Genesis 27:41-46

2008.Sep.26 14:20

Rebekah tells Jacob to Leave

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So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
(Genesis 27:41, NASB)

Esau’s anger is understandable. His reaction is not acceptable. He has consistently failed to examine his own fault in the loss of his birthright, and in the apparent alienation of his parents due to his marriage. He is also, in my opinion, putting too much stake on his father’s blessing. Go out there and suceed, man. It is interesting to note the implication that he is not yet ready to throw off his yoke to Jacob, insofar as he has not accomplished it.

Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, "Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban! Stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury subsides, until your brother's anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?" Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"
(Genesis 27:42-46, NASB)

Esau has also not yet learned that Rebekah finds out everything. Oops. So, she warns Jacob to head out for “a few days”, and she gives him a specific destination: the home of her brother, Laban. Her timing will prove to be way off, and she doesn’t give a reason that I see for her particular destination.

Rebekah, in this passage, is a proponent of the “time will heal all things” mentality, not something I personally buy into. Yes, many things will recede from daily awareness, but does she really think that Esau’s anger will not be renewed when Jacob returns? She’s right on that point, as it turns out, but other situations have changed. This is a family in serious need of professional counseling. Which is, in some ways, reassuring.

When Rebekah ponders losing both her sons in one day, in a rehash of Cain and Abel, she doesn’t seem to be aware the she’s already lost at least Esau, who is rapidly breaking all remaining ties to his family, and that she has virtually lost Jacob due to her scheming, as he now has to hide from his brother. Again, the time to fix all this has past a long time ago.

So, Rebekah makes her justification to Isaac for sending their son away: that she does not want him to marry a Hittite, as Esau had done. Now why she can’t just say “Esau’s going to kill him,” I don’t know. And again, again, it’s amazing that the family has arrived at this point of hatred everywhere. Isaac, come on! What were you doing for the last twenty, thirty years? Not paying attention to the health of your family, apparently. Which, about to be a father, is the part of this story most significant to me, that Isaac should have seen trouble and intervened years before.

Genesis 27:39-40

2008.Sep.19 20:00

The Blessing on Esau

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Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. "By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."
(Genesis 27:39-40, NASB)

Isaac has agreed to give Esau a blessing, after Jacob stole the intended blessing via deception. For whatever reason, Isaac considers his blessing on Jacob to be a done deal with which Esau is just going to have to live. One of the key points in the blessing of Jacob is that he would “be master of [his] brothers” (Genesis 27:29, NASB). Isaac, who is apparently too far gone to figure out with which of his kids he is talking, must remember this element of the blessing, because his blessing of Esau includes such an acknowledgement.

The blessing also says that Esau and his descendents will live with some trying elements. In particular, they will not live on particularly fertile land, and that they will have to be warriors. This isn’t all bad. First, the quality of Esau’s (and Jacob’s for that matter) is never mentioned. Happiness is not the concern of this blessing, but rather material success. Ability, likewise, is not mentioned. So, Esau’s father has not cursed him to unhappiness; I could say that he has rather blessed Esau with an alternative. “Life will have some difficulties, son, but you can thrive in this situation.” For Esau, survival by sword, instead of agriculture, might well be a blessing.

But there’s yet one more huge element. “It shall come about,” says Isaac, “when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.” Life, yes, will be full of challenges. Subject of your younger brother, your success will not be as easy. And, yes, you will even accept this for a time. But only for a time. There’s always the temptation to cry out “How long?” The Bible has several instances of this question. But there’s also the hope that what Esau lost by his foolishness will be ultimately restored.

Genesis 27:30-38

2008.Sep.12 18:00

Esau’s Complaint

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Right after Isaac had given Jacob his blessing and Jacob had gone, Esau came back from hunting. He cooked the tasty food, brought it to his father, and said, "Father, please sit up and eat the meat I have brought you, so you can give me your blessing." "Who are you?" Isaac asked. "I am Esau, your first-born son." Isaac started trembling and said, "Then who brought me some wild meat right before you came in? I ate it and gave him a blessing that cannot be taken back." Esau cried loudly and begged, "Father, give me a blessing too!" Isaac answered, "Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing." Esau replied, "My brother deserves the name Jacob, because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing." Then Esau asked his father, "Don't you still have any blessing left for me?" "My son," Isaac answered, "I have made Jacob the ruler over you and your brothers, and all of you will be his servants. I have also promised him all the grain and grapes that he needs. There's nothing left that I can do for you." "Father," Esau asked, "don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!" Then Esau started crying again.
(Genesis 27:30-38, CEV)

Is Esau really surprised by Jacob’s actions? It strikes me as odd that he would not have anticipated this, but then, maybe Jacob only cheated his brother these two times; maybe this wasn’t so obvious as it is in hindsight.

Esau’s response is to whine, more or less. He has a justifiable complaint against his younger brother, but he doesn’t take responsibility for at least his part in the first deal. After all, while Jacob may well have thought through how to get Esau’s birthright, Esau did make the decision to sell it. So, between Esau’s whining and Jacob’s clear deception in this case, I can’t say I feel sympathy for either. Indeed, in the whole story, I maybe feel sorry for Isaac, although it’s a “I’m not impressed with you talents of deduction” sorry. Unless, as I pondered earlier, he was party to the deception.

It’s worth noting that God’s blessings don’t work like Isaac’s in this story. Yahweh is not limited to only giving a good blessing to one of his children. Indeed, the blessings he offers every person are astounding, and they don’t work on a first-come, first-serve basis (a fact which some long-time Christians should note).

But, then, this particular verbal blessing is something of an exception even in Esau’s life with respect to what his father gives him. He’s the firstborn son in a very wealthy family. That he marries at least two women, disregarding for the moment the morality of polygamy, is at least an indication of his own wealth and success. So, maybe he just needs to quit whining, eh?

Genesis 27:26-29

2008.Sep.05 18:00

The Blessing on Jacob

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Then Isaac said, "Son, come over here and kiss me." While Jacob was kissing him, Isaac caught the smell of his clothes and said: "The smell of my son is like a field the LORD has blessed. God will bless you, my son, with dew from heaven and with fertile fields, rich with grain and grapes. Nations will be your servants and bow down to you. You will rule over your brothers, and they will kneel at your feet. Anyone who curses you will be cursed; anyone who blesses you will be blessed."
(Genesis 27:26-29, CEV)

The blessing itself, having finally come to it, is not terribly interesting, at least to me. It’s a basic “Things will go well for you,” with an added, “you will rule over others.” As a major point, that others includes Esau (intended apparently to be instead Esau ruling over Jacob).

From a wider outlook, this may be seen as a blessing on the forthcoming nation of Israel. And the Biblical history of that nation sees this blessing fulfilled. But…

As with Jacob, for the nation Israel, the blessing doesn’t apparently preclude suffering and times when pretty much the opposite of the blessing happens. Solomon’s reign or the Babylon captivity. Jacob’s success or his struggles with Laban. Jacob’s joy in his children, or the apparent loss of Joseph. Indeed, it’s rare to see a blessing that doesn’t occassionally feel like a curse–and the bad times may or may not be do to failures on the part of recipient–or a curse that doesn’t sometimes look a blessing.

Promises are good, especially from Yahweh, and it’s wonderful to read through the Bible, seeing his promises for me. But what I need to receive from those promises is encouragement and perspective, not a feeling of invincibility, certainly not pride in myself.

Genesis 27:18-25

2008.Aug.29 18:00

The Lie

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Jacob went to his father and said, "Father, here I am." "Which one of my sons are you?" his father asked. Jacob replied, "I am Esau, your first-born, and I have done what you told me. Please sit up and eat the meat I have brought. Then you can give me your blessing." Isaac asked, "My son, how did you find an animal so quickly?" "The LORD your God was kind to me," Jacob answered. "My son," Isaac said, "come closer, where I can touch you and find out if you really are Esau." Jacob went closer. His father touched him and said, "You sound like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy like Esau's." And so Isaac blessed Jacob, thinking he was Esau. Isaac asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" "Yes, I am," Jacob answered. So Isaac told him, "Serve me the wild meat, and I can give you my blessing." Jacob gave him some meat, and he ate it. He also gave him some wine, and he drank it.
(Genesis 27:18-25, CEV)

Me, I would’ve given up at “Which of my sons are you?” Not Jacob. No, he’s a persistant deceiver. Sort of a politician in training, right? Jacob’s repetition of the lie gives the idea that he almost believes it himself. There’s nothing honorable in this, just a lie for a blessing. If he wanted a blessing so bad, why not just ask God?

There’s the rub. If I really believe in an all-powerful and involved God, there’s no reason for me to seek gain by deceiving and/or hurting others. Either Yahweh will supply my need or he will give me an honest way to achieve whatever goal. Or, perhaps often, I overestimated my need.

But what’s up with Isaac? He keeps getting so close to figuring this out. I half want to think that he’s actually in on this deception too, perhaps that he and Rebekah planned it because neither wanted to give Esau the blessing. But again, there’s got to be a better way. It’s a “What does God need with a spaceship?” question. I’m happy for Yahweh to give me productive roles to play, but I don’t honestly believe it’s because he needs me to accomplish those things. Instead, I believe he gives me such roles because ultimately those activities make me more likable to him. If, in accomplishing a role, I do something that is contrary to Yahweh’s character, I’ve missed the boat.

Genesis 27:11-17

2008.Aug.22 18:00

Almost Thinking About It

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"My brother Esau is a hairy man," Jacob reminded her. "And I am not. If my father touches me and realizes I am trying to trick him, he will put a curse on me instead of giving me a blessing." Rebekah insisted, "Let his curse fall on me! Just do what I say and bring me the meat." So Jacob brought the meat to his mother, and she cooked the tasty food that his father liked. Then she took Esau's best clothes and put them on Jacob. She also covered the smooth part of his hands and neck with goatskins and gave him some bread and the tasty food she had cooked.
(Genesis 27:11-17, CEV)

I like that Jacob almost thinks about his mother’s plan. It at least occurs to him that something could go wrong. His concern is that his father, discovering the plan, will then curse him. It’s a good concern as far as that goes, but he’s still missing the point. Jacob is deceiving his father, and the kicker is, so that he can receive a blessing witnessed by Yahweh! Um, can we please think all this through?

Rebekah is not swayed. In fact, she’s willing to accept on herself whatever curse may otherwise come upon her son. This whole thing just seems absurd. If I hadn’t seen families who play these kind of games, I’d say this is allegory. And yet, I have seen this kind of absurd behavior within families. I guess, after all, humans are human.

One other comment, though, is the contrast between Rebekah/Jacob and Esau. The former two, especially Rebekah, are prepared. Indeed, the little I see of Rebekah’s life, being prepared and ready to deal with even totally unexpected is her norm. That’s a strength, but like most (all?) strengths, it can be misused. Esau’s appearances have indicated a man who is never prepared, best illustrated that he was managed to get hungry enough to sell his birthright; indeed the selling shows a lack of forward thinking. But, is it better to have the strength with the temptation of misuse or not to have it. I suppose it depends on the strength of the temptation, reminding me of something Jesus says:

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell. If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell…
(Mark 9:43-47, NASB)

Genesis 27:5-10

2008.Aug.15 18:00

Rebekah’s Plan

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Rebekah had been listening, and as soon as Esau left to go hunting, she said to Jacob, "I heard your father tell Esau to kill a wild animal and cook some tasty food for your father before he dies. Your father said this because he wants to bless your brother with the LORD as his witness. Now, my son, listen carefully to what I want you to do. Go and kill two of your best young goats and bring them to me. I'll cook the tasty food that your father loves so much. Then you can take it to him, so he can eat it and give you his blessing before he dies."
(Genesis 27:5-10, CEV)

I don’t get why Rebekah so seems to favor Jacob. Is this just because God had told her that Esau would be subservient to Jacob? Does she feel it’s her responsibility to make that happen? I find that hard to believe. My guess is this is two parents playing favorites, each picking the child they get along better with as a tool to…well, fight whatever battles they have by proxy. Too bad for Esau and Jacob.

Rebekah and Jacob do appear to share a talent for strategy/scheming. Jacob has already managed to buy Esau’s birthright for a trifle, but the plan to get the first born blessing is launched by Rebekah. Indeed, she intends to actively participate. Now, I admire a good plan as much as the next person, but WTF?! This act seems purely spiteful or something of the sort. Or does Rebekah really think that God’s plans are going to be bound based on who receives this blessing?

It’s reassuring, I suppose, to know that the patriarchs and matriarchs would a good deal messed up.

These sort of situations lead to those questions of how does such deception fit in God’s plan? Did he desire this lie? I don’t think that’s in his character. I think it’s fair to say that God’s plans are not guaranteed to be understandle by humans, at least in this life. Although, I do feel comfortable proposing that he accepts the reality of human’s sinning and works his plan through that, while it’s also clear that the sin displeases him.

Somewhat off-topic: is part of this story a testament for herding instead of hunting? It would make sense, from what I know of Hebrew history (which, admittedly is not that much) that the ‘winner’ in their story would be one who cares for flocks, not a hunter-gatherer.

Genesis 27:1-4

2008.Aug.08 18:00

Food for a Blessing

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After Isaac had become old and almost blind, he called in his first-born son Esau, who asked him, "Father, what can I do for you?" Isaac replied, "I am old and might die at any time. So take your bow and arrows, then go out in the fields, and kill a wild animal. Cook some of that tasty food that I love so much and bring it to me. I want to eat it once more and give you my blessing before I die."
(Genesis 27:1-4, CEV)

I can’t say that Isaac’s best decision, if he really intended to give his blessing to his eldest son, was in first requiring Esau to make him a meal. Has he not yet figured out that Jacob is willing to use such opportunities to his advantage, and happens to be much better at doing so that Esau? My impression of Esau is that of the “dumb jock”, but without the motivation (By the way, is it just me or are the an uncanny number of bookish and artistic heros in the Bible?).

Still, I’m sure there’s plenty of significance, well-meant of Isaac’s part, in having Esau first prepare a meal for his father. If nothing else, it’s likely that a good meal will put Isaac in a better mood, thus enhancing the quality of said blessing. For Isaac, this event is probably much more significant than for any of the other players. He is about to die, he is losing his eyesight, at least, and likely feels like he is no longer capable of independent action. This blessing represents his last foray as a powerful patriach; the meal he requests may be the final acknowledgement of his waning power. Of course, as it turns out, the attempted bless more demostrated his failing health and strength.

In other words, this should have been a big moment, and one particularly focused on Isaac. It would have been nice to see the family gathered together, celebrating Isaac’s life. Ha ha. Instead, it’s family politics.

So, my wife is pregnant. Which is wonderful. I read this story, think about my future, my family’s future. Family politics is something I want to be a wall against. What a shame for the last moments of your life to be filled with rivals positioning to gain from your death. And maybe Isaac and Rebekah did make an effort to stop this earlier. But I don’t see any evidence thereof. Indeed, it appears they actively participated.