Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
Gen. 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;
Gen. 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.
As I read this chapter, I wish I knew more about some of the customs of that time. Isaac is old and blind, and he knows that his death must be soon. (He was wrong. He was still alive when Jacob came back home. v25:27) So he calls Esau to him and tells him to go hunting for some wild game. Then he is to prepare the meat in the way his father likes and bring it to Isaac to eat. Then he would give Esau his blessing.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
Gen. 27:7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.
Gen. 27:8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
Gen. 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:
Gen. 27:10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
Rebekah heard what Isaac told Esau. After Esau left, Rebekah told Jacob what had happened. Remember, God had told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger, so she decided to do her part to make that happen. (Why is it we always think God needs our help?) She sent Jacob to get two young goats so she could prepare some food for Isaac just as he like it. Then Jacob was to take it in to his father and receive the blessing.
Gen. 27:11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
Gen. 27:14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
Jacob and Esau were quite different; Esau was very hairy and Jacob’s skin was smooth. Jacob was afraid his father would touch him and realize he was being tricked and then curse Jacob. So Rebekah told him the curse would be on her—just do as she asked. Jacob obeyed his mother, and Rebekah cooked the meat just right.
These people had respect for the spoken word. The blessing of the father was binding (cf 27:33 & 37), and they evidently believed a curse would be as well. Rebekah told Jacob that the curse would be on her, and that seemed to be what they believed would happen if such a curse were uttered.
Gen. 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:
Gen. 27:16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
Gen. 27:17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
Gen. 27:18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
Gen. 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.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
Gen. 27:24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
Rebekah put some of Esau’s best clothes on Jacob and covered his hands and neck with goatskins. She gave Jacob the food and bread she had made, and he went in to serve his father. Then comes Jacob’s first lie (at least on this occasion). As he announces himself, Isaac asks who is there. Jacob claims that he is Esau. Lie #2—I have done what you asked me to do. Then Jacob asks Isaac to eat so that he may receive his blessing. Isaac is a bit suspicious I think. He wonders how his son had found game so quickly. Lie #3—“the Lord thy God brought it to me.”
It seems that Isaac has been a bit more slack in training his sons than Abraham had been in training him. They knew his God was special to their father, but I’m not sure how much they felt that He was their God too. Jacob certainly didn’t seem to fear repercussion from the Lord for his lies—he only feared his father’s curse.
Still not convinced that it is Esau, Isaac asks for him to come close so that he can touch him. As he touched him, he admits his suspicion—“The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Then he asks point blank—Are you Esau? Lie #4—Jacob says, “I am.”
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
Gen. 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:
Gen. 27:28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
Gen. 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.
So Jacob gave his father the food and wine; Isaac ate—then he gave his blessing. First, he asked his son to come and kiss him. Jacob did and with the smell of Esau’s clothes fresh in his nostrils, Isaac blessed his son. He asked God’s blessing for an abundance of grain and new wine. He asked that nations would bow down to him and serve him. He gave him authority over his brothers. He asked that those who cursed him would be cursed and those who blessed him would be blessed.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
Gen. 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.
Jacob left his father and Esau returned from hunting. He prepared the food and took it to his father and asked him to sit up and eat so he could give his blessing. Isaac immediately asked who he was, and Esau told him. Isaac “trembled very exceedingly” and realized his suspicion had been right.
Interesting thoughts from Henry: “Hebrew scholars tell us the original language is extremely graphic, something like ‘Isaac trembled most excessively with a great trembling.’ Emotions of all sorts overwhelmed him. Anger with Jacob, concern over Esau, grief over Rebekah’s act, resentment at having his own plans thwarted….he quickly came to see that God Himself had spoken to him in judgment and that he had incurred great peril to himself in so ignoring the will of God. He had betrayed the trust of his father Abraham and had practically destroyed his own home, all because of a carnal appetite and adulation of his son’s physical exploits.”
Then another confusing thing—Even though he had blessed Jacob believing he was Esau, the blessing would be on the impostor. Esau was distraught! Even though Isaac is just a man—the sons looked upon this blessing as a “sure thing.” It didn’t matter what the intent of Isaac’s heart was, it mattered to whom the blessing was said.
My head tells me that God’s purpose would have been fulfilled without Rebekah’s interference. (I have lots of thoughts racing around in my head regarding intent vs. action, the power of the spoken word, whether Isaac knew from Rebekah her revelation of the older and younger, etc.) You would think that intent would be more important, but the truth of the matter is that actions produce results/reactions. I guess if Isaac had wanted to be sure he was blessing the right person—especially knowing that once said it could not be taken back—he could have gotten more proof by calling witnesses; he could have been more careful before acting. This blessing must have been recognized as a privilege granted by God. A human could not guarantee a blessing humanly bestowed without backing from the LORD. There must have been some understood guidelines for the father’s use of this privilege since Isaac couldn’t “change” it to be Esau’s after he knew he had been deceived. OR – Maybe he knew he couldn’t change it when he remembered (and I assume he was told) what Rebekah had been told about the older serving the younger. Suffice it to say, there are many unanswered questions here.
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
Gen. 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?
Gen. 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?
Gen. 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.
Gen. 27:39 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;
Gen. 27:40 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.
Esau begged for a blessing from his father, but Isaac was firm in stating that the blessing was Jacob’s even though deceitfully gotten (as his name implies). Jacob had succeeded in getting Esau’s birthright and blessing. Esau is desperate for a blessing, but his father has already made Jacob lord over Esau and declared all his relatives his servants; he has also provided richness with grain and new wine. In Isaac’s mind, there was nothing left for him to bestow. Then Esau begged again for just one blessing as he wept. Isaac answered him by declaring that Esau would live by the sword and serve his brother, but would one day throw “his yoke.” He would be his own master.
The huge lesson here is that one should be thoughtful and deliberate in all one’s actions. One should consider future consequences vs. immediate satisfaction and fulfillment. Both Esau (re the birthright) and Isaac (re the blessing) were careless regarding decisions that had such great impact for the future.
Gen. 27:41 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.
From this point on, Esau held a grudge and planned to kill Jacob after a time of mourning the death of Isaac (which was expected soon).
Interesting thoughts from Henry Morris: “There is never a single instance in the Bible of criticism of Jacob (except on the lips of Esau and Laban, both of whom are unworthy witnesses). Every time God spoke to Jacob, it was in a message of blessing and promise, never one of rebuke or chastisement….God’s judgment concerning Jacob is given in chapter 32.
Genesis 32:28 “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
Gen. 27:42 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, purposing to kill thee.
Gen. 27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
Gen. 27:44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away;
Gen. 27:45 Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which 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?
Evidently, Esau was quite vocal about his plan to kill Jacob since the word got back to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him Esau’s plan. She wanted Jacob to run away to her brother, Laban’s, house. He was to stay there until Esau was no longer angry enough to kill—then she would send for him. She obviously thought it wouldn’t have to be for a very long time (vs. 44). (It would be over twenty years.) She loved both her sons. The phrase “why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?” provokes some thought. I know she was thinking that Esau would kill Jacob, but I’m not sure what she was thinking regarding Esau. Was she worried that he would be killed in judgment for killing his brother? Was she protecting the possibility of forming hate in her heart for one son because of his brutality to her favorite son? I don’t know.
As a mother, I can’t imagine having to make that decision. Even when Jason was at his worst, he was loved. There was a time I wanted him out—but only because I was worried about the influence he might have on his sisters, and selfishly it would hurt less not to have to watch him destroy himself. I never considered that he would harm any of us, but I did realize it could take a long time before our relationship could be joyful again. Rebekah was doing her best to protect her family. She also knew that she was really the one to blame, since she was the one with the plan to deceive Isaac in the first place. With Jason—I didn’t feel like I was the root of the problem, but I did wonder what I/we could have done differently that would would have caused him to make better choices, choices that would honor the LORD.
Gen. 27:46 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 are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
Gen. 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Gen. 28:2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.
Gen. 28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Gen. 28:4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
Gen. 28:5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
So Rebekah conceived a plan to get Isaac to send Jacob away. Remember, Esau had two Hittite wives who were a source of grief to his parents. Rebekah let Isaac know that she would rather die than have Jacob marry a Hittite woman. The next thing you know, Isaac is sending Jacob to his maternal grandfather’s house to marry one of the daughters of his uncle Laban. He commanded him not to marry a Canaanite woman. Then he blessed him again and prayed that God would give Jacob and his descendants the blessing of Abraham--that they would possess (from the Hebrew for inherit) the land of Canaan (where they were now considered outsiders). So Jacob went.
By cross-referencing with Genesis 26:34, we know that Jacob was well past 40 at this time.
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….”
Gen. 28:6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
Gen. 28:7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
Gen. 28:8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
Gen. 28:9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Esau heard what had happened, including the fact that Jacob was told not to marry a Canaanite woman. It seems that it was only then that Esau realized how displeased Isaac was with his wives. My guess is that there was enough distance between Esau’s tents and his parents that they didn’t interact daily as a family. When they were together, his parents must have been polite or he would have already known how they felt. So now, he goes and does more wrong in trying to make it right for his parents. He marries the daughter of Ishmael, his father’s half brother—in addition to his other wives.
Gen. 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen. 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen. 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen. 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen. 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen. 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
After looking at the map, it looks like Jacob had a pretty long journey ahead of him; and it appears that he traveled alone. After a long day of walking (I assume), he stopped to sleep, using a stone for a pillow. Then he had a dream. He saw a stairway reaching from the ground to heaven, and angels going up and down it. The LORD was standing at the top. He identified Himself as “the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” It’s interesting that He didn’t identify Himself as the God of Jacob, indicating that Jacob was not yet established as a man of faith.
That makes me pause and really think. If the Lord were to speak to my children, could He identify Himself as the God of their mom? Has my life reflected that truth? I guess this would be a perfect example of intent vs. action. No matter how much I say or desire that to be the truth, I know my actions don’t always reflect that. All I can do is ask you LORD to help me make my actions an unquestioning reflection of You working in and through my life.
Back to the story—then God restated His promise to multiply Jacob’s descendants as the dust of the earth and bless all peoples on earth through him and his offspring. It basically affirms Jacob as heir to the covenant He made with Abraham. He also promises to be with Jacob and bring him back to this land.
I think Jesus was referencing this event when He met Nathanael.
John 1:49–51 “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
He was identifying Himself as The way to heaven and God’s presence. I like the way Michael Card explained it in his book, The Parable of Joy. “Jesus begins to talk about Himself in terms of Jacob’s dream. Jesus, the Son of Man, will be the One upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend. The ladder in the legendary dream of the man of guile is in fact a Person. Jesus’ discreet return to the topic of Jacob calls us back to His description of Nathanael as the 'guileless one.’ What Jesus is saying to Nathanael and the disciples—and to us—is that what Jacob could only dream about, a Way to heaven, has become a reality. Jesus is Jacob’s dream come true!”
Gen. 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen. 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
When Jacob woke up, he was afraid because he felt this was a very special place—maybe the very house of God, the very gateway to heaven.
Henry: “The more we see of God, the more cause we see for holy trembling before him.”
Gen. 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
Gen. 28:19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
Before leaving the next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used for a pillow and placed it as a pillar to mark it as a special place and poured oil on it. Then he named it Bethel. I thought it was very interesting that, according to the map, this place appears to be pretty close to Jerusalem. Wonder if this “certain place” (vs 11) could be the location of the temple, the holy of holies? I’ve never heard it talked about, but I’m sure it’s been studied by someone. I decided to do some research and found that there was a rabbinic tradition connecting the location of Jacob’s dream with the site of Abraham’s intent to sacrifice Isaac and the location of the temple. One site made reference to its possible connection to the location of Ezekiel’s temple.
Gen. 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
Gen. 28:21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
Gen. 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
So Jacob made a vow that if God would watch over him on his journey and provide him with food and clothes and return him safely to his father’s home, THEN the LORD would be his God, this stone would mark God’s house (a place of worship), and he would give God back a tenth of all that God gives him. I can’t help but wonder “how” he would give God a tenth. There was no temple at that time.
Henry: “Jacob’s piety, and his regard to God, appear in what he desired, that God would be with him, and keep him. We need desire no more to make us easy and happy.”
In my mind there are still many unanswered questions! It’s like the more you read in the scripture and really try to understand, the more truth you discover about God and His love for us; but then Satan always attacks with thoughts on other things that are confusing and left unanswered. I think this past week I’ve just been hiding out so I wouldn’t have to confront these questions and feel like such an ungrateful, wicked person for always having questioning thoughts. I’m so grateful that His love for me is unconditional. My heart’s desire is to be what He wants me to be, where He wants me, when He wants every minute of my life. But my biggest enemy in achieving this desire is me! LORD, I need you to give me a simple childlike faith. Satan knows my weaknesses too well. I don’t want to question. I just want a simple, unwavering faith that is reflected in my life.