Genesis 27:1-29 The Dangers of a Deceptive Family

Genesis 27:1-29 The Dangers of a Deceptive Family The book of Genesis opens with a brief description of God s creation - Over the span of six literal, 24-hour days, God created everything It was on the sixth day that He created mankind - God made man in His own image and according to His likeness - What a noble thought! Chapter two of Genesis tells us that God created a garden in Eden - It was in this garden that God placed the man whom He had created Not long after this, God allowed Adam to have a helper suitable for him (2:18) - Eve was created to be this for Adam For a period of time, things were great in the Garden of Eden - Adam and Eve walked with God - Adam and Eve were not ashamed in front of one another - Adam and Eve enjoyed life in the Garden But then one day, the serpent approached Eve while she was away from her husband - He tempted her to disobey the Lord s command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil One, simple act of disobedience brought in a flood of consequences - Physical death became a reality - All manner of sins were now possible and probable - Spiritual separation from God was a by-product of their sins as well We have seen a host of sinful individuals and their sins throughout the book of Genesis - This morning is certainly no different We will see a fractured family who display the dangers of deception - The picture is not a pretty one Let s read Genesis 27:1-29 Genesis 27 teaches us the dangers of deception, especially within the family unit - Specifically, it teaches us three (3) cardinal truths about the nature of deception o Deception ignores God s blessing (27:1-4) o Deception manipulates God s plan (27:5-17) o Deception misleads God s people (27:18-29) 1

As you might have noticed, Genesis 27 is filled with dialogues - We hear from all four members of the family o Isaac o Rebekah o Esau o Jacob - But we never hear from the Lord! o His voice is the only one that matters o Yet His voice is the only one that is absent The dialogues break themselves down as such - Isaac and Esau (27:1-4) - Rebekah and Jacob (27:5-17) - Isaac and Jacob (27:18-29) I. Deception ignores God s blessing (27:1-4) 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. We have mentioned previously that Isaac is not given much attention in the book of Genesis - He is certainly not mentioned as much as Abraham and Jacob Earlier on in Genesis, we saw him as the promised son who seemed to be late but in God s perfect timing - Then we saw him born and as a little child being protected by his father - We waited with baited breath as God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah - Most recently, we have seen him marry Rebekah and have twin boys, Esau and Jacob The Text opens up with a reference to Isaac in his old age, Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see - Frequently in older age, the eyes become weak - It becomes harder and harder to see clearly Knowing that his earthly days are limited, Isaac calls his older son Esau - He does not call Jacob - He only calls Esau What is he about to do? - Why is he interested in only Esau? 2 And 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. Isaac thinks that his death is imminent - In light of this, he wants to bless his son Esau - Notice there is no mention of his desire to bless Jacob 2

We already know that there is favoritism on the part of Isaac for Esau and the part of Rebekah for Jacob - Earlier we read that Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob (Gen 25:28) It seems that this favoritism lasted for years and years - Because Isaac secretly desires to bless Esau At the end of Genesis 26, Esau married two Canaanite women - He had no regard or respect for what the LORD had instructed regarding who Abraham s lineage should marry - Esau was a rebellious, selfish individual He shows himself to be a rejected candidate for the chosen lineage of Abraham - He does not pursue obedience - He does not pursue righteousness Yet Isaac still wants to bless Esau! - How crazy is this?? Isaac wants Esau to go out and hunt game for him - Isaac wants his firstborn son to prepare a meal before he blesses Esau We are told that Isaac has a taste for Esau s cooking - Verse 4 tells us, 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 It seems that the primary reason why Isaac prefers Esau is because of the food that the firstborn can bring to him - It was not based on the character of his son - It was not based on the appearance of his son - It was based on the fact that Esau could kill game and prepare it in a way that pleased his father How sad to see a man driven by his fleshly appetite 1 - He had allowed his appetite to play a key role in making decisions - Isaac s sensuality is more powerful than his theology 2 But we have to pause for a second - What is this blessing that Isaac wanted to bestow on Esau? It was two chapters ago that we saw Esau sell his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of soup - Was there a difference between the birthright and the fatherly blessing? - There does seem to be a difference between these two Esau had, indeed, sold his birthright to Jacob - So Jacob now had control over that privilege But in this scene, Isaac wants to give a blessing to Esau - How is this different from the birthright? 1 Derek Kidner, Tyndale OT Commentaries, Genesis, 156. 2 Gordon J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 2, 206. 3

Well, it does bring up questions about how much Isaac knew about the incident between Jacob and Esau - Did he know that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob? - If so, why did Isaac still prefer Esau over Jacob? Another question relates to Isaac s knowledge of God s own promise of blessing to Jacob instead of Esau - When Rebekah was pregnant with the twins, the LORD told her, Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples shall be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger (25:23, italics mine) So Jacob has the LORD s promise of blessing - Jacob also has the birthright that originally belonged to Esau, the firstborn The only thing that Esau has is the love of his father - Isaac desires to bless Esau before he dies The birthright typically addressed the inheritance of the father s possessions - The blessing is what the father hopes will happen to his children in their life 3 We noted in Genesis 25 that Esau despised his birthright after being tricked by Jacob (25:34) - He had very little regard for this privilege and responsibility Now it seems that Isaac cares very little for the promise of the LORD to bless Jacob - It seems that Isaac is trying to circumvent the promise of God by blessing Esau This is what deception accomplishes - Deception ignores God s blessing Deception and dishonesty will cause you to ignore God s blessing - Instead of believing what God has promised, deception will make you take matters into your own hands Isaac was attempting to force a blessing upon his beloved firstborn son - But God would see to it that his plan was thwarted Not only does deception ignore God s blessing - It also II. Deception manipulates God s plan (27:5-17) 5 And Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. Isaac s act of blessing appeared to be secretive, away from the presence of others - But someone overheard their conversation - Isaac s plan was no longer secretive Verse 5 tells us that Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau - Whether she was being nosy or if she just happened to hear the conversation, we are not sure 3 Kenneth A. Mathews, NAC, IB, 418. 4

But Rebekah became privy to some information that would not have been known to her otherwise - We can gather that Isaac was not planning on telling Rebekah or anyone else about his plans and intentions You could imagine the fireworks that would erupt if Isaac told Rebekah of his plans to bless Esau - Remember, Isaac loved Esau - Rebekah loved Jacob So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, 7 Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death. After hearing the conversation between Isaac and Esau, Rebekah waits until Esau is out of sight - Then she sets her own plan into motion Rebekah repeats to Jacob what she overheard Isaac telling Esau - This is designed to give some credibility to Rebekah - This is to show that Rebekah isn t making this up Rebekah knows that the time is short - As soon as Esau returns with food, he will prepare it for Isaac, feed him, and Esau will be blessed Knowing that the LORD has promised blessings for Jacob, Rebekah conjures up her own plan to ensure blessings for Jacob - She certainly doesn t want to see Esau blessed 8 Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you. 9 Go now to the flock and bring me two choice kids from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death. Rebekah s tone of voice suddenly switches to a woman possessed - She doesn t ask Jacob to do something - She tells him what to do, now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you Rebekah knows that the time is limited - Esau could return at any moment Rebekah commands Jacob to bring her two choice kids from the flock - This would serve as the meat for the meal Obviously, Rebekah had prepared a number of meals for Isaac - She knew how to cook in a way that was pleasing to Isaac She tells Jacob that she will prepare the meal as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves - Yet again we see Isaac as a man driven by his appetite After she prepares the meal, Jacob will take it to Isaac so that he may eat of it - The end result is that Isaac may bless you before his death 5

This is Rebekah s plan - You can easily notice that she is the woman in control - She is the one doing most of the action 11 And Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, then I shall be as a deceiver in his sight; and I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing. But Jacob has a few hesitations - His first objection is the difference in appearance between Esau and himself, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man Jacob fears that his dad will notice the difference between the two - He fears that the truth will be made known Even more, Jacob is fearful that once his dad discovers Jacob s deception, that he shall be as a deceiver in his sight - deceiver is better translated as mocker Jacob doesn t want to dishonor his father - But he is forced to make a decision o Dishonor his father o Or disobey his mother If he dishonors his father and is found out, then Jacob realizes that I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing - This entire ordeal was orchestrated so that Jacob would receive the blessing - But if things don t go right, then he will be given a curse instead! In other words, the entire plan could backfire! 13 But his mother said to him, Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me. Rebekah s response to Jacob takes us by surprise, Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me - Mother Rebekah is willing to take all the blame if her plan does not proceed as she expects She voluntarily agrees to accept any and all consequences if the plan goes awry - This is amazing! - This shows just how far she is willing to go in order to pull this stunt off! 14 So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved. Assured by his mom that the plan will work, Jacob goes to fetch the meat - Remember, time s wasting! - Esau could return any moment! 6

Time must pass by very slowly as the meal is prepared - But Rebekah proceeds to prepare the food in a way that Isaac loves 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, to her son Jacob. Jacob was concerned about his difference in appearance - However, Rebekah was not - She had a plan for that - While the meat is cooking, Rebekah goes into action once again She takes the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her young son - We already know that Esau has married two Canaanite women - We know that from the end of chapter 26 Were Esau and his two pagan wives living in the house with Isaac and Rebekah? - If not, why did Esau leave behind his best garments? We don t know the answers to those questions - Our best guess would be just that a guess But Rebekah doesn t stop here - She takes the skins from the animals that were just killed and put them on the hands and neck of Jacob - The exposed parts of Jacob s skin were covered with goat hair The meal is now ready, probably in record time! - Jacob proceeds to take the meal to Isaac - Of course, Jacob is pretending to be Esau What a sad sight Jacob must have been - He is wearing Esau s clothing - He has goat hair on his arms and neck What lengths did Rebekah and Jacob go in order to deceive Isaac! - They are clearly manipulating the evidence to make Jacob seem to be Esau If there was a picture of him in the Bible, we would laugh! - We would shake our heads, wondering why he would get all dressed up in Esau s clothing and goat s hair just to get his father s blessing! Yet, let s be honest - We may have never dressed up in someone else s clothing - We may have never donned goat s hair on our arms But all of us have gone to extreme measures in order to deceive others, at some point in our life - Perhaps it wasn t an action that you took - Perhaps it was a lie that you spoke 7

- Perhaps it was an interview for a job where you intentionally deceived others, making yourself look better than you really were Are we really different than Jacob? - Have we ever allowed someone else to talk us into doing something that we didn t want to do? - Have we ever allowed someone else to help us gain something that was not rightfully ours? This is the second mark of deception - Not only does deception ignore God s blessing - It also manipulates God s plan God had already made it clear that Jacob not Esau would be blessed - How much clearer could it be? - He had already told Rebekah that Jacob not Esau would rule over his brother, the older shall serve the younger (25:23) But Rebekah wanted to help God - She wanted to manufacture and manipulate God s plan Perhaps she had good motives - Perhaps she really battled with how God s promise of blessing would be accomplished if Isaac blessed Esau But even if her motives were right, her manner of conduct was wrong - Her plan certainly was marked by deception, manipulation, and dishonesty It doesn t seem out of place to see that Rebekah didn t have too much respect for her husband Isaac - She is willing to go behind his back and manipulate the evidence in order to gain what she wants We would have a hard time imagining Sarah doing this to Abraham 4 - Although they sinned and lied on occasion, overall they had a great relationship But not so with Isaac and Rebekah - It seems that they had a divided family Nowhere in this chapter do Isaac and Rebekah speak with one another - Isaac speaks with Esau and Jacob, separately - Rebekah speaks with Jacob, not Esau - But nowhere does Rebekah consult with Isaac Rebekah is the actor while Jacob is the puppet - She dresses him up and pulls the strings that put him into action 5 But that is the nature of deception - Deception ignores God s blessing (27:1-4) - Deception manipulates God s plan (27:5-17) Third, deception 4 Leon J. Wood, A Shorter Commentary on Genesis, 101. 5 Mathews, 430. 8

III. Deception misleads God s people (27:18-29) 18 Then he came to his father and said, My father. And he said, Here I am. Who are you, my son? 19 And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me. The focus in this section of the chapter is exclusively on Isaac and Jacob - If this was a movie, you could really zoom in on these two main characters Jacob is the first one to speak, saying, My father. - So far, so good - At least he is speaking the truth for the time being But the manner in which Isaac responds is unusual, Here I am. Who are you, my son? - Undoubtedly, Isaac recognizes that this is not Esau - The fact that he asks, Who are you, my son? tells us that Isaac knew that this was an odd situation Trying to bolster his fake identity, Jacob says, I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me - Jacob gets nervous and says more than he should We have been there and done that, right? - You get nervous and you suddenly speak faster than you want and say more than planned on saying Jacob is very careful to claim, I am Esau your first-born - Almost as if to say, Dad, remember the reason why we are here? Of course, in claiming to be Esau, Jacob committed his first lie - But not his last Typically, the firstborn was the first one to receive the father s blessing - Jacob reminds his father of this Jacob also reminds Isaac that I have done as you told me - This is the second lie Isaac didn t tell Jacob to go hunting he told Esau - But Jacob is pretending to be Esau, so he has to include this Jacob is rather blunt and terse with his father, Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me - In other words, let s get this show on the road! Jacob just uttered his third lie - This wasn t my game - All he did was go to the flock and kill two goats for Rebekah to prepare I wonder how many times Jacob loved over his shoulder to make sure that Esau wasn t coming - I wonder if Rebekah was somewhere observing all of this to see if her plan would work 9

20 And Isaac said to his son, How is it that you have it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD your God caused it to happen to me. Of course Isaac is in no hurry to proceed - He is still unsettled as to who is standing before him Isaac asks a legitimate question, How is it that you have it so quickly, my son? - It seems that the preparation of the meal took place very quickly - So quickly that it took Isaac off guard We are not sure if Rebekah told Jacob what to say in various situations - But Jacob answers his father s question by saying, Because the LORD your God caused it to happen to me Now this is real gall! - Jacob credits the LORD with the success of the hunt Of course, we know that there was no hunting involved - Rebekah was the one who hatched this plan - This is Jacob s fourth lie Jacob references the LORD your God - Not the LORD my God In a sly and crafty manner, Jacob knows that he can appeal to the LORD s favor in a way to get the attention of his father 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not. 22 So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. Isaac is still not convinced - He asks that Jacob come closer for a more thorough inspection We keep in mind that Isaac is old and his eyesight was failing - Jacob had to expect that this would happen - After all, this is why Rebekah went to so much trouble to dress him up to look like Esau Isaac is confused - This son feels like Esau - But this son doesn t talk like Esau So far, Rebekah s plan is working quite nicely! 24 And he said, Are you really my son Esau? And he said, I am. Isaac asks Jacob a very pointed question, Are you really my son Esau? - Jacob says, I am 10

Jacob has learned to keep his statements short, so as not to give too much away - This is his fifth lie Imagine the confusion of Isaac - This person claims to be Esau - This person feels like Esau - But this person does not talk like Esau 25 So he said, Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son's game, that I may bless you. And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. Finally convinced that this son really is Esau, he invites him to bring the meal so that he may enjoy it - Once again, we get the feeling that Isaac s appetite for food overrides his other senses - Even though he might be a little unsure of this person s identity, he agrees to partake of the meal nonetheless Not only does Jacob bring Isaac the meal - He also brings wine which his father drank Thus far in Genesis, wine has been misused - Noah drank it and uncovered himself in his tent (9:21, 24) - Lot s two daughters made him drink wine and conceived children through him (19:32-35) Undoubtedly, Jacob gave his father wine in order to dampen the rest of Isaac s faculties 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, Please come close and kiss me, my son. 27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him After eating the meal, Isaac has Jacob come closer one more time - Isaac came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him Isaac wanted one more final confirmation before blessing his son - He smelled like Esau, so Isaac blessed his son and said, See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed; 28 now may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine; 29 may peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, and may your mother s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you. The formal blessing that Isaac gives was, of course, intended for Esau - Thus some of the details at the beginning don t mean as much to Jacob Isaac comments on how the smell of Esau reminds him of the field which the LORD had blessed - He doesn t know that Jacob has deceived him by wearing Esau s clothing The blessing of dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine could be summarized under prosperity and success in hunting endeavors - Isaac wishes that Esau would enjoy success from nature, which is his realm 11

But then verse 29 is the real heart of the blessing - Isaac wishes for Esau to be master over others, may peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, and may your mother s sons bow down to you These words sound very familiar to the promise that God had given to Abraham back in Genesis 12 - Abraham and his descendants would be the means of universal blessing - Yet Isaac is wanting Esau to inherit these blessings Little did Isaac realize just how true his blessing would come about 6 - He had hoped that Esau would be blessed; however, he was cursed - He had hoped that Esau would rule; however, he was ruled over We read these words and recognize that Jacob, not Esau, would receive this blessing - But what would happen if Esau had been blessed in this way? Can you imagine a rugged, rebellious, selfish, deviant individual like Esau being master over others? - We have read about various tyrants who lorded their authority over others - We have seen the damage that such dictators can bring But God has already reassured us that Jacob, not Esau, would be the promised son and heir of the Abrahamic Covenant Isaac either disregarded the Lord s promise - Or either he wasn t aware of this promise - We are not told But it is clear that Isaac had been deceived 7 - All five of his senses had failed him o Sight his eyes were failing him o Taste Rebekah knew how to prepare a good meal o Touch Jacob wore Esau s clothing and goat s hair o Hearing although there was a doubt, they were overridden by the other senses o Smell Jacob smelled like Esau - Not only was he physically blind - But he was also spiritually blind to the deception of his own family against him Without knowing it, Isaac had directed his blessing to Jacob - The word Jacob means deceiver - He certainly lived up to his name on this occasion He was a schemer and liar - He was driven to obtain a blessing, no matter how others were affected 8 - Even if this meant dishonoring and deceiving his father What a sad story this is! - We see a family that is torn apart by division and deception 6 Victor P. Hamilton, NICOT, Genesis 18-50, 222. 7 Morris, 434. 8 Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, 427. 12

- We see a family that is fragmented - We see a wife who takes matters into her own hands in order to bring about a blessing for her son Where is the LORD in this chapter? - Nowhere does He speak - He is only mentioned three times 9 No doubt the Lord had already chosen to bless Jacob instead of Esau - But by no means was Jacob the model believer - He lied to his father on five separate occasions - He had intentionally deceived his father But the principle of sowing and reaping certainly plays into the life of Jacob - He would soon encounter a man who was just as crafty and deceptive as he was - We will encounter him in a few weeks I trust that you see the dangers of deception - Deception ignores God s blessing (27:1-4) - Deception manipulates God s plan (27:5-17) - Deception misleads God s people (27:18-29) The sinister aspect about deception is that it blinds us - In other words, sometimes we aren t fully aware of our sin because it has deceived us! After hearing this message, if you are convicted that you have been deceptive, - Confess it to the Lord - Ask for His forgiveness - Repent of it God wants His children choosing integrity and righteousness - Not dishonesty and deception 9 Mathews, 417. 13