Genesis Chapter Twenty-Seven
Read Genesis 27:1-5 – Isaac Sends Esau for Venison
v. 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.”
Years have passed and
Isaac is now old and blind. Esau is married,
as we have already been told that in the previous verses apparently but still
lives in the vicinity of his father.
Jacob is not married, not having taken a wife from the Canaanite peoples
in the area where they live. Isaac calls
Esau to him for a special purpose. He
apparently either thinks that he is near death or just wants to pass on his
inheritance, make the arrangements for his family while he still has the
capability.
v. 2 “And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not
the day of my death:”
First he tells Esau
that which we all know and sometimes must admit; our time here is short and Isaac
thinks that his time is even shorter.
Proverbs 27:1 “BOAST NOT
THYSELF OF TO MORROW; FOR THOU KNOWEST NOT WHAT A DAY MAY BRING
James 4:14-15 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour,
that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we
shall live, and do this, or that.”
v.3-4 “Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons,
thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4And 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.”
We’re told in Genesis 25:27 that Esau was “A CUNNING
HUNTER, A MAN OF THE FIELD.” So he was
skilled in things that many men wish they were skilled but few really are in
our current age. Isaac wants him to
harvest and bring him the savory meat of whatever animal that was available
that would provide what is translated venison in our King James Version text.
Isaac is following his own heart and the
customs of that time by preparing to pass on his formal blessing and
inheritance to his oldest son Esau, but is that God’s wish? Is that God’s purpose? Be thinking about that as we continue with
this chapter.
v.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.”
Rebekah overhears Isaac
giving these instructions to Esau and therefore knows what is about to
happen. Esau leaves to carry out his
father’s instructions.
Read Genesis 27:6-17 –
Rebekah and Jacob Make Preparation
v.6-7 “And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying,
Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7Bring
me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the
LORD before my death.”
Rebekah calls Jacob to
her, tells him what Isaac is planning and begins to plan to keep Isaac from
giving the patriarchal blessing to Esau.
During my lifetime I have heard teachers question the character of both Jacob
and Rebekah because of their deception of Isaac. While they did indeed deceive Isaac, did
Rebekah do her husband harm in this matter or did she prevent him from doing
something contrary to the will of God?
God’s explanation to Rebekah about the struggles of the two boys before
they were born was that they would sire two nations who would be in conflict
and that the elder, that is Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob. We have also had a picture painted for us by
the scripture that tells us that the character of Esau is not what would be
expected or appropriate for him to be the patriarch of God’s chosen
nation.
We know that God does not condone the sins
of deception, lying or any other sin.
However we also know that God allows man to sin and sometime uses man’s
actions to accomplish his purpose. So again
we have mankind, Rebekah and Jacob, helping God just as Sarai tried to help God
give Abram a son. But in this case God
lets the result of the deception stand allowing Jacob to continue and become
the father of the Israelite nation where he did not allow Ishmael to acquire
the patriarchal blessing as Abraham’s oldest son.
v.8 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice
according to that which I command thee.”
So Rebekah gives Jacob
instructions regarding what must be done.
v.9-10 “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: 10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before
his death.”
She sends Jacob to get
two kid goats from the flock which she will use to make the savory meat the
Isaac loves. Then before Esau can return
with his offering Jacob will take it to his father that he may receive the
blessing that Isaac intends to give to Esau.
v.11-12 “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold,
Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12My 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 sees a problem
with this plan. We remember that when
Esau was born he was described as:
“And the first came out red, all
over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.” Genesis
25:25
Esau is a hairy man, described in this verse as being like a hairy
garment or a garment with the fur or hair on the outside. Jacob knows that Isaac, even though he is
blind will not be fooled but will feel of Jacob’s skin, the deception will then
be known and Jacob will be cursed rather than blessed. This would be in harmony with the mind and
nature of God because one of the laws given to
“Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.”
Deuteronomy 27:18
v.13-14 “And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. And he
went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury
meat, such as his father loved.”
Rebekah basically tells
Jacob that whatever curse that may come from their deception of Isaac should be
upon her, to go do what he’s been told to do.
This Jacob does and his mother prepares the dish that Isaac has
requested.
v.15-16 “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: 16And she put the skins of the kids of the
goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:”
Since Isaac is blind he
cannot see but his other senses must be deceived as well. Isaac can still feel and smell so clothes
that belong to Esau must be used that will be familiar to Isaac. Jacob is a “SMOOTH MAN” not at all hairy like
Esau so this must also be overcome. So
Rebekah takes clothes that belongs to Esau puts them on Jacob and also takes
the skins from the kid goats that were slaughtered and covers Jacobs hand and
neck so that he will feel hairy like Esau.
v.17 “And
she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand
of her son Jacob.”
Jacob is now prepared
so he takes the offering to his father, seeking his blessing.
Read Genesis 27:18-29 – Isaac
Gives Jacob the Blessing
v.18 “And he came unto his father, and said, My
father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?”
Isaac doesn’t expect
Jacob and doesn’t expect Esau back this quickly so being blind he is not sure
who is present. He asks if it is his son
and Jacob begins to tell his father a series of lies to persuade him that he is
Esau and to receive the blessing that Isaac intends to give his brother. What is it that God tells us about this kind
of sin?
Proverbs 19:5 “A FALSE WITNESS
SHALL NOT BE UNPUNISHED, AND he that SPEAKETH LIES SHALL
NOT ESCAPE.”
It makes me wonder how much of what Jacob suffered in later years was as
a result of his deception of his father here.
v.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.”
First he tells Isaac
that he is Esau and that he has done what Isaac has asked him to do. Therefore, Isaac should eat of the venison
prepared, actually young goat as we know, and give him the blessing promised.
v.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.”
Isaac is
suspicious. So he asks how a source of
venison could be found to quickly and generates another lie from the tongue of
Jacob. Isaac is told that God guided his
quick success.
v. 21-22 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. 22And 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.”
Isaac is still not
convinced, the voice isn’t right; it is the voice of Jacob not the voice of
Esau. Consequently he tries another
test; he feels of his son and due to the preparation by Rebekah feels the goat
skins instead of the smooth skin of Jacob.
v.23-24 “And he discerned him not, because his hands
were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. 24And he
said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he
said, I am.”
The hairy hands, hands
covered with goat skins, fool Isaac but not completely. He blesses Jacob but continues to ask, are you really my son, Esau.
Jacob’s answer is another lie, yes I am.
v.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.”
Isaac finally concedes
to take the meat prepared for him. His
suspicions at set aside for the moment but he is not done testing this man
before him as we will see in the next verses.
v.26-27 “And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near
now, and kiss me, my son. 27And 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:”
Again the preparation
by Rebekah serves Jacob well and serves to deceive Isaac. While eating he has had some time to think
about this situation and wants to perform another test. He asks Jacob to kiss him and this brings Jacob
close enough for Isaac to be able to exercise another sense that he has; the
sense of smell. But the garments are
Esau’s and smell of the fields and Isaac is fooled and gives Jacob the
blessings.
v.28-29 “Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven,
and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29Let
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 secures
Isaac’s blessing. First he calls upon
God to bless him with material wealth, the dew of heaven required to make crops
grow, the fatness of the earth, the wealth that it produces in terms of corn
and wine. Then he gives him preeminence
in the family, people will serve him, he is to be the patriarch of the family,
and his mother’s sons will bow down to him.
Finally he pronounces the ultimate blessing found in many places in
scripture, let those that curse him be cursed and those that bless him be
blessed.
Read Genesis 27:30-40 – The
Deception Revealed
v.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.”
The deception is about
to be revealed. Jacob has barely had
time to leave Isaac when Esau appears with the result of his hunt and the meat
that Isaac had requested.
v.31-32 “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. 32And Isaac his
father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I
am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.”
Esau brings the dish
requested to Isaac, tells him to “ARISE AND EAT” which Isaac has just done; so
he’s confused. He had convinced himself
that the first man was Esau and now he’s learning that this was not true so he
asks the obvious question. Who are
you? Esau responds.
v.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.”
Isaac is trembling,
whether from fear of the consequences of what has happened or from anger we’re
not told. He asks again, who or who are
you, he wants confirmation. Then he asks
about the one who preceded Esau, the one who has already received the blessing
of the patriarch as his successor.
Isaac’s blessing is like the blessings and commitments made by God that
cannot be reversed. Paul tells us:
“For the gifts and calling of God
are without repentance.” Romans
v.34-35 “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. 35And he
said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath taken away thy blessing.”
Esau, we’re told, cried
with a bitter cry. The Hebrew writer
tells us that he could find no place of repentance, no way to undo what had
been done:
“For ye know how that afterward, when he would
have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found
He asks Isaac to bless him also.
Esau sold his birthright but he doesn’t seem to remember it exactly the
way it happened.
v.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 is outraged and
distraught. First he claims that Jacob
took away his birthright, forgetting that he despised it and sold it for a bowl
of pottage:
Genesis 25:33-34 “And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he
sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then Jacob
gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up,
and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Then he asks Isaac if he doesn’t have a blessing left that he could give
him.
v.38 “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?”
But Isaac answers him
and says that he has given Jacob the right to rule over the family as its
patriarch and lord over his brethren.
This blessing or lordship will last even down to the time of David when
v.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.”
Esau continues to beg
for a blessing, something that Isaac has not already given his brother. Again, as we noted earlier in Hebrews
v. 39-40 “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; 40And 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.”
So Isaac provides Esau
a blessing. He shall prosper materially
as well as Jacob. But Esau and his
descendants would live by the sword as a warlike people, frequently not knowing
peace. They would serve the descendants
of Jacob but there would be times when their yoke would be broken and times
when they would even have dominion over
Matthew 2:1 “Now when Jesus was born in
Thus the descendants of Esau did in fact rule the descendants of
Read Genesis 27:41-46 – Esau
Plans to Kill Jacob
v.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.”
As a result of losing
both his birthright and the blessing of his father to Jacob, Esau hates
Jacob. He hates Jacob to the extent that
when Isaac dies he plans to kill him and take by force the patriarchal rights
and rule over the family just as he would have otherwise. But he makes his plans known to the wrong
people and doesn’t plan for the intervention of his mother and the providence
of God.
v.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.”
Rebekah makes Jacob
aware of the situation. Esau has become just
like the enemies of David that he describes in:
Psalms 64:5 “THEY ENCOURAGE
THEMSELVES in AN EVIL MATTER: THEY COMMUNE OF LAYING SNARES PRIVILY; THEY
SAY, WHO SHALL SEE THEM?”
v.43-45 “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and
arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44And tarry with him
a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; 45Until 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?”
When Rebekah calls
Jacob to her to inform him of his brother’s plans she has a plan as well. She wants Jacob to go to
v.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?”
Rebekah needs the
agreement and blessing of Isaac to send Jacob to