Introduction: Our study of the Book of Genesis in this quarter will include seven lessons about the life of Jacob and four about the life of Joseph, with a special Easter lesson from John 20 and 1 Cor. 15, and because difference in the weeks of this quarter, an extra lesson at the end T/B/A.
Background for Today's Lesson: I have re-titled today's lesson "My Way or God's Way." Have you ever been in a situation where you ran out of patience or for entirely selfish reasons did something 'Your way" without waiting on God? Yes, we all have. Keep this title in mind as we get into today's lesson. The context for this story really began with the conflict between the twins Jacob and Esau in Rebekah's womb as reported in Gen. 25:22 and the prophecy given to Rebekah where God said to her in Gen. 25:23, "Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated in your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger." As the story unfolds in Gen. 25:27-28, the twins grew up to be very different men, with Esau, the older, being the favorite of his father, Isaac, and Jacob, the younger, the favorite of his mother, Rebekah. The context continues in Gen. 25:29-34 when Jacob persuades his brother Esau, who had come in one day tired and hungry, to sell his birthright to him for a bowl of stew, which strongly indicated that Esau had very little regard for idea of a birthright. The story grows darker in Gen. 26:34-35 when Esau takes two Hittite wives (Canaanites) who are pagan woman that would corrupt God's plans to bless all nations through Abraham's descendants, and v. 35 indicates that these pagan women made life very unpleasant for Isaac and Rebekah. Does this look like a loving, close-knit family to you?
Summary of Gen. 27:1-17 (skipped): In vv. 1-4 we find Isaac very old (est. age 137) and nearly blind. Thinking that his days were numbered, he called Esau to him and instructed him to go out and hunt wild game and prepare a meal for him, and when he returned with it, he would receive his father's blessing. This paternal blessing is important because it establishes the identity of the heir to the divine promises given to Abraham and Isaac previously, and once given, it is irrevocable. vv. 5-17 tells of Rebekah eavesdropping on this conversation and thereafter instructing Jacob to deceive his father by taking him a meal prepared by her and pretending to be Esau. As a precaution, because Esau was hairy and Jacob wasn't, she put goat skins on his hands and neck and also had him wear Esau's clothing so he would smell more like him. What we see from these verses is a tangled web of deceit in a dysfunctional family who don't trust each other and who all demonstrate a complete lack of faith in God. We not only see something wrong in Isaac's relationship with his children but a complete absence of communication between husband and wife. It's certain that Isaac knew of God's prophecy regarding Jacob as the heir. As to his intentions regarding Esau, he made no effort to inform Rebekah of his plan. As patriarch of the family, did he have that the right to overrule her without any discussion, to act secretly behind her back? When Rebekah overheard the conversation with Esau, why didn't she step in and remind Isaac of God's prophecy? And Esau-he didn't bother to inform his father of the fact that he'd sold his birthright to Jacob, did he? Was Rebekah's conspiracy with Jacob to deceive Isaac justified-simply because it was based on the prophecy she had received from God? There is no indication in the text that that she ever tried to talk it over with Isaac-like him, she kept her plans secret. And what about Jacob-was he just an innocent victim drawn into his mother's scheme? No, the text clearly reveals that his reservations about her plans weren't moral-i.e., that it was wrong to lie and deceive his father-but was based solely on his fear of getting caught doing it and being "cursed" for it. Here's the big question: Is God sovereign? Can His plans and purposes be defeated by human schemes and deceit? Did any of the characters in this story-Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, or Jacob-trust God for the outcome? No, we see a group of people individually working their personal agendas in secret, in other words, "my way." Do you get the picture?
Read Gen. 27:18-24 - Lies, Lies, and More Lies.
18 He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" 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." 20 Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The LORD your God gave me success," he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 "Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied.
v. 18: "He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" - This isn't a pretty picture of Isaac. He's about to engage in a premeditated plot to overthrow the revealed purpose of God. He can't complain that he's just a doddering old man. His reasons are totally from the flesh-going against God's plan for his favorite meal and to reward his favorite son. And notice he asks, "Who is it?", which tells of his suspicion and mistrust.
TRUTH 1: Human effort can never defeat God's sovereign control of His plans and purposes. In this lesson, we see Isaac engaged in a premeditated plot to overthrow the revealed purpose of God, we see his wife, Rebekah, hatching a plan of her own to prevent Isaac's plot, and we see Jacob, very calmly and knowingly snatch the blessing through trickery and lies.
v. 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." - Wow! This has to be the King Cong of whoppers. This is not only an outright lie but a direct violation of the command God would later give in Ex. 20:16 about bearing false witness. What does this say about Jacob's character? It seems to confirm that his reputation as a deceiver is well deserved. Do you agree? And notice the manipulation: "sit up, eat my game so you can give me your blessing." This is not just any old blessing; it's the covenant blessing.
v. 20: "Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The LORD your God gave me success," he replied." - Jacob's deceit goes even deeper. Now we see him taking the Lord's name in vain to support his lie in violation of Ex. 20:7. Jacob could do this because his only concern at this point was to do whatever was necessary to make this plan work. Since he knew-because his mother had told him-that God wanted him to have the birthright, he most likely rationalized that everything he did was for a righteous cause-the misguided idea that the end justifies the means? Yes? And notice that he said "The LORD your God," not my God. What does that tell you? If we view him in the Christian context, we'd probably classify him as unsaved, an unrepentant sinner. Would you agree?
v. 21: "Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." - Isaac is still suspicious, uncomfortable at this point. He had been surprised and confused by the swiftness of Esau's supposed return with the meal. He wanted more assurance as to the identity of the speaker.
v. 22: "Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." - Scholars say that Rebekah must have done a very skilled job of getting the animal skins to fit tightly over Jacob's hands and neck in such a convincing manner. Luther is quoted as saying that he would have dropped the dish at this point! Most of us would. But notice that Jacob proceeds calmly and deliberately, without wavering. One would think the "voice of Jacob" would have alerted Isaac of the fraud, but the bodily contact, the feel and touch of the hands, must have calmed him.
vv. 23-24: "He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.24 "Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied." - He didn't "recognize him" for who he truly was-an impostor. On v. 23, one commentator suggests that Isaac fell for this because it would be more convincing for Esau to sound like Jacob than for Jacob to have hairy hands like Esau. In v. 24, when asked again to confirm his identity, Jacob smoothly repeats the lie without hesitation. Jacob is also taking advantage of the idea that his elderly father probably would not believe that his son Jacob would lie to him so repeatedly.
TRUTH 2: Godly purposes do not justify the use of evil means to achieve them. Rebekah's conspiracy with Jacob to deceive Isaac wasn't justified because it was based on the prophecy she had received from God and Jacob's action's were totally self-serving. Jacob's only concern was to do whatever was necessary to make his plan work. If we evaluated Jacob's behavior from a Christian NT context, we'd probably classify him as unsaved at this point-an unrepentant sinner. Would you agree?
Read Genesis 27:25-29 - The Blessing
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!"
v. 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." - A feast of some kind, consisting of food and drink was a preliminary to the solemn ceremony of blessing, in this case a covenant which transferred leadership of a family, stemming from God's covenant given to Abraham in Gen. 17. Besides that, to eat with someone in those times, and then betray them, was seen as a horrendous offense against the other.
vv. 26-27: "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!" - Some scholars say this was yet another test, insofar as kissing was normally a gesture of greeting or farewell, but here, it was a chance for Isaac to get close enough to smell him and his clothes. Esau must have had a distinct odor relating to his hunting activities. In any case, Rebekah's scheming does the trick again. The statement, "as the smell of the field that the LORD has blessed," forms a preface for the other blessings to come.
v. 28: "May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine." - The "dew of heaven" refers to the fact there were only two rainy seasons in ancient Palestine, and an abundant dew served to keep the soil moist between them, and "plenty of grain and wine" came as the products of fertile soil. Taken together, this verse forms a metaphor for God's generous provision.
v. 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!" - Here, Isaac makes the blessing much more specific. The term "peoples serve you" and "nations bow down" is both a prayer and a prophecy that much later, during the time of Joshua, the judges, and David, we see that all the "nations" in the vicinity of Palestine-i.e., Canaanites, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, Edomites, etc.-would eventually come under the political subjection of Israel. The phrase, "lord over your brothers" and "your mother's son's bow down to you," pronounces a birthright which confers patriarchal authority not only over all existing family members but over all of its descendants down through the generations. Isaac might have unwittingly believed at the time that he was putting the shifty Jacob in his place when, ironically, he was in fact blessing him and fulfilling God's prophecy to Rebekah. We see the full extent of this authority later when Moses assumes leadership over the children of Israel in the book of Exodus. The terms "cursed be" and "blessed be" contain a portion of God's blessing on Abraham in Gen. 12:3 but stops short of saying that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. This special blessing will only come later, as we will see, in Jacob's subsequent encounters with God.
TRUTH 3: People who refuse to wait on God and take matters into their own hands-do it my way-are very likely to suffer unwanted consequences. As events turned out, none of the characters in today's lesson got what they wanted, for example: (1) Issac: Instead of wild game, he got spiced-up goat. Instead of blessing Esau, he put him under a curse, because he had destined whoever cursed Jacob would be cursed, and now, Esau planned to kill Jacob. After this, his sons are separated from him and he and his wife, out of their mutual mistrust, are estranged from one another. He paid a high price, didn't he? (2) Rebekah: On the surface, Jacob got his blessing, but she ended up losing both her sons when Jacob fled to Haran and Esau moved away to Edom. Ironically, she secured Jacob's inheritance, but her scheme ultimately forced him to leave it behind and flee for his life. All she has now is loneliness. (3) Jacob: We must remember that Jacob wasn't a naïve teenager when these events took place but was estimated to be 77 years old. Again, on the surface, he got his blessing but at what price? Right after he obtained it, he was forced to leave his home and everything behind because Esau had vowed to kill him. Instead of enjoying a position of influence, he ended up going to Haran and becoming his future father-in-law's indentured servant. And even later, the deceiver would be deceived in turn by his own sons who tell him that his favorite son, Joseph, had been killed by wild animals, but that's another story. (4) Esau: While we might feel a little sorry for Esau, we must recognize that he was seeking his way, not God's. Esau cared little about the birthright or its spiritual significance. In fact the birthright was not his to take in the first place; he had sold it for a dish of stew. He went along with Isaac's secret plan to give him the birthright but didn't take it serious until his wily brother outsmarted him. He was just sorry his scheme hadn't worked, and out of anger and pride, vowed to kill his brother. He ended up estranged from God's people and their descendants and became the father of the Edomites, who would later be subjected by several kings of Israel. Even later, they sided with the Babylonians in the conquest of Jerusalem and participated in its destruction (Lam. 4:21-22). Not a proud heritage.
-> Next Week: In Gen. 28, we'll catch up with Jacob while he's running for his life, and on his way, had his first encounter with God.
