Site Search Engine

JACOB DECEIVES ISAAC

Chapter 27

God had announced to Isaac that Esau would serve Jacob (Chapter 25:23) and Jacob had acquired Esau´s birthright (chapter 25:33); in this chapter, we see how Jacob deceived Isaac in order to ensure that he would be blessed by him .

Generally speaking, blessings consist in expressing wishes for good things for others or, better still, an intercession to God on their behalf. Nobody has the power to improve the future of another by blessing him, or to make it worse with his curse: only God has that power to do this. However, God used His servants the prophets generally, in the past, to convey his message of blessing and curse; the LORD also separated Aaron of the tribe of Levi and his descendants to bless the children of Israel in His name (Deuteronomy 10:8) and gave them the exact words, consisting in an intercession for the LORD to be favourable to them (Numbers 6:23-27).

The blessing of Isaac, in this case, only would be valid if it came from God. Even to his father Abraham, God promised, "I will bless those who bless you (wish you well) and curse those who curse you (want you ill)... "(Chapter 12:3): never "bless them that bless you."

Isaac was very old, about 135 years of age, and his two sons 75 - he was blind, probably with cataracts. Without waiting for direction from God, and without regard to what God had told him, mistakenly believing he was dying (he would live another 45 years until he was 180), he decided to bless his favourite son, Esau, making him his heir.

As Isaac enjoyed eating game meat, he asked Esau to go hunting and make some savoury food for him, after which he would bless him.

Rebekah listened to the conversation, and immediately called Jacob, told him what she had heard, and ordered him to go to the flock and bring back two choice kids of the goats and she would make of them some savoury food for his father such as he loved.  So far, so good.

But from the response of Jacob we see that the intention was to make blind Isaac think that Jacob was Esau, because Isaac did not intend to bless Jacob on this occasion. Like his mother, Jacob seemed to be quite willing to deceive his father, but was worried at the possibility of being caught in the act.

Jacob reminded his mother that he was smooth-skinned, while Esau was hairy, and his father would find out the difference and curse him for what he was doing. Rebekah solved this problem by placing the skins of the kids of the goats on the hands and neck of Jacob and making him wear the best clothes of Esau. Rebekah took full responsibility upon herself for any curse if the deception was discovered.

(Continues below)

 

 

 

 

 

When the tasty food was ready, Jacob presented himself to his father as being Esau.

Isaac was suspicious: first because of the speed, but Jacob explained that the LORD God of Isaac, had sent the game to him (another lie!); and secondly, because the voice was Jacob’s, but when he felt the hairy kid’s skin and the smell of Esau’s clothes he was persuaded that it was Esau.

(Continues below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After eating and drinking, Isaac blessed his son (not mentioning his name, so it was valid for  Jacob), willing that the LORD might give him prosperity, the service of peoples and the reverence of nations, mastery over his brothers and also reverence from them, that everyone who cursed him be cursed and that those who blessed him be blessed. This was different from the blessing that God had given him (chapter 26:2-5, 24), being therefore a blessing suitable for a rich and independent farmer, as he was, to pronounce on his heir (the right to which Jacob had already obtained from Esau).

 

 

 

 

Soon after Jacob left, Esau came with his game, made the savoury food (no one had told him anything) and took it to his father, asking him to eat and bless him.

Isaac then discovered that he had been tricked, but could do nothing: he could not go back on his word! He then probably realized that, inadvertently, he had done the right thing. Esau felt cheated of his right to the blessing that his father wanted to give him, and was very bitter. Nevertheless, he still implored Isaac to bless him.

(Continues below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems that Isaac had not thought of reserving anything for Jacob, for his blessing was his will, leaving to the heir the lordship over the entire family and property. It was all left to Jacob now, and there was nothing left for Esau. But Isaac loved Esau very much, and seeing him weep, he blessed him in the best way he now could: his words suggest that the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, would live in desert places, would be warriors, would be subject to the Israelites, but would one day rebel against this rule. This latter prophecy was fulfilled in the reign of Joram, King of Judah (2Kings 8:20-22).

 

 

As a result Esau decided to kill Jacob as soon as Isaac died.

Rebekah discovered what Esau wanted to do; she called Jacob and told him to leave the house and go to Haran to stay with her brother Laban for a few days, until Esau’s wrath had passed away. She would then send for him to come back.

She justified the departure of Jacob to Isaac with the fact that he needed to find a wife for himself, and he must not seek one among the Canaanites: she was annoyed with the two Canaanite wives of Esau, and did not want Jacob to add another!

Through this trickery, Jacob received the blessing he wanted, but some of the consequences were painful for him:

• After he left, we read nothing more about Rebekah, except that she was buried in the cave of Machpelah (Chapter 49:31). Maybe they never met again.
• Esau was furious that he planned to kill him, forcing him to flee from home.
• He was deceived in turn by his uncle Laban, and was forced to work for him for 20 years.
• His sons fought among themselves.
• Esau gave rise to an enemy nation.
• Jacob stayed in exile for many years.

R David Jones

1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am."
2 Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.
4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
7 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.
9 Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
10 Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death."
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.
12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing."
13 But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me."
14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"
19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your 20 But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me."
21 Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
22 So Jacob went near to 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 did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.
24 Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."
25 He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."
27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!"
30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me."
32 And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."
33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, "Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed."
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me—me also, O my father!"
35 But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing."
36 And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"
37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?"
38 And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck."
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
44 And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away,
45 until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved 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 takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"

Genesis chapter 27