Do you ever find a situation where absolutely everybody does the wrong thing - and yet God still gets His way? That’s what we find in Genesis 27. Everyone - Isaac, Essau, Jacob, and Rebekah - all have plans they want hatched and so they go about trying to maneuver God’s blessing to their benefit.
In the end, though, God gets His way - just as He does in our life as well. The difference is, when you work against God you get burned, when you work with Him you get blessed.
Verses 1 - 4
This would have been like going out to a fancy restaurant. Isaac was frail but he wasn’t dieing - that didn’t happen for many more years.
Normally, a parent would have called all the kids together for the patriarchal blessing. This is not the same as the material inheritance or the birthright - nor is it the same as the covenant blessing. The patriarchal blessing was taken very seriously, though. And so did God - whomever Isaac blessed would be blessed.
It’s possible that given the grief Essau was causing Isaac led Isaac to bless Essau then send him away as Abraham did with the children of his other wife Keturah (chapter 25). Essau’s marriage to the Hittite women caused "grief" at the end of Chapter 26. Is it possible that Rebekah’s interference may have actually undid something that would have ended up being positive for her and Jacob?
Verses 5 - 10
Jacob exploits Isaac’s vulnerabilities and dulled senses (how else could you make goat taste like venison and goat hair feel like human hair and make Jacob sound like Essau?). Jacob is good at taking advantage of his relatives weak senses - Essau’s hunger and Isaac’s blindness.
Rebekah is no doubt remembering what God told her while the boys were still in the womb - namely that the older would serve the younger. She is thinking "oh no, God’s prophecy is going to fail if I don’t act!"
Verse 11- 13
Jacob seems reluctant to go along - was it because he was so self-righteous or was it that the scheme seemed doomed to failure?
Rebekah can’t really take the curse upon herself - but she may be talking about the consequences of being found out.
Verses 14 - 17
Rebekah has this all planned out - the costume, the props, even the make-up for this little charade that she wants Jacob to play out. Isn’t it amazing how far we will go to get what we want - especially if we can fool ourselves into thinking it is what God wants too - even if it means we lie and cheat and steal - "as long as I’m doing God’s will then any means will do!" Right.
Verses 18 - 20
You get the idea that although Isaac is blind he’s not dumb. It wouldn’t be normal to step out of the tent and find game standing there waiting to be killed. So Rebekah’s plan lacked a little timing - though they couldn’t chance that Essau might actually get lucky.
So then Jacob makes up an excuse - "oh, God found it for me." When we think we are doing God’s will - even if through our own efforts - it’s amazing how we interpret anything as being "from God." We need to be careful about that.
Verse 21
Isaac isn’t convinced so he wants to touch him.
Verse 22 - 26
Jacob doesn’t do a very good job on the voice of Essau - it shows that the hearing of Isaac is still pretty good - but not good enough, apparently.
So Isaac uses five tests: logic (how did you do it so fast), sound, his word (are you really me son?), and scent. Jacob only fails the voice test.
Notice the similarity of events - Jacob tricks Essau out of the birthright through his cooking - and tricks Isaac out of the blessing through cooking.
Verses 27 - 29
I’m not sure that Jacob would really want the first part of that blessing - to be described as smelling like a field would not be all that wonderful, I would think.
The elements of the blessing are pretty standard - blessings on the land and authority over others. It does hint, however, at the plan that God has for Jacob’s son - Judah, and his descendent, Jesus Christ.
Verses 30 - 31
The plan almost fails - right to the last second. As Jacob is leaving - probably to the strange stairs of Essau - in comes his brother. I wonder if Rebekah didn’t take her time finding the salt to delay Essau just enough.
Verse 32 - 34
I imagine Isaac was pretty shocked as the realization that he’s been hoodwinked dawns on him. To Isaac, the blessing was like a single use coupon - once he’d given it to Jacob that was it.
Shocking I’m sure it was also as Isaac realized that his favoritism towards Essau had backfired. You simply can’t foil God - Isaac was pretty crafty as well as Jacob.
Jacob got what God wanted him to, but by human means (and he’ll pay the price), Isaac didn’t get what God wanted him to have, no matter how hard he tried. It never pays to fool God.
Essau really a blessing too. But what he got was actually a modified curse.
Verses 35 - 40
There is a hint here of how Essau would treat Jacob very shortly - and how Edom would treat Israel in the years to come.
In Numbers 20 Moses wanted to pass through Edom on their way to the Promised Land but the king refused and came out in battle against them. For many years later the Edomites gave Israel trouble - constant friction.
We don’t know if Essau really meant the threat - but Jacob and Rebekah were probably right in heeding it.
Verses 42 - 45
What may have started as Essau getting sent away ends up in Jacob getting sent away - just the first part of the payback that these two received for their plot.
Verse 46
Rebekah uses this ploy to Isaac to get Jacob sent away - it’s a plausible one - and one that God ends up using to have Jacob marry Rachael.
Conclusions
- Everyone made mistakes here:
Isaac: was "senseless" not just physically, but didn’t key in on God’s plan and vision.
Jacob: Thought he could manipulate people to get what he wanted.
Rebekah: Played favorites and ended up losing what she most cherished and getting what she didn’t really want (Essau)
Essau: Had a spirit of rebellion that started with his parents and ended messing his entire life up.
- Don’t try to get God’s will accomplished using your methods
- Just because something is your favorite doesn’t mean it is automatically God’s will
- Don’t let outward circumstances guide your life, but seek to know God and His will.
- Even when you make mistakes, God can use you, so keep serving Him!
For more Bible studies and an audio copy of this message, please visit:
www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org.
