Story: Isaac Blesses Jacob
Passage: Genesis 27
Characters: Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Esau
Summary: Isaac was about to die so he told Esau to make him a meal so he could bless him. Rebekah heard this and told Jacob to get two goats so she could make a meal that Isaac loves so he would bless Jacob instead. Jacob was worried that he would not be hairy enough and he would be caught and cursed. Rebekah said she would take the curse on herself. So they made a nice meal and Jacob put on Esau’s clothes and wore the goat hair on his arms and neck. Isaac knew that it was Jacob’s voice, but he felt the hair and assumed it was Esau. He knew for sure when he smelled Esau’s clothes so he blessed Jacob, giving him power over his brothers. When Jacob left, Esau came in and he and Isaac discovered they had been tricked. Esau was very upset and wanted a blessing too. Isaac gave him what was mostly a curse, but it did promise that Esau would one day break the yoke of Jacob from his neck. Esau wanted to kill Jacob, so Rebekah sent him to her brother Laban. Rebekah told Isaac that she loathed her life because of Esau’s Hittite wives and that Jacob could not marry a Hittite.
Notes: I have a few notes here. First of all, Isaac was intending to bless Esau even though he knew God had given the promise to Jacob. Rebekah obviously hated Esau’s wives, and she loved Jacob, so she hatched a plan to get Jacob blessed instead. While this was not Jacob’s idea, he did go along with it. You can see how desperate she was in that she was willing to take the curse on herself. I find it funny that Isaac was expecting wild game, but Rebekah planned on tricking him with goat. He obviously knew it was goat because it was one of his favorite meals. The Hebrew even specifies that what she made was delicious food. Savory food. The hair issue was solved by putting goat hair on Jacob’s arms and neck. He wore Esau’s clothes so he also had the scent of Esau. Jacob must have been nervous. Isaac should have known he was eating goat and that the arms were covered in coarse goat hair. Goat hair and human hair should not be too easy to confuse. But Isaac was ultimately tricked. He was obviously suspicious though. It wasn’t until he smelled the clothes that he finally began to bless Jacob. His blessing granted him provision with food and wine, authority over peoples and nations, and authority over his brothers, specifically his mother’s sons. This implies that he was specifically trying to give Esau authority over Jacob. This surprises me since God told Rebekah before they were born that Esau would serve Jacob. When Isaac left, Esau came in and he and Isaac discovered what had happened. Esau is distraught. He wanted some small part in the blessing, but his father had given it all to Jacob. Talk about family drama! Esau notes that his name is fitting as he has deceived him again. Esau says that Jacob deceived him when he got his birthright as well, but if we remember that story, Jacob was not deceptive at all. Instead, Esau despised his birthright. Isaac’s “blessing” to Esau stated that he would serve Jacob, but that one day, he would break the yoke of his brother off his neck. Esau was done dealing with his deceitful twin, and he decided to kill him. Jealousy was the cause of Cain’s murder of Abel and jealousy and the feeling of being cheated fueled this attempt as well. Esau did a poor job of hiding his plan though and word of it got to his mother. Rebekah wanted to send Jacob to her brother. I am convinced this is because she was hoping he would meet a daughter of her brother and fall in love. My suspicion is supported by the fact that the next verses describe her telling Isaac that she doesn’t want Jacob marrying a Hittite woman. Sure enough, tomorrow we will see that Isaac’s response to this conversation with his wife is to send Jacob to marry one of Laban’s daughters. Rebekah says that she loathes her life because of the Hittite women. Esau’s lifestyle was not one of peace and unity within his family. Another note is that Isaac was shocked at how fast Jacob had found game and cooked it, but Esau walks in right after Isaac leaves, so it would seem that Esau’s hunt was indeed very successful and brief.
Questions: How could this setup have fooled Isaac? Was Isaac wrong to try to give the blessing to Esau in the first place? Was Esau missing his birthright at this point? Why was Rebekah so desperate to get Isaac the blessing? Why did Esau’s wives irritate her so much?
Lessons: God will work things the way He wants to no matter what. Isaac tried to bless Esau when he knew very well that God intended Isaac to carry on the promise. God worked things so that Isaac accidentally blessed Jacob. Also, a marriage to an ungodly woman (or two in this case) can heavily affect everyone close to you as well. It is very important for a Christian to marry another Christian in much the same way it was important for Jacob to marry someon
