wrestling with this; he won the respect of the angel, and he was qualified then to win the respect of Esau. There are lots of different ways you can interpret this. This is the way I find the most useful myself. There are other interpretations to do with, you know, he's wrestling with Esau's spirit and all sorts of other things.

So then in the morning, he gets up and goes ahead. Behind him is his wife Leah and her children; at the back is Rachel and Joseph. Then Jacob approached Esau, and as it says here, Jacob went on bowing himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. So what was going on here? Jacob bowed himself to the ground seven times. Why was he doing that? What did that signify? He was fulfilling the blessing that Esau was supposed to get, that your brother would bow down to you. That's right. So let's go and have a look at that. Backtrack for those of you who weren't here last week. This is a blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau but that Jacob stole. This blessing says, 'May God give you the heavens' dew and earth's richness and abundance of grain and new wine.' In other words, lots of wealth. But then also, 'Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.' So what Jacob was doing here was fulfilling the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau but that Jacob had stolen. In that sense, Jacob was returning the blessing that he had taken from Esau. He's returning it to Esau; he's fulfilling the blessing that God wanted to give to Esau. So in that sense, it was restoration. He's restoring what he had done wrong by returning the blessing. This follows on from what I was talking about last week. I don't know if you may know what I'm going on about, because the only thing is Leah, and I don't know if Chrisel, the way I'm teaching the story is different from the way I used to teach it. That's all. I'm following, you're following, yes, because originally the way I used to understand it was that Jacob was supposed to get Esau's blessing. But actually, I realise now that was a mistake, and that was why he almost got killed. So in order to restore that mistake, he's returning the blessing that he took away from Esau. So he's fulfilling it.

One question? Yes, good. Wasn't it his maid? That's right, exactly. Okay, very good question, very good question. Okay, so if you remember, Isaac said to Esau, 'I want to give you my blessing, but before I give you my blessing, go and find me some food and make me a nice meal.' And Rebecca was outside the tent, and she overheard this conversation. She told Jacob, 'You go make a meal, and you go and get the blessing.' So what does that signify about the relationship between Isaac and Rebecca? Sorry, that she... yeah, okay. But before we go to that, how did Rebecca find out what Isaac was going to do? Which means he didn't... yes, Isaac didn't tell her; she didn't know what he was doing. So what does that signify about the relationship between Isaac and Rebecca? Not much; they weren't communicating. So what they should have done is wake up early in the morning, and they should have done hund, and they should have said, 'Right, what are we going to do today?' Isaac should have said, 'Well, actually, I think I'd like today; I think it's a good day for us to give the blessing to Esau.' And then Rebecca said, 'Why do you want to do that?' They would have had a conversation about it; they would have discussed it. But obviously, they didn't discuss it, and so Rebecca only found out about it because she overheard the conversation. Okay, so that's why they weren't discussing it. That's the first thing. The second thing, who should give the blessing to the children? Both, sorry, both. Yes, Isaac and Rebecca should have given the blessing to Esau together and blessed Jacob together. It shouldn't have been Isaac just giving the blessing to Esau by himself. The parents together should have given the blessing to their children. So obviously, there's something, you know, not working properly in the family. That's the first thing. The second thing is, when we look at this, we'll see that actually this is the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau. But then just before Jacob left to go to Haran, he went to say goodbye to Isaac, and Isaac gave Jacob a blessing. Isaac said to Jacob, 'May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham so you may take possession of the land where you live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham.' So what kind of blessing is this? Do you recognise the language here? 'Be fruitful, multiply, dominion over the land.' This is the blessing God gave to Adam and Eve. He also says here, 'You should inherit Abraham's blessing.' In other words, this is the blessing for the person who has the birthright. So Jacob got the birthright, and this is the blessing Isaac wanted to give to Jacob because Jacob had the birthright; he was to become the heir and the next head of the family. So this is the blessing Isaac gave to Jacob. But then if you look back here, this is the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau. This one is not a religious blessing, and God's mentioned at the beginning, but the language, the first part is about being rich, wealthy, having heaven's due, lots of grain, lots of wine. In other words, you can be very rich and prosperous. The second part is about power: 'May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you; be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.' So that's a position of power. The way I see it is Isaac worked out in his head, 'I'm going to give a blessing to Jacob and a blessing to Esau. This is the blessing I want to give to Esau, and this is the blessing I want to give to Jacob.' But the problem was he didn't explain this to Rebecca, so Rebecca thought, 'Oh, he's going to give one blessing to Esau, and he's going to give it all to Esau.' But actually, that wasn't what Isaac was planning. Isaac had worked it all out in his head: 'This is for Esau; that's for Jacob.' But he didn't explain it to his wife, and so Rebecca misunderstood what was going on. So she didn't, so when she overheard it, she didn't go into the tent and say to Isaac, 'What are you doing? Why are you going to give the blessing? Why are you going to give everything to Esau? What about Jacob?' She just came up with her own plan.

Yes, so you want to say something, Chofal? I think probably yes, and that happened way before that happened, years before. And also in the Talmud, which is not in the Bible, it also says there that Abraham, who was still alive at that time, because you know the pottage of lentils was food that was made for Isaac because Abraham had died. Do you know that? No? Okay, so lentils are a very simple kind of food. Yes, normally richer food. He's eating lentils because he's in mourning, and he's in mourning because Abraham had died. But anyway, in the Talmud, it says that Abraham could see that Jacob was the better of the two sons, and Abraham had already given Jacob his blessing. You can imagine Abraham would have told Isaac this. The fact is that Isaac wanted to give the blessing Isaac wanted to give to Jacob was a blessing, and Abraham's blessing, in other words, a blessing that belonged to the person who had the birthright. So I can imagine he must have known, or at least he knew that Jacob was the one who was qualified and deserved to get it. It was a mistake because she didn't understand what Isaac was planning. They didn't communicate, and so what she did was a mistake. She did that based upon the fact that she loved Jacob more than she loved Esau. Jacob was her favourite, and also she had this dream when she was pregnant, and so she thought this is God's will. It was God's will that Jacob should get the birthright blessing. But she didn't understand that Isaac was going to give Jacob the birthright blessing, but also he wanted to give a blessing to Esau. So it was a mix-up because of a lack of communication. Yes, does that make sense? My understanding, because I don't know when I was about this, I remember that they said Rebecca is a very, very faithful person, and like what she did, even though she needed to drink something. Yes, so that's the normal teaching in the Unification Church, and that's what I used to think. But over the last year, I've changed because I've been reading the Bible more, and then I realised because I always felt really uncomfortable with the fact that there was deception involved, and that was kind of, it's not ethical. When you think about it, when you pull the story a bit further, you pull the story apart in the way I have, let's look at the relationship between Isaac and Rebecca: lack of communication. Let's look at the fact that Jacob got a blessing from Esau. You know, this blessing here. So Isaac already had a blessing for Jacob, and so what's happened is that Jacob took Esau's blessing. The result of taking Esau's blessing was what? He nearly got himself killed. Yes, it was a terrible mistake. If he hadn't taken Esau's blessing, would Esau want to kill him? No. So to make a foundation of substance means they need to unite. He doesn't need to take Esau's blessing; he doesn't need to steal Esau's blessing. So I think it was just a misunderstanding that unity doesn't really work if that unity is achieved by force or deception. Sure, it doesn't work of the heart, not just external dominion. So if we carry on, what went on here then is that Esau knew what was going on. He realised by giving all this wealth, Esau, Jacob's return, and also by bowing, Jacob was fulfilling the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau. So Jacob was returning the blessing he'd taken from Esau, and that's why Esau was overwhelmed. He realised what was going on; he realised his brother was apologising. His brother was making it up, and so he was overwhelmed by emotion. He lost control of himself and ran towards him and wept. Yes, his whole heart was moved because he understood what was going on. He understood Jacob was making it up, and that was really moving to him that Jacob was admitting that what he'd done was wrong. He was restoring it; he's giving everything back, and he was behaving like a good younger brother, bowing down to his older brother. So he was restoring the proper relationship, and so Esau's heart was moved. Esau lost control; he just started weeping and was so overwhelmed by emotion, and they just embraced. Let's have a look at their conversation then. Esau says, 'What do you mean by all this company?' In other words, all these sheep that I have met. Jacob said, 'To find favour in the sight of my lord.' So Jacob, he is calling his older brother 'my lord.' Yes, he's being very humble; he's been a good younger brother to his older brother. Esau said, 'Oh, it's okay; I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.' Then Jacob says, 'I pray you, if I have found favour in your sight, then accept my present.' So this word 'present' in the Hebrew means gift; it means blessing. 'Accept my blessing from my hand. In other words, I'm giving the blessing back to you. Accept my presence from my hand, for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God with such favour you receive me.' Yes, to see your face is like seeing the face of God. So Jacob then could see God in Esau and was really showing incredible respect for Esau, expressing the incredible love he had for Esau. 'Except I pray you my gift that is brought to you because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.' So Jacob wasn't saying, 'Look, I worked really hard; look how wealthy and powerful I am.' He has been a really good younger brother. Yes, he's taking the position of being a younger brother and recognising the authority of Esau as an older brother. And that's what he was doing; he's restoring things. And so you can see here then they made this foundation of substance because Esau, you know, anyway, so what was going on here is Jacob then was restoring the mistake that he made, and so they were able to be reconciled. So Jacob then won Esau's heart, and together they fulfilled the indemnity condition to remove the fallen nature. So the point is Jacob didn't... Jacob was really humble. Jacob made it easy for Esau to overcome his resentment. Yes, Jacob didn't go along saying, 'Look, I've been away for 21 years; look how hard I worked; look at my wives; you should really respect me.' Yes, actually, he was like a real little boy, a little younger brother to his older brother. In that sense, he made it easy for Esau to love him.

Jacob and Esau were reconciled, but after their meeting, Esau invited Jacob to come home with him. Jacob declined, saying he couldn't go because everything was too tiring. Instead, he returned to Canaan, where Isaac lived. Although they met a few times after that, Jacob was attempting to restore the mistake he had made, but the proper foundation of substance was not established. For a true foundation to be made, Esau, as the older brother, needed to respect Jacob and listen to him. They needed to work together to multiply goodness, but they did not achieve this.

After their reconciliation, Jacob should have been a good younger brother to Esau, admiring and respecting him. Younger brothers typically look up to their older siblings, feeling proud of them. However, Jacob's behaviour was not conducive to this relationship. He was more intelligent than Esau, which created tension. Instead of supporting his brother, Jacob likely looked down on him, which only exacerbated their conflict. To build a proper relationship, Jacob needed to admire Esau's strengths and offer his help in a respectful manner.

Jacob should have approached Esau with humility, recognising his brother's skills as a hunter and offering constructive ideas to improve his hunting techniques. By presenting his ideas in a way that Esau could accept, Jacob could have fostered a collaborative relationship. If Jacob had shown love and admiration for Esau, the older brother would have been more inclined to listen and respect him. Together, they could have multiplied goodness and succeeded as a team, perhaps even starting a business together, complementing each other's strengths.

However, the reality was that Jacob obtained the birthright through trickery, which did not earn him Esau's respect. Instead of winning Esau's heart, he merely bought the birthright and stole his blessing. This deception led to Esau's anger, forcing Jacob to leave for 21 years. During this time, Jacob reflected on his actions and realised he needed to make amends. He understood the importance of restoring what he had wronged, which was the blessing he had taken from Esau.

After 21 years, Jacob returned, but too much had happened for them to work together effectively. Jacob established a pattern for the natural and voluntary subjugation of Satan by winning Esau's heart and respect. This principle of love, rather than force or trickery, is essential for true unity. The story of Jacob and Esau illustrates that the unity of Cain and Abel should have been realised, but instead, they separated, leading to a long-standing enmity between their descendants.

The traditional view is that Cain should bow down to Abel, but in this case, it was Jacob who bowed to Esau, attempting to restore the mistake he had made. Throughout the Old Testament, instances of deception occur, such as when Abraham misrepresents Sarah as his sister. While some deceptions may seem necessary, they often lead to significant consequences. The narrative suggests that deception is not the best approach, and while it may have been justified in certain contexts, it remains a dangerous game.

In the story of Abraham and Sarah, the truth was somewhat convoluted, as Sarah was indeed Abraham's half-sister. Although this was not considered wrong in that historical context, it raises moral questions today. The incest taboo is a powerful and universal principle, and while it may not have been viewed as wrong in the past, it is generally regarded as unacceptable in modern society. Mixing different kinds of love, such as sibling love and conjugal love, complicates relationships and should be approached with caution.

I don't know that Adam and Eve were brother and sister. They may not have had the same natural parents, so when we say they are brother and sister, it could just be metaphorical. They may have actually had different natural parents and grown up like brother and sister without any romantic feelings for each other. It's similar to how children in a classroom interact; they may not think of each other in that way. If a child is adopted into a family, they grow up knowing they are not genetically related, but their feelings towards each other can still be like those of siblings. According to the law, that love can graduate into a husband-wife relationship. However, there is a powerful taboo against incest, which predates any knowledge of genetics. This taboo is essential because it can corrupt the relationship between siblings. If you have to question whether your brother has ulterior motives, it damages the relationship. All relationships should ideally be pure, but let's focus on normality for now.

Adam and Eve were supposed to achieve the first blessing before becoming husband and wife. They were meant to reach a certain level of maturity first. My feeling is that when a person becomes one with God and masters love, they can transition from a brother-sister feeling to a husband-wife relationship without corruption. This doesn't require perfection. We often use the terms 'brother' and 'sister' too broadly. The relationship within a nuclear family, where you have your natural siblings, is different from the broader sense of 'brothers and sisters in Christ'. The quality of that feeling is distinct from the feelings within a natural family. Just because we use the same words doesn't mean the same dynamics are at play. It would generally be accepted that an adopted child growing up with a sister who is not genetically related should not become husband and wife, as that would also be considered incest.

Now, let's discuss Abraham and the intermarriage within his family. There was a lot of intermarriage among cousins, which raises the question of why the Messiah did not come at that time. God's foundation was on a family level, while Satan's foundation was on a family, tribal, and national level, with great empires like the Assyrian and Egyptian Empires. If the Messiah had come into Jacob's family, he could have easily been wiped out by a marauding army. There wasn't a foundation to protect the Messiah at that level. Even if Abraham had made the offering correctly, the Messiah still wouldn't have come at that time; there would have been a 400-year period needed to transition from a family level to a national level.

Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel. Leah had six sons and one daughter, while Rachel had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Both wives had maids whom they offered to Jacob to bear children, resulting in a total of twelve sons and one daughter. Jesus was descended from Judah, one of Jacob's sons. Joseph, the son of Rachel, was Jacob's favourite and was treated differently from his brothers. He had many dreams and was closer to God than his brothers, who were generally shepherds but often engaged in mischief. Jacob gave Joseph a robe, often referred to as the 'robe of many colours', which further fueled his brothers' jealousy. They were unhappy with Joseph, especially since he was the youngest and the father's favourite, and they plotted to kill him.

When Joseph came to check on his brothers, they conspired against him. Reuben, the oldest brother, suggested they throw Joseph into a pit instead of killing him. They did so, and later Judah proposed selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites instead of killing him. They sold Joseph into slavery, and he ended up in Egypt, bought by Potiphar, the captain of the guard. Despite being a slave, Joseph was intelligent, responsible, and hardworking, quickly earning Potiphar's trust and respect. However, Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce him, but Joseph refused, knowing it would be a sin against God. He maintained his integrity and resisted her advances, which ultimately led to false accusations against him.

Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of attempted rape after he rejected her advances. Potiphar, believing his wife, had Joseph thrown into prison. Despite being innocent, Joseph faced unjust treatment. In prison, he did not succumb to anger or resentment; instead, he maintained his faith and integrity. The Lord was with Joseph, granting him favour in the sight of the prison keeper, who put him in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph interpreted dreams for two fellow prisoners, one of whom was restored to his position as Pharaoh's cupbearer. Joseph asked him to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh, but the cupbearer forgot about him after being released.

Eventually, Pharaoh had a troubling dream about seven fat cows and seven skinny cows, which no one could interpret. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and mentioned him to Pharaoh. Joseph was summoned from prison and successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dream, predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Impressed by Joseph's wisdom, Pharaoh appointed him as the prime minister of Egypt at the age of thirty. Joseph was responsible for managing the economy during the years of plenty, storing food to prepare for the upcoming famine. This approach reflects sound economic principles, as governments should save during prosperous times to prepare for downturns. Unfortunately, many governments, including the British government, have not followed this wisdom, often borrowing money during good times and facing crises when the economy declines.

Joseph stored up the corn during the famine in Egypt, which later spread to Canaan where Jacob was living with his sons. When they ran out of food, Jacob heard there was plenty in Egypt, so he sent his ten brothers to buy grain, keeping Benjamin, Joseph's brother, at home. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph, now the prime minister overseeing grain distribution, recognised them, but they did not recognise him. He accused them of being spies, which must have stirred mixed emotions in him, considering they had sold him into slavery.

Joseph did not reveal his identity to them. Instead, he imprisoned them for three days before questioning them about their origins and family. He learned that Jacob was still alive and that Benjamin was his younger brother. Joseph, wanting to gather more information without disclosing who he was, accused them of being spies again. He decided to keep Simeon, the eldest brother, in prison while the others returned home, instructing them to bring Benjamin back to prove their honesty.

The nine brothers returned home with the grain and informed Jacob of what had transpired. Jacob was distressed at the thought of losing Benjamin, having already lost Joseph. Eventually, as their food supply dwindled, Jacob reluctantly agreed to send Benjamin with them after Judah promised to take responsibility for him. Upon their arrival in Egypt, Joseph recognised them again and invited them to dinner, arranging them by age, which puzzled the brothers. He also gave Benjamin extra food, but before they left, Joseph instructed his servant to place his silver cup in Benjamin's sack.

The next day, when the brothers were accused of stealing the cup, they were brought back before Joseph. Judah expressed their collective guilt, implying that they were all responsible for their past actions against Joseph. He acknowledged that God had found them guilty and was willing to accept punishment for Benjamin. Joseph, however, declared that only Benjamin would remain as his servant, allowing the others to return home. This placed the brothers in a difficult position; they could abandon Benjamin or stand by him.

Judah chose to stand by Benjamin, offering himself as a substitute. He explained to Joseph that their father would die of grief if Benjamin did not return. This act of selflessness demonstrated a significant change in Judah's character. Unlike before, when he had been part of the plot against Joseph, he was now willing to sacrifice himself for his brother. This transformation highlighted the depth of his love for Benjamin and his desire to protect their father from further sorrow.

Judah's willingness to exchange his life for Benjamin's illustrated a profound maturity and understanding of familial bonds. This was not merely an act of bravery but a reflection of his growth and the lessons learned from their past mistakes. The unity between Judah and Benjamin became the foundation for the southern kingdom of Israel, which included these two tribes. Their bond was significant, as it represented a lasting legacy that would continue through generations.

When Joseph finally revealed his identity to his brothers, he reassured them not to be distressed about their past actions. He explained that it was God's plan for him to be in Egypt to preserve life. Joseph's perspective transformed what seemed like a series of unfortunate events into a divine purpose. He recognised that his suffering had a greater meaning, allowing him to forgive his brothers and embrace his role in God's plan for salvation.

This narrative illustrates a profound understanding of human nature and the potential for redemption. Joseph's ability to reinterpret his hardships as part of a divine strategy reflects a deep psychological insight. The Old Testament, often seen as less relevant than the New Testament, offers rich lessons on forgiveness, responsibility, and the complexities of human relationships. The reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of love, sacrifice, and the potential for transformation.

All the good things that happened to me, and he embraced his brother Benjamin; they wept and were reconciled. This then became a tribal-level foundation to receive the Messiah, Joseph and his brothers. However, you can see that the brothers were still rather fearful of Joseph. The Judah-Benjamin dynamic was a significant aspect of the story. Why did Joseph hide the cup and stage the whole scenario? He wanted to test them. Joseph set the whole thing up to give them the opportunity to show that they had changed and to restore what they had done wrong. If he had just revealed himself, nothing would have been accomplished. By doing this, they had the chance to demonstrate that they were not the same tricky brothers they had been 15 years ago; they had changed for the better.

Joseph was giving them the opportunity to overcome their fallen nature. He was setting it up so they could react in the right way instead of the wrong way. This is similar to how Jesus gave Peter the chance to restore his mistake after denying Him three times. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, providing him with a second chance. We all want that second chance to prove we have changed and to do it right this time. It is important to give people that chance to show they have changed, rather than ignoring them.

Joseph's brothers were confronted with good and evil, facing the temptation to leave Benjamin behind or to overcome that temptation and follow their conscience. Judah was willing to sacrifice himself for Benjamin, which is a significant lesson. Abel must serve unconditionally, and Cain's heart can change only if Satan surrenders voluntarily. Jacob made mistakes but went through the necessary steps to put things right with his brother. If Jacob and Esau had been able to form a proper foundation of substance when they were younger, they could have united and stuck together, but that was not the case. The relationship between Judah and Benjamin was much deeper, as Judah was willing to risk his life for Benjamin.

Later on, the tribes did divide, and the potential for a unified lineage was lost. We are currently on plan Z, and this can be said about any period in history. There were ten tribes that got lost, and only two remained. Each time there was a mistake, God had to come up with a new plan to adjust to the reality of the situation. This is how it works; when mistakes happen, God works with the reality that exists.

Joseph's economic policies led to the Egyptians becoming propertyless. He sold grain to the people, who had to buy it as they ran out of money and savings. Eventually, Pharaoh owned everything, and the Egyptians owned nothing. Jacob's family was given land by Pharaoh and prospered, which caused resentment among the Egyptians. They felt threatened by the Hebrews' prosperity and eventually reduced them to slavery. Pharaoh devised a cunning plan to engage the Hebrews in large building projects, employing them and gradually reducing their status until they were slaves.

This situation mirrors historical events where prosperous groups faced resentment and persecution. The Egyptians were penniless because of Joseph's policies, which led to envy towards the prosperous Hebrews. Some argue that Joseph should have given the grain away for free instead of selling it, which would have prevented the Egyptians from becoming destitute. This highlights the complexities of economic policies and their social implications.