Genesis 27
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Background
Last week we saw the life of Isaac as he sojourned in the land of Gerar, and his own interactions with Abimelech. We also saw Esau’s choice of wives, and the ramifications of those choices.
1 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”
2 Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.
3 “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me;
4 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.”
5 Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home,
6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying,
7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’
8 “Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you.
9 “Go now to the flock and bring me two choice young goats from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves.
10 “Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”
11 Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.
12 “Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.”
13 But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”
14 So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved.
We know from the last chapter that Esau was 40 years old when he took his wives, which means that Isaac is at minimum 100 years old.
While ages must be approximate in some cases, looking forward on the timeline can help us figure out that at the time of this chapter, Jacob must be around 75 years old.
If that’s true, Isaac is about 135 years old.
Isaac was old, and in his old age he lost his vision.
Yet as we’ll see, his other senses were still strong.
This interaction between Isaac and Esau is quite interesting, considering what we’ve seen in previous chapters.
Though they are twins, Esau is considered the oldest.
24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau.
26 Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.
28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Isaac showed partiality towards Esau, in spite of the prophecy that God gave to Rebekah.
22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.
23 The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”
Also in spite of the disrespect and grief that Esau brought upon the family.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
34 When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;
35 and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
It was customary for a father to want to bless his eldest son before his death.
The blessing acted as a father’s last will and testament, which was extremely important, particularly for the firstborn who was to received a double portion.
The blessing also was in a sense prophetic, particularly for the Patriarchs who were considered prophets of God, because it would be made in the presence of God (verse 7).
The irony in this is that Isaac himself was in fact not Abraham’s firstborn. Likewise, God often chooses to bless younger siblings over their firstborn elders.
Isaac appeared to want to do so in secret, perhaps because of perceived preference/rebellion.
God said that Jacob would be stronger than Esau, and Esau sold his birthright.
He tasked Esau to provide him with something that would appease his taste for game, the reason for his preference.
Rebekah overheard this conversation and felt she needed to take matters into her own hands.
Rather than confront Isaac directly, she sought to use his old age to her advantage.
As seen earlier, Rebekah preferred Jacob, and perhaps used God’s prophecy as justification for her plot.
Oftentimes Jacob is blamed for the theft of the blessing, but it was Rebekah who commanded him to do so.
Rebekah knows exactly what her husband likes and how Esau prepares his food, so she set out to mimic the meal herself.
The meal would be prepared for the express purpose of Jacob receiving the blessing.
Jacob voices his concerns, not because of the dishonesty of their actions, but his fear of being found out.
His craftiness and cunning are shown in their thought processes.
Rebekah’s resolve is revealed in accepting upon herself any negative outcome.
16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
18 ‘Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
This details curses upon the dishonoring of a father, dishonesty, and taking advantage of the infirm, all of which apply here.
The conflict within this family shows the fallenness of mankind. As seen with Abraham, the Patriarchs are not immune to the curse of sin.
God can and does use evil for His own purposes.
God can and does use evil for His own purposes.
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, to her son Jacob.
18 Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.”
20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
22 So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.
24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”
25 So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.”
27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;
28 Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”
The deception is in place, the actor has his props and is playing his part.
Rebekah prepared all that was necessary to succeed, but Jacob had to fulfill the ruse.
Jacob recognized the risk he was taking.
The clothes and the hairy skins were to throw off the blind Isaac from relying on his other senses.
In spite of this, Isaac senses that something is amiss from the one sense that is wholly dependent upon Jacob - hearing his voice.
Jacob fully lies to his father time and again and commits to the ruse, improvising to answer Isaac’s questions. He even brings God into the deception, from his standpoint being almost blasphemous.
The irony in this is that God indeed is using Rebekah to grant the blessing to Jacob, for whom it was intended.
We may need to look to ourselves and see if we are guilty of doing the same.
After Isaac’s suspicions are thwarted time and again, he finally relents after he smells the garments that Rebekah supplied and gives his blessing.
How fitting that Christ Himself was betrayed by the deceiver Judas with a kiss, only Christ was the receiver.
The blessing that was given by Isaac echoes the blessing of Abraham given by God: blessing of wealth and provision, power amongst the nations, and cursing and blessing.
3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
30 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.
31 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.”
32 Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
33 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.”
34 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!”
35 And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.”
36 Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
37 But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above.
40 “By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.”
Jacob’s escape came none too soon, as he left his father’s tent wearing Esau’s clothes just as Esau was returning to their camp.
Esau went through the motions and presented his offering, fully expecting to receive the blessing.
He even answers Isaac the same way Jacob did.
The ruse was found out, but there was no taking it back. The blessing had been given, and was considered binding.
Jacob’s name “supplanter” is rightly recognized, and yet Esau takes no responsibility for the selling of his birthright.
Esau is desperate to receive a blessing from his father. This actually is a bit selfish, for the blessing acts as the inheritance.
Recall Abraham giving gifts to his sons, but leaving his inheritance with Isaac.
Isaac gives Esau a “blessing,” though it’s not much of one.
The saving caveat he adds is throwing off his brother’s yoke - referring to the nations of Israel and Edom.
41 So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you.
43 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban!
44 “Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury subsides,
45 until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”
46 Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
Esau now holds a grudge against his brother, and intends to kill him, much like the original siblings Cain and Abel.
Rebekah’s concern now is to preserve the work she has done in getting Jacob the blessing - he must live to receive it.
Rebekah uses Abraham’s legacy to her advantage, of which she herself was a subject.
Once again, the one who promised the blessing is put off course from receiving it, as a result of sin.
Fear, lack of faith, taking matters into own hands, and now deception.
Once again, by taking matters into her own hands, Rebekah is actually accomplishing what God intended for Jacob.
10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”
13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
God effects His plans in our lives to bring about His mercy.
God effects His plans in our lives to bring about His mercy.
Rebekah uses their mutual disdain for Esau’s wives to force Isaac to do the same thing his father did for him - retrieve a wife from his father’s house.
We will see how this will play out next week.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
God can and does use evil for His own purposes.
God effects His plans in our lives to bring about His mercy.
Next week, we will continue with the story of Isaac and his family.