Genesis 25:1-27:46 - Do You Help or Exploit?

Do You Help or Exploit?

Background Passage

Genesis 25:1-27:46

Lesson Passages

Genesis 25:29-34; 27:6-8,15-19,34-36

Lesson Passages Outline

Agree to Help Freely (Gen. 25:29-34)
Rejoice in Others' Good Fortune (Gen. 27:6-8)
Act with Integrity (Gen. 27:15-19)
Avoid Causing Harm (Gen. 27:34-36)

Biblical Truth

God's people are to relate to others in ways that are beneficial to them.

Life Impact

To help you relate helpfully to others

Prepare

I am not an expert on cars. I know how to put in gas, how to check and add oil, and when I need a mechanic. Through the years I have felt that some mechanics have exploited me by taking advantage of my lack of knowledge, although most have been trustworthy and even helped me learn a few things about cars.

My father-in-law provided me with a wonderful example of an honest, competent mechanic; and I have been fortunate to find others in every place I have lived. These individuals and others have modeled integrity and helpfulness to me.

How have people helped you?

The lesson may challenge adults like Anthony. He is rising to the top of his company, but he exploits others and needs to stop such unethical actions. The lesson can lead people like Beverly, who makes others feel inferior, to begin treasuring people as God does. The lesson further will encourage individuals like Cody, who volunteers his time through church and civic organizations to assist people in need, continue to develop helpful relationships with other people.

As you study about Jacob's exploitation of his brother Esau, focus on ways you can encourage adult learners to experience the Life Impact of the lesson by relating helpfully to others.

As you continue your personal Bible study, prayerfully read the Background Passage and respond to the Study Questions as well as to the questions in the margins for the February 24 lesson in Explore the Bible: Adult Learner Guide.

The Bible in Context (Gen. 25:1-27:46)

Following Sarah's death Abraham married again and fathered six sons, but Isaac remained his sole heir. When the sons reached adulthood, Abraham gave them gifts and sent them away from Isaac. At the age of 175, Abraham died. Isaac and Ishmael buried him beside Sarah. Ishmael died at age 137, having fathered 12 sons (Gen. 25:1-18).

At age 40 Isaac married Rebekah. Like Sarah, Rebekah had difficulty conceiving children; but after Isaac prayed to God she conceived twin boys. When the boys struggled within her, God told Rebekah the sons within her would become the ancestors of two nations with the older serving the younger. After Rebekah delivered their sons, Isaac and Rebekah named the firstborn Esau and the second Jacob. Esau enjoyed the life of a hunter, while Jacob kept flocks and herds. One day when Esau came home exhausted from an unsuccessful hunt, Jacob sold him a bowl of soup in exchange for Esau's birthright (25:19-34).

When famine struck Canaan, Isaac moved to Gerar and passed his wife off as his sister to protect himself. When King Abimelech discovered what Isaac had done, he condemned Isaac as he had Isaac's father (Abraham; see 20:9-10) and warned his people not to harm Isaac or Rebekah. God blessed Isaac so much the Philistines noticed and took over wells Isaac had dug. Isaac avoided conflict and moved away from the Philistine threat. After a reaffirming word from God, Isaac and Abimelech made a covenant creating peace between them. Esau's marriage to two Canaanite women marred Isaac's and Rebekah's happiness (26:1-35)

When Isaac was old and blind, he summoned Esau, asking him to hunt for wild game and prepare a meal. They would eat together and Isaac would bless his son. Rebekah overheard the conversation and instructed Jacob to pretend to be Esau and secure the blessing. Jacob succeeded and received the family blessing, leaving nothing for Esau. When Esau planned to kill Jacob as soon as Isaac died, Rebekah had Isaac send Jacob to visit her brother Laban to find a wife (27:1-46).

Agree to Help Freely (Gen. 25:29-34)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, exhausted. 30 He said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I'm exhausted." That is why he was [also] named Edom.

31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

32 "Look," said Esau, "I'm about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?"

33 Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. 34 Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.

Verse 29. Like many brothers, Esau and Jacob had different interests. Esau enjoyed the outdoors and became a skilled hunter, often bringing wild game to supplement the family's diet. Jacob preferred the family business and was a skilled farmer and herdsman (Gen. 25:27).

Even skilled hunters fail at times. One day Esau returned home exhausted after a long, unsuccessful hunt (25:29). After such a day, he was tired, thirsty, hungry, and frustrated. The stew Jacob was cooking probably seemed to Esau to be the immediate remedy to his physical and mental frustrations.

Verse 30. While Esau requested let me eat, the Hebrew text has the word for "please." Yet Esau primarily demonstrated greediness. Eat translates a Hebrew verb meaning "greedily gulp." That red stuff translates the Hebrew phrase "the red stuff, this red stuff," indicating Esau's intense desire for Jacob's stew. Esau wanted his physical needs satisfied immediately.

Verse 31. Jacob responded without a hint of politeness. He demanded Esau's birthright first or "right now." While no standard tradition existed in the ancient Near East regarding the birthright, most cultures honored the firstborn son with special privileges and possessions younger sons would not receive. [See Exploration: "Birthright," p. 144.] God had told Rebekah that Esau and his descendants would serve Jacob and his descendants (25:23), and she probably had shared God's words with Jacob. Jacob's demand suggests he had planned for some time to secure Esau's birthright and thus make God's words come true.

Verse 32. Esau responded by again referring to his exhausted state and the insignificance of a birthright to a dying man. His words indicated his exhaustion and frustration but hardly his nearness to death. He thought more of his immediate need for food than his responsibility to accept the privileges and responsibilities of his position as firstborn. Esau's words demonstrated he cared little for the birthright.

Verse 33. Knowing Esau might change his mind after eating and resting, Jacob demanded Esau swear an oath transferring his birthright to his brother. Although Esau clearly had the wrong view of his birthright, Jacob coldly exploited his brother's weakened physical and mental state to get what he wanted.

Verse 34. The delicious smelling red stew that promised a rich meaty flavor turned out to be lentil soup. With bread, the stew nourished Esau, but not with the ingredients and taste he wanted. Esau's actions indicated he despised his birthright. Despised translates a word that refers to undervaluing, dismissing, or having complete contempt for something. The birthright came with a responsibility Esau did not want. He lived for the moment. His actions demonstrate he was unfit to receive either the birthright or the blessing.

Jacob's actions also demonstrate his unfitness to receive the birthright and blessing. He took advantage of his brother to get what he wanted. Jacob's action violated rules for honest business dealings. God would later set forth His standards in the Law (Lev. 25:14,17). He also would condemn those who cheated others in business (Mic. 2:1-2) and would encourage people to care for those who were hungry and thirsty (Prov. 25:21). Neither Jacob nor Esau exhibited honorable behavior.

And Today. Jesus directed us to help those in need (Matt. 5:42), not to take advantage of them. Another's misfortune should not become our opportunity for gain. Another's weakness should not become an opportunity for us to increase our strength. When we see people in need, we are to offer help promptly and effectively. We help others not so we can be recognized by church or society but to provide them with the quality of life they deserve as humans made in God's image.

How are you and your church ministering to people with needs in your community? What else can you do?

Rejoice in Others' Good Fortune (Gen. 27:6-8)

6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Listen! I heard your father talking with your brother Esau. He said, 7 'Bring me some game and make some delicious food for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord's presence before I die.' 8 Now obey every order I give you, my son.

Verse 6. As Isaac aged, his eyesight failed. Believing he might die soon, he called for Esau, asking him to hunt for some wild game and then to cook it. Following their meal, Isaac would give Esau God's blessing (Gen. 27:1-4).

Overhearing Isaac's conversation with Esau, Rebekah immediately summoned Jacob and told him what to do to get the blessing. The reference to Jacob as her son and the earlier references to Esau as his son (27:1,6) emphasizes the deep division in the family. Isaac favored Esau while Rebekah favored Jacob (25:28). Rebekah's love for Jacob combined with God's statement that the older son would serve the younger led Rebekah to act. She developed and set in motion the plan to secure the blessing for Jacob.

Verse 7. Rebekah summarized what Isaac had said to Esau since Jacob had not overheard the conversation. Isaac told Esau to bring him some game and prepare a delicious meal. After they ate, Isaac would bless him. Esau had left quickly, intent on obeying his father and securing the blessing.

Rebekah stated Isaac would bless Esau in the Lord's presence, a phrase Isaac had not used. Rebekah wanted Jacob to know the importance of the blessing and the need to get the blessing before Esau could. People in that day viewed a blessing as the key to enjoying a successful, fulfilling life. Isaac's blessing also would link the recipient to God's promises to Abraham. Through the son who received the blessing, God would work to fulfill His promises to Abraham and his descendants. Only one son could receive the blessing. Once spoken before God, the blessing could not be revoked or transferred.

Verse 8. Knowing Jacob had no time to waste, Rebekah commanded him to obey her every instruction. Rebekah's plan called for Jacob to deceive his father and brother in order to seize the blessing for himself. For the plan to work, however, Jacob would have to cooperate fully. In a patriarchal society the father's will and command held final authority, but the mother also exerted considerable influence with her children. Rebekah called on every ounce of influence she possessed to make Jacob obey her.

Although Rebekah had developed the plan, Jacob wholeheartedly participated in it. Rather than rejoicing in Esau's good fortune and waiting for God to work with Jacob in His time and manner, Rebekah acted to get what God had promised Jacob. Jacob, driven by his mother's favoritism, joined with her in taking what he desired.

And Today. We like receiving blessings, but sometimes we become jealous when others are blessed. Even when we realize other individuals have stronger skills, we become hurt and disappointed when they are promoted over us. When others do well financially, we become envious. When others recuperate quickly from illnesses, we wish our family members had such health.

The joys and blessings of others should not make us envious and drive us to take what they possess. Instead, we need to celebrate with them, rejoicing that God in His grace has blessed them and being thankful for the blessings and joy God has given us.

How do you react to others' good fortune?

Act with Integrity (Gen. 27:15-19)

15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were there at the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them. 16 She put the goatskins on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the delicious food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

18 When he came to his father, he said, "My father."

And he answered, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"

19 Jacob replied to his father, "I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may bless me."

Verse 15. Rebekah instructed Jacob to get two choice young goats from the flock and she would cook them to mimic the taste of wild game. Jacob then could take the meal to his father and receive the blessing. Instead of refusing to deceive his father, Jacob only protested that Isaac might feel of him to determine his son's identity. If Isaac did, he would know the smooth-skinned Jacob was not his hairy son Esau. Rebekah said she would bear any curse that would come, and Jacob did as his mother commanded (Gen. 27:9-14).

Rebekah dressed Jacob in Esau's finest clothes. If Isaac felt the texture of the clothes and smelled them, he would recognize them as Esau's. Jacob's obedience indicates he willingly participated in her plan.

Verse 16. Rebekah placed goat skins around Jacob's arms and neck. If Isaac felt the goat hair and smelled the animal odor, they hoped he would believe Esau stood before him. Esau's hairy arms and neck surely did not resemble goat hair, but Isaac's eyesight had failed and perhaps his sense of touch also was failing him. Jacob and Rebekah took advantage of a Isaac's weaknesses to get what they wanted.

Verse 17. Rebekah cooked a delicious meat dish, and she also prepared bread. She wanted the goodness of the meal to encourage her husband to provide Jacob with a wonderful blessing. Rebekah had developed the plan, instructed her son, and made all the preparations. Having done all she could, she sent him to Isaac. Rebekah acted to make God's words to her (25:22-23) come true. She chose to deceive her husband to get what she wanted for her favorite son.

Verse 18. In obedience to his mother's guidance, Jacob entered Isaac's presence. There he proved equally eager and able to fool his father. Jacob's greeting to his father apparently made Isaac suspicious because he asked the son to identify himself. Jacob's and Esau's voices probably sounded differently. In addition, Isaac must have wondered how Esau could have killed game, returned, and prepared the meal in so short a time. When Isaac later asked Jacob about that, he lied to his father, claiming God had given him success in the hunt (27:20).

Verse 19. Jacob identified himself as Esau, Isaac's firstborn. He then added a second lie, stating he had done exactly as Isaac instructed and implying he had been the one with whom Isaac had earlier spoken. Jacob invited Isaac to eat with him and then to bless him.

The words for firstborn and bless share the same three Hebrew letters, the only difference being in the order of the last two letters. Jacob played on the similarity of the two words, emphasizing the firstborn's right to the blessing. Earlier, Jacob's taking of the firstborn's birthright from Esau had necessitated little, if any, deception. To get the blessing from Isaac, however, Jacob deceived his aging father and piled lie upon lie. By honoring his mother's wishes and obeying her, he dishonored his father and defrauded his brother.

Rebekah and Jacob demonstrated a complete lack of integrity. They both acted knowing they were lying to and hurting others. When Isaac gave Jacob an opportunity to identify himself truthfully, Jacob continued the deception.

And Today. Our dealings with people witness to our relationship with Christ. Deceiving others presents a poor witness that discourages people from trusting us and accepting Christ. Rather than deceiving people, we need to speak truthfully and act with transparent integrity. People need to see God's love and truth in us in every facet of life.

How do you seek to act with integrity in daily life?

Avoid Causing Harm (Gen. 27:34-36)

34 When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me—me too, my father!"

35 But he replied, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing."

36 So he said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing." Then he asked, "Haven't you saved a blessing for me?"

Verse 34. Jacob convinced his blind father he was Esau and they ate together. Following the meal Isaac pronounced a wonderful blessing on his son that included agricultural prosperity, dominance over other nations, and a continuation of God's promise to Abraham. Jacob left immediately after the blessing, and a short time later Esau entered Isaac's presence. When Esau identified himself, Isaac told Esau he had blessed the one who claimed to be Esau and could not retract the blessing (Gen. 27:20-33).

Horrified, Esau cried out, a phrase used to describe an individual loudly wailing due to great loss (Ex. 11:6) or injustice (Isa. 5:7) or screaming for help (Deut. 22:24). Esau had done exactly as his father requested, but his blessing had been given to another. He pleaded with his father to bless him also.

Verse 35. Isaac had wondered how Esau could have returned successfully from the hunt so quickly (Gen. 27:20) and had recognized the voice as sounding like Jacob (27:22). Isaac then realized Jacob had pretended to be Esau; and Isaac, not expecting or discovering the deception, had given Jacob the blessing. Jacob had acted deceitfully, a word implying conscious intent and action.

Isaac could not retract the blessing. Having spoken the blessing to Jacob, the blessing was already moving toward its fulfillment. When Isaac later blessed Esau, the blessing was the reverse of Jacob's. Esau would dwell in an infertile land dominated by his brother, but someday he would break free (27:39-40).

Verse 36. Esau noted Jacob behaved exactly as his name suggested. Jacob received his name by following Esau in birth and emerging holding Esau's heel (25:26). He had cheated Esau twice, first when he took his brother's birthright and again when he grabbed Esau's blessing. Esau implied Isaac should have been more careful knowing Jacob's character. Jacob had acted true to his character to get the blessing. Yet Esau had foolishly sold his birthright, knowing exactly what he was doing. He still bore responsibility for making a poor bargain.

Esau's initial anger at Jacob's stealing his blessing grew into a cold, calculating grudge. When Isaac died, Esau planned to mourn him the appropriate length of time and then to kill Jacob. To keep Jacob safe, Isaac and Rebekah sent Jacob to the ancestral land to find a wife. Jacob's actions drove a wedge between him and Esau and separated him from his family for 20 years (31:41). Later others would deceive him (29:25), and he would experience the pain he had caused others.

And Today. Christ came to bring life to all who would believe in Him. In serving Him, believers need also to bring compassion and benefit to others rather than deception and harm. Our actions and relationships need to witness to Christ's love and draw people to faith in Him. Let us commit to relating to others in ways that benefit them and demonstrate God's loving care.

How do you seek to benefit others as you relate to them?

Biblical Truths for Spiritual Transformation

When people need our help, we can promptly and freely help them.
Rather than giving way to self-centered envy and greed over others' good fortune or achievement, we can rejoice with them.
We can act with transparent integrity in our dealings with others.
We always are to relate to others in ways that benefit them.

What changes will you make to relate more helpfully to others?

Published in the United States of America