Geneses Chapter 27- Lie, Blessing & Curse

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Geneses Chapter 27- Lie, Blessing & Curse

The Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.27.NIV

Lie of Jacob, Blessing & Curse (1, Why?)

1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered.

2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death.

3 Now then, get your equipment- your quiver and bow- and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me.

4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” (Isaac asked Esau for blessing meal in his old age.)

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’

8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:

9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.

10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” (Knowing this Rebekah directed Jacob to prepare the blessing meal so that secure the blessing of the firstborn.)

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin.

12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” (Jacob did not like the idea due to the fear of being discovered.)

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” (But Rebekah insisted.)

14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it.

15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.

16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.

17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. (Rebekah prepared Isaac's favorite food and disguised Jacob to Esau.)

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” (Jacob, pretending to be Esau asked Isaac's blessing of the firstborn.)

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.

24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. (Isaac was confused if Jacob was Esau but eventually persuaded by Jacob.)

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. (Eventually Isaac ate the blessing food.)

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.

28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness- an abundance of grain and new wine.

29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” (Isaac blessed Jacob blessings of the firstborn.)

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. (Afterward, Esau came back from hunting.)

31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” (Esau asked Isaac blessings of the firstborn which he had sold to Jacob.)

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him- and indeed he will be blessed!” ("The firstborn's blessings have gone to Jacob." Isaac said.)

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me- me too, my father!” ("Me too." Esay asked.)

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” ("Jacob took all of yours; the right of the firstborn.")

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob(holding the heel)? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?” ("There should be some leftover for me.")

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” ("Nothing more for you.")

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. (Esau was obsessed with any blessings.)

39 His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness,

away from the dew of heaven above.

40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” (Isaac foretold, rather than blessing, the harsh future of Esau.)

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” (Esau was angry and swore to kill Jacob after the death of Isaac: Similarity with Cain and Able.)

42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.

43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran.

44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides.

45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” (Knowing the plot of Esau Rebekah wanted to send Jacob to her family for his marriage.)

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” (It was reasonable to persuade Isaac, since they disliked Esau for associating with the local girls , who were the portal for Esau to the corrupted culture of Canaan. 26:34-35)

(1, Why Blessing and Curse on Lie)

From https://cafe.daum.net/k331/PeqF/48

Next, I will discuss the controversial blessings of Isaac for Jacob.

Assuming that you are familiar with the story, I will go to the points rather than explaining what happened.

If you were not familiar with the story, please read through the twenty-seventh chapter of the book of Genesis.

This story might be one of the most referred to as evidence of Jacob's craftiness.

However, it was not Jacob's idea to get blessed like this- it was his mother Rebecca's.

Let's talk about why, then, Rebecca thought the blessing should belong to the younger son.

We know that she was told that the older will serve the younger by the LORD God when she was pregnant with the twin (Gen. 25:23).

Is that the only reason why she favored the younger without any other evidence?

I think that parents are not ignorant about which son is which from the observations and experiences of their own when it comes to their children's attitudes and behaviors.

God's message in her pregnancy is just one piece combined with her own observations on her children.

She knew from multiple experiences that the younger should be the one to inherit the family heritage of being chosen by God.

And as for Isaac?

He did not care much of it, or at least less than Rebecca.

(I do not go on any further here, however, to discuss about what kind of person Isaac is.)

But Rebecca, she is located between God's sovereignty, plus her own judgement, and the custom of firstborn seniority of the time.

If we got tied with the custom of the time over the God's sovereignty, which does not eliminate the commitment and obedience of individuals, we will condemn Rebecca for deceiving her husband and misleading her younger son.

With that conflict, however, Rebecca stands for her conviction, and, right or wrong, God will be the judge.

I think this occasion is another positive illustration that contributes to why she was my choice for a model lady- determined and decisive for the cause of God's sovereignty with faith and obedience.

Aren't we all positioned, from time to time, to choose if we have to please people or God (Gal. 1:10)?

She risks her reputation for God (Gen. 27:13), and as we see from the responses of many people, she ruined it.

Guilty or not, however, it's up to God and not to those people who are pretending to be jurors.

Let us then think about Isaac, who is giving the blessings.

He certainly was confused and showed his doubts with reason for the identity of the boy- was he the younger or the older?

I have asked many people this question and I now ask the same question to you.

If you were Isaac, what would be your judgement for the identity?

Did you know the truth or would you be deceived?

It seems, however, that Isaac did not, or pretended not to, reveal the truth and just went on to his blessings.

One thing here- there is a very interesting and peculiar point that I found in his blessing.

It is very important, and also usual, for the blesser to mention or call the name of the blessed in order to be specific, and even to be effective.

Here, however, Isaac did not mention any name, but rather, used the generic term "son" (27:26-29).

Is it intentional, a mistake, an accident, or even another normal way of blessing?

The odd style of his blessing did not stop there.

When Esau came to him later and asked to be blessed, he used the excuse of not having any more blessing to give.

It ought to be bad enough to drive Esau crazy, and it actually did.

It is hard, even for me, to understand his excuse.

The father only has blessings of a certain total amount so that only he who comes first can get them and have none left over?

Confused and frustrated, Esau insisted on being blessed with whatever was left-over.

Therefore, we see another strange manner of blessing here- the curse, the negative blessing for Esau (39-40).

What a family affair we are witnessing!

We have to know, however, that each one deserves his or her own appropriate amount of blessing according to his or her capacity or gift (49:28, Mt. 25:15).

Each person deserves his or her own, and no more or no less.

The true intension of the father for his younger son will soon show up without any confusion.

When Isaac and Rebecca sent Jacob to Rebecca's relatives for his marriage and future, Isaac blessed Jacob without any hesitation, and even more specifically appointed him to be the successor of the covenant of Abraham (Gen. 28:4).

Some may think that aforementioned information cannot be enough to prove the innocence of Jacob, and they may have their own good and plenty reasons other than baseless anger or prejudices.

However, to be completely fair without any emotional attachment, Esau has no ground or legitimacy to his possible arguments in this case because Jacob, who bought the right of the firstborn legitimately from Esau, legally deserves the blessings of the true firstborn.

It has been already done deal.

Esau, however, goes from bad to worse by deciding to kill his brother who cares, unlike himself, about God's business (27:41).

I want to mention here one important fact that I might forget otherwise.

Even though Jacob deserves all of his birthrights including the double share of the inheritance, he did not ask or inherit anything from his father other than the responsibility to be the covenant family before God.

Eventually, Jacob raised his family and wealth on his own with, of course, God's blessings and protections.

Esau has nothing to complain about of his younger brother at all since he got all he wanted eventually.

Anyway, it is done deal not by my own judgement but by God's confirmation.

When Jacob left home for his future, on his way to Haran, at Luz which Jacob named Bethel later, God showed His presence on Jacob's journey by showing a stairway from the earth to heaven with angels of God were ascending and descending on it (28:12).

Not only that, God the LORD repeats His blessing, which has been given to Abraham and Isaac, for Jacob and His protection on his journey (13-15).

Some ascribe Jacob's eventual blessing to his wrestling with God at the dry river Jabbok at a much later time.

They say that God blessed Jacob since he repented of himself on his way back home at the ford Jabbok (refer to Gen. 32:22-30).

What about this blessing, then, that Jacob had on his way from home at much earlier time?

God confirmed His blessing as he was leaving the home for his future- the future which would be dedicated to God.

His reply following the blessing, therefore, is his dedication, not conditions of or dealings for the blessings.

Jacob dedicates himself to be the responsible party of the covenant with God (28:20-22).

If we agree on what happened to Jacob so far, there should be no further controversy on the legitimacy of Jacob as the firstborn and its privilege and responsibility.

I would like, though, to go on some more to illustrate the suffering and agonies which should be a part of being responsible before God.

(1, Why Blessing and Curse on Lie) (AI Version)

Isaac blessed Jacob despite the deception because he was functionally blind, fooled by the disguise (goatskins/Esau’s clothes), and believed he was honoring God’s pre-existing prophecy that the older twin would serve the younger. Once declared, the blessing could not be revoked, as it was considered a spiritually binding vow.

Key reasons Isaac validated the blessing, supported by Scripture:

Divine Sovereignty and Prophecy: Before they were born, God told Rebekah: "The older will serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23). Isaac was acting against God’s revealed will by trying to bless Esau, and the deception brought the situation back in line with that prophecy.

The Binding Nature of the Oath: A patriarchal blessing was irrevocable in that culture. When Isaac realized he was tricked, he trembled greatly but told Esau, "I have blessed him- and indeed he will be blessed!" (Genesis 27:33).

Physical Evidence and Fear: Isaac, though skeptical, was convinced by the smell of Esau's clothes and the feeling of the animal skins, leading him to trust his senses over his suspicion.

Esau's Disdain for the Birthright: Esau had previously sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup, showing he did not value the covenant promise (Genesis 25:34).

The story emphasizes that God accomplishes His purposes despite human deception, and that the promise passed to Jacob, who valued it, rather than Esau.