Stolen Blessing

We are continuing our series What your name: The Life of Jacob.

This series explores the highs and lows of Jacob in Genesis. Through Jacob’s birth, family conflict, and relationship with God, we see God’s redemptive plan on the move. God transforms Jacob from a deceptive young man into Israel: the one who wrestles with God.

Last week we look the how Jacob trade a bowl of soup for the birthrights of Esau. Esau thought he was going to die of hunger. So he gave up the best thing he had for a bowl of soup. You see birthrights were key in those day. They were normal give to the first born son. These birthrights were all that the father had has far has money and property.

Esau chased a short term success which destroyed the hope of a great future.

We can not chase short-term success because it will often short-circuit your goals in life. We must make are decisions based on God’s promised future.

This week we will be looking at other time that Jacob stole something from Esau. This time is a little different from last week.

If you have your bible go head and turn to Genesis 27. If you do not have your bible you can follow along on the screen in a few moment.

We will be in the whole chapter this morning but I will not be reading the whole thing for the time reason. We will be jumping around from verse to verse.

Before we look at today verse and how Jacob again stole something from Esau. I have a question for you so think for a moment.

Have you ever been a little white lie to get out of doing something?

Or have you been deceitful in oder to get your way?

To be honest and if you are honest at some point we all have.

There a story told of a deacon how lived next to a golf course.

One Sunday morning he decided to skip church and go golfing. He slipped over the fence onto the fairway and began to play.

As in the case of Job, Satan was standing before God and asked what God intended to do to punish the deacon’s dishonesty. ‘Just wait and see what happens on the fifth hole,’ God smiled. The fifth hole was the most difficult on the course and often was responsible for destroying the hopes for a good game.

On this particularly Sunday morning, however, the deacon drove the ball straight and true. Not only did it find the green, but also it took the curve and went right in the cup: a hole-in-one. Satan was aghast with incredulity. ‘Why have you rewarded this unconscionable conduct with such remarkable success?’ ‘It looks like success now,’ replied God, ‘but who is he going to tell?’”

Telling a lie or being deceitful can and will come back to bit us at some point. Lets take a look at what happened in the story between Jacob and Esau.

Genesis 27:1–4 CSB

1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death. 3 So now take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me. 4 Then make me a delicious meal that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I can bless you before I die.”

Isaac thought he was about to die

This part of the live of Jacob starts with Isaac think he was on his death bed. Isaac was wanting to give a blessing to Esau is favorite son before he died. The funny thing about this is that Isaac was not about to die. In fact, we are not totally sure how long Isaac lived after this but it was somewhere between 20 to 80 years after this conversation. Once again we see someone else rushing into their plan. Instead of waiting on God.

Isaac wanted to blessing Esau and most likely did not know at this time that Esau had sold his birth right for a bowl of soup.

Blessing are different for the birthrights.

“The birthright specifies property and wealth passed from one generation to the other—this has already been given to Jacob by Esau and such an action would be irrevocable by Isaac (25:27–34). The blessing focuses on future wealth and posterity—most profoundly seen in receiving Yahweh’s covenant blessings.”

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ge 27:4). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.This opens the door for Jacob.

Rebekah over hears

what Isaac tells Esau to do. So Rebekah wants Jacob to receive the blessing instead. Jacob lesson to his mother and goes and gets two young goat. She then prepare a meal for Isaac and sends Jacob into the room but before he went in. Jacob got Esau clothes and put some skin on the young goat on Jacob hands and his neck to make it seem like he was Esau.

Jacob deceive his father

Verse 18- 29 we see the exchange between Isaac and Jacob. Isaac truly thought that he was giving a blessing to Esau and not Jacob.

Jacob receives this blessing for the future in a deceitful way. When the blessing was over and Jacob left the room Esau came in for the blessing.

Genesis 27:32–36 CSB

32 But his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am Esau your firstborn son.” 33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. “Who was it then,” he said, “who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!” 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless 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?”

Esau gets some what a blessing

It more like a curse. When Jacob received the blessing Jacob become the master over Esau. Jacob had the promise of a great future and there was nothing really left for Esau. Isaac did give him a blessing. Isaac told him that he would live far away form the richness of the land and would live by the sword and serve your bother but he would rebel and not live under him.

Esau’s anger

Genesis 27:41–45 CSB

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides— 45 until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”

Esau anger

Jacob and Rebekah seek to achieve God’s promises

through deception—but they nearly destroy their family.

Being deceitful can and will destroy your life

While we may still receive God’s blessing, trying to achieve the blessing through deceitful means can lead to disastrous results in our personal lives.