Genesis 27

Introduction:

Issac lied and said his wife was his his sister

He had a lapse in faith and feared man, so he told a lie

Yet we see the Lord’s favor upon his life

1. (V1-4) Isaac’s deathbed request to Esau.

a) The contrast between Abraham and Isaac

As both Abraham and Isaac neared the end of their lives, their priorities revealed two very different spiritual conditions.

Abraham sought to put his household in order according to the promises and purposes of God.

His concern was that God’s covenant would continue through the son God had chosen. Even in old age, Abraham acted in faith and submission to God’s revealed will.

Isaac, however, appears spiritually dull and fleshly minded. Rather than focusing on God’s covenant purposes, he was preoccupied with satisfying his appetites and carrying out his own desires. Instead of seeking the will of God, Isaac centered his attention on food, comfort, and personal preference.

What should have been a sacred, spiritual moment became clouded by favoritism, secrecy, and self-will.

b) Isaac insisted on blessing Esau despite God’s revealed will

Isaac was determined to give the covenant blessing to Esau even though God had already declared that “the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23).

Esau had repeatedly demonstrated spiritual unworthiness:

He despised his birthright (Genesis 25:29–34).

He lived for immediate physical gratification.

He married pagan wives who brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34–35).

Despite all this, Isaac still preferred Esau because he valued natural strength, skill, and personal enjoyment over spiritual character.

Isaac’s affection for Esau was tied largely to the satisfaction Esau brought him, especially through the food he prepared.

In the stubbornness of old age, Isaac attempted to overturn what God had already spoken. Rather than submitting to divine revelation, he acted according to personal desire and human reasoning.

c) Isaac’s secrecy exposed a guilty conscience

Isaac’s plan to bless Esau in secret reveals that he likely knew his intentions were wrong.

He did not openly gather the family or seek the Lord’s direction. Instead, he privately instructed Esau to prepare a meal so the blessing could be given before anyone else intervened.

This secrecy exposed the brokenness within the household. Isaac did not trust Rebekah, Rebekah manipulated Jacob, Jacob deceived his father, and Esau lived carelessly toward spiritual things.

The family that carried the covenant promises was deeply divided because each person was pursuing selfish desires instead of fully trusting God.

Even so, God’s sovereign purpose would still prevail despite the failures of everyone involved.

1.1  (V5-10) Rebekah advises Jacob to deceive his father, Isaac.

a) Rebekah overhears Isaac’s plan

Rebekah was listening when Isaac instructed Esau to hunt game and prepare the meal for the covenant blessing.

The atmosphere of secrecy and scheming is unmistakable throughout the chapter. Isaac was privately attempting to bless Esau, and Rebekah immediately responded with a counter plan of her own.

Instead of bringing the situation before the Lord, she acted quickly according to human wisdom and manipulation. The household had become divided into competing sides:

Isaac favored Esau.

Rebekah favored Jacob.

Both parents were acting independently rather than together in faith.

The result was conflict, deception, and spiritual disorder within the family God had chosen.

b) “Obey my voice” — trusting human schemes instead of God’s promises

Rebekah commanded Jacob, “Obey my voice according to what I command you.”

This statement reveals how determined she was to accomplish the blessing through her own efforts.

God had already declared His purpose before the twins were born: “the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23).

Yet instead of trusting God to fulfill His word in His own way and timing, Rebekah turned to manipulation and deceit.

Rather than seeking the Lord:

she devised a plan,

directed Jacob into sin,

and attempted to secure God’s promise through fleshly methods.

This family knew the promises of God, but in this moment they were not walking by faith. They were relying on human strategy instead of divine faithfulness.

Faith waits on God. Scheming attempts to force God’s hand.

c) Application: notable examples of scheming in Scripture

Throughout Scripture, human scheming repeatedly produces destruction, sorrow, and judgment.

Haman

Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire. Yet God overturned his scheme through Queen Esther, and Haman ultimately fell by the very evil he planned for others.

Judas Iscariot

Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. His deception led to the arrest and crucifixion of Christ, yet his betrayal ended in guilt, despair, and destruction.

Pharisees

The Pharisees continually schemed against Jesus, attempting to trap Him in His words and ultimately conspiring to put Him to death. Though they opposed God’s Son, their plans only fulfilled God’s redemptive purpose.

Cain

Driven by jealousy, Cain lured Abel into the field and murdered him after God accepted Abel’s offering. Human envy and resentment produced the first murder in history.

In every case, sinful scheming revealed a lack of trust in God and produced painful consequences.

d) Faith obeys; the flesh manipulates

Faith trusts God’s promises; the flesh relies on human schemes.Faith trusts God’s promises; the flesh relies on human schemes.

Hebrews 11:8 says:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

Abraham moved forward by faith, trusting God even when he could not see the outcome.

Rebecca wisdom was fleshly and self- seeking

James 3:13–17 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

1.2 (V11-17) Preparations are made for Jacob’s deceptive attempt to steal the blessing.

a) Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him:

Jacob, true to his name (trickster or scoundrel), was happy to go along with this plan. His only concern was if it would succeed.

All four of them – Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau – did not trust each other. Even worse, they did not trust the Lord.

They all schemed and plotted against one other and against God. “

1.3 (V18-26) Jacob lies to his father, pretending to be Esau

a) Jacob knew that God wanted him to have this birthright, so he justified the lie in pursuit of obtaining the birthright

He justified it to himself by saying his sinful conduct acted towards the fulfillment of the promise of God

2. (V27-29) The blessing is given to Jacob.

Isaac blessed Jacob as the spiritual head of the family.

This blessing was passed on to Abraham, then Issac and unto Jacob

The point is that the sovereign will of God is done, in spite of our or any other person’s opposition to it.

2.1  (V30-32) Esau returns to his father with food from the hunt.

a) The timing of each aspect of this story

It even more dramatic. As soon as Jacob received the blessing and left his father’s presence, Esau came back from his hunting. Almost as soon as Jacob left the tent, Esau entered.

2.2 (V33) Isaac understands what Jacob did.

He was overcome with a deep sense that something had gone wrong in his plan to bless Esau instead of Jacob.

Isaac trembled and was troubled because he knew he had sinned in attempting to work against the plan God revealed in Genesis 25:23 – and God defeated his effort

Hebrews 11:20 “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

He did not cancel the blessing

2.3 (V34-38) Esau’s reaction to the blessing given to Jacob.

a) Esau lifted up his voice and wept:

Esau’s tears were the tears of frustrated selfishness, not of regret for his own sin and the despising of his birthright.

No true repentance

Hebrews 12:15–17 “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

Conclusion:

In this tragic story, everyone lost.

Each of the main characters – Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob – schemed and maneuvered in human wisdom and energy, rejecting God’s word and wisdom.

Nevertheless, God still accomplished His purpose. The tragedy was that each of the participants suffered, because they insisted on working against God’s word and wisdom.