Genesis 27:24-46

Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob said, “I am.” That’s a lie. Isaac is still having his doubts about whether this is really Esau. Isaac told the Esau impersonator, Jacob, to bring him the food so that he may bless him. Jacob gave Isaac the food and wine. He enjoyed his meal. Then Isaac told who he thought was Esau to come near him and kiss him. This was another test to see if he was really Esau. Jacob was obedient and Isaac smelled his clothing and blessed him. He said that the smell of his son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. The Blessing – “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 sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be those who bless you.” This blessing received by deception is what God told Rebekah in Genesis 25:23 about the older son serving the younger son.

It so happened that as soon as Isaac finished blessing Jacob and he had just left Isaac’s presence, in comes the real Esau from hunting and he has the delicious food for his father. He told his father to rise and eat of his game so that his soul may bless him. Sounds like this was a family of good cooks. First Esau sells his birthright for Jacob’s stew, then Rebekah cooks a delicious meal to deceive Isaac and now here comes Esau with some good food. Isaac is now full from Rebekah’s food that Jacob gave to him. Isaac asked Esau, “Who are you?” Esau said that he was his firstborn son. Isaac started trembling greatly and asked “Who?” He also asked, “Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me?” Then he told Esau that he had eaten before he got there and blessed Jacob who brought it to him. Now Jacob is surely blessed. Esau cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry. He asked Isaac to bless him too. Isaac told him that Jacob came with deceit and took his blessing. Esau said that Jacob supplanted him two times. He said that Jacob took away his birthright and now he has taken away his blessing. Did Isaac know about the birthright situation already or is this a surprise to him? Actually Esau, you gave away your birthright for food. Has anyone ever blamed you for a bad decision they made? Even if you are the one who presented the bad choice to them and they voluntarily accepted it, it’s not your fault. For instance, in Joshua 24:14-15, the people are given the choice to choose whom they will serve – either the gods of their fathers or the One True God. If they chose the other gods over the One True God and their lives go haywire, is that God’s fault? NOT! In Matthew 6:24, we’re told that we cannot serve God and mammon (money). We will hate one and love the other. So, if we choose money over God and our money fails us, is that God’s fault? NO WAY! In Matthew 7:13-14, wide is the gate that leads to destruction and many travel it and narrow is the way that leads to life and few find it. So, if we decide to follow the crowd and go through the wide gate to destruction, is that God’s fault? OF COURSE NOT! The Book of Proverbs is full of good and bad choices. God is never at fault when we willingly make bad choices. Don’t let people lay a guilt trip on you because they made a bad decision.

So that I don’t paint a one-sided picture, sometimes when we choose God (good choice) over living our own way without God (bad choice), we can find ourselves in hot and dangerous places. For instance in Daniel, Chapter 3, the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down and worship the golden image set up by the king when the music played. They were thrown into the fiery furnace which was so hot it killed the men who threw them into it. However, God delivered them so that they didn’t even have the smell of fire on them nor was a hair on their heads singed. Also, Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den when he kept praying to God despite the decree from the king in Daniel, Chapter 6. Everybody was to pray only to the king. God delivered him because he chose to keep his prayer routine to God over praying to the king. God delivered them, however, it is my understanding that from literature that I’ve read, some disciples/apostles died some horrific deaths for the Gospel’s sake. God’s word tells us not to fear those who can kill the body, but not the soul in Matthew 10:28.

Esau asked his father if he did not reserve a blessing for him. Isaac told Esau that he made Jacob his master and all his relatives will be his servants. He said that he sustained Jacob with grain and wine. Then Isaac asked Esau what he could do for him now. Esau asked his father if he only had one blessing and crying he pleaded for Isaac to bless him too. Esau’s Blessing – His dwelling will be of the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven above. By the sword Esau shall live and serve his brother. His descendants will serve Jacob’s descendants and will eventually free themselves from the domination.

Esau hated Jacob because of this blessing issue. He decided in his heart that when the days for mourning for Isaac were close, he was going to kill Jacob. Someone told Rebekah what Esau said. So, Esau must have said this not only in his heart, but spoke the words out loud as well. Rebekah told Jacob that Esau was planning to kill him and she told Jacob to go to her brother, Laban, in Haran. Rebekah told him to stay there a few days until Esau’s anger had calmed down and he forgets what Jacob had done. Did she really think that was going to happen? Afterwards she would send for him. Her reasoning was why should she be bereaved of them both in one day? This is another case of helping God out in the manifestation of His word or promise when He didn’t ask for it. Rebekah is now dealing with some serious sibling rivalry between her sons. I wonder what Rebekah and Esau’s relationship was like. I’m sure he knew that Jacob was Mom’s favorite.

Rebekah told Isaac that she was sick to death of Esau’s wives. She said that if Jacob married a Hittite woman like these two, what’s the point in living. These women must have been some kind of horrible!

The next destination is Genesis 28.

To God Be The Glory!