Devotional Reading: Psalm 24:1-6
This fall quarter focuses on God’s World and God’s People. We are in Unit III “God Blesses and Re-creates Regardless” of the three units of the quarter. Last week we studied the meaning of the birthright, how God blessed Isaac in the enemy territory of Canaan with a wife and two sons, the source of the conflict between the sons and the beginning of the rivalry. This is the second lesson of the four lesson study. This lesson explores how Jacob deceitfully obtained the blessing God had already destined for him. As one of our teachers always said, “God plans His works and He works His plans.”
Even though Isaac was the promised seed and Rebekah was carefully chosen for him as a wife to love and procreate, they each had formed a separate alliance with a different twin. This proved destructive and dysfunctional instead of strengthening their family. Gen 25:27-28 states, So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (NKJV) Esau and Jacob grew to be very different in their temperament. That type thing never mattered to my parents. My siblings and I were raised to believe there was no difference between us. The greatest mistake Isaac and Rebekah made was to make a difference between Esau and Jacob. Isaac loved Esau, the outdoorsy son. Rebekah loved the son preferred by God, Jacob. Children can feel when the slightest of differences have been made, and they play on those emotions between the parents.
Why did God grant Jacob’s descendants (the Israelites) priority over the descendants of Esau (Edomites), known as such because Esau was nicknamed “Red” (meaning Edom)? Because it seemed good in His eyes and it is not for us to question God’s sovereign reasons. Perhaps it was because He knew Esau did not have as great a respect for the birthright blessing as Jacob. God had a spiritual plan in the works. It did not include someone willing to sell their birthright for physical (sensual) satisfaction. Gen 25:29-34 indicates, Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (NKJV)
As the firstborn, Esau was entitled to a double portion of his father’s possessions by natural order. In other words he would receive twice as much as any son of Isaac. More importantly though, he would have been set up, as the firstborn, to be included as an ancestor of Jesus Christ. But God had intervened and made a divine election to give the birthright blessing to the younger son, Jacob, before their birth. Obviously both sons were wrong in this historical transaction as they made a way for God’s Will in the birthright promise to be fulfilled. Esau either did not treasure the birthright, or he simply was not a bright thinker. He preferred to be gratified by eating the stew. Jacob had to have been told about the birthright in order to swindle his brother out of such a valuable and honorable position that had been guaranteed him by God anyway – all for a bowl of red stew of lentils.
I have a hard time believing that, over the years, Isaac was never told of God’s divine oracle of intervention to change the natural order of the birthright recipient. In our lesson today Isaac is approximately 137 years of age, his sight has failed, and he thinks he is about to die, perhaps because his older brother Ishmael had died at that age (Gen 25:17). He felt the need to bless Esau, the firstborn, before he died. This would have been within the normal inheritance laws. It would have also satisfied his natural affection for Esau. But it was not God’s Will. Sometimes we miss our way when we do not choose the path God chose for us to follow. We can’t possibly see down the road as our all-knowing God is able to see. Esau knew he had earlier sold his birthright to Jacob, but the blessing still had to be implemented by Isaac. So Isaac sent Esau to the field to hunt in order that he could make Isaac’s favorite stew. He wanted a fresh instance of his son’s love to him before he granted this huge blessing that ran as deep as his soul upon him. (Gen 27:1-4)
The deception continues with the other two members of the family. Rebekah heard the conversation between her husband, Isaac, and her firstborn. Gen 27:5-10 reflects her scheme. She has to do something because they can no longer wait for God to fulfill his promise of the birthright to her younger son, Jacob. The Scripture reads Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.” (NKJV)
Rebekah knew of God’s divine prophecy and Esau’s selling his birthright to Jacob. She should have gone to Isaac and reminded him of the divine prophecy concerning their sons and that Esau had forfeited his birthright and married women who were of the enemy. Instead she builds up this devious scheme to have Isaac confer the blessing upon Jacob in the belief he was Esau and actually cheating Esau out of the blessing. Her trickery was unnecessary because God had already promised the blessing to Jacob, and God can’t break His promises because He can’t lie. It was a wrong to Isaac because it took advantage of his infirmity. It was a wrong to Jacob because it further taught him to deceive by placing lies in his mouth.
Rebekah had Jacob get her game from the flock of goats while his brother was hunting in the field. She would cook Isaac’s favorite stew from goat’s meat so that it tasted like venison while Jacob followed her instructions in getting ready to impersonate Esau. She made sure Jacob had goat’s hair on his hands, arm, and neck to seem hairy like Esau and was wearing Esau’s clothing before he went to approach Isaac with the stew and bread she made. Time was of the essence. They had to complete their plan before Esau returned from the field. When Jacob complained the plot would not work and that Isaac would curse instead of bless him, Rebekah comforted him by telling him the curse would be on her. (Gen 27:11-17) Little did she know, she had no power or authority to transfer any curses. There has only been one person who has taken on all curses of the world in order that all believers may receive the blessings of the world. That person is King Jesus who was of the lineage and recipient of the birthright.
Plain Jacob was no longer a child and had become very wise as to how to lie and deceive. In his encounter with his father, though, he found Isaac was very suspicious. Just because Isaac’s sight had failed did not mean he had lost his sense of intelligence. Gen 27:18-25 reflects, So he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.” Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not. So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” He said, “Bring it near to me and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you. So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. (NKJV)
Isaac was suspicious because his sense of hearing told him that he was listening to the voice of Jacob. Was it a trick? Isaac was at first dissatisfied and all he had to do was trust his ears when Jacob first stated he was Esau. Jacob was a hypocrite speaking as a saint but doing the work of a sinner. But Isaac was operating on his emotions instead of trusting his sense of hearing. He asked Jacob three times more as to his identity, how he had located the game so quickly, and to come closer in order to determine their relationship before he determined he would eat and drink with him.
The trick had worked or had it? When asked how he found the game so quickly Jacob lied saying, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.” Rebekah did not instruct Jacob to add God’s name in the cheating of the blessing. So was this simply something God allowed or was it actually part of God’s plan? We can’t answer that question. We can only wonder and look at the instructions from Rebekah, how Jacob carried them out, and Isaac’s reaction. Isaac felt Jacob’s arm and thought he had touched Esau’s hairy hands. He did not recognize the food he was eating had not come from the field but from the flock of goats.
Why didn’t Isaac wait until he had both sons in the room? He was suspicious, but he was anxious to grant this very important spiritual blessing. And he was more willing to bless Jacob who he believed to be Esau. Gen 27:26-29 then states, Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed. Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s son bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!” (NKJV)
Jacob had the irreversible birthright blessing from Isaac. What did he receive? (1.) Prosperity, (2.) Dominion (3.) and Divine Protection. Don’t you think he would have appreciated receiving his father’s love and the blessing without having had plotted to receive it? I am sure there was a yearning to receive Isaac’s love that was always shown to Esau. And at last Jacob received the kiss from his beloved father with the blessing that he so desired but had already been promised him by God when he had on a mask.
When Esau finally returned, he was quite taken by surprised. He sought the blessing tearfully, but it couldn’t be retracted (Heb 12:16-17). He wanted to know if there was any blessing left for him. Both he and Isaac were quite broken-hearted. The only promises Esau was able to receive was that he would (1.) dwell in the fatness of the earth and with the dew of heaven from above, (2.) live by his sword (3.) serve his brother Jacob, and (4.) break his yoke from his neck. (Gen 27:39-40) Notice Jacob received the spiritual blessing of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth as given by God. Esau received a promised dwelling of the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven as given by Isaac. There is a difference because Jacob was given priority of heaven over earth. The promise of prophecy to Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, suggests they would live in desert places, would be warriors, would be subject to the Israelites, but would one day rebel against this rule.
Because of this deception in the family Esau planned to kill his brother Jacob as soon as their father died and the period of mourning was over. Rebekah began to plot again and sent her beloved son, Jacob, to her brother Laban. She did not explain to Isaac that Esau planned to kill Jacob. Instead she explained she didn’t want Jacob to marry a woman among the enemies as Esau had done. Rebekah never saw her beloved Jacob again. She died before he returned. When Jacob returned years later with two wives and his children, he was able to see his father and brother again. (Gen 33 and 35)
We shall continue this story in our next lesson, but for now let it simply be said there was much conflict between the descendants of Jacob (the Israelites) and the descendants of Esau (the Edomites) because of God’s divine election. The final doom of the Edomites was pronounced in Obadiah 1:9b-10 stating, To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau May be cut off by slaughter. “For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever. (NKJV)
Deborah C. Davis
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