Genesis 27:1-38

I.               Isaac Plans to Bless Esau (Genesis 27:1-5)

A.     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.

1.      Isaac calls Esau to bless him, even though he is likely well aware of God’s proclamation to Rebekah

§        Genesis 25:23– And the LORD said unto her, Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

§        It is possible that Rebekah never told Isaac of this, but not likely

§        Even though Esau has married foreign wives, given up his birthright and God has clearly chosen Jacob, he remains persistent to bestow the blessing upon Esau rather than Jacob.

2.      Isaac is growing physiologically blind, but he is also blind to the ways of Esau as well as the Will of God.

3.      Has Isaac gone through a sort of falling away?

B.     Genesis 27:2 – And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

1.      According to both Luther and Bollinger, Isaac is estimated to be 137 years old, he lives 43 more years according to 35:28

2.      If this is correct it makes Jacob and Esau are both 77 years old at this point, so in reality this story is not quite the way its been traditionally presented with Isaac and Esau being young men.

C.     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;

1.      weapons – כלי kĕliy, article, vessel, implement, utensil

2.      venison – ציד tsayid, hunting, game

§        literally “fetch me some game”

D.    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.

1.      Isaac thinking of his stomach instead of the Will of God

2.      Esau was 77 years old and still hunting

3.      Isaac is under the impression that he doesn’t have much longer to live

4.      Esau didn’t mention to Isaac that he had sold Jacob his birthright and the blessing that was part of it should go to Jacob

E.     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].

1.      Rebekah was listening in.  Why was Rebekah listening to what Isaac was discussing with his 77 year old son?

II.            Rebekah Forms a Plot (Genesis 27:6 – 17)

A.     Genesis 27:6 – And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

1.      Rebekah gets involved in something that doesn’t involve her

2.      Rebekah’s age is not given in scripture, but if we assume she was at least 15 when she married Isaac she would have been 35 when the boys were born.  That makes her at least 112 years old here, so she’s no spring chicken. (much too old to resort to these shenanigans)

3.      She still has the haste in her step that was appealing to Abraham’s servant when he went to Haran.

§        Here we can see that sometimes our positive attributes have a corresponding downside

4.      Does the ends justify her means? Wouldn’t the more honorable thing have been to confront Isaac and explain that Esau had both sold the birthright which entitled him to the blessing and married heathen wives which would go against God’s plan of preserving the seed.  Then remind him of what God spoke to her before their birth.

§        We are called to be children of the light and this was a poor example of demonstrating that since Rebekah resorted to the carnal tactics of secrecy and deception

§        Trusting God is sometimes hard, but here is a perfect situation where Isaac most likely would have been swayed to the Will of God without having to deceive him.

§        How often do we resort to these tactics rather than trust in God and be honest and forthright.  Rebekah should know, she was influenced early on by the Holy Spirit to water all of Eliezer’s camels at the mere request for a drink.

§        We vastly underrate the power of the Holy Spirit to move people.

5.      Nevertheless, God allowed Rebekah to act on her own, revealing more of His character and His ability to bring good from evil.

B.     Genesis 27:7 – Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

C.     Genesis 27:8 – Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

1.      Obey – שמע shama`, to hear, listen to, obey

2.      Command – צוה tsavah, to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order

3.      Here Rebekah is abusing her authority over Jacob

D.    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:

1.      Why two? Was a 137 year old man really going to eat two whole goats?  Maybe this is where the term “overkill” came from

2.      Seems that venison tastes much different than goat meat

E.     Genesis 27:10 – And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

F.     Genesis 27:11 – And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man:

G.    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.

1.      Does Jacob seem like a deceiver? Yes, because he IS a deceiver

2.      He is not too worried about the deception part, he is worried about the consequences if he is caught.

H.    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].

1.      What is driving Rebekah that she is willing to take the curse upon herself rather than let Esau receive it over Jacob.

2.      The wives that Esau took may have seemed more disrespectful to Rebekah than to Isaac, since she was the daughter of Bethuel, by not taking one of her brother’s daughters to wife its as if he is disregarding her half of the family.  She wants the blessings not only for herself, but her family as well and Jacob is her best option.

I.       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.

1.      At his age Jacob subordinates himself to his mother

J.      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:

1.      This indicates that Esau was living nearby, where were his wives? Or had she taken these clothes long before with this plan in mind?

2.      Rebekah took Esau’s good clothes what she would expect Esau to where in honor of this special occasion

§        The raiment would mark the social ranking of the wearer, the chief and eldest son would wear a distinctive garment that would set him apart

§        This explains why Jacob in turn provides Joseph with a special raiment or coat of many colors in the future, this would distinguish him from the other brothers.

§        This raiment is no doubt a sacred item and was used as part of the priestly duties, this may be why Esau was considered profane according to Hebrews 12:15. Companion Bible notes to verse 15

§        If this garment was so important why was it left in his mothers house? More evidence that Esau could care less about any of the spiritual things associated with the birthright, only the tangible things.

K.    Genesis 27:16 – And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

1.      Now we see why she wanted to kids, she needed enough skins to cover Jacob with

2.      This shows that Esau was quite hairy, more like wolfman

L.     Genesis 27:17 – And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

1.      Goat meat vs. venison, there seems to be a distinct difference in the taste of these two meats

III.         Jacob Deceives Isaac (Genesis 27:18-29)

A.     Genesis 27:18 – And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I; who [art] thou, my son?

B.     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.

1.      A blatant lie to call himself Esau.

2.      However, he did purchase the birthright so by all accounts he was the firstborn

C.     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.

1.      “Because the Lord thy God…” – this seems very dangerous to invoke God’s name in a deceptive plot

2.      Is this part of God’s plan or is Jacob demonstrating his lack of trust in God.  Remember God proclaimed before their birth that the older will serve the younger, yet Jacob (and Rebekah) take matters into their own hands.

D.    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.

1.      Isaac appears suspicious, he wants to be sure this is Esau

E.     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.

F.     Genesis 27:23 – And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

G.    Genesis 27:24 – And he said, [Art] thou my very son Esau? And he said, I [am].

1.      A second time Jacob lies

H.    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.

I.       Genesis 27:26 – And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

J.      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:

1.      How does Jacob gain acceptance to his father?

§        He comes in the name of the firstborn, the favored son of Isaac

§        He is clothed in the raiment of the firstborn favored son

§        He takes on the characteristics of the firstborn favored son

§        He came with the sacrifice of the firstborn favored son

2.      How do we gain acceptance to our Heavenly Father?

§        We come to him in the name of the firstborn favored Son

§        We are clothed in the garments of the firstborn favored Son

§        We take on the characteristics of the firstborn favored Son

§        We come through the sacrifice of the firstborn favored Son

o       2 Corinthians 2:15 – For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

o       Ephesians 5:2 – And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

K.    Genesis 27:28 – Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

1.      Dew of heaven – plentiful irrigation for crops

2.      Fatness of the earth – good farmland

3.      Plenty of corn and wine

§        Corn – used as a type of abbreviation for all bread and solid food

§        Wine – like Corn used for all liquids

L.     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.

1.      People serve thee

2.      Nations bow down to thee – (Isaiah 49:23) Future event

3.      Lord over thy brethren – Lord over Esau/Edom

4.      Mother’s sons bow down – His mother only has one other son, why is this plural? Does he think He’s going to die and Rebekah remariees and has children at 112 years old? Not sure what this means

5.      Cursed be every one that curseth thee

6.      Blessed be he that blesseth thee

7.      This is not only a blessing but a prophetic message to Jacob about what his descendents will receive.

IV.          Isaac and Esau Discover the Deception (Genesis 27:30-40)

A.     Genesis 27:30 – 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.

1.      Jacob didn’t stick around

B.     Genesis 27:31 – 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.

C.     Genesis 27:32 – And Isaac his father said unto him, Who [art] thou? And he said, I [am] thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

1.      Here Esau showing up claiming firstborn status when he knows he has already sold it to Jacob

D.    Genesis 27:33 – 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.

1.      Isaac trembled exceedingly, why?

§        Trembled - חרד charad, to tremble, quake, move about, be afraid, be startled, be terrified

2.      Was Isaac trembling in fear because he doesn’t know who it is that he blessed? Or because he realizes God’s will supplanted his will?

§        Could have been that he feared he gave the blessings to a foreigner thus giving away God’s promise to an outsider

§        More likely is that he probably recalls the prophetic word given to Rebekah at the twins’ birth and he is trembling in fear of the Lord because he knows he had other intentions that didn’t align with God’s Will.

E.     Genesis 27:34 – 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.

1.      Even now Esau cries out to his father and not God, Esau never appeals to God

F.     Genesis 27:35 – And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

G.    Genesis 27:36 – 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?

1.      Did Jacob take away Esau’s birthright or blessing? Esau willingly sold his birthright which included the blessing.  He didn’t care for the birthright, but he certainly cared for the material blessing.

H.    Genesis 27:37 – 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?

1.      Brethren - אח 'ach, brother, can mean: relative, kinship, same tribe

I.       Genesis 27:38 – 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.

1.      Esau desperately wanted the blessing, but willingly gave up the birthright.

2.      Didn’t care for the spiritual things, but craved the physical things associated with the blessing