Genesis 27 - God's plan for good

Today, we are going to be looking at - the story of Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing from their father, Isaac. As we look through this, the theme I want to pull out is how God uses our evil, selfish desires to bring about his plan - which is always for good. We see this acted out throughout the book of Genesis and throughout the scripture as a hole. Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, sums it up at the end of Genesis for us saying “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” ().

I want to share a story that I recently heard. A mother and father in Tennessee became pregnant and shortly after naming their daughter, they found out that the baby had anencephaly, a rare brain condition that would not allow the baby to live typically over an hour after being born. Being four months into the pregnancy, they had a decision to face. We will in a world that is corrupted with the sin of killing innocent, unborn babies. They decided to keep the baby, to go through the rest of the pregnancy and deliver the baby. To take Rylei in for the few minutes they may get and then to donate her organs to save other children. Doctors did not think they would get more than an hour, but they had 168 hours. The baby did pass and was able to give life to two other babies. God used this pain, this struggle not only to save two other lives but to tell a story that is spreading quickly.

I want to share a story that I recently heard. A mother and father in Tenessee became pregnant and shortly after naming their daughter, they found out that the baby had anencephaly, a rare brain condition that would not allow the baby to live typically over an hour after being born. Being four months into the pregnancy, they had a decision to face. We will in a world that is corrupted with the sin of killing innocent, unborn babies. They decided to keep the baby, to go through the rest of the pregnancy and deliver the baby. To take Rylei in for the few minutes they may get with her and then to donate her organs to save other children. God blessed them for their decision and didn’t give them minutes, but gave them a week. Doctors did not think they would get more than an hour, but they had 168 hours. The baby did pass and was able to give life to two other babies. God used this pain, this struggle not only to save two other lives but to tell a story that is spreading quickly.

See, we incur evil and pain and suffering every day and many times it brings us to our knees and questioning God and what and why He is allowing this to happen. We don’t see how God is orcastrating good out of this pain, suffering or evil. Don’t misunderstand, it does not make evil good in and of itself, it just means God’s good plan can be worked through our evil. Both can coexist but it does not excuse our evil sinful hearts. It means that we are sinful humans who do wrong and do not pour out goodness in our actions or even see them, as we are not God. It shows that we need to submit to His plan, even through our trials but especially in our repentance.

Prayer:

Father in heaven,

We thank you that you are good; that you love us. I pray that you open our hearts to see our sinfulness and to turn from it, but not to just turn from it but to turn towards something greater: You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Background

Before we dive into our story, let us be reminded of a few key points that we have already learned in scripture. First - God uses Moses to write down this book to the Israelites after the Exodus. We now have Isaac and Rebekah, who struggled to become pregnant, now having two children. When Rebekah is struggling in her pregnancy, she goes to God and asks why there is so much pain and turmoil in her womb. God tells her that there are two nations in her stomach. Jacob would be the lineage of Israel, the name he would later take on, while Esau would be the father of Edom, a nation Israel would struggle with continuously. Then, God reveals that the older brother, Esau, would serve the younger brother, Jacob. This was contradictory to the ancient mindset of the eldest receiving the blessing and having a “birthright” because of his standing in the family. ()

Now, the birthright meant that the son would receive double the portions of the inheritance than any of the other brothers. They would be the one to to continue the family line. Esau had this until, as we read, he gave it to Jacob as he was hungry. He let his glutony get in the way of a what was to come - thinking only in the moment and his hunger. ()

Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup ().

We also have read about Isaac’s gluttony and his own favortism towards Esau as he enjoys eating Esau’s game. At the same time, Rebekah had a heart for Jacob. In we read: “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

Right before our story begins, we read that Esau marries two Hittite women which would be a problem. See, as part of the covenant, Abraham’s descendants were not to intermarry with the people of the land but were to marry from Haran. () We read that these wives created trouble for Isaac and Rebekah. Now, our story picks up with Isaac calling for Esau in his old age.

Esau marries Hittite women, which would have been offensive instead of marrying one from Haran ().

Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup ().

Isaac calls Esau to bless him ()

Read

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Isaac feels that he is getting old as his eye sight is starting to fail - so by Isaac’s standards, I am getting old myself! Isaac decides to call his son, Esau, as he wants to make sure he blesses him before he dies. Spoiler alert: we find out his timeline is way off! He lives many more years! None-the-less, Isaac calls Esau and tells him he wants to bless his son, but first his stomach is growling and his glutony needs fed. He tells his son to go, hunt and prepare for him a meal so he can satisfy his craving before he passes on this blessing - this relationship with God and the earth. We can see where Isaac’s priorities are and to be fair, I can quickly be distracted by a bowl of ice cream much like Isaac.

But take note of something else Isaac fails to adhere to. Rebekah had been told of God’s plan, but we don’t know if this was passed on to Isaac. The Bible does not make it clear but we also have the evidence of Esau breaking the covenant by marrying Hittite women instead of people from Abraham’s and Rebekah’s home in Haran. Isaac ignores these details as he loved his food.

Isaac calls Esau as he is getting old

Isaac calls Esau

Isaac’s sight is failing him

Isaac tells Esau he is about to bless him

Calls for Esau to prepare “game” - venison

Isaac’s sin of glutony

Follows desire to eat - as the reason for loving Esau was

Ignores God’s commands

God tells Rebekah that the younger, Jacob would rule

Esau married Hittites, breaking the covenant

Rebekah’s intercession ()

Now, Rebekah interceeds on behalf of Jacob:

5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Rebekah does not only tell Jacob about the plan, she gives him everything he needs in order to decieve her own husband. She doesn’t simply give her son, Jacob, an option but commands him to obey what she tells him. Rebekah provides the sacrifice, the goats, and uses the covering from the sacrifice to cover Jacob’s smooth skin and make it feel as if it were hairy, like Esau’s. The last piece is Rebekah answering Jacob’s fear; that if Isaac finds out it is Jacob instead of Esau, then he will surely be cursed instead of blessed. That if this plan does not play out as planned, then there would be consequences. Rebekah stands in and says “no my son, any curse will be put on me for you.” Finally, Jacob goes and has faith in his mother’s plan. He puts on the clothing and goes before his father with the food prepared. He follows his mother’s deceptive plan with faith.

Rebekah tells Jacob about the plan

Rebekah plots the intercession with Jacob

Obey her command

Bring two young goats, she will prepare the sacrifice

Provides the covering from the sacrifice to feel as if he is his brother

Takes responsibility of any curse that would come

Jacob obeys his mother’s commands and takes the food to his father while covered in goat hair, wearing Esau’s clothes.

Jacob’s lies equates to his blessing()

18 So he went in 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; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said,

“See, the smell of my son

is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!

28 May God give you of the dew of heaven

and of the fatness of the earth

and plenty of grain and wine.

29 Let peoples serve you,

and nations bow down to you.

Be lord over your brothers,

and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Cursed be everyone who curses you,

and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

Jacob comes before his father and lies to him. Isaac questions him, trusting in his own senses by touching, hearing, smelling and even tasting the food prepared. Isaac questions the speed of retreving and making the meal and Jacob tells of God’s intervention. See, while Jacob tells many lies, God was intervening as this was God’s plan from the beginning. We are told that the Esau would serve Jacob and now we see this plan coming to fruition through the acts of their own sinful natures.

After a few lies, and Isaac’s senses misleading him, Isaac blesses Jacob. We see that the blessing is all about relationships with others and the environment. Jacob will have a fruitful ground, people will serve Jacob, all of Jacob’s siblings will serve him and everyone that curses Jacob would be cursed.

Jacob presents himself before his father as Esau

Isaac questions the speediness of obtaining the game

Jacob blames God for his quick success

Isaac relies on his touch, hearing, smell and taste to make sure it is truly Esau

Isaac questions Jacob as to him really being Esau, only to have Jacob lie again.

Isaac blesses Jacob- believing it is Esau

Jacob will have fruitful ground when farming

People will serve Jacob

Jacob is put over all of his brothers

Everyone is cursed who curses Jacob

Jacob’s future and God’s goodness

God made clear his plan before Esau and Jacob were born. Jacob would rule over Esau, the Israelites would rule over Edom. As we continue through the book of Genesis, we see how God continues to use Jacob and his lineage to preserve nations. We see God work through this lineage to bring about his greatest plan, the plan that would not only save the nation of Israel but the whole world. When we look at

Esau tells his father to rise to eat his game only to have his father question him and who he is

When Esau answers him, Isaac trembles violently, questioning whom he just blessed

Esau cries out to receive a blessing as well

Esau is frustrated as now he has lost his birthright and his blessing to Jacob

Esau continues to ask for a blessing

Isaac tells Esau that he has made his brother ruler over him and given him all the grain and wine.

Isaac finally gives what Esau has been asking for but it is not what he really wants

Esau will be put away from the fruitful earth

Esau will always be fighting for his life with his sword

Esau will serve his brother

He will only break the hold his brother has on him when he grows old and dies.

God is always working good out of our evil

Despite Jacob’s sinfulness to get where he was, God had planed for Jacob to be the one to carry on the line and blessing of Abraham. We seen that God had made this clear before the two were born. God is constantly working good out of evil and sin.

Perhaps, we need to look at another story where the most evil ever done to a man was used just as well. A man lived a righteous, perfect life but was accused of crimes he did not commit. See this man was accused and was given the worst sentence available to the ancient world. He was beaten, he was wiped, and nails were driven through his wrists and feet as he hung from a cross. This man didn’t deserve this punishment, yet God used it for good. This man was not nearly just a man, but he was God, perfect, blameless and Holy, hung up on a cross. Jesus Christ died baring the sins of us all, standing in front of the judge and saying “blame me”. Jesus died that day in accordance to God’s plan, to bring salvation to all people through faith in Him. Jesus’ story doesn’t end with his death, but continues with his resurrection and him ruling and judging the world. My question for you is this: do you trust God’s plan? When you are going through evil and sin, do you repent and cry out to God only to be brought to a place where you realize you are not God? Do you believe in Jesus Christ and what he has done for you? Do you admit your brokenness and deceitfulness like Jacob?

See, like Rebekah, Jesus offered the sacrifice needed. He clothes us in robes of righteousness and makes us pure and clean before the father. No matter what you have done, or where you have been, you are never to unclean for Christ’s purity. Let us pray.

Prayer:

God,

Thank you for the cross. Help us to see your goodness and how evil is being worked out in accordance to your plan. Help us to turn to you when we struggle in our lives - help us to not trust in our own senses but in the fact that you are Holy, perfect and good. You are a good, good father. Help us to always remember this and to trust you more and more with every part of our lives. Guide us to do your will by loving you and our neighbor.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

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