Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing (Gen.27).

God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world. The fulfillment would come through Abraham’s son, Isaac but Isaac's wife, Rebekah was barren (Genesis 25:21). Isaac prayed and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. The two babies jostling in Rebekah’s womb so she inquired of the Lord. The Lord revealed that there were two peoples in Rebekah’s womb and that the older son would serve the younger (Gen. 25:23). In time Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob. Isaac loved Esau, who was a skillful hunter, while Rebekah loved Jacob.

Once when Isaac’s sons were grown, Esau returned to camp from hunting famished and found Jacob with a pot of stew (Gen. 25:29–30). Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jacob demanded that Esau swear an oath to give Jacob his birth-right for some of the stew. This Esau gladly did (Gen. 25:31) and so Jacob gave Esau some stew which Esau devoured. Esau left having despised his birth-right by giving it to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Gen. 25:32-34). This takes us to the story near the end of Isaac’s life of when Jacob steals Esau’s blessing. Watch the story here and read the comments below.

The story starts with Isaac being old, blind and ready to act contrary to the prophecy given Rebekah before the birth of her sons that, “the older would serve the younger.” Isaac tells Esau, his older son, to go hunt some game and prepare him some ‘tasty food’ so that Isaac could bless Esau before Isaac died. Isaac loved his ‘tasty food’ and he loved Esau so he plans to ensure that his older and favorite son gets the blessing. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, loved Jacob so when Rebekah overhears Isaac’s plan she tells her younger son, Jacob. Why is Isaac seeking to bless Esau privately without his wife’s knowledge? But Rebekah hears of Isaac‘s plan so she comes up with one of her own. Rebekah tells her younger son, Jacob, to get two goats which she would prepare for Jacob to bring to Isaac. Jacob would pretend to be Esau and Isaac would give Jacob the blessing which he was planning to give Esau. So Isaac planned to bless Esau contrary to the prophecy while Rebekah thought she could trick Isaac into fulfilling it.  The story depicts Isaac as having dull senses and ready to act contrary to what God had revealed regarding his sons.      

The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah had started off so well. Abraham had sent his chief servant who was prayerfully led by God to Rebekah. Isaac married Rebekah and when Rebekah was barren Isaac prays for her. Rebekah became pregnant in answer to Isaac’s prayer and she gave birth to Esau and Jacob. But now Isaac and Rebekah aren’t communicating with each other or with God. So Rebekah tells Jacob to get two young goats for her to prepare just the way Isaac likes them. Then Jacob would take the ‘tasty food’ to Isaac and Isaac would bless Jacob thinking he was Esau. Jacob was hesitant but only because he thought Rebekah’s plan might backfire. Esau was hairy, and Isaac might touch Jacob’s smooth skin and realize it was a trick and would curse Jacob rather than bless him. Jacob goes along with Rebekah’s plan but only after he is assured that Rebekah will bear the negative consequences if the plan fails.

Evidently, Rebekah doesn’t think that Isaac will be able tell either Esau’s hands from goatskins or the difference from goat meat and wild game. Rebekah thought it was worth the risk so she says she will accept the blame and any curse that would result. Jacob gets the goats and Rebekah prepared the food. Rebekah put Esau’s clothes on Jacob and covered his hands and neck with goatskins. So Jacob is going to try to trick Isaac into giving Jacob what the Lord had promised him in the prophecy to Rebekah. Isaac thinks he can give the blessing to Esau contrary to the prophecy and Rebekah thinks she can deceive Isaac into fulfilling the prophecy. This only shows how gracious God was to them considering how undeserving they all were and that none of them were all that willing to trust the Lord.

So Jacob takes the ‘tasty food’ to his father disguised as his older brother, Esau. When Isaac asks how he was able to get the food so quickly Jacob claimed that the LORD gave him success. But the voice sounds like Jacob so Isaac wants to touch him to see if it’s really Esau. Isaac touches him and while the voice sounds like Jacob the hands feel like Esau. Isaac asks if it is really Esau and Jacob said, “Yes, I am”.  Isaac ate his ‘tasty food’ and he couldn’t distinguish between wild game and goat meat. Isaac was ready to give the blessing after one last test. Jacob kissed Isaac and for Isaac the smell of Esau’s clothes was like the smell of a field blessed by the LORD. But this is Esau who despised his birthright and grieved his parents by taking two Canaanite wives. Isaac, unknowingly, blesses Jacob with heaven’s dew and the earth’s richness— nations will bow before him and he will be lord over his brothers. Then Isaac restates the blessing given to Abraham (Gen.12:1-3) that those who curse him would be cursed and those who bless him would be blessed. In opposition to God’s ‘revealed will’ Isaac tries to pass on the Abrahamic covenant blessing to Esau. But God is sovereign and so he was actually imparting the blessing to the one God had chosen all along. 

Almost immediately, Esau comes in from hunting and brings the food to Isaac. Isaac wants to know who is there. “Your firstborn son, Esau, get up eat and give me your blessing” said Esau.  Then Isaac trembled violently and he wanted to know who had brought him the food he had just eaten. Isaac acknowledges that he had unknowingly given Jacob his blessing and yet he confirmed to Esau that Jacob would indeed be blessed! Esau pleads for his father’s blessing but Isaac tells Esau that his brother had taken it deceitfully. Esau says that his brother had deceived Esau twice; first Jacob took Esau’s birthright, and now Jacob had taken his blessing. Esau desperately pleads for another blessing, but Isaac had already made Jacob lord over his relatives including Esau. Isaac had sustained Jacob with grain and new wine so what more could Isaac do for Esau? Isaac realized that this was God’s will so there was now no turning back. Esau wept aloud but the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant belonged to Jacob. Isaac tells Esau he will dwell away from both the earth’s richness and heaven’s dew. Esau would not inherit the promised land of Canaan but he would live by the sword and serve his brother. In time when Esau grew restless then Esau would throw off his brother’s yoke. In response Esau consoles himself with the thought of killing his brother Jacob.