ETB Genesis 27:18-30

Session #3 - p.28 - A Deceiver

The quarterly starts off with a story about a ship’s first mate writing in the log that “The captain was sober today when he was on the bridge.” [Lifeway Adults (2024). Explore the Bible: Adult Personal Study Guide - CSB - Spring 2024. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

What did that entry in the log suggest or infer that was not true?

Unfortunately the writer’s of the lesson did the same thing, although I think unintentionally, with their question in bold on the same page.

How should knowing that God is able to accomplish His purposes through flawed people impact us?

What does that question erroneously suggest about God? (That He is not able to do some things.)

I think think both of these examples helps us that sometimes deceit is intentional and sometimes it is not. God is much more lenient toward the later. Our passage today is full of intentional misrepresentations and misleadings for personal benefit.

Understand the Context

Soon after Rebekah and Isaac get married (the arrangement of which we looked at last week), Scripture records Abraham dying at 175 years at the beginning of Chapter 25. Later in that same Chapter, the birth of Jacob and Esau is recorded. It is unclear from the way the narrative is written whether or not Abraham got to see the birth of these two grandchildren. The Chapter ends with the story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob.

Chapter 26 begins with God making a promise of provision to Isaac, but ends with Isaac following the same path as his father Abraham in lying about his wife to protect himself and his estate. This Chapter ends with Esau taking a Canaanite wife and together they “made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.” Which is interesting because even though this was true, today’s Chapter start with Issac wanting to bless Esau before he dies.

I liked the summary my ESV Study Bible had on this Chapter.

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 27

Genesis records in detail two important occasions when patriarchs, nearing death, pronounce special blessings on their firstborn sons (27:1–46; 49:1–27). In this present account, Isaac’s intention to bless Esau is subverted by Rebekah, who helps Jacob receive the blessing of the firstborn. This event not only builds on the earlier incident when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob (25:29–34), but also develops the divine statement in 25:23 that the older will serve the younger. Although Rebekah’s actions involved deception, the text simply reports what Rebekah did without condoning or commenting on her actions. Nevertheless, the first audience again would see the ways in which God in his sovereignty uses all kinds of actions (good, bad, and mixed) to bring his people to the place in which they find themselves.

That’s probably where most of our actions this past week, and the one coming up fit - good, bad, and mixed. I am glad that God uses them all to accomplish His will and guide us to make better choices.

Most of of you have heard this story in Chapter 27 enough times now to know of Rebekah’s over hearing her husband’s intent and then scheming with Jacob for him to be blessed instead. Maybe part of the motive was because of the bitterness that Esau and Judith were causing.

Genesis & Exodus Commentary

The narrative is presented in a series of scenes. In each scene, two members of the family are together on stage, but in no scene are all the members of the family together. In this way the narrative underscores the favoritism and separation that characterized this family.

Our passage of study picks up the narrative after Jacob has been dressed and disguised as Esau and is taking in the “delicious” meal that Rebekah has made to be served to her husband.

Explore the Text

Genesis 27:18–20 ESV

18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.”

v.18

Father

The Hebrew word rendered father is written in English as ab. The term is part of various Old Testament names. Abram means “exalted father.” Abraham means “father of a multitude.” The name of Gerar’s King Abimelech means “my father is king.”

In Old Testament times, a father exercised paternal authority over his family. He held responsibility for the religious and moral training of his children. Before the Israelites received the law through Moses, a father also acted as the family priest. [LifeWay Adults (2024). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Spring 2024]

Jacob had come disguised to his father to get the blessing which was part of Isaac’s social and spiritual responsibility to bestow upon whom he wanted to be the next patriarch of the family. God however had already declared who it was going to be, although how it came about was not His plan.

Here I am.

Same words that Isaac probably heard his father say over and over, now he uses them. Isaac picked up both good and bad habits from his father.

What are some things you find yourself copying from one or both of your parents?

Is there anything you “wished” you had picked up?

Who are you, my son?

This first question let us know that Isaac knows he cannot see well, and must therefore rely on other physical senses. However, we do not read anywhere in this passage of Isaac using his “spiritual sense” and asking for the Lord’s direction or discernment.

Believer’s Bible Commentary 1. Jacob Cheats Esau (Chap. 27)

As Martin Luther observed:

Feelings come and feelings go, and

feelings are deceiving;

Our warrant is the Word of God;

naught else is worth believing.

The last time we read about only 2 brothers interacting was back in Genesis 4 when there were only 2 brothers on the earth. Moses’ writing here is supposedly reminiscent of that story so the Jewish readers would connect the two. It helps build the tension in the story and foreshadows an ominous outcome.

I am Esau your firstborn… I have done as you told me

This is our first blatant lie in the passage. The second follows it immediately.

The firstborn son represented the prime of human vigor (49:3). He was to be dedicated to the Lord and received special privileges and responsibilities. The oldest son’s birthright included a double portion of the inheritance and leadership of the tribe or clan. Following his father’s death, this son functioned as head of the house and provided for his mother until her death and his sisters until their marriages. The firstborn might sell his birthright as Esau did (25:29-34) or he might forfeit his privileges as Reuben did (35:22; 49:3-4). [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

Although Jacob had acquired the title through the purchase, that is not how he presented himself for this pronouncement and validation from his father.

v.19

now sit up and eat

People cook things differently even when following the same recipe.

We know that Jacob knew how to cook stew, but there is no mention of other men cooking.

I think Rebekah probably cooked the meals for Isaac, regardless of who brought in the game. Otherwise Isaac would have probably tasted the difference.

v.20

Isaac also perceived that the meal was acquired much quicker than normal and so asks how that is possible. Again relying on the answers presented to him.

the Lord your God granted me success.

We read of the servant going to get Rebekah last week and using nearly the same words. It is probably not a coincidence that Jacob uses this same phrase now having heard that story multiple times in his life. This lie may be more heinous that the first two because now he is crediting God for participating in the deception, some would call the blasphemous. If Jacob were not in the line of Messiah, he may not have lived through the day for doing that.

Charles Stanley did not have much his commentary about this Chapter but what he said coincided with thoughts in another one I enjoy.

The Life Principles Bible Chapter 27

Jacob knew little peace in his life until he learned not to use God to get a blessing (Gen. 27:20), but to obey God to receive a blessing.

Opening Up Genesis Jacob the Con Man

What a dastardly character! But he was not unlike many even in the churches of our day. Here is a young person hiding the truth from her parents. There is a fellow selling his car but not telling the whole truth about its collision history. Here is a businessman, working in a highly religious region and becoming tied to the local church because “it’s good business.” There is no shortage of Jacobs in our day. And they are no less repugnant.

Isaac still isn’t sure who is before him but continues to believe what he is being told and his own physical senses.

Genesis 27:21–27 ESV

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, 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. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!

v.21-22

come near, that I may feel you

Isaac knows something isn’t correct and attempts to use another physical sense to reconcile the discrepancy.

We did not read it today but remember back when Esau was born.

Genesis 25:25 “25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau.”

I think those words of description were intentional so that Rebekah’s disguise of her son this passage would be more believable.

A couple of verses earlier when God was telling her about the children to be born

Genesis 25:23 “23 And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.””

We are not beginning to see that this statement by God was not prophecy of blessing and condonement but merely a statement of fact. God see through all the deceptions and uses the consequences for His purposes.

The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

Isaac verbalizes the discrepancy in what his senses are telling him. Unfortunately, he chooses to believe the wrong one without discernment from the Lord.

v.23-24

“Are you really my son Esau?”

He gives the man a chance to confess, but it goes unaccepted.

I am

This is not the Hebrew word often associated with the name of God but a more informal wording.

As I was reading this week in the Proverbs I came across these verses.

Proverbs 26:24 “24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart;”

We know from the rest of the story that Esau despised and hated Jacob, but these verses let us know that the feelings were probably mutual. You do not agree to steal something away from someone that you love and cherish. We also know how today’s narrative episode ends, and a couple of verses later in Proverbs states that too.

Proverbs 26:26 “26 though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.”

v.25-27

The first few times I read this story I often wondered why this “blessing” was so important. I knew it must have been some worth fighting for but I could not grasp the cultural significance. The quarterly gives some insight under the “Did You Know” heading on p34.

DID YOU KNOW?

In the ancient Near East, the firstborn was not automatically the recipient of the paternal blessing; it came solely at the discretion of the father, who generally granted the blessing at the end of his life. Once transmitted, however, the blessing could not be revoked or altered. [ETB:PSG Spr'24]

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible Bless, Blessing

A deathbed blessing from the family head serves as an irrevocable bequest of property (Gen. 27–28, 48–49).

Ancient societies were oral in tradition and legal matters. None but the most educated and rich being able to “write down” things for the future. Today these types of blessings would be equivalent to our “last will and testament” documents. The names easily have been derived from these oral practices. How many modern movies and TV shows have there plots around “wills” and changing inheritors? They all get there inspiration from Isaac’s dysfunctional family.

Bring it near to me, that I may eat

This is the second story in Genesis involving the birthright and food. Both Isaac and Esau apparently and men of appetite and are willing to pay enormously just to satisfy there stomachs.

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary The Willfulness of Old Age

Isaac’s taste for wild game at least partly accounts for his love for Esau (Gen. 25:28), and here he simply wanted to indulge his physical appetite before giving his blessing. This base appetite had been passed on to Esau, because earlier Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew.

Isaac however still does not know that he is being deceived, but has one more “test” that he can think of.

Come near and kiss me, my son.

This kiss may have been part of the blessing ritual or it may simply have been a demonstration of family affection. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

We know from the rest of the verses that there was another reason for the request, the very close proximity to the son. I do not think it had anything to do with ritual because the “typical ritual” for passing the blessing on to the firstborn was done publicly with witnesses and ceremony, not privately. This was simply Isaac’s last attempt to discern the identity of the son before him with his own senses and perceptions. Once again, the disguise is thorough and the smell he expects from “his son” is there, even though it is “her son” standing before him.

The voice is not right, but the hands and neck “feel” right, the food “smell and taste” correct, and now the clothes “smell” correct. Fully convinced now that Esau is before him, Isaac commences with a blessing of grand proportions.

Genesis 27:28–30 ESV

28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” 30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

v.28

May God give you

This is the first time Isaac mentions God, and it is not for discernment but more of a “gift giver.” Isaac at least recognizes that only God will be able to bring about the things he is speaking over his son, all the while “wanting to believe” that it is the older son.

Dew of heaven

The great differences in day and night temperatures in biblical Palestine resulted in heavy dews in the morning hours. Such dews were beneficial because they kept vegetation alive during the summer drought. Recognized as a gift from God, He might withhold the dew from His disobedient people (1 Kings 17:1; Hag. 1:7-10).

During the time of the Israelites’ wilderness wandering the Lord sent manna along with the dew (Ex. 16:13-16; Num. 11:9). In a figurative sense, the king’s favor (Prov. 19:12), godly teaching (Deut. 32:2), and the blessings of unity among God’s people (Ps. 133:1-3) are compared with the refreshing dew. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

The first hearers of this story after Moses wrote it would immediately make the connection with dew and divine provision.

Fatness of the earth

This phrase also means “the richness of the earth.” In the context of Genesis 27:28, the term is used symbolically to convey the idea of prosperity and well-being. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

Several books point to the similarity in the words here for “fatness” and “olive oil”, a biological fat, that was a significant commodity used throughout the culture in life and business.

Grain and wine

The Hebrew word translated grain does not identify a specific commodity. It has been variously translated “wheat,” “cereal,” or “corn.” The word designated a desirable and valuable crop. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

Peoples . . . nations

The Hebrew term translated peoples often appears in the Old Testament to identify a group larger than a tribe or clan, but smaller than a race. The root of the word rendered nations suggests an emphasis on togetherness, a common people considered as a unit. In Genesis 27:29 the two terms appear almost synonymous. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

Back in Genesis 11 these Hebrews words were used as a reference to “all the people of the earth.” Isaac’s blessing upon his son was quite literally giving him all the lands and everything on it and within it. There was little that Esau was not to have - but it was not that son.

v.29-30

Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

How many brothers did Jacob have at this time?

What maybe is Isaac expecting to happen after he dies?

Brothers can also mean “fellow kinsmen” so he could be speaking of all the descendants of Jacob, Esau, Ishmael and Laban.

Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!

Evoking of the blessing promised to Abram when he first came out of his own country back in Chapter 12.

Interestingly, when Isaac speaks this over Jacob, whom he thinks is Esau instead of blessing Esau, this curse comes upon him later in the chapter when the older son when he vows to kill Jacob. (Gen 27:41)

The truth of Jacob’s deception comes out rather quickly.

Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

God did grant the hunter success, but not as quickly as Rebekah and Jacob’s deception.

Apply the Text

Genesis & Exodus Commentary

God expects his people to carry out their spiritual responsibilities with understanding and integrity. When it is otherwise, then matters become complicated. This chapter portrays an entire family trying to carry out their responsibilities by their physical senses, not with faith.

God, through this entire passage, is an “add-on” instead of an “active participant”.

May this passage and these 4 family members inspire us in what “not to do” with our lives.

Pray: Close in prayer, guiding the group to pray silently for God to provide discernment through the Holy Spirit when they face questionable truth claims.