ISAAC WISHES TO BLESS ESAU
27 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. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 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; 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.
vs 1-2 Isaac is 137 years old, this is the same age that Abrahams half brother died. Isaac is blind and is unsure of the day of his death, so today is the day to give out the family blessing. Isaac preferred Esau to Jacob, Esau was a hunter and Jacob not so much.
vs 3-4 Isaac seems to be proud of how Esau has grown into a strong man, that can fend for himself. I think it is the stark contrast between Esau and Jacob that motivates this request. Jacob could not fulfill this request. Isaac has set requirements to be met prior to his giving the blessing. The giving of the blessing to Esau is against the word of God that was given to Rebekah prior to the twins birth. Isaac is seeking to subvert that will. This never ends well. Parental favoritism also ends badly.
vs 3-4 Isaac seems to be proud of how Esau has grown into a strong man, that can fend for himself. I think it is the stark contrast between Esau and Jacob that motivates this request. Jacob could not fulfill this request. Isaac has set requirements to be met prior to his giving the blessing. The giving of the blessing to Esau is against the word of God that was given to Rebekah prior to the twins birth. Isaac is seeking to subvert that will. This never ends well. Parental favoritism also ends badly.
JACOB AND REBEKAH PLOT TO DECIEVE ISAAC
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. 6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 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: 10 and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 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. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 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: 16 and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17 and she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
JACOB RECIEVES BLESSING
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? 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. 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. 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. 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. 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. 24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 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. 26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 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: 28 therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 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.
vs 18 Isaac does not recognize Jacob as Esau, the deception is in question.
vs 19 Jacob's first lie to his father, is to declare himself as Esau. Then he qualifies that lie with being the firstborn. To add creditability to the statement, he uses the information that Rebekah has gained by eavesdropping. First lie is to represent himself as Esau, second lie is to declare he is entitled to the blessing because he is the firstborn. Third lie is that he had done what Isaac requested he do to receive the blessing.
vs 20 This lie is the worst one that Jacob will tell. Jacob implies that God blessed his hunting so he could return quickly. This is the lie that may have been the most influential. Even though Jacob was to receive the blessing according to Gods word, it is how Jacob and Rebeckah go about it that will cause Jacob so much difficulty in the future. I believe it is this lie that Jacob will suffer the consequences for.
vs 21 Isaac may be blind, he is not dumb. All the words coming out of Jacobs mouth are right, but the voice is Jacob's, not Esau's.
Isaac will attempt to use all of his remaining senses to confirm the identity of the one seeking the blessing.
vs 22 It was not only the voice of Jacob, but the words also. I believe the speech and word choice would have been different. Perhaps Esau's familiarity with Isaac would have been a completely different conversation when entering Isaac's room after returning from hunting. Rebekah has prepared for this test and her deception is convincing enough to calm Isaac. Esau must have been very hairy.
vs 23 Isaac in a sense, has held a trial, and based on the evidence, he concludes that he cannot disqualify this son as being Esau. The deception complete, God's word once again fulfilled, albeit not in the way that it could have been fulfilled had they waited on the Lord.
vs 24 Even with all the evidence in, Isaac will require one more lie from Jacob. With the declaration that he is Esau, Jacob will not speak again until after the blessing is done.
vs 25 Isaac is now mostly convinced, however he requires proof that the meal is that of Esau. This is where Rebekah's skill comes into play and further the deception.
vs 26 The deception is delivered with a kiss. The kiss symbolizes submission the father. This kiss is in stark contrast to submission since it is a lie meant to deceive. Jacob is not submitting but subverting the will of Isaac.
vs 27 Jacob is dressed in Esau's clothes and they smell like an old goat. Isaac has received yet another validation that this is Esau. Isaac has used all of his remaining senses to decern that this is indeed Esau. He can't see him, but he can hear him, and this is the most troubling. He can touch him, and he feels like Esau, he can taste the food that was prepared for him and that tastes like Esau made it. Finally he can smell him and he smells like Esau. That is it, he has been deceived and will give Jacob his blessing.
vs 28 Back in verse 20 Jacob refers to Isaac's God. Jacob sees God as the God of Isaac, perhaps not his God. Each of us will make a decision in our lives to believe or not. Saying that you will not decide is a decision. In this verse the God of Isaac is the one that will provide all that Isaac is declaring in his blessing. The blessing is for bountiful harvests. God has blessed Isaac, he is the patriarch of a large number of people, powerful in the land they dwell. If Jacob is to continue he will require God to provide.
vs 29 Jacob will be head of the line of Isaac and in the line of salvation. He has subverted Isaac's will to bless Esau, and fulfilled the word of God to Rebekah. All will be subject to Jacob, even his elder brother. We must not miss that Isaac would have subverted God's word to Rebekah had he blessed Esau.
vs 19 Jacob's first lie to his father, is to declare himself as Esau. Then he qualifies that lie with being the firstborn. To add creditability to the statement, he uses the information that Rebekah has gained by eavesdropping. First lie is to represent himself as Esau, second lie is to declare he is entitled to the blessing because he is the firstborn. Third lie is that he had done what Isaac requested he do to receive the blessing.
vs 20 This lie is the worst one that Jacob will tell. Jacob implies that God blessed his hunting so he could return quickly. This is the lie that may have been the most influential. Even though Jacob was to receive the blessing according to Gods word, it is how Jacob and Rebeckah go about it that will cause Jacob so much difficulty in the future. I believe it is this lie that Jacob will suffer the consequences for.
vs 21 Isaac may be blind, he is not dumb. All the words coming out of Jacobs mouth are right, but the voice is Jacob's, not Esau's.
Isaac will attempt to use all of his remaining senses to confirm the identity of the one seeking the blessing.
vs 22 It was not only the voice of Jacob, but the words also. I believe the speech and word choice would have been different. Perhaps Esau's familiarity with Isaac would have been a completely different conversation when entering Isaac's room after returning from hunting. Rebekah has prepared for this test and her deception is convincing enough to calm Isaac. Esau must have been very hairy.
vs 23 Isaac in a sense, has held a trial, and based on the evidence, he concludes that he cannot disqualify this son as being Esau. The deception complete, God's word once again fulfilled, albeit not in the way that it could have been fulfilled had they waited on the Lord.
vs 24 Even with all the evidence in, Isaac will require one more lie from Jacob. With the declaration that he is Esau, Jacob will not speak again until after the blessing is done.
vs 25 Isaac is now mostly convinced, however he requires proof that the meal is that of Esau. This is where Rebekah's skill comes into play and further the deception.
vs 26 The deception is delivered with a kiss. The kiss symbolizes submission the father. This kiss is in stark contrast to submission since it is a lie meant to deceive. Jacob is not submitting but subverting the will of Isaac.
vs 27 Jacob is dressed in Esau's clothes and they smell like an old goat. Isaac has received yet another validation that this is Esau. Isaac has used all of his remaining senses to decern that this is indeed Esau. He can't see him, but he can hear him, and this is the most troubling. He can touch him, and he feels like Esau, he can taste the food that was prepared for him and that tastes like Esau made it. Finally he can smell him and he smells like Esau. That is it, he has been deceived and will give Jacob his blessing.
vs 28 Back in verse 20 Jacob refers to Isaac's God. Jacob sees God as the God of Isaac, perhaps not his God. Each of us will make a decision in our lives to believe or not. Saying that you will not decide is a decision. In this verse the God of Isaac is the one that will provide all that Isaac is declaring in his blessing. The blessing is for bountiful harvests. God has blessed Isaac, he is the patriarch of a large number of people, powerful in the land they dwell. If Jacob is to continue he will require God to provide.
vs 29 Jacob will be head of the line of Isaac and in the line of salvation. He has subverted Isaac's will to bless Esau, and fulfilled the word of God to Rebekah. All will be subject to Jacob, even his elder brother. We must not miss that Isaac would have subverted God's word to Rebekah had he blessed Esau.
ISAAC AND ESAU DISCOVER WHAT JACOB HAS DONE
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. 32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. 33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. 34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. 35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? 38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40 and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
vs 30-31 Jacob gets out quick. Esau comes in from hunting, prepares the meal and goes into Isaac to receive the blessing.
vs 32 The lie is uncovered.
vs 33 Isaac was very upset and questioned how this could happen.
vs 34 Esau understands the importance of what has happened while he has been out hunting, and cries at his loss. He asks if there is anything left for him. Esau must be remembering that he despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob for a meal.
vs 35 Jacob lied to Isaac to steal the blessing. Even so the blessing could not be altered. Had Esau not sold his birthright to Jacob perhaps something could have been done.
vs 36
vs 32 The lie is uncovered.
vs 33 Isaac was very upset and questioned how this could happen.
vs 34 Esau understands the importance of what has happened while he has been out hunting, and cries at his loss. He asks if there is anything left for him. Esau must be remembering that he despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob for a meal.
vs 35 Jacob lied to Isaac to steal the blessing. Even so the blessing could not be altered. Had Esau not sold his birthright to Jacob perhaps something could have been done.
vs 36
JACOB TO GO TO HARAN
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. 42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44 and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; 45 until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?