Sin is destructive, and failure is demoralizing. If we are not careful, our response to sin and failure can be as destructive, if not more than the original sin. In Genesis 27, we witness how Isaac, Rebecca, Esau, and Jacob responded to their previous sinful attempts to get their way. Each of them is attempting to recover from their own failure. Through their testimony, we see in Esau the destruction of unrepentance, in Rebecca and Jacob the unexpected cost of sin, and in Isaac the testimony of repentance.

The testimony of scripture is not of perfect people accomplishing God's purposes. Instead, the story of scripture is of a perfect God using imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.

The testimony of Jacob is complicated. On the one hand, Jacob's story is not easily celebrated. He is not a man of strength in character or physical ability. He is a schemer, manipulator, and liar. On the other hand, he is very significant because God demonstrates the character of His sovereign grace in choosing him over his brother. With this generation, we learn an essential truth about the promise of God. God's blessing and promise will not go to those whom man's customs, traditions, or desires dictate but to whom God so chooses.