Day 4 of Week 5 The Patriarchs

October 9, 2008
Day Four of Week Five
Stolen Blessings
 
Today's Treasure: Genesis 27: 19
Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.' "
 
I thought I might take a little different approach to today's scripture. Rather than going through the study and answering the specific questions, I would li ke to go through this chapter and discuss it section by section. This chapter is just profound to me. I want to make sure we get a grasp on this chapter before moving on because much of the happenings that follow in the near Scripture need an understanding of what took place on this occasion.
 
Chapter 27 of Genesis plays out one story that involves every member of Isaac's family. There is betrayal, raw emotion and powerful relationship flaws that lead up to specific happenings that impact Scripture in a mighty way. I am going to add in my opinions about this Chapter, but remember, I am a limited human being. Don't be afraid to disagree with me or think the situations through on your own. That's what this is all about!!!
Please Read Chapter 27 of Genesis. It is not too terribly long (46 verses).
The Chapter opens up explaining that Isaac has grown very old and his age has caused him to become blind. He calls for Esau (his firstborn of the twins). He explains that he is very old and weak and doesn't know when he will die. Recall that previous scripture tells us that Esau was his favorite son because he was a man of the land and loved to hunt for wild game. Isaac asks Esau to go out and hunt some wild game for him so that he can eat it and give Esau his blessing as his firstborn before he dies. It was a ritual that the blessing takes place around a meal. So we need to understand Isaac's reasoning for asking his son to do this. The blessing spoken by a father over his son was huge. I cannot make you understand how big this was in the culture of Abraham. It was believed that the blessing was the words of God spoken through the father to the child. Once these words were spoken, they could not be taken back. They did not belong to the father to take back, they belonged to God.
Now remember in previous Scripture that we were told Rebek ah loved Jacob as her favorite son. We also need to think back to Chapter 25 where Rebekah was told by God that, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." Rebekah was the only one to hear this prophecy from God. We are not sure if she shared the information with Isaac or not. It would be nice to think she did; however, we do not know. Either way, Rebekah had direct knowledge from God that Jacob, being the younger son, would be over the Esau. So we do not know if her love/favoritism came from that knowledge or if she just loved him more because he was the type of child to stay by her side and please her. (Chapter 25: 27, "Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents). Here's what I believe about the situation between the parents was. I believe that Isaac had a natural affinity towards Esau because of the type of man he was. I think he probably felt Esau would be a better leader between the two brothers.  
In Rebekah's case, I feel her knowledge played a bigger role in her choice of favorites between the sons. I just can't believe that a mother could be so biased between her own children for any other reason. I could not imagine loving one of my boys more than the other. I definitely appreciate them and their talents in different ways. One child tends to spend more time with me and the other spends more with his dad. That is simply due to interests and personal needs. But, I love each of them equally because they are so different. Maybe both parents felt like they needed to help God with his plans a little. They just felt like it was important that God have their help in making the right choices among the children. So, maybe Isaac felt he should hurry and speak the blessing over Esau because he truly was the stronger of the two boys and he thought he would be the better leader. We will note something in a few moments in his blessing that leads me to believe this.
The next actions in the story are what lead me to believe that Rebekah wanted to help God along in his work. Isaac is unaware that Rebekah is listening in on his conversation with Esau. So she sends for Jacob and explains what is going on. She comes up with this ridiculous plan to trick Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing instead of Esau (to ensure God's plan is fulfilled I am sure)!! She prepares a meal for Isaac herself, dresses Jacob in Esau's clothes and puts the goat skin leftover from the meal she prepared on Jacob's hands and the smooth part of his neck. Remember that Esau got his name from all of the red hair that covered his body. Esau means hairy and Edom (his other name) means red. They were afraid they would be discovered if Isaac asked to touch Jacob.
In the next scene of the story, Jacob has done all his mother requested and takes the food in to his father. Jacob greets his father. Isaac responds with, "yes, son, who is it?" This immediately makes you think that Isaac doubts whether this is Jacob or Esau. The questions become even g reater with each moment of the story. Isaac firsts asks how the boys returned from the field so quickly with the food prepared (doubting Esau could have done it in this time). Then Isaac asks him to come near so he can touch him (checking for the hair on Esau). He responds after touching him with, "The voice is the voice of Jacob's, but the hands are the hands of Esau." Then Isaac goes even further to say, "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob lies to him and replies, "I am". Isaac still is not completely satisfied that this is Esau. So after he eats the wild game, he asks Jacob to come forward and kiss him so he can give him his blessing. When he kisses Jacob, he smells the scent of Esau on the clothes Jacob is wearing and says, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed." Once he smells Esau on Jacob, he begins to bless him. Can you imagine being in Isaac's shoes? He was at the mercy of his remaining senses to assure him that he was blessing the right child. If he was trying to=2 0bless Esau in order to prevent "God from making a mistake with his prophecy", then he highly underestimated the sovereignty of God. Now I AM NOT saying the way Rebekah and Jacob went about deceiving Isaac was right, by any means. It was wrong from the very first thought conceived in Rebekah's mind. However, God found a way to work, even through the flaws of mankind (once again)!!!
Pay close attention to the words of the blessing.
"May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness – an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, AND MAY THE SONS OF YOUR MOTHER BOW DOWN TO YOU. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed."
Okay, we need to look at this blessing at several different angles. Go back up to the first page and read the prophecy that God spoke to Rebekah about the twins growing in her body. God specific ally spoke to be things in Isaac's blessing. If Isaac was trying to manipulate the situation and make sure Esau fulfilled the prophecy rather than Jacob, he did a great job of covering the important facts in the blessing. But, remember, they believed with all of their hearts that the spoken blessing was made up of direct words from God to the child from the father. That is why the words could not be taken back. So stand back and be amazed by how God handled the situation. All of the information given to Rebekah was spoken out in the blessing Isaac gave Jacob (unknowingly), and they were spoken to the son that God INTENDED to fulfill his prophecy!!!  
 
When Isaac was finished with his blessing, Jacob left his father immediately. He had not been gone long before Esau enters the scene and asks his father to sit up and eat some of his game. The father, frantically I am sure, asks "Who are you?" Esau replies and Isaac begins to tremble violently. I don't know if his trembles were out of fear from God, if Rebekah had indeed shared God's prophetic words with him or if the trembles represented his terror of be betrayed in such a terrible way. He explained to Esau that his blessing had already been given to someone who came in and pretended to be Esau. When Esau heard this, he began crying bitterly and begged his father to bless him as well. The verses are so pitiful to me. It just gives you this picture of this strong, burly young man being brought to his knees and the actions of a four year old child begging his father. "Bless me- me too, my father!"
However, Isaac replies to him, "your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." Esau yells out, "He took my birthright and now he's taken my blessing!....Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?"
Isaac tells Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" Esau begins to weep begging his father to at least give him one blessing. So Isaac blessed him with these words, "Your dwelling will be 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."
Now that doesn't sound like much of a blessing, if you ask me. Try to place yourself in Esau's shoes for a moment. This man has been betrayed by everyone in his family, even if not intentionally by his father. He is suddenly alone in this world, and I am sure he felt unloved by anyone! The Scripture goes on to say that Esau held a grudge and made plans to kill his brother. When Rebekah heard this, she made plans to send Jacob away to keep Esau from killing him. Now go back up to verse 13, and read Rebekah's response to Jacob when he expresses fear that his father will find him out and curse him rather than bless him. Rebekah tells him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me."
We find at the end of this scripture that Rebekah is already being cursed for her deceitful actions. Her oldest son is trying to kill Jacob, the one she truly loves. She has to lose Jacob and send him away to protect him. Then Esau becomes so enraged that he turns to a lifestyle against that of his parents. So essentially, she loses both of her sons, one to distance and one to bitterness. You will see this play out in the next chapter. But Rebekah tells Isaac in chapter 27 that she is disgusted by the Hittite women and the way they live. She expresses such deep emotion about this that she goes as far to say, if Jacob takes a wife among them, her life will no longer be worth living. Well, guess what, that is exactly what her son, Esau, does. So, stay tuned and get pumped about reading how the drama in this chapter plays out in the years to come.
I hope I haven't done this scripture too much injustice with my opinions. As I said, please read and feel free to e-mail with your opinions on the scripture. Sharing information is the greatest way to learn.
Have a blessed and wonderful day.
Tiffany Pate