EXPRESS IMAGE GLORY MINISTRIES
THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 2, No. 49 – Monday, 4th December, 2017
(Gen.36:1, 8, Gen.27, esp 38-40, Gen.32:6, Gen.33:1-10, Gen.36:1-5, 9-30, Luke 8:43-48)
THE MYSTERY OF ESAU’S SINGULAR BLESSING (Part 2)
Permit me to begin this edition of The Message Now by sending out my profound appreciation to my co-workers in the production corner from where this weekly magazine is being produced. As you will understand, it is not a sole effort.
The Lord by His mercy gives the inspiration, corrections, restraints and directives whilst I just do the lesser job of writing. Two of my other co-workers – sister Margaret Oforishe and sister Helen Andrew fuse together in selfless sacrifice to do the more arduous job of proof-reading, editing and incorporating same onto the Ministry’s website.
Baba (Rev. Israel Ebo) is an expert in expending his personal finances in printing same for our upcoming pastors who in turn teach same to our congregation during our Tuesday meetings.
Please join me in praying for them that as they joyfully do the work of the Lord, the hand of the Lord will not depart from them. In addition, that the will of the Lord will be fulfilled in their lives to the letter.
Ultimately, that in life and in destiny, they will not miss their deserving blessings. Pray also for this magazine production team that the Spirit of the Lord will not depart from us but will always give us directions in every way and at all times.
I begin this concluding edition of the Mystery of Esau’s Singular blessing by stating the obvious point that: those without information lack knowledge. Any man without knowledge is toothless, purposeless and without vision. The purposeless have nothing by way of vision to pursue or fight for and he who has nothing to pursue or to fight for in life is a living dead.
Clear knowledge of the Bible informs us that Esau is the founder of the kingdom of Edom(Gen.36:1). Incontestable biblical fact has it that the Kingdom of Edom is seated on ‘Mount Seir’ (Gen.36:8). In contemporary global geography, the kingdom of Edom and Mount Seir are today located in the South-Western axis of the modern nation of Jordan. Jordan is a nation situated in the continent of Asia.
Jordan covers 88,802 Square kilometres of land, and 540 square kilometres of water, making it the 112th largest nation in the world with a total area of 89,342 Square kilometres. As at five years ago (2012), the population of Jordan was 6,508,887.
The census account for the nation of Israel (twin brother of Esau) as at 2017 stands at 8,321,570. However, out of this lot, 74.7% are jews (descendants of Jacob) totaling 6,484,000 whilst the percentage and population of Arabs in Israel today stands at 20.8% being a population of 1,808,000.
Comparison being made by even the most unlettered mind about this statistics will reveal that the kingdom or nation of Israel in 2017 is by far larger than the nation of Jordan in 2012. However, there is more to be considered.
As such, such swift conclusion is inaccurate. For one, this was the population of Jordan five years ago and not today. Jordan is undoubtedly a moslem nation. Moslems are known to procreate faster and higher than every other race or religion on earth.
Therefore, it is relevant to inquire: if Jordan is Islamic and procreates faster and higher, what could possibly be the current population of Jordan as at today? Narrowed more to the context, south-western Jordan, the location of Mount Seir and the ancient Kingdom of Edom founded by Esau, is but a fraction of Modern Jordan, and is by no means comparative in size and in population to the present day Jews in Israel, why then is Esau’s singular blessing of any relevance since Jacob (the Patriarch and ancient great grandfather of the jews) has now outran Esau and his descendants in every way possible?
The answer to this question is not far fetched. The simple answer is that the borrower of the ‘enabling key’ has been by far more effective in the use of the enabling key than the original owner of the key. Why?
Biblical account rightly informs us that the time Israel (the borrower of the enabling key) met Esau shortly after the brook called Jabbok (Gen.33:1-17), the entire Israel was only 16 excluding the accompanying servants.
Whereas Esau was increased in some way to about four hundred and possibly more. Considering the ratio of 16 to 400, one wonders why present day descendants of Esau in south-western Jordan have shrunk so minimally in comparison to the enlarged population of present day Israel?
Hmmm! understand dearly beloved that getting the original key is one thing, activating it and continuing to rightly use that key is another. Esau got and used the key but his descendants possibly never got it or got it but left it in dormancy.
The foregoing invites ever-resonating questions: what inheritance or great morals would you as a parent or intending parent leave behind for your offspring? How would you ensure that your good legacy is carried-on and carried through by your offspring after your departure from this dying world? What teachings, attitudes and etiquette are you inculcating into your God-given offspring even now?
Returning to the question why the nation of Israel (descendants of the Patriarch Jacob) has today far outran the descendants of Esau in south-western Jordan, the other discerning answer is that Jacob, the borrower of the key operated under a different heaven in comparison to the original owner.
The question again is How? In perfect exactitude, the question is what really is to be understood and consequently gained from the mystery of Esau’s singular blessing? Frankly speaking, no spiritually accurate answer can be given to this question except there is an exegetic dissection of Genesis 27:38-40.
Thus switching over to this dissection task, the foregoing verses read as follows:
‘38 And Esau said unto his father, hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth,and of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shall thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck’.
By these eternal account, it is deducible that four pronouncements were uttered by father Isaac to his son, Esau. Disregarding the conjunction ‘and’, one pronouncement of blessing was made in verse 39 whilst the other three pronouncements are all contained under verse 40.
Indeed, it is safe to assert that of these four pronouncements, one is an outright blessing (verse 39). The other is an outright curse. Next is an instructive blessing (and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion). Whereas the last pronouncement is a conditional blessing which would materialize only if the instructive blessing and the condition thereto attached are carried-on and fulfilled to the letter.
Out of these four pronouncements, the third is the ultimate. In fact, in being the ultimate, it equally doubles as one of the major keys to receiving blessings from God (Luke.18:1-7). But understanding this ultimate key from both a textual and etymological point of view is first and foremost most necessary.
The third pronouncement reads again: ‘and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion,’ …… This expression is a main clause expressing an adverb of time and season signalling what must be done if any watershed experience is to become a reality. The first question however is: what does this expression mean?
This expression and its preceding and succeeding corollaries partly informed Esau that by Isaac’s decree, he, Esau had become subservient to his brother Jacob. However, by the time he, Esau becomes restless and tired of oppression and begins to desire positive change, that spiritual restlessness will beget freedom from servitude and slavery to full dominion.
One argument of humanity holds that ‘the mind is the man’. There is no goal achieved in life and through life without the consent of the mind. Likewise, there is no failure made to exist without the tacit or explicit assent of the mind.
Man succeeds because of choice; it is the choice of the mind. Success or failure are deliberate choices especially with acceptance. No one can confer on another that for which he does not accept at least innately.
Thus the mind is the actual man; the mind is the determiner of glory or ruin. From a more spiritual context, the purport of father Isaac’s instructive blessing to his son Esau in Gen.27:40 was not just an instruction of some sort, it was a most vital information being handed over to him.
In essence and in effect, Father Isaac was handing over to Esau the secret of life’s success. Life is a plethora of available gifts and opportunities to be enjoyed only by those who dare to confront the enemies of possession and position.
Although with plethora of gifts and opportunities, yet life has no free offer. It is rather a battleground where survival is the song in the mouth of the resilient and the swift-chance-taker (Eccl.9:11). Unsurprisingly, the mind of man is that battleground where obtaining or failing to obtain life’s gifts and opportunities are no rarity.
In that battleground, those who give up with ease are never numbered among the contestants. Neither will their names or epitaphs be written in gold. It is rather those who press through to the end that do matter and who receive the victory crown in the end (Luke.8:43-48).
As far as I am concerned, adversity of life is the sole fuel that triggers one success which in turn produces a turnover of opportunities. The opportunities themselves when properly managed and sufficiently responded to, further produces more results known as greater successes.
Isaac as a prophet of his house, time and generation succinctly and saliently informed Esau that he had an adversary with awaiting adversities in the future. As such, he armed him with the necessary skill. No one needs to be informed in today’s world that there are many adversaries and adversities in and around one’s way.
Such is not the needed information. What is rather needed is the reminder to be awake and be ready to fight in order to get the best through God out of life’s numerous opportunities. The night is far spent in depression and sorrow, murmuring and complaining. They have all been nights that have achieved nothing. For worry, anxiety, depression and the likes produce nothing but more worries.
Therefore, stir up yourself in your most aggressive faith and begin again from where you left off. Forget the many years and months of waiting. They were all years and months of trying you. Now your salvation and deliverance is nearer than you ever think. Catch it today for tomorrow is not a good choice.
IN THE END, REMEMBER THAT LIFE AND THE AGENTS OF LIFE WILL REFER TO YOU ONLY ON ACCOUNT OF EITHER OF TWO THINGS: THE LAURELS OF SUCCESS YOU WON AND THOSE YOU FAILED TO WIN.
Altar call: Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Psalm 54 in closing and pray more).
Hymn: Christian Seek Not Yet Repose
Pray now:
Welcome in advance to the year of fulfilment and grace (2018).
Pastor Mike
