Genesis 27 – Jacob Swindles Esau’s Blessing

Genesis 27 – Jacob Swindles Esau’s Blessing

When Isaac was old his eyes were weak so he couldn’t see he called Esau to him and asked him to make him a meal for him and he would bless him before he died. Rebekah overheard, so she plotted to get Jacob Esau’s blessing. She said, “your curse be on me, my son,” and proceeded to cover Jacob with goat hair, Esau’s clothes and made Jacob the food he loved. Jacob came to Isaac. He asked if he was his son, Jacob said, “I am Esau…eat some of my game so that you may bless me…the Lord God has worked it out for me.” Isaac touched Jacob and asked if he was really Esau. He recognized that it was the voice of Jacob, but he was hairy, and didn’t recognize him. Jacob served him. He came close, and when Isaac smelled Esau he blessed him: “May God give you dew from the sky, richness of the land, abundance of grain and new wine. May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brothers. Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed. As soon as Jacob left Esau came. Asking for his blessing. Isaac trembled uncontrollably, Isaac refused to bless Esau also, “Look I have made him master over you, have given him all of his relatives as his servants, and have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son?” Isaac said to Esau, “Your dwelling place will be away from the richness of the land, and the dew of the sky above. You will live by the sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will break his yoke from your neck.” Esau held grudge against Jacob because of Isaac’s blessing on Jacob, and he determined to kill Jacob. Rebekah heard and sent him away to Laban, her brother in Haran, and stay a few days until Esau’s anger subsides. Esau’s Hittite wives made Rebekah sick of her life, saying that if Jacob marries a Hittite woman, “what good is my life?”

Even if Rebekah is working to fulfill God’s promise that Jacob would be the next recipient of God’s covenant promises, she and Jacob still swindle Isaac and Esau. Even amidst sin God still rules over and through it to accomplish His purpose. Jacob isn’t an ethical pillar who’s sinful behavior we are to imitate. In fact seeing him in his sin should be an encouragement to us that God pours our His covenant love on people who are undeserving.