QUOTE TWO
TENACITY BREAKS DOWN ADVERSITY; PERSISTENCE WEARS OUT RESISTANCE.
“His father Isaac answered him, ‘Your dwelling will be far away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” 27:40 (NIV).
The story of Esau and Jacob, touching as well as intriguing. Before this time, Jacob had impersonated Esau, went to his Father with a requested meal and got the blessing reserved for Esau. Isaac had reserved a blessing for Esau; a blessing with Esau’s name tag, yet Jacob, by much subtlety and trickery, aided by his mother, took the blessing reserved for Esau. It was Esau’s entitlement but he never got the title conferred on him; it was his for the taking but he lost it. I declare today that what is meant for you shall not be given to another; and any blessing with your name on it shall arrive at your address, in Jesus name.
However, the bible does not patronize Esau about losing the blessing reserved for him, having earlier sold his qualification for the blessing- his birth-right – to Jacob. See Gen.25:31-33;
“And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birth-right. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birth-right do to me. And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birth-right unto Jacob.”
By that seemingly simple conversation Esau sold out his future for all eternity. He had lost the blessing long before Isaac was ready to release the generational blessing of the house of Abraham. I pray that you will not make a mistake that will hurt your future; neither will you make a decision that will give the devil a lawful standing to oppose your future.
What Esau did created his adversity. Though it looked simple and intangible telling his brother to have his birth-right (not understanding that spiritual transactions are made by spoken words) because he needed food; that action triggered reactions in the spirit realm that culminated in the physical drama that made him lose the blessing of Abraham. He engineered his adversity, he forged his despair, he set the stage for his loss; the alliance of Jacob and Rebekah only made it manifest when the time was right. Adverse situations may arise as result of someone’s mistakes of the past. Adverse conditions may also be the result of some spiritual or physical trickery and subtlety of another (the same way that Jacob obtained Esau’s blessing by subtlety) otherwise understood as witchcraft or manipulation. Adversity may also arise as a result of the wicked alliance of other men against someone, just as Jacob and Rebekah conspired and took Esau’s blessing. The good news, however is that whichever route that adversity took to enter someone’s life there is always an exit door with God.
“For with God all things are possible” Mk. 10:27
Esau had lost it all. There was nothing, absolutely no blessing, remaining for him to be blessed with. He had been condemned to a life of servitude to his younger brother, but I love Esau’s response to his adversity. Three times Isaac told Esau how hopeless and bereaved the situation really is:
“And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said,Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, and he shall be blessed.” Gen 27:33.
“...Thy brother came with subtlety and hath taken away THY BLESSING.” Gen.27:35
“And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, ... and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?” Gen.27:37
Isaac tried explaining the hopelessness to Esau, but Esau would have none of it; he would not that servitude and adversity become his eternal way of life. In response, three times he tenaciously insisted that something be done for him:
“And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, o my father.” Gen.27:34
“And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?” Gen. 27:36d
“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.” Gen. 27:38.
I believe God must have seen Esau’s heart, knowing that if Esau continued with the dogged and resolute pursuit of what he wants but had lost, then he would eventually gain freedom from Jacob’s lordship over him. So God opened the mouth of Isaac once again to proclaim, not necessarily a blessing, but a key to breaking out from the bonds of Jacob. Not necessarily a blessing because Esau was furious at the words of his father, Jacob:
“And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him with:” Gen. 27:41.
AND THE KEY:
Let us look at it from different translations of the bible -
“And by the sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break the yoke from off thy neck.” Gen.27:40b (KJV)
“But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from off your neck.” 27:40b (NLT)
“You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” 27:40 (NIV)
“You will live by the sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck.” 27:40 (NET)
“Isaac said to him, you’ll live far from Earth’s bounty, remote from Heaven’s dew. You’ll live by your sword, hand-to-mouth, and you’ll serve your brother. But when you can’t take it anymore you’ll break lose and run free.” 27:39-40 (MSG)
“By your sword you shall live and serve your brother. But (the time shall come) when you will grow restive and break loose, and you shall tear his yoke from off your neck.” Gen.27:40 (AMP)
“You will live by the power of your sword and be your brother’s slave. But when you decide to be free you will break lose.” Gen. 27:40 (CEV)
“You will live by your sword, But be your brother’s slave. Yet when you rebel, you will break away from his control.” Gen. 27:40 (GNT)
So, despite Esau creating his calamity, his tenacious importunity got him a key to breaking away from his adversity.
First, it is important to note that Esau was just a hunter, not a swordsman nor a soldier. There is no record, before now, of Esau’s bravery with the sword. But, by the words of his father, the grace and gift of a swordsman was bestowed on him – “You shall live by the sword...” I pray for you, that by the words that you are reading today may God release on you new gifts, ideas, wisdom that will open up doors before you, in Jesus name.
That means the sword will become for Esau a means of livelihood i.e he would make a living by using the sword. That has the implication that Esau was going to be a man who lived by force and gets things done forcefully. There was not going to be any gentle achievement in the life of Esau; he gets things done forcefully. This forceful disposition equals TENACITY which forcefulness is both of might and mind. Literally, Tenacity means diligence, determination, doggedness, firmness, inflexibility, perseverance, persistence, resoluteness, resolution, staunchness, strength of purpose, wilfulness, etc. In putting all that together we could really conclude that Tenacity is the forceful disposition of mind and might.
Now, the big question is, Why live by the sword? Remember, Esau had no blessing reserved for him after Jacob had got every good word that his father had. Moreover, behind his back he had been proclaimed an eternal slave to Jacob. His situation was adverse enough that he had no business leading a gentle life. When faced with adverse conditions of life the one recognizable response is tenacity. So his father declared:
“...But when you can’t take it anymore you’ll break lose and run free.” 27:39-40 (MSG)
“...Yet when you rebel, you will break away from his control.” Gen. 27:40 (GNT)
“But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from off your neck.” 27:40b (NLT)
That means Esau when you are tenacious enough you will break out from that unfriendly condition. In other words, when life pushes hard at you push harder back at it in faith. The only language a satanic stronghold will hear is FORCE:
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matt. 11:12 (KJV)
That adverse situation will listen to the forceful voice of the weapons of our warfare – Prayer, the Word of God, faith, righteousness, truth, spiritual zeal, and your salvation. That is the power God has given the believer; and until you make up your mind to use it, that negative circumstance, that satanic burden, that niggling challenge may continue to hang their claws on your neck. But I pray that every stubborn challenge refusing to leave your life be crushed by fire, in Jesus name.
However, like Esau, make up your mind that you can’t take it anymore. Rebel against that negative issue and you will break free; give adversity no chance, insist until it breaks, refuse until it is dumped. Victory must be yours!
FLASH BACK
Tenacity is the forceful disposition of mind and might.
Give adversity no chance, insist until it breaks, refuse until it is dumped. Victory must be yours!