The Blessing

Oct. 20

Read: Genesis 27

The Blessing

Why did Jacob and Rebekah choose to lie and deceive Isaac? More importantly… did it even work? Did it actually bring about blessing for Jacob?

The truth of the matter is that God had already declared that Jacob would rule over Esau. Jacob’s blessing and destiny never truly hinged on his deceiving his father and getting him to “bless” him. I think it was fear and doubt that caused his mother and him to carry out this elaborate scheme. This is a classic example of the way that we feel like we need to “add to” or “intervene” in God’s plan using our own methods. It is as if we trust God… mostly… but want to be sure things turn out the way we are hoping so we hedge our bets and begin to meddle. When we feel like things are not going to go our way, or that God’s promises are somehow going to fail, we scramble and begin to make our own plans. These are our own human efforts to get things done… and we may be tempted to justify our actions because we think they are bringing about what God wants.

Rebekah was the one who received the word from the Lord regarding Jacob while he was in the womb. (Gen. 25:23) It makes sense that she would be the instigator who hatches this plan to trick Isaac. It is her way of ensuring the outcomes God had promised some 70+ years prior. I wonder if Rebekah had ever told Isaac what the Lord told her all those years ago? Did Isaac know God’s heart in this matter? Did Isaac know that Esau had already given up his birthright? Did he know that Esau actually “despised his birthright”? (Gen. 25:34) My hunch is that Isaac simply doubted Jacobs ability to carry the weight of “God’s promise”. Esau was the stronger one after all. I think Isaac doubtedJacob’s capacity to lead the family. I am not sure if Isaac knew how easily Esau gave up his birthright, or under what conditions. I don’t know what Isaac would say to a birthright being given for a bowl of soup! What is clear is that Isaac wanted Esau to be the son who received his blessing.

One thing most people miss is that this is truly about a blessing and not a birthright. Esau says as much when he declares: “Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” (v.36) If Isaac didn’t know beforehand, he did know now that Esau had lost both his birthright and his blessing. They are actually two separate things. More often than not they were given to the same person, but not always. (cf. Jacob and blessing Joseph’s boys) The birthright had to do with being the leader of the household. It did carry with it a double portion of the inheritance. The blessing on the other hand was more mystical and tied to God. It was a declaration of life moving forward. It carried spiritual weight as well as tangible / worldly promise. Jacob now had both. Esau had neither.

The sad truth is that Isaac’s blessing would never have worked for Esau anyways. God’s blessing would never actually rest on Esau no matter what his aged father Isaac said or did. No one who is tied to this world, its ways, and its power structures is fit to receive the blessing of the Lord. This is why it is crucial to understand Esau’s origin story and the “battle between two worlds” that is taking place. This is true in both directions- the same could be said for Jacob. Jacob is fit to receive the blessings of God NOT because of anything he did, but because God chose him as his heritage and portion… It was God was making Jacob fit and putting on display HIS power and goodness by working through him. Jacob isn’t blessed because of his lie… he is blessed in spite of it.

What Jacob’s lie does accomplish is bringing enmity and bitterness between he and his brother. Esau’s hatred burns against his brother… and understandably so! In turn, Jacob had to leave his father and mother; he had to run away. The lie brings about separation. It truly does turn out to be a curse on Rebekah - just as she had said, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice…” (v.13) Rebekah’s conniving deception brought about the loss of her favorite son! This is so often the byproduct of our human efforts apart from God - they bring about brokenness, strife, and loss… not really blessing. As for the eldest brother, “As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry…” (v.34) There is a reckoning that will come one day for those who so easily dismiss the blessings of God’s covenant and willingly trade it away for earthly things with no lasting value. To abandon the promises of God for the things of this world will inevitably end one day with “an exceedingly great and bitter cry” and a vain attempt to ask for them back.

What a muddled and tragic story. A family riddled with favoritism and divided. A series of deceptions between wife and husband, between a son and his father, and between two brothers. This is the sort of mess that God is working in the midst of to redeem. This is the sort of mess that we make when we try to take matters into our own hands. It was hard for Isaac to let go of his own agenda / expectations for who would carry on the family legacy and lead the clan. It was hard for Rebekah to trust God and take him at his word. It was hard for Jacob to live in his brothers shadow and be seen as less desirable by his father. The tension between these characters is thick… and God is working in all of it. One thing I know for sure is, if God can work through a deceiver like Jacob, he can surely work through you and I.

Today, I want to encourage you all - stop trying to attach goat skin to your hands. (v.16) There is no need to try and wear someone else’s clothes. (v.15) Stop trying to deceive the people around you as to your identity. (v.18-29) I am calling the people of God to trust the Lord and his GOODNESS. When you set aside all of the ways we try to “stack the deck in our favor” and manipulate those around us to “get blessing” - you can finally begin to walk by faith with the Lord. Our schemes just bring about heartache. They drive us apart from those around us and stir up dissension and hate. I know it is not always easy to trust, but know this “God is a rewarder of those who seek him”… and you don’t have to trick someone to receive that reward… it is FREELY GIVEN by God. (Heb. 11:6) Love you guys. - JDP