26:34 35 Easu married two Hittite women when he was forty years of age (1966

Transcription

1 Jacob's deception to receive Isaac's blessing is recounted in 26:34 28:9. Reacting to Isaac's disobedient plan to bless Esau, Jacob and Rebekah stole the blessing by deception. Esau became so angry with Jacob over his trickery that Jacob had to flee for his life. Two reports of Esau's marriages (26:34 35 and 28:6 9) frame the major account (27:1 28:5), providing a prologue and epilogue. Esau's marriages are significant, because Rebekah used them productively, as the incentive to persuade Isaac to send Jacob away to get a wife (27:4b), and because they were the reason Isaac did so (28:1). The main account centers on Isaac giving the blessing. A Isaac and the son of the brkh/bkrh (=Esau) (27:1 5). B Rebekah sends Jacob onto the stage (27:6 17). C Jacob appears before Isaac and receives blessing (27:18 29). C' Esau appears before Isaac and receives anti-blessing (27:30 40). B' Rebekah sends Jacob from the stage (27:41 45). A' Isaac and the son of brkh/bkrh (=Jacob!) (27:46 28:5). 414

2 34 When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 26:34 35). 26:34 35 Easu married two Hittite women when he was forty years of age (1966 B.C.). We can identify three purposes for this brief section: 1. Moses explained and justified the reason for Jacob's later departure for Paddan-aram (27:46 28:2). 2. Moses identified the ancestors of the Edomites, who later played a major role in Israel's history. 3. Moses revealed Esau's carnal character again. Esau showed no interest in the special calling of his family, but instead sought to establish himself as a great man in the world by marrying Canaanite women (cf. 11:4). These were evidently the daughters of Canaanite lords. The Canaanites were, of course, under God's curse (9:25 27). We should contrast Esau's method of securing wives with Abraham's plan to identify God's choice of a wife for Isaac. These preliminary notices in verses 34 and 35 put into perspective the cunning deed of Jacob and Rebekah. They demonstrate that Esau was not fit to inherit the blessing. 415

3 There are several life lessons (applications) that derive from a study of Genesis 26: 1. Where faith is weak, people will cower in fear and often endanger the work of God. 2. Deception may give occasion for sin to others, making them guilty before God. 3. A mature faith in God s promises engenders a fearless walk with Him, but cowering in fear endangers the blessing and makes a mockery of faith. 4. Believers today have a sure covenant that is based on the obedience of one man (Jesus), but our enjoyment of the blessings of that covenant requires obedience to the Word of the Lord. 5. Sin, such as deception, can tarnish the reputation of the household of faith. 6. Any deceptive practices by believers could have far-reaching effects that might endanger their participation in God s blessings. 7. A narrative report (e.g., in Scripture) that God has blessed someone in a certain way is no guarantee that He will do so for all. 8. The people of God, avoiding the hostilities of the world and enjoying God s blessing, sometimes can realize an end to such antagonism. 9. In spite of the envy and hostility from the world over the Lord s blessing, the people of God must maintain their confident trust in the Lord s promise of His presence and His provision. 416

4 In the account of Jacob securing Isaac s blessing we have the third round of Jacob's battle with Esau. The first was at birth (25:21 28), and the second was over the birthright (25:29 34). In all three incidents, Jacob manipulated his brother unnecessarily, in view of God's promise (25:23). Chapter 27 offers one of the most singular instances of God's overruling providence controlling the affairs of sinful men and so disposing of them that the interests of God's kingdom are safeguarded. Usually the guilt of Jacob is overemphasized, and Esau is regarded as relatively or entirely the innocent party in the transaction. However, this traditional view requires modification and correction. Chapter 27 portrays an entire family attempting to carry out their responsibilities by their physical senses, without faith. All the natural senses play a conspicuous part especially the sense of taste in which Isaac prided himself, but which gave him the wrong answer. Reliance on one's senses for spiritual discernment not only proves fallible, but often fouls up life unduly. Most importantly, however, the story is about deception. In the ancient Near East an oral blessing was as legally binding as a written will. It finalized, and perhaps altered, the terms of the birthright. In the case of Abraham's family, it was a prophecy regarding through whom and how God would bless. When Jacob blessed his sons (49:1 28), each son got part of his blessing. As in modern society, inheritance under Nuzi law was effected by testamentary disposition, although the Nuzi tablets indicate that such a testament was often made orally. One of the tablets tells of a lawsuit between brothers concerning the possession of their late father's slave girl, Sululi-Ishtar. The youngest of three brothers, Tarmiya, was defending his elder brothers' claim to Sululi-Ishtar, and the tablet sets out his testimony: My father, Huya, was sick and lay on a couch; then my father seized my hand and spoke thus to me. My other sons, being older, have acquired a wife; so I give herewith Sululi-Ishtar as your wife. In the end result the Court found in favor of Tarmiya, upholding his father's oral testamentary disposition. It also appears from another Nuzi tablet that even an oral testament commenced with an opening introductory statement such as: Now that I am grown old which was the legal phraseology to indicate that what was to follow constituted a testamentary disposition. In similar manner, Isaac indicated to his elder son Esau that he wished to bestow upon him his testamentary blessing: Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death (Gen. 27:2). 417

5 1 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, My son. And he said to him, Here I am. 2 Isaac said, Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; 4 and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die (Gen. 27:1 4). 27:1 4 Abraham's life ended with happiness, success, and a strong character. In contrast, physical and spiritual decay marked Isaac's old age. At this time (1930 B.C.) Isaac was 136 years of age, but he would live another 44 years. Isaac died in 1886 B.C. at 180 years of age. In this account the infirmity of Isaac s flesh is evident. At the same time, it was not merely because of his partiality for Esau, but unquestionably on account of the natural rights of the firstborn, that he wished to impart the blessing to him, just as the desire to do this before his death arose from the consciousness of his patriarchal call. Isaac's sensuality was more powerful than his theology. 418