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Genesis 27: 1- 33
Genesis 26 ended with good news and bad news. Jacob was back in
However, his eldest son, Esau, had married two daughters
of the land, "Which were a grief of
mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Chapter 27 jumps ahead in time, and we now see Isaac as an old man. Over the years, Isaac has changed a great deal, but time had not changed his determination to give a double portion of his inheritance to his eldest son. V 1-4 "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. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thus begins what is perhaps one of the saddest chapters in Genesis. Everyone is doing the wrong thing, and especially Isaac is doing the wrong thing. No, Isaac was definitely not a type of Christ in this chapter. And in his latter years, it would have been hard to imagine that his life was once a mirror of the beauties and graces of Christ. Yes, at one point, while he was on
And when Rebekah first saw this young man, he was meditating "in the field at the eventide.” However, things have changed. In fact, throughout his life, Isaac had gone through a series of highs and lows. Faced with the prospect of famine, he had chosen Gerar--and chosen deceit--rather than trusting God for his preservation. However, after years of struggle, he returned to
There he lived a separated life in the presence of the Lord, and in peace with the Philistines. Yes, those were the good days, but now we see an old man, enamoured with the accomplishments of his eldest son, and still set in his ways. Esau could do no wrong. In spite of his foolish choice of heathen wives, and the grief it had caused his parents, he was still Isaac's favourite son. And in spite of God's clear proclamation that "the elder shall serve the younger," Isaac was determined to pass on the double portion, and more importantly the Abrahamic Covenant, to Esau. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sometimes we have been very disappointed as we studied Genesis, and were impressed by the weakness and unreliability of God’s servants. Abraham, that great hero of faith, did not always walk by faith, and, indeed, this was certainly the case with his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. No, Genesis does not glorify the patriarchs’ lives, but faithfully presents them with all their wrinkles and blemishes. However, it is not the Holy Spirit’s purpose to perpetuate the memory of sins that have been blotted out by the grace of God. Their sins have been washed away forever, and they have taken their places with "the spirits of just man made perfect.” But their history still remains on the pages of scripture to demonstrate God's marvellous grace, and as a warning to God's people of all ages. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ So in Genesis 27, we see an old man that has drifted away from the Lord. V 1-2 "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. Isaac is now 137 years old, the same age that his stepbrother Ishmael was when he died. How time flies, doesn't it? So no doubt Isaac thought his life was just about over, but he was wrong. Actually, he lived for another 43 years. And that was not the only thing that he was wrong about. V 2-4 "And
he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Here he was, by his own estimate, standing at the very portal of eternity, with this present world literally fading away, and all he could think of was "savoury meat.” He thought "savoury meat" would put him in the right mood for blessing his son, a blessing, by the way, that was in direct opposition to God’s will. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ As God's patriarch, he had inherited the privilege and the responsibility to bestow the patriarchal blessing on the next generation. And not only did this blessing involve earthly riches, but it also involved the privilege of being in the direct line leading to Christ. However, Isaac wasn't as free to choose as he thought he was. No, God would not allow him to do just what he wanted with His blessing. And certainly Isaac knew, at least in the back of his mind, that God had told Rebekah that "the elder shall serve the younger.” However, in his backslidden condition, he still refused to admit that the blessing belonged to Jacob. He would use his patriarchal authority, which he had
inherited from his father, to bless his favourite son Esau. ---"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."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Now, a good meal is a grand thing, but it was not sufficient for the job ahead. No, this was a spiritual responsibility, and Isaac was operating in the power of the flesh. And if he had actually asked for God's guidance, as he certainly should have, he would have been told that this was the wrong son. He would have been told that he had chosen the wrong man for the wrong reason. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ And now we come to Rebekah. Ladies, do you think it is ever right to deceive your husband? Sometimes they can be real lunkheads, you know. Well, Rebekah thought it was right in certain circumstances. And to be fair, her husband's dogged determination to do the wrong thing certainly contributed to her decision. However, despite the circumstances, she was wrong. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ By nature, Rebekah had always been a quick and decisive person. Years ago she had made a momentous decision without any hesitation, based solely upon the testimony of Abraham's eldest servant. Yes, by nature, she was a clear minded, down to earth, practical, and strong-willed individual. And she had never regretted her decision to marry Isaac. He had given her the love and tenderness that every wife desires. And when they had remained childless for 20 years, Isaac persevered in prayer, entreating "the LORD for his wife.” However, as we have already noted, Isaac had always had his ups and downs, as, of course, his father had. But unlike Abraham, Isaac was a mild mannered individual. Abraham had conquered four kings, while Isaac gave up two wells without a struggle. So this marriage had joined a mild-mannered man and a strong-willed woman in a relationship that God had designed to be led by the man. So was the whole thing a mistake? No, not at all. In fact, their marriage was so carefully directed by God that it is a fitting type of the calling out of a bride for Christ. Remember the beautiful types that we studied back in Chapter 24 when Abraham's eldest servant called out Rebekah to be the bride of Isaac? No, Isaac and Rebekah's marriage was not a mistake. And Isaac's and Rebekah’s personal makeup was not the basis upon which God had built their marriage. Like the calling out of the bride in the first place, God had designed the actual marriage to be a beautiful type of Christ and His church. And did you know that is not really unique? The truth is--every Christian marriage is designed to be a type of Christ and His church. And because it is, the strengths and weaknesses of the partners involved is not God's blueprint for its structure. God has designed Christian marriage to be a mirror image of the relationship between Christ and His church, and He also designed it that way to preserve the marriage itself. Let's look in Ephesians 5:22-25 where we see this design brought out. "Wives,
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Although these words were not written in Isaac and Rebekah's day, I am quite certain they understood the principles of a godly marriage. However, it was a pattern that went against their very natures, a pattern that, under pressure, they failed to follow. This was first demonstrated in Isaac's failure to protect his wife. Christ gave His very life for the church, but in Gerar,
Isaac relinquished his responsibility lest he "die for her."
No, Isaac certainly wasn't a type of Christ when he said "She is my sister!” And now, in his old age, he was failing in his responsibility to be the spiritual head of his family. So, seeing her husband's backslidden condition, and having lost faith in God's ability to handle the situation, Rebekah decided to take charge in their home. Granted, it was a supreme trial of her faith, and it would have taken a godly woman to keep her place as second in command. However, Rebekah was wrong when she stepped out of the place that God had designed for her in marriage. If she had not stepped across that line and taken advantage of her husband's old age and poor eyesight to deceive him, God would have overruled Isaac’s disobedience in His own way. Yes, there were many things God could have done to accomplish His own will without Rebekah's help. For instance, He could have chased away all the deer, and sent Esau home as empty-handed as he had been when he sold his birthright. That would have put a spoke in Isaac's wheel, wouldn’t it? Or He could have appeared to Isaac and simply commanded him to abide by His wishes. God had done that in his father's case when Abraham had been obliged to send Ishmael away. Or He could have taken over Isaac's will completely, and caused him to give the blessing to Jacob. There is at least one incident in scripture where God did that: Caiaphas was an evil man and an enemy of Jesus Christ, but he was also God's high priest. However, in spite of the man's personal character, and because of his divine office, God overruled his very being and spoke through him. We see that in John 11: 49-51 "And
one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto
them, Ye know nothing at all, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ So although God honours His appointed positions, He will never allow man to tie His hands. And even though Isaac was God's patriarch, He would have never allowed him to give Esau a blessing that belonged to Jacob. He had said "the elder shall serve the younger," and that's the way it would be. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ But as far as Rebekah was concerned, God was cutting it too close. So ignoring God's promise and her God-given position in the home, she flew into action. And as a result, the trial that God had provided to increase her faith and obedience became her downfall. Oh, she wanted the right thing, but she went about it the wrong way. V 5-10 "And
Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to
hunt for venison, and to bring it. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ----"And
Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to
Esau his son."
That's the problem with tents. The walls are too thin. But was that the real problem? If Isaac had lived in a regular house instead of a tent, would Rebekah have kept her nose out of God's business and everything would have turned out all right? No, I don't think the tent was the problem anymore than the forbidden fruit was the problem in the Garden of Eden. The problem wasn't Isaac’s dwelling. It was the people living in it. As far as Rebekah was concerned, she had persuaded
herself that it was OK to deceive her husband, and she even used her parental
authority to bring her son into the plot---"my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee."
Well, she had to do something, didn't she? Isaac was disobeying God. No, two wrongs don't make a right. Oh course her plan worked, but that wasn't the point. It had always been God's purpose to bless Jacob, so it would have happened anyway. However, if it had been done God’s way, the result would have been quite different. As it was, Rebekah paid a tremendous price for doing it her way. Her beloved Jacob would soon be fleeing for his life. At the time, she consoled herself by saying, he will only be away for "a few days." But the "few days" became a year, and then seven years, and finally 20 years. In fact, she was still waiting for her son to come home when she died. And the saddest part of this whole affair was--there was no need for her deception at all. However, just as Abraham and Sarah had tried to help God and produced everlasting strife, so Rebekah, under extreme pressure, made the same mistake her husband had in Gerar. She chose deception rather than God. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I remember the words of a godly old Baptist minister of my acquaintance by the name of John McVicar Dodds. He said something that at the time seemed surprisingly simple, you might say even obvious, and yet it was deeply profound. While illustrating a point in his sermon, he said, "It is never right to do wrong. It's never right to do wrong." Rebekah wanted the right thing, but she was wrong. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ And Jacob was wrong also. In his own devious away, he had set his affections on things above. And this wasn't the first time he had used a good motive to excuse a wrongdoing. He had started down that crooked path when he had taken advantage of his brother’s hunger to obtain the birthright. His little scheme had been quite successful, so it wasn't hard to go along with his mother's plan. And his mother had put pressure on him by saying, "My son, obey my voice according to that
which I command thee."
However, I don't think Jacob was as much a victim as he was a willing partner. In fact, when his mother presented her plan to him, his only objection was that he might get caught. V 11-12 "And
Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I
am a smooth man: No, he was not so much concerned that he would be a deceiver, only that he might seem to be a deceiver. V 13 "And
his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my
son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them."
Rebekah's words were rather chilling. They were so similar to the Jews’ words to Pilot: "---His blood be on
us, and on our children."
Yes, Rebekah was determined to get what she wanted at any cost. Jacob, "obey my voice." If things go wrong, I'll take the consequences. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ So was it OK to obey his mother's orders? Did her parental command relieve him of all responsibility for his actions? No, Jacob was a big boy now, and it is never right to do wrong. He could no more avoid the consequences of his actions than Pilot could wash his hands of his part in Jesus’ death. But Jacob, who was so much like his mother, accepted her assurance of safety, and jumped in with both feet. V 14-15 "And
he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made
savoury meat, such as his father loved. Rebekah was a very resourceful woman in her own way, and probably Jacob was rather proud of her clever deception. Yes, she knew exactly how to deceive her husband. With her skill at cooking, she could make goat meat taste exactly like venison. I bet Rebekah never had any trouble getting rid of leftovers in her house. So with her cooking abilities, she was able to deceive her husband's sense of taste. And using the skins of the same goats she had fixed for his supper, she deceived his sense of touch. Then, of course, there was the problem of his sense of smell. That was easily solved by giving Jacob some of Esau's clothes. One wonders, since Esau was married, why he had left some clothing at his mother's home? Maybe he wanted her to mend them or have a button sewn on. I wonder if he ever caught on that his mother was even better at meddling than she was at mending? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ But now it was Jacob’s turn. If this deception was going to work, he would have to do his part. His mother had prepared the external lie, but he must provide the internal lie. He must be the one with the lying tongue. So, dressed in Esau's clothes, and with a dish of spiced up goat meat in his hands, Jacob set off to deceive his old dad. V 18-24 "And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am
I; who art thou, my son? His father said, "Who art thou, my son?" And the lies came thick and fast. "I am Esau." That was lie number one, quickly followed by lie number two--
"thy firstborn. I have done according as thou badest me."
That was lie number three. And then, giving his poor blind father the bowl of goat meat, he said kindly-- "Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me." Oh, we’re getting pretty good at this, aren’t we? Four lies in a single breath! And when his father asked him how he had gotten the meat
so quickly, he said in a pious tone--"Because
the LORD thy God brought it to me."
What a hypocrite he was to bring God's name into his deceitful scheme. But he had to do it, didn't he? He couldn't have his father thinking he was "a deceiver," at least not until he received the blessing. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Poor old Isaac sensed there was something wrong because the voice sounded like Jacob's voice, but he just couldn't put his finger on the problem. So he did what any carnal man would do. He went by his feelings. V 21-25 "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. Well, he smelled all right, and he felt all right, and this was certainly excellent venison, so on that basis, Isaac discharged his patriarchal blessing. And what a blessing it was! V 26-29 "And
his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. He was to have unlimited prosperity--"the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the
earth, and plenty of corn and wine."
And he was to have unlimited power--"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."
And he was to have God's divine protection-- "Cursed be every one that curseth
thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee."
Of course it was a wonderful blessing. After all, it was God's blessing, and it was the blessing that He had always intended for Jacob. But in his brother’s eyes, Jacob’s deception would always make it a stolen blessing. What a mess we can make of things! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ So, with a sigh of relief, Jacob scurried away, leaving his old father leaning back in his comfortable chair. It had been a good day. Isaac was well fed, complacent, and satisfied with a job well done, pleased, that in spite of his wife's insistence that God wanted it otherwise, he had given the blessing to his favourite son. No doubt he was just nodding off when the tent door
flipped open and Esau cried joyfully---"Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may
bless me."
Esau had been a busy man and a happy man, that is, until
he heard his father’s startled question---“Who
art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn
Esau. No doubt the poor man was shaking like a leaf. And although I'm sure he immediately realized that his youngest son had deceived him, I don't think he was shaking with anger. In fact, you never hear of him reprimanding Jacob for his actions. No, I believe something much more momentous was going on in Isaac's mind. He had suddenly come alive to the spiritual reality that in spite of his stubborn persistence, God had overruled him. No, Isaac was not an angry man. He was a repentant man. He was a man that had suddenly awakened from years of spiritual apathy. And this sudden realization brought forth the words,
"Yea, and he shall be
blessed."
It was a conviction that none of Esau's pleading would be able to shake. Although God had honoured his position by allowing him to pronounce the blessing, He had accomplished His own will. And God will always accomplish His own will. However, in Esau’s eyes, God's perfect ways were now stained by treachery. Rebekah’s little scheme and her son's lies had merely been a fly in the ointment.
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