We will begin this lesson in Genesis 27:1 “And it came to pass, that
when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he
called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him,
Behold, [here am] I.”
We learned before that Isaac’s favorite was Esau. When Isaac called
Easu, he was right there to answer his father.
Genesis 27:2 “And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of
my death:” Genesis 27:3 “Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy
quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me [some] venison;”
Genesis 27:4 “And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring [it] to
me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.”
Here was a father’s request of his favorite son as a last request.
Isaac knew he could not live very long, and he wanted to speak a blessing on
his son before his departure. His son, also, was aware that his father could
not live very long. He desired to get the right hand blessing (the best
blessing) from his father before he died. The son thought, if I would bring
him food he loved, while he was still feeling good, he would give me the
best blessings he had. The father said, go kill a deer and bring it to me.
Genesis 27:5 “And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And
Esau went to the field to hunt [for] venison, [and] to bring [it].”
Genesis 27:6 “And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard
thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,” Genesis 27:7 “Bring me
venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the
LORD before my death.”
Rebekah had been eavesdropping, and she had heard that Isaac was about
to bless his favorite son over her favorite son. She, now, was starting this
whole thing with Jacob.
Genesis 27:8 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that
which I command thee.”
Mama had come up with a scheme to change these plans of Isaac. She
reminded Jacob that he was to obey her. Let us see what plan she had.
Genesis 27:9 “Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good
kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as
he loveth:” Genesis 27:10 “And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he
may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.”
You can see what mama had figured out. Isaac was blind, and he would
mistake Jacob for Esau. Mamma knew that it would take Esau a little while to
locate a deer, and while he was hunting, Rebekah and Jacob could fix that
goat to taste like venison and trick Isaac Into blessing Jacob.
Genesis 27:11 “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my
brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man:” Genesis 27:12 My father
peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I
shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.”
At least, Jacob realized that he would be responsible for the curse
being spoken, and not anyone else. His father was blind, but he still could
feel. He knew Isaac would be able to tell the difference.
Genesis 27:13 “And his mother said unto him, Upon me [be] thy curse, my
son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me [them].” Genesis 27:14 “And he
went, and fetched, and brought [them] to his mother: and his mother made
savoury meat, such as his father loved.” Genesis 27:15 “And Rebekah took
goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which [were] with her in the house,
and put them upon Jacob her younger son:” Genesis 27:16 “And she put the
skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his
neck:”
Right here, we need to deal with Rebekah. Was she a deceiving woman, or
was she remembering the thing God told her about her two sons before their
birth? God told her that the older would serve the younger. You know, Easu
really did not deserve the birthright. He sold it to Jacob for a bowl of
soup. Did God give Rebekah this plan? Did she scheme this up herself, or did
God give her this plan to save this blessing for Jacob? Jacob was God’s
choice from the beginning, but Hebrews gave the best blessing to their
oldest son. It was the custom. I do not believe I will try to answer the
above. I will let you comtemplate it. Was this Rebekah’s plan, or God’s
plan? God was very angry with Esau when he sold the birthright, and also
married two earthly women.
Genesis 27:17 “And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she
had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.” Genesis 27:18 “And he came
unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I; who [art]
thou, my son?” Genesis 27:19 “And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau
thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee,
sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.” Genesis 27:20 And
Isaac said unto his son, How [is it] that thou hast found [it] so quickly,
my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought [it] to me.”
Genesis 27:21 “And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may
feel thee, my son, whether thou [be] my very son Esau or not.” Genesis
27:22 “And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said,
The voice [is] Jacob’s voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau.”
Genesis 27:23 “And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as
his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.”
The plan had worked. Goat, if it is fixed correctly, tastes like
venison, so Isaac would not be able to tell the difference in taste. He was
amazed how fast it was prepared, but his son, Jacob, had learned early from
his father that it was ok to lie to save yourself, so he said, God helped
him find the deer. He, also, lied when he told his father he was Esau. His
father could not understand, if he was Easu, why he had Jacob’s voice. The
hairy hands, and probably the odor from Easu’s clothes, convinced the father
that this was truly Esau. So he blessed Jacob.
Genesis 27:24 “And he said, [Art] thou my very son Esau? And he said, I
[am].”
He (Jacob) told a lie one more time to save himself.
Genesis 27:25 “And he said, Bring [it] near to me, and I will eat of my
son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him,
and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.” Genesis 27:26 “And
his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.”
Genesis 27:27 “And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of
his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son [is] as the
smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:” Genesis 27:28 “Therefore God
give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of
corn and wine:” Genesis 27:29 “Let people serve thee, and nations bow down
to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to
thee: cursed [be] every one that curseth thee, and blessed [be] he that
blesseth thee.”
The blessing that Isaac blessed Jacob with had been his ever since the
day that Easu sold it. This blessing was the preferential right hand
blessing. A blessing that a patriarch spoke was as an oracle of God. He was
God’s agent speaking this blessing. It was without repentance. God would not
change it. It would be done to the utmost. This blessing was, that even
nature itself would bless Jacob. He would rule over nations, and even his
brother would bow down unto him. God’s curse would be on anyone who cursed,
and would bless anyone who blessed Him. Even though he received the message
through trickery, it would not be reversed. This was God’s doing, as well as
Rebekah’s and Jacob’s, or it would not have gone so well. Sometimes God uses
things that, in our mind, do not appear the right way, to perform the
results he wants.
In the next lesson, we will pick in Easu in verse 30, chapter 2