Genesis 26:34-27:46

Jacob Have I Hated

June 16, 2013

Lynchburg, Virginia

EXORDIUM

         The Word of God should lead us, not our own desires, the cultural expectations, or what we simply think is best. When the Word is clear, we must obey. 

In this chapter, we see that Isaac has grown old. His senses are weak. He is blind and his sense of touch and smell are weakened. He hears okay but is reduced enough to not believe his ears.

Isaac was about to sin against the command of God. His wife, Rebekah, had her eyes upon God’s covenant promises and hatches a plot to keep Isaac from forfeiting God’s blessing.

We can see from the narrative in this chapter and the next that Rebekah’s plan worked and that Isaac came to his senses.

Rebekah and Jacob are often condemned for this plot. Remember that Jacob obeys his mother here. Remember also that if the plot fails and Isaac issues a curse to Jacob instead of a blessing, that Rebekah is willing for the curse to fall upon her and not Jacob. 

Given the level of deception to secure this blessing, it is also clear that Isaac could have reversed his action. He could have said, “Let the blessing I gave to Jacob not fall upon Esau and let Jacob, the deceiver be accursed.” He does not do this. Why? Because he realized that Rebekah and Jacob were right and that his blessing was rightly placed on Jacob and not on Esau.

         So, does the end justify the means? Does the outcome of bringing Isaac to his senses, negate the deceit of Rebekah and Jacob towards Isaac? I don’t think it should be looked at in that way. This was an extreme measure to keep Isaac from crossing God. The text does not give us more details about the prior conversations of Rebekah and Isaac about which of the sons should be the son of promise, but her actions reveal that she thought she had no other options.

          Can you imagine a modern day example for a moment? Imagine a family with a vast estate. They have thousands of acres, many thousands of cattle, hundreds of employees and a billion dollars in the bank. They have two sons, one a wastrel and insolent towards his parents and the blessings of his life. The other has paid attention to his mother, who manages the estate, and has a keen eye towards the management of flocks and herds. The father connects to the wastrel and the mother to the faithful son. She knows that the older son would destroy them. What should she do? The father will not hear her mind in the matter even though he knows his wastrel son will destroy all they have built. Such a woman might take extreme measures to protect the property from such a son.  And she would be right to do so.

EXEGESIS

Genesis 26:34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: ³⁵ Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Esau is not such a son that would seek to bring joy to his parents in his choice of a spouse. He is a stomach thinker, thinking by his appetites. This is also true in his choice of women. He desires and he takes, with no thought of the negative outcome.

A grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah- Young people, think about this. Is your choice of spouse, or even a boyfriend or girlfriend a grief of mind to your parents? This is grief of mind is here listed as a very negative thing. Moses is condemning Esau for bringing grief to his parents.

Children, do you desire to bring joy to your parents or grief? If joy, then do those things and associate with those people that you know will please your parents.

27And 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 amI. 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 somevenison; ⁴ And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring itto me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

Isaac was old and blind in more ways than one. Jacob was chosen by God, even in the womb of his mother. Isaac knew this. It may be said that Jacob stole Esau’s blessing but it also true that Isaac attempted to steal Jacob’s blessing.

Genesis 25:23

²³ And the Lordsaid unto her,

Two nations arein thy womb,

And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;

And the onepeople shall be stronger than the otherpeople;

And the elder shall serve the younger.^[1]

⁵ And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt forvenison, andto bring it.

Remember that previously Esau had proved himself to be a stomach thinker. He sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. Furthermore, Isaac loved Esau because Esau provided venison for him. There are better reasons to love a son. Esau’s knows how Isaac thinks and he both understands and caters to Isaac’s desire.

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 theLordbefore my death. ⁸ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

Rebekah understands that Isaac is about to make a big mistake. The text does not tell us but we wonder if they have already had discussions about which son should be heir of promise. We know that Isaac and Rebekah were grieved by Esau’s choices but there is not accountability for him. Isaac will still give the chief blessing to Esau and not to the son chosen by God.

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 itto thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

Rebekah hatches a plot to deceive Isaac to make him think that Esau has come for the blessing.

 ¹¹ And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother isa hairy man, and I ama 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.

Jacob is nervous about the plot, that Isaac may discover their cunning and curse him rather than bless him.

 ¹³ And his mother said unto him, Upon me bethy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

Rebekah takes the responsibility upon herself. If Isaac finds us out, I will be the one held accountable. If there is a curse, let if fall on me and not you.

 ¹⁴ And he went, and fetched, and brought themto his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. ¹⁵ And Rebekah took ^lgoodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which werewith 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.

So Jacob fetches savory meat and Rebekah dresses him up in animal skins so that he appears like his hairy brother, Esau.

The Plot Thickens

¹⁸ And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here amI; who artthou, my son? ¹⁹ And Jacob said unto his father, I amEsau 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.

Jacob is now all in. He not only fixes savory meat and puts on the deceiving garments but answers to the name Esau. 

What is going on here? Remember that Esau has sold his birthright. He has sold the blessing of his name to his brother Jacob. He despised his birthright when food was more important and now Jacob has his name when it is all important.

²⁰ And Isaac said unto his son, How is itthat thou hast found itso quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lordthy God brought itto me.

Because it was in the corral! It may be implied that Jacob is putting himself forward as mighty hunter, one who could so quickly procure wild game. Jacob did not kill the wild game but it is true that God provided the meat.

 ²¹ And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou bemy very son Esau or not. ²² And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice isJacob’s voice, but the hands arethe 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, Artthou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 

Isaac is clearly greatly diminished. Not only is his eyesight bad but also his sensibility. It is almost as if he is willing to be deceived. The voice is Jacob’s but the hands are Esau. The costume Rebekah put on Jacob must have been a good one. Rebekah at least believed that she could easily deceive Isaac in this manner.

Isaac directly asks Jacob if he is Esau and Jacob says he is Esau. Keep in mind that Jacob is Esau. Esau was the firstborn but he gave up that right to Jacob. Thus, Jacob became Esau regarding the birthright and the blessing of the eldest son.

²⁵ And he said, Bring itnear to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought itnear 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 isas the smell of a field which the Lordhath 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 beevery one that curseth thee,

And blessed behe that blesseth thee.

Isaac makes Jacob lord over his brethren. He gives him the fatness of the earth, corn and wine. Those who bless Jacob will be blessed and those that curse him will be cursed.

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 artthou? And he said, I amthy son, thy firstborn Esau.

Esau, said, “I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau.” This was no longer true. He is the son of Isaac but no longer the firstborn.

 ³³ And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where ishe that hath taken venison, and brought itme, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, andhe 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, evenme also, O my father.

Esau gave a great and exceeding bitter cry. This is the same Esau who despised his birthright. He now despises his brother. There are great consequences for being young and foolish.

 ³⁵ And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 

Subtilty here is the word for deception. Isaac says that Jacob deceived him into blessing him. Remember that the entire plot was the doing of Rebekah. Isaac says that Jacob took away the blessing meant for Esau but that is not strictly true. Esau through that blessing away, despising his birthright. 

What is going on here? He presumed too much upon the position he thought his father had for him. He thought it was safe no matter what he did. He was wrong. When he sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage, he showed that he despised his father, as well.

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?

Esau says that Jacob supplanted him these two times, taking both his birthright and his blessing. In fact, the two things are one and the same. The blessing is for the rightful heir, who is Jacob. Like Isaac, who was the son of promise, Jacob is the son of promise. Esau is the son of the flesh and shall not inherit the promises.

 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, evenme 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.

Isaac’s prophesies concerning Esau.

         It seems that Isaac has come to his senses. He realizes that God has chosen Jacob and not Esau. Esau will serve Jacob, will be second to him. 

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.

Jacob Have I Hated- Esau’s true nature and intention is shown here. He is not an honorable son. He does not obey the voice and command of his mother and father. Even before his father is dead, Esau is hatching a plot to kill his brother. He is like Cain who slew his righteous brother.

 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, purposingto 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 thatwhich 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?

After hatching the plot for Jacob to recognized as the heir of promise, Rebekah realizes that Esau will kill Jacob when Isaac dies. So, she sends him away to her brother to find a wife. 

 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 areof the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?^[2]

Rebekah was tormented because of the choice of spouses of Esau. They were not a good influence on him. He did not lead them in the way of righteousness. She has lost one son to them and will not lose another. Like Abraham before her, she is unwilling for her son to marry one of the daughters of the land. In order to receive the promise, he must marry well. So, off he goes.

EXHORTATION

         Hebrews 12:¹⁶ Lest there beany fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no ^vplace of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.^[3]

         A good father listens to the counsel of his wife.

         A good father holds his son accountable.

         A good father pays attention to his sons. 

A good father understands his sons’ dealings as well as their character.

         A good father comes to his senses.

         A good father desires a good match for his son.

         A good father blesses his sons.

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^[1]The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 25:23.

^[2]The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 26:34–27:46.

^[3]The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Heb 12:16–17.