Genesis 27

Genesis 27

Think back to when Jacob and Esau were first born. We discovered that Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, and Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau. This comes into play once more as Isaac is on his death bed. Wanting one last good meal, Isaac sends Esau to catch some food for him, making him one of his favorite dishes. Rebekah overhears Isaac’s request and quickly runs to Jacob to let him know that Esau is about to be blessed. So she has Jacob go out and get some lambs so that she might prepare that exact same meal for Jacob to deliver. As a result, Jacob would then receive the blessing rather than Esau. Now on the spot this makes no sense. Wouldn’t Isaac know the difference between his two sons? Jacob thought about that very thing, realizing that although his father did not have great vision any longer, he would know who it was based on whether they were hairy or not (for Esau was).

Although Jacob initially protested against this request, not wanting to receive some type of curse rather than a blessing, he eventually gave in to his mother’s request. As she prepared the meal, they found some skins to use to make Jacob appear to be hairy. He then grabbed the food and took it to his father. Isaac was quick to realize that it was not really Esau who had brought the food, but Jacob’s disguise was enough to convince him otherwise. So Isaac did not protest the situation any longer and gave the blessing to Jacob.

Not long after that Esau came in with the food that he had gathered expecting the blessing that Jacob had stolen. It is then that Isaac realizes his mistake, but even more so Jacob’s deceit. He had to feel terrible at that moment knowing that he could not retract the words that he had previously given. His disappointment is seen in Esau’s despair. Esau expected that blessing and had even longed for it, and now all he wanted was some sort of blessing to help make up for what he had lost. Was it right that Jacob had received the blessing? Of course it wasn’t, especially under the circumstances in which it occurred. Did God approve of Jacob’s underhanded ways? I do not believe He did either. But He was able to use this awful situation for His purposes. From even before these two were born, God had chosen Jacob over Esau, allowing Abraham’s blessing to continue through Jacob’s line. So even though it came about in an underhanded manner, God’s purposes were still fulfilled. I do not believe that Esau would have received the blessing even if Jacob had not been deceitful. God had chosen to continue the blessing through Jacob and would have seen it happen some other way.

It is easy to get caught up in how wrong this situation actually was and how it appears that Jacob was rewarded for what he did. But the end of Genesis 27 and the next several years of Jacob’s life tell a different story. As a result of Esau’s anger toward his brother, he plots to kill Jacob. So Rebekah sends Jacob back to the land in which Abraham had originally come from for safety, to live with Laban (her brother). This is all great in protecting Jacob (thus protecting the lineage), but this is not what God had intended. The land in which Jacob had been living was his, but now he had left it because of some bad choices that he had made. For a good chunk of his life, Jacob was unable to live in the Promised Land, and this was all because of a bad decision. At times it may not seem that those who do wrongly receive a just reward, but always remember that they will get their reward one day. It may not come in the quick manner that we expect, but it will come.

Matt