The Deeper the Pain, the Longer It May Take
“In the beginning” was man . . . “In the beginning” was woman . . . but from “the beginning,” there was Satan . . . and right there, “in the beginning” SIN took root, and that led to the world’s greatest problem—LOSTNESS.
Thank goodness, the LORD was there “in the beginning” with the only possible solution—JESUS.
From that first sin in the Garden of Eden, we read the biblical narrative how one twin brother sought to SIN, to steal what rightfully did not belong to him.
“Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
(Genesis 27: 30-35 NASB)
Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father,
“Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”
Isaac his father said to him,
“Who are you?”
And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”
And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.”
It’s the end of July, and throughout the communities across our great land, we see individuals gathering summer vegetables, canning, preserving, and storing up treasures (from their summer garden) that will provide wonderful bounty when wintertime comes.
- Have we ever considered the correlation found between the summer garden and our heart?
- Could it be true: Left unconfessed and left to grow—SIN DESTROYS.
Deceit begins in one’s heart—a small seed planted, when once first conceives to deceive.
After the seed of thought has been planted and takes root—it grows, maybe slowly, but grows nonetheless.
Just as a weed takes root in a vegetable garden, if we allow the deception to grow and if we do not immediately eradicate the issue of SIN, then it will outgrow everything that is good, EVERYTHING THAT IS OF GOD.
When Jacob tricked Isaac, his father, and stole his brother’s blessing (Esau’s), the blessing that rightly belonged to the eldest, firstborn son, that action led to years of turmoil, pain, and anguish. If we look back at the ‘root’ cause, we see with clarity how something so HUGE began so small.
“Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”
(Genesis 27: 1-5a NASB)
And he said to him, “Here I am.”
Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.
Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”
Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau.”
Deception happens & then the pain begins.
The Deeper the Pain, the Longer It May Take to overcome the guilt, the pain, the anguish, and the harm SIN causes.
- To have one’s birthright stolen was an action that caused Esau to think thoughts of murder.
- To steal a brother’s birthright was an action that caused Jacob to run for his life.
It took years for Esau to let go of his anger that gave him thoughts of murder in his heart for his brother Jacob, and it took years for Jacob to seek the forgiveness for his wrongful action against his brother Esau. The Bible records the lifetime struggles and the wrestling that Jacob endured before he was able to confront his SIN and seek his brother Esau’s forgiveness. Years after the stolen blessing, after the pain it caused, and after the loss of their brotherly affection for one another, the day finally came when:
GOD LED JACOB TO SEEK HIS BROTHER’S FORGIVENESS &
GOD LED ESAU TO FORGIVE HIS BROTHER JACOB.
“Then Esau ran to meet him [Jacob] and embraced him,
(Genesis 33: 4 NASB)
and fell on his neck and kissed him,
and they wept.”
- The Deeper the Pain, the Longer It May Take for SIN to be forgiven.
- This was true in the biblical narrative of Jacob and Esau’s life.
- We know the world’s greatest problem is LOSTNESS. &
- We know this SIN problem began in the Garden of Eden with the first man, Adam.
Who can forgive SINS but God alone!
We can know the forgiveness Jesus offers.
JESUS is: The Way, The Truth, & The Life—The ONLY path to receive the forgiveness of our SINS.
There is no SIN that cannot be overcome by the grace of GOD.