Jacob and Esau Part 3.

Opening:

This morning we will be continuing on in our study of the book of Genesis.

Prayer:

Let’s open in a word of prayer.

Our gracious heavenly Father, we commit this time in Your Word to You. We ask that it would be glorifying to you, and that it would be edify to us. Speak to us now through Your Word. We ask this in Jesus Name. Amen.

Introduction of the Passage:

Our passage this morning is Genesis, chapter 27. Last week we saw Esau selling his birthright at the end of chapter 25. And this morning we will be jumping ahead to chapter 27 where we see Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau. This is the famous chapter where Jacob and Rebekah deceive Isaac in order for Isaac to bless Jacob instead of Esau.

But before we get there, let me just catch you up on what happened in chapter 26.

Summary of Chapter 26.

Chapter 26 really has to deal with God’s blessing descending upon Isaac. Isaac is now the patriarch of the faith. He has taken the place of Abraham as the father of the faithful, of the high priest of the household of the faithful.

In Genesis 26:3–5 God speaks to Isaac and says this: “3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.””

These are obviously echoes of what God told Abraham. And this is a sign that God is now pouring out the blessing that was promised to Abraham upon Isaac.

The rest of what happens to Isaac is a recapitulation of things that happened to Abraham. There is famine in the land and Isaac and Rebekah and their whole camp travel to a place called Gerar, to live in the territory of a king named Abimelech. Abraham did this same thing.

While Isaac is there, he tells Rebekah to say that she is his sister because he is afraid that the men of that land will murder him in order to get her. Again, this is exactly what Abraham did while he was there. And Isaac here is not the villain. He is correct. The philistines there are wicked people.

In fact, when king Abimelech finds out that Rebekah is Isaac’s wife, he calls Isaac in and tries to shift the blame onto Isaac. “How could you do this to me?” This is exactly what happened to Abraham. But we learn something here about the people of Abimelech. What he tells Isaac is basically, “Someone could have taken your wife!” Abimelech is saying that someone could have forced themselves upon Rebekah. The Philistines have no issue with rape. That is fine. They are a wicked people. So Isaac, like Abraham, was right to be afraid for his life.

Well, while he is there in Gerar, the Lord blesses Isaac. He begins to reap harvests of 100 fold. The Lord is pouring out blessing on Isaac. His flocks grow, his servants grow, everything he does prospers. And this makes the Philistines jealous and Abimelech tells him to leave. He kicks Isaac out.

So Isaac leaves and he begins to dig again the wells of Abraham that the Philistines had stopped up. Imagine that, in a desolate land, the Philistines, instead of using the wells, they filled them in. They apparently hated Abraham so much that they would rather go without water than allow Abraham’s wells to be used.

Well, as soon as Isaac digs one well, here come the wicked people of the land. And they bicker with him over the well. “This isn’t yours. It’s ours. You can’t have this well.” So Isaac moves on and the same thing happens again. Then finally he finds a place where they don’t come bicker with him.

And then the Lord appears to him again. Genesis 26:23–25 “23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.”

See? Yet again, God is giving Isaac the blessing of Abraham. And the Lord continues to grow Isaac. And the people are afraid. Abimelech and others come to Isaac and want to covenant with him. They’ve seen how God has blessed him. So they strike a deal. You leave us alone, and we will leave you alone.

And then we come to the end of chapter 26. Genesis 26:34–35 “34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.”

Esau here is brought up. And once again, it is not in a good way. What does Esau do? Esau commits a grave sin. He intermarries with the women of the land. And he does this not with just one woman, but with two. We have covered this in the past, but the people of God were not to mix with the wicked people’s of the land. God was going to drive them out. They were not to corrupt the holy seed with the damned seed of the pagans.

And these wives were a grief to Isaac and Rebekah. This caused great family strife. It is a strife that far too many families know. When a child marries a wicked spouse. And Esau did this doubly.

And this sin of Esau will be important for us to understand more fully what is happening in chapter 27.

Reading of the Text:

So now we come to it. Let’s read Genesis 27:1–4. Please stand with me if you are able for the reading of God’s holy Word.

“1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” 2 Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.””

Transition:

Our chapter opens with Isaac going to bless Esau.

Isaac is going to bless Esau.

Explanation:

It is here that we should be astounded. Have you ever watched a movie where some character is about to make some colossally obvious mistake. You know the kind. Where some character who should know better does something just incredibly dumb or wicked. It’s so out of character that you just are absolutely baffed. Doesn’t it make you want to shout at the screen, “What are you doing?!” This is the reaction we ought to have to this text.

We should be shouting at the page, “Isaac! What are you doing!” Isaac has been blessed by God in an astounding way. He has tasted so much of God’s blessing and grace, and here he is, about to commit some absolutely astonishing sin! He is about to pass on the patriarchal blessing to Esau. But what makes this so astounding?

Well, we have to understand what this blessing is, and why Esau cannot have it.

What is the blessing?

In the life of the Patriarchs, the fatherly or patriarchal blessing is of utmost importance. It was a prophetic blessing, where the patriarch would call upon the Lord and pass of the blessing of God to his child or children.

Literally, they were invoking the favor and blessing of God. Now, this is a good thing to do. It is a good thing to bless your children. But for Abraham and Isaac, this was more than just asking God to bless their child. This was the means God used to pass on the covenantal blessing. Abraham gave it to Isaac, Isaac is to give it to Jacob, and Jacob will pass it on to his twelve sons.

This blessing is a real thing. It’s not just a nice sentiment. It is not just “Son, I hope God is with you! I love you!” It is a real thing. It is a passing of a real blessing.

What Isaac is doing here is passing on the blessing of the covenant to his son before he dies. He is going to give the promise of countless descendants, the promise of land, and promise of God’s blessing to his son. He is passing on the inheritance God had given him.

Why can’t Esau receive this?

Esau cannot receive this blessing for three reasons.

First: God had decreed that the blessing go to Jacob, the younger, not Isaac. God said back in chapter 25, when Jacob and Esau were in the womb that the older shall serve the younger. This was the Lord telling Isaac and Rebekah that the covenantal blessing was to be upon Jacob, not Esau. Scripture will later point to this as God saying that He had chosen and loved Jacob while He hated and rejected Esau. Isaac knew this. God had decreed that the blessing be on Jacob.

Second, Esau cannot receive this blessing because he sold it. When Esau sold his birthright, he sold the blessing. That was part of the birthright. He hated his birthright and sold it for a bowl of stew. He cannot just take it back. He swore an oath, giving it to Jacob. Here, Isaac and Esau are attempting to go back on that oath.

Third: Esau cannot receive this because he has intermarried with the pagans. He has corrupted the Seed. By doing this, he has removed himself from possibly receiving this blessing.

Argumentation:

This is why we should be astonished. Why is Isaac doing this? He knows these things. He is actively trying to go against God’s clear command and will.

Why would he do this? Well, Genesis 25:28 tells us. “28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” Isaac favored Esau. He was his favorite child. He loved Esau more than Jacob. And why did he love Esau more? Because he loved Esau’s food. Isaac here is making his stomach his god. This is why Isaac sends Esau out to hunt game and prepare a stew. He wants more of that food he lusts after.

What Isaac is doing is he is disobeying God for the sake of his own desires. He loves Esau more. So he thinks he can deceive God. He thinks he can pull one over on God and bless Esau, even though Esau cannot truly receive the blessing of God.

Isaac has become physically blind due to old age, but he is also spiritually blind now too.

Transition:

Well, you likely know the story and what happens next.

Jacob deceives Isaac.

Explanation:

Rebekah overhears Isaac’s plan and she is appalled by it/ Rightly so. Her husband is plotting to directly disobey God on a massive scale. She just heard her husband just planned to undermine God’s plan of redemption through the line of Abraham. That is how serious this is. If that blessing is given to Esau, it will destroy the entire plan of redemption.

So she plots with Isaac to deceive Isaac. She calls Isaac in to wear Esau’s clothes and puts goat hide on his arms and hands to disguise him as Esau. She prepares a stew and then sends him in. Jacob is hesitant, worrying that he will bring a curse instead of blessing upon himself, but obeys his mother.

We then see the interaction. Genesis 27:18–29 “18 So he went 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 just as you told me; please arise, sit 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?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.” 21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to 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 did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” 25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may 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 now and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the Lord has blessed. 28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!””

Jacob has succeeded in deceiving his father and receiving the blessing. Isaac has now passed on the covenantal blessing to Jacob. Isaac’s sinful plan has been thwarted. He prophetically declares over Jacob that nations will bow to him. That peoples will serve him. That everyone who curses him will be cursed and those who bless him will be blessed.

This is the Abrahamic blessing. And this clearly points ahead to Jesus. Ultimately this is fulfilled in Jesus. He rules over all. Nations bow to Him. Those who bless Jesus are blessed, those who curse Him are cursed. The Messiah will come from the line of Jacob.

Argumentation:

And here is where it gets very interesting. Was what Jacob and Rebekah did righteous? Was it sinful? Was this a justified or sinful deception? There is such a thing as a righteous lie in the bible. But is this an example of that?

Commentators are really split here. Some say yes, some say no. We can certainly say that their motivation was pure. Their desire was good and right. But was the deception itself righteous?

I do not know, ultimately. Scripture never condemns Jacob for this. And this certainly seems like it could fit the biblical criteria for a righteous deception. The Lord does bless Jacob.

But on other hand, the Lord delights to draw straight lines with crooked sticks. He takes even terrible things and uses them for His good. Think of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery. That was wicked and evil. Yet, what does Joseph himself say? “What you meant for evil God meant for good.”

I think there is good argument on both sides of this question. The outcome was good. A wicked plan was thwarted and God’s purpose accomplished. But it certainly would have been easier for us if Rebekah or Jacob would have gone in to Isaac and said something like “my lord, what you are doing is evil! Do not disobey the Lord your God so grievously!” and Isaac be convicted, and repent.

But that is not what God chose to have happen. And I am slow to condemn Jacob because God does not. It is entirely possible that this was a righteous deception. And regardless, the purpose of God was here accomplished. The blessing has been given as God had commanded.

Transition:

But now, the drama continues.

Esau Returns.

Explanation:

Genesis 27:30–40 “30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.” 32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.” 36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” 38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. 40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.””

A few things really stand out here. Jacob trembles when he finds out what happened. Esau is truly heartbroken. And yes, even though the plan was sinful, you can feel the heartbreak. You can truly feel how broken Esau is over this.

Well does Hebrews 12:16–17 say that Esau sought to get his birthright back with tears. But there was no place for repentance. What he sold was gone forever. He hated it and pawned it, and it could not be returned.

But it’s also worth noting that Isaac says “indeed, he shall be blessed.” in verse 33. That blessing was a real thing. It was not just sentiment. It was prophetic.

Also, Esau says that Jacob “took away his birthright.” He is saying that Jacob stole it. No, that’s not what happened. Esau sold it. He gave it up. Jacob did not take it. He did not steal it.

But Isaac does bless Esau. He speaks prophetically in faith about Esau. He will become a people. He will have a hard life and will be subject to Jacob, but not forever.

In OT history, Esau became the great people of Edom. And the people of Jacob, Israel, do enslave Edom. But eventually, Edom breaks free. Isaac’s blessing is prophetic and comes true.

Transition:

The chapter ends in hatred and even more drama.

Esau plots to murder Jacob.

Explanation:

Esau hated his brother. And he begins to plot to murder Jacob as soon as Isaac dies. Rebekah hears of this and she plans to get Jacob away to safety. She wants to send him to Laban her brother.

So she goes to Isaac and tell him that she wants Isaac to find a good wife, not one of pagan women like Esau married. This is obviously a righteous request. So Isaac calls Jacob in and they tell Jacob to go to Laban to find a wife from among their own people rather a foreign godless wife.

And Rebekah tells Jacob that she will send for him when Esau’s wrath subsides.

Conclusion:

This is how this chapter closes. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. And it’s one filled with drama. And we are really left feeling rather sad. It is not a happy passage. The patriarch Isaac falls to sin. The family has to plot and lie to prevent disaster, and it closes with a brother filled with hate and planning murder.

Visualization:

And yet, it is a passage we all must embrace and even apply to our hearts and lives. This probably is not in anyone here’s favorite Bible stories. It probably isn’t a chapter that people list as one that inspires them.

We like the joyful chapters. The ones that ignite our souls with fire. And yet, I think it is in chapters like this that we learn some of the most valuable lessons.

Scripture is a remarkable book. Of course it is, God wrote it. It is all true. But one thing that is amazing about Scripture is that it records everything. It paints the heroes of the faith with all their flaws and imperfections.

Isaac is one of the greatest characters in Scripture. He is listed in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11. He is one of the true fathers of the faith. God is consistently called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And yet, Scripture does not shy away from Isaac’s flaws.

And we learn here, that even the faithful sin. Even the great men of faith can fall into heinous and grievous sin.

The chief sin in this passage is that:

Isaac sought to disobey God for the sake of his desires.

He wanted Esau to receive the blessing. He did not care that God had clearly refused Esau. He wanted what he wanted.

Reiteration:

Isaac was attempting to go against God’s clear decree in order to get what he wanted. He loved Esau far more than Jacob. And so he was determined to bless Esau. He and Esau conspired to attempt to win against God.

Isaac and Esau were trying to undo what God had done and what Esau had done. They did not care about God’s command. They would do what they wanted.

What’s worse is that Isaac apparently had justified this in his own mind. He invokes God in this plan. Think about it. Isaac is basically saying that he can call down God’s blessing on this sinful act.

Application:

Earlier in my message I said that we should be wanting to yell at the page, “Isaac! What are you doing?!” That was my emotion while preparing to preach this text. I was baffled. How could this great man of faith become so blind? How could he do this? How could he ever think of doing this?

And then, as so often happens, it was like the Holy Spirit just whispered into my soul, “Jonathan, how often do you do the same exact thing?”

That was like a gut punch. But how incredibly true. Isaac was disobeying God’s command for the sake his own desires. But just stop for a second and ask...

How often do we disobey God for the sake of our desires?

This is what sin is, really. Remember how Jesus displayed righteousness and obedience in the garden of Gethsemane? What was it Jesus prayed? He did not desire to go to the cross. He asked God to remove the cup from Him. He asked if there was another way. But what did He pray? “Not my will, but thine be done.”

Someone once said that In sin, we are saying to God, “not thy will, but mine be done.” We reverse Jesus’ obedience. Jesus said “Not my will, but thine be done.” And yet, how often do we tell God, “No. Not your will. MINE! My will be done! I don’t care what you say God! I want my own way!”

Is that not what sin is? We know God says one thing, but we want to do what we want. We could walk the list of all the major sins and see this couldn’t we?

Adultery: How many men know that God forbids adultery. God hates sexual immorality. God commands purity. Fidelity to wife and family. And yet, “not your will God. I want this sin.”

Feminism: How many women know God’s commands to be gentle and quiet in spirit. To submit to their fathers or husbands. But no. “Not your will Lord! I want to be a girlboss. I want to screech and destroy the patriarchy!”

Drunkenness: How many know God’s commands to refrain from drunkeness. Alcohol is a gift to honor God with in righteous moderation. But “no. Not your will! I want to be gluttonous with this!”

We could go on and on. Homosexuality. Raising your kids in the faith. Our politics. The way we treat our fellow believers. The way we govern and run our churches. On and on and on.

Do you want to know how common this is? Think about this. How often do we pause and ask “What does God say about this?” How often before saying or doing something do we pause and grab our Bibles? “Before I act, what does God command?” It’s pretty rare isn’t it. How often before acting do we consult the wise people we know in the faith? “Hey, brother, what does the Lord say here?”

Sadly, no. That doesn’t happen. We do what Isaac did. We want what we want. We act and then expect God to bless whatever we want.

Isaac did not consult with the Lord. He did not ask for God’s will. He knew God’s will. But he wanted his own will.

Where do you do this? I cannot answer this for you. We could point to some corporate issues. I’m sure we could point at other people. But that’s not where it starts. What does Jesus say? Remove the plank from your own eye first. Then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. And that speck matters. There is a place for removing those specks.

But first, we have to look right here in our own hearts. Where am I like Isaac? It has to be personal. You have to personally identify where you willfully do what you want rather than what God wants.

Identify where you disobey.

This is where it has to start. We so often want societal reform. We want church reform. We want other people to deal with their sin. But we don’t want to deal with our own. Oh but we have to.

We have to pray “God, show me my sin.” Psalm 139:23–24 “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

We have to give an honest examination of our hearts, aided by the Holy Spirit. And then...

Repent of where you disobey.

When God reveals where you are in sin, repent! Run from it. Kill it. Destroy that sin in your own heart. Determine that you will obey God.

Do not be like Isaac in our passage this morning. Be ruthless with the sin in your own life. Ask God to remove them. Ask God to help you deal with them. Learn to hate with a bitter passion anything in your heart that is against God’s will. Find the sin, and then with Christ’s help, turn from it. Stop justifying it. Stop engaging in it. Turn away from it and run to Christ.

Finally:

Seek God’s will over your desires.

Be less concerned with what you want. Be more concerned with what God wants. Seek God’s desires. Regularly ask yourself, “God, what do you want in this?”

If I could be blunt with you, it does not matter what you want. Your opinions don’t matter. What has God said. Only after we recon with that do our desires matter.

Appeal:

What might God do in our church if we cared more about God’s thoughts than our own? I’ve been in church long enough to know the danger of church people’s opinions. I cannot count the number of times things are done because we don’t want to offend sister so and so. Our churches are rules by the opinions and desires of the people.

Oh Lord, may it not be so here. May we be a people ruled by the will and decree of our Lord. May we care less about our desires and more about the Lord. May we be Christians. People of Christ, who love Christ, who worship Christ, who obey Christ.

May we not be swayed by what we want. May we be directed by what our Lord says. Let’s pray and ask the Lord for this.

Closing Prayer:

Oh Lord our Lord, we beg you for this. Help us, Lord. Will you please, by Your Spirit, shape us into people who love your commands. Please make us a people who care more about what you want than what we want. We cannot do this alone. Work in our hearts. Reveal to us where our sin is. Shine your Light on this that we may repent. And then help us repent. Help us not be steered by our own or others desires but may we be guided by You and Your Word. We beg for this. We know our church will collapse unless this happens. Please work in us, oh Lord. Grant us this please.

We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

John 14:15–16 “15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—”