1 Dear Friend, this is a transcript of a sermon preached by Pastor Jeremy Tan from the pulpit of Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. We are committed to expository preaching because we believe it is the most effective way to expose, explain and expound the Holy Scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Through careful systematic and sequential exposition, the preacher is able to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and Christians are blessed with a regular, well-balanced diet of God s Word. Expository preaching also helps us to have a high view of Scripture. We wish to extend a warm welcome to you to join us in our church services for a time of uplifting worship and helpful Bible study, which will bring rejoicing and refreshment to your soul. Do visit our church website at www.amazingracebc.org or write to us at amazingracebc@gmail.com. THE STOLEN BLESSING Genesis 27:1 46 Since the time they were in their mother s womb, Esau and Jacob had been struggling against one another. To add to the conflict, their parents chose sides between them: Esau was the father s favourite, and Jacob was the mother s darling (Genesis 25:28). Later when Jacob learned from Rebekah his mother about the oracle of God that the elder shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:23), he desired the birthright. One day when Esau returned home from hunting, empty handed and very hungry, he asked Jacob for a bowl of stew, and Jacob seized his opportunity. He agreed to give his stew to Esau in exchange for his brother s birthright. Esau had no interest in the birthright, so he readily agreed to give it to Jacob under oath. Now in this new chapter, we have the culmination of the family tension which had developed between the sons, and between the parents. Here we will see all four individuals actively involved in the stolen blessing of the birthright. Isaac seems to be the unwitting victim, but every member in the family acted according to the depravity of the human nature. In Genesis 27, there are five scenes saturated with intrigue, suspense, and agony. In Hebrew narrative, it is typical for only two individuals to be engaged in dialogue at one time. Here, however, the number of separate meetings and their manner imply intentional exclusion and reflect the deep division within the family. (Genesis: A Commentary, Bruce A. Waltke with Cathi J. Fredricks, p. 373). The narrative begins with Isaac and Esau in the first scene, followed by Rebekah and Jacob in the second. In the third scene, Isaac and Jacob are involved; the fourth is between Rebekah and Jacob, and in the fifth Isaac meets Esau again. The only pair that do not meet are Esau and Jacob. In this study, we will look at each scene from the standpoint of each person in the family. We begin with I. The Declining Father.
2 Genesis 27:1-2 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. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: Isaac was one hundred and thirty-seven years old and nearly blind. According to Genesis 25:17, this was the age at which his stepbrother Ishmael died. So old Isaac felt that his own days were numbered. But Isaac still had a few decades ahead of him, for he would live to the age of one hundred and eighty (Genesis 35:28). (NOTE: Isaac was sixty years old when Jacob was born. At one hundred and thirty-seven years of age, he gave to Jacob the blessing. Therefore, Jacob was seventy-seven years old when he started out for Haran. Jacob died at the age of one hundred and forty-seven (Genesis 47:28), which was seventy years after his meeting with Rachel). We recall that when Isaac was on Mount Moriah with his father Abraham, he was a willing sacrifice, obedient unto death like his greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Later in Genesis 26 during the famine in Canaan, he obeyed God by faith and stayed in the Promised Land. But with the passing of the years and as his health turned frail, his spiritual qualities also declined. Isaac s fleshly desires and self-gratification controlled him, and his dependence on his senses became his undoing. He knew from Rebekah that God had chosen Jacob for the birthright. He probably also knew about Esau giving up his birthright to his brother in exchange for a bowl of red lentil stew. Moreover, Esau s marriages to two Hittite women brought grief to himself and Rebekah. Yet, Isaac ignored Esau s unbelief and disdain of the Covenant, and continued to favour his eldest son. He turned a blind eye to his son s misconduct, so now he called Esau to his bedside. Genesis 27:3-4 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4 And 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. Isaac asked Esau to go out to the field and bring home a game animal for him to eat. He promised Esau a final oral blessing for his son s venison. We see here the similar motivation of father and son: they were prepared to exchange spiritual possessions for material goods, the eternal for the temporal. Isaac was physically blind, and spiritually shortsighted! There is the repeated expression savoury meat, such as I love (Genesis 27:4, 9, 14). Isaac loved the good food that Esau brought to him. It has been said that the way to a man s heart is through his stomach, and no truer saying applies to Isaac than this. Isaac lived according to his fleshly appetites. He promised Esau, That my soul may bless thee before I die. Four times the soul is mentioned (Genesis 27:4, 19, 25, 31). The point is that Isaac wanted to bless Esau with all his resources with all blessing that he had received and with all his desire and vitality. It is more than saying that he wished with all his heart to bless Esau; it would be passing on his lifetime of blessing. (Allen P. Ross, Creation & Blessing, p. 476). The birthright, usually the privilege of the firstborn, entitled the possessor to become the head of the family, and to be the leader of the people. For the family of the Abrahamic Covenant, the firstborn is uniquely
3 privileged to belong in the line of the Messiah. Isaac s spirituality had sunk so low that he chose to give the birthright of the Abrahamic Covenant based on his taste of food! The final patriarchal blessing is usually given in public (Genesis 49:1, 28; 50:24-25; Deuteronomy 33:1), but Isaac planned to give his blessing to Esau privately. He knew that God had chosen Jacob for the birthright; if he forgot, Rebekah would surely remind him. Moreover, his wife would object to his intentions if she knew about it. Therefore, the private nature of Isaac s final blessing shows that he deliberately chose Esau. Isaac thought no one had heard his conversation with Esau, but he was wrong. Being old, he probably spoke loudly; and if walls have ears, as the saying goes, then there is even less privacy living in a tent. Genesis 27:5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. This leads us to the second scene and II. The Dictating Mother. Genesis 27:6-8 6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Rebekah eavesdropped and overheard the conversation between Isaac and Esau. We note in Genesis 27:1 that Esau is his eldest son, whereas here in Genesis 27:6 we have the words Jacob her son. Parental favouritism of the sons had fractured the relationships in the family. She learned about the impending blessing of Esau, so she quickly devised a plot to deceive her husband. Rebekah was right about the birthright going to Jacob, but she did not trust God to fulfill the blessing that He promised in Genesis 25:23. Instead of asking God for guidance as she did during her painful and traumatic pregnancy, Rebekah acted according to human wisdom, which is selfish and depraved. She chose to scheme against her husband to make sure Esau did not get the birthright blessing, but the end does not justify the means. In trying to get the patriarchal blessing for Jacob, we see Rebekah s strong-willed nature. The words translated obey my voice and command reveal her dictatorial and forceful personality. She said to Jacob in Genesis 27:9-10 9 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: 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. Then Rebekah went into the kitchen and immediately prepared the dish for her son to serve to Isaac. Genesis 27:11-12 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12 My 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.
4 We observe Jacob s fear of being found out by his father. He feared that he would earn a curse from Isaac instead of being blessed, if his deception was discovered; but he had no qualms about cheating his father. Genesis 27:13-17 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15 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: 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. Rebekah promised her son that she would bear any curse that might result, so Jacob agreed to his mother s plan. She cooked the meal, clothed Jacob with Esau s garment, and covered his hands and neck with goatskins. She thought of everything. This brings us to the next scene, which introduces us to Jacob as III. The Deceiving Son. Genesis 27:18-19 18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? 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. Dressed in his brother s clothes so as to smell like him, covered up in goatskin as a disguise for Esau s hairy complexion, and with a dish of his mother s savoury meat in his hand, Jacob went in to see his father. Genesis 27:20 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 was surprised at the speed of his son s return, so the imposter Jacob began to spin a web of lies. The first lie is pretending to be Esau. Lie number two is to serve the food instead of Esau. Jacob s third lie is to use God as his accomplice. How blatant that God s name would be used to cheat his father! It should not surprise us that people use God s name to lie and cheat, and to commit sin. But Isaac was suspicious. Genesis 27:21-23 21 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. 22 And 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. 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau s hands: so he blessed him. Other than being suspicious about the person who returned, Isaac detected that the voice he heard was not Esau s. Genesis 27:24-26 24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 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. 26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
5 Lie number four is Jacob s insistence that he was Esau. In the words of Sir Walter Scott, the poet, O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. But Isaac chose to ignore his suspicions. He suppressed his doubts, and heartily ate the meal Jacob brought. He ate, and then with satisfaction drank his wine. He was actually eating lamb, not venison, but his taste could no longer mark the difference. Isaac s dependence upon his five senses resulted in his deception, and this provides a rather subtle warning to all who would depend solely on empirical evidence for truth! (John J. Davis, Paradise to Prison, p. 236). We cannot rest upon our senses, our emotions, and our feelings. Even our heart is unreliable. According to Jeremiah 17:9, the human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Only God s sure word is reliable. Genesis 27:27-29 27 And 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: 28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let 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. The dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine are the blessings of prosperity. Then Isaac invoked the patriarchal blessing upon Jacob. The last statement about cursing and blessing was first said to Abraham, and now by divine providence Isaac transfers it to God s choice, Jacob. The next scene is about IV. The Despairing Son. Genesis 27:30-33 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. 31 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. 32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. 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. After Isaac had eaten and pronounced his final oral blessing upon Jacob, Esau stepped into the tent. He announced his return, and Isaac realized he had been deceived. He shook convulsively to the core of his being, as fear and conviction took hold of him. At that moment, Isaac knew that God had overruled his choice of Esau. But what about the blessing? Can it be overturned? Isaac recognized providence at work, so he said, Yea, and he shall be blessed. It is this statement that revealed Isaac s faith in blessing Jacob. The writer of Hebrews pointed out Isaac s act of faith in Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. We note that Isaac also blessed Esau, which was in reality an anti-blessing.
6 Genesis 27:34 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. This is one of the tenderest scenes in the entire Bible. Esau was cheated, and his loud wailing makes him a pitiable victim. Nobody enjoys being cheated. He was an innocent man who went out on an errand to please his father, but he became the victim of the conspiracy from his own mother and brother! His father answered him in Genesis 27:35-36 35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 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? Father and son were upset with Jacob over his deed. But Isaac understood that God had intervened against his wilfulness. As for Esau, he was right to accuse Jacob of cheating him, but he was wrong to say that his birthright was taken away. He said nothing about his sale of the birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew. To put the shameful incident into proper perspective, we must consider the divine commentary in Hebrews 12:16-17 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that Esau sold his birthright for a morsel of meat. Esau saw no value in his birthright. By despising his birthright, he denied himself the blessing of the firstborn. Thus, his tears were not because he felt the spiritual loss, but for the loss of material and political blessings that were included in the birthright. Genesis 27:37-38 37 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? 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 shed tears of frustrated selfishness, not because he regretted his foolishness or repented of his sinful despising of the birthright. Nevertheless, the father tried to soothe his despairing son. Genesis 27:39-40 39 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; 40 And 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. Isaac s consolation to Esau has been described as an anti-blessing. Instead of being blessed like Jacob and his descendants, Esau and his descendants would become desert dwellers. In Hebrew, the meaning of Isaac s words is that Esau would be turned away from the blessing of the birthright. However, the prophecy of the elder serving the younger would not last forever. Esau would be subservient to Jacob, but the day would come for Esau s descendants to break [Jacob s] yoke from off [his] neck.
7 Genesis 27:41 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. Esau s grief quickly turned into bitter hatred of Jacob. As soon as their father died, he would kill his brother. Once again, we see Esau s animalistic nature: revenge reflected his desire to please his flesh. Therefore, Rebekah said in Genesis 27:42 that Esau took comfort in his vengeful desire to kill Jacob. But contrary to Esau s expectation, the days of mourning for his father were not at hand, as Isaac still had many years ahead of him. Finally, the narrator brings everyone together. So we see V. The Disintegrating Family. Genesis 27:42-45 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. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother s fury turn away; 45 Until 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 learned the murderous intent of his older son, she gave another order to Jacob. This time, Jacob must leave home for a few days, until thy brother s fury turn away. She was afraid that after Esau killed Jacob, he would be killed by an avenger of blood for taking an innocent life (cf. Genesis 4:14; 2 Samuel 7:14). The enormity of her guilt in the deception, to pit one son against the other, weighed heavy on her. She feared the loss of both sons. Rebekah thought Jacob would come back in a short while, when Esau s anger abated. But the few days turned into weeks, weeks became months, and the months stretched out into years. Jacob would be away for twenty years, and Rebekah never saw her favourite son again. Then from deception, the dictating mother turned to diplomacy. She had to give Isaac a reason for Jacob s departure. Why did Jacob have to leave home? Genesis 27:46 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 complained to Isaac about the wives of Esau. The Hittite women wearied her. What if Jacob also married a Hittite? Isaac was pleased with the explanation for an obvious reason. Rebekah was a Shemite from Mesopotamia, and Isaac would prefer a daughter-in-law from his own people. Rebekah s manipulative language to spare Jacob again displays the poverty of Isaac and Rebekah s relationship. As demonstrated by the previous deception, Isaac and Rebekah do not seem able to communicate honestly with one another on important spiritual matters. (Waltke, p. 382). Conclusion
8 Genesis 27 is about a family that fragments over the pursuit of spiritual blessing. This aspect makes it relevant to all who seek God s blessing. (Ross, p. 471). This family complicated matters for themselves by living according to human wisdom, instead of trusting God to work out His will for each of them. Everyone in the family was at fault. No one did right. Isaac knew the oracle of God, yet he insisted on blessing Esau with the birthright. Esau lost his blessing when he despised his birthright, yet he asked his father for the blessing, thus breaking his oath to Jacob. As for Rebekah and Jacob, they conspired to get the blessing through deception. Even though it seemed that Isaac was about to bless Esau and deny Jacob, they lacked faith in God to fulfill His will. The birthright blessing was due to Jacob, but they sought it without faith and without love. Rebekah and Jacob succeeded in their conspiracy, but what did they gain? They obtained only what God had promised to Jacob. But for their sinful conduct, they would reap the appropriate fruit. Rebekah would not see her son again, and Jacob would spend twenty miserable years with uncle Laban, who turned out to be a greater cheat than him! All four persons missed the truth that God alone bestows the blessing. God had chosen Jacob as the recipient of the birthright. What mattered most is God s sovereign will, and God will see to the fulfilment of His will! The key lesson for us is that God s people who know His will must not attempt deceptive, manipulative schemes to gain spiritual success, but must strive to achieve God s will righteously. Faith means living without scheming. The end does not justify the means. No matter how they plotted, Rebekah and Jacob only succeeded in doing whatsoever [the] hand and counsel [of God] determined before to be done (Acts 4:28). Indeed, man proposes but it is always God who disposes! Do you have faith in God? Are you a believer in Him? God always accomplishes His purpose. Believe Him, and He will bless you according to His will. Permission: We share our materials with you as a blessing from the ministry of our church. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: Copyright: Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. Website: www.amazingracebc.org. Used by permission as granted on website.