Jacob’s Blessing
Genesis 26:34 – 27:46
October 26, 2014
Well this morning we again move on
To another major player in Moses’ Genesis account.
Moses is not only giving the origins of creation,
Moses is also giving the origins of Israel,
And certainly that involves the man named Jacob.
Jacob is the man of whom God would change his name to Israel.
Jacob is the man who would have 12 sons
Who would each become the 12 tribes of Israel.
And through Jacob Moses is reminding Israel of
The tremendous grace and favor that God has bestowed on them.
We already saw that Jacob was chosen over Esau back in chapter 25.
Now it’s time to begin to see that grace manifested in Jacob’s life.
And we start with a familiar story.
I don’t mind telling you that I wrestled with this one for quite some time. (Sometimes familiar stories are the hardest)
The difficulty for me came because of all the times
That I heard this story really MISREPRESENTED.
As a child, and many times since, I’ve heard this story
And the emphasis was placed on Jacob as a liar.
Many Bibles even title this section something like:
“Jacob’s Deception”
People have zeroed in on Esau’s statement.
Genesis 27:36 “Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.”
People read that and side with Esau and say, “That old stinking liar Jacob! He lied to his father, he wronged his brother, he is a real deceiver.”
And then it is followed with some sermon on deception or truth telling or at the very least some practical lesson on the hardships of a dysfunctional family.
And that is what makes a study of this chapter difficult.
None of those points are even remotely close
To the reason Moses included this story.
Let me stress it again
CONTEXT – CONTEXT – CONTEXT
If this story existed on an island
Then you could make your practical applications about lying and such.
But this story is part of the Genesis narrative
This story is part of the covenant story
This story is part of Moses’ sermons on grace
This story has to fit the theme.
So with that in mind I’m going to give you this story
With perhaps a different perspective
Than maybe you’ve heard it previously.
In case this story has been misrepresented to you over the course of time, Let me set the record straight and show you Moses’ point to the story.
FIRST off, let me encourage you NOT to listen to Esau.
That is where many travel off course.
If you listen to Esau’s claim about
First having his birthright stolen and now having his blessing stolen,
You already venturing down the wrong path.
WHY?
Because neither the birthright nor the blessing were ever Esau’s.
Genesis 25:23 “The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”
God already chose who was first
God already settled who the birthright and the blessing belonged to.
The birthright and the blessing belong to Jacob.
This is NOT a story about how Jacob stole Esau’s blessing.
This is a story about how Esau tried to steal Jacob’s blessing,
But God intervened.
Let me remind you that Esau was a “godless and immoral” person.
Esau willingly turned his back on his birthright for pea soup
Esau didn’t even regret his decision
When given opportunity to choose God or the flesh,
Esau willingly chose the flesh.
And if you will notice the last two verses of chapter 26,
You’ll see that nothing in Esau’s life insinuates that this has changed.
(34-35) “When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.”
That is information Moses gives you that you will need later in the story,
But at the very least it is a reminder that
Esau was unconcerned about his heritage or his blessing.
He was not a man of God.
Now in fairness we admit that Jacob wasn’t either.
The only difference was that God had chosen Jacob to be,
And that literally makes all the difference.
So, when you read this chapter,
• Don’t read it like Rebekah and Jacob schemed together to steal Esau’s
blessing.
• No, Isaac and Esau schemed to steal Jacob’s blessing, but God would not
allow it.
• This is a story of security
• This is a story of God’s sovereign control to protect what He promised
• This is a story that should encourage you regarding your own inheritance which the thief would gladly steal if he could.
So let’s work our way through this familiar story.
3 main points this morning.
#1 THE PLAN ENDANGERED
Genesis 27:1-4
Now in order to see that the plan is endangered
You have to remember what the plan was.
We’re referring to God’s plan, which was to bless Jacob.
“the older shall serve the younger”
That was the plan.
A plan made with no regard to attitude, actions, or abilities.
It was God’s sovereign prerogative
Romans 9:10-13 “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”
God’s plan was that Jacob gets the birthright and the blessing
And now that plan is under attack
It is ultimately under attack by Satan,
But the men he is using are Isaac and Esau.
Incidentally, if you’ve been following along you will see that
God’s sovereign plan has been under attack, even since Abraham.
When God chose Abraham there was one who threatened the plan – Lot
When God chose Isaac there was one who threatened the plan – Ishmael
Well, now Jacob faces his own threat.
That threat is Isaac and Esau
Granted it is surprising that Isaac would go against the plan of God
Since he had benefited so greatly from it himself.
But if you read this text, it’s not hard to see why Isaac was off the mark.
(1-4) “Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”
• Isaac doesn’t mention the will of God
• Isaac doesn’t mention the covenant of God
• Isaac doesn’t mention the promise of God
All Isaac talks about is the gratification of his flesh.
“prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat,”
Isaac is walking in the flesh, and his flesh loved Esau.
And without even realizing it, by walking according to the flesh,
Isaac is actually working against the sovereign plan of God.
Let that be a warning to us as well.
When we walk by the flesh, we can actually be working against the plan of God without even intending to do so.
Isaac and Esau are now being used of the enemy
To try and steal Jacob’s blessing.
It is helpful for you to understand exactly what the blessing was.
You understand the birthright.
The firstborn received a “double portion” of the other sons, that was his birthright.
THE BLESSING was the transfer of that inheritance –
It was the probation of the inheritance.
I find it interesting that in the Bible they did this before the benefactor actually died – and there is much value in this which we can talk about later.
And so Esau is here trying to craftily get back
What he already signed away to Jacob.
This is Isaac’s and Esau’s plan of stealing from Jacob
Not only what God had promised him,
But what Esau had already sworn to him as well.
God’s plan is in danger
God’s covenant is threatened
Esau is threatening to wreck the whole thing
The Plan Endangered
#2 THE PLAN EXECUTED
Genesis 27:5-30
What we find here is the absolute providence of God
To protect His sovereign plan and to execute it.
Isaac and Esau are scheming,
But God will not allow His sovereign selection to be thwarted.
He told Rebekah that “the older will serve the younger”
And far be it from anyone to thwart His plan.
Isaiah 14:27 “For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
God is about to secure His promise.
And easily the first area of God’s providence is seen
In the fact that God allowed THE PLAN TO BE EXPOSED.
(5-7) “Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’
That’s not the first eve’s dripping woman we’ve run across in Genesis.
But here it is absolutely a good thing that she overheard.
She is about to enact a plan
I want you to see that it is the worst plan you’ve ever heard of,
And yet God still causes it to work.
Now honestly, if you’ve ever read this story, aren’t just a little surprised this plan worked?
Let me show you some of the major hurdles that had to be overcome,
And why it is nothing short of Divine intervention that this plan worked.
So first let’s read the plan.
(8-10) “Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you. “Go now to the flock and bring me two choice young goats from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves. “Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”
Now that may seem like it could work.
You go in and pretend to be Esau and get the blessing.
But notice, even Jacob thinks that is a weak plan.
(11-12) “Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. “Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.”
Rebekah gives the plan, but Jacob isn’t sold.
“I don’t think this will work, it has BACKFIRE written all over it to me.”
But Rebekah is desperate and she convinces Jacob to give it a go.
(13-17) “But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, to her son Jacob.”
Ok, now stop right there and let’s analyze the situation.
Isaac is expecting Esau to return with wild game and to get the blessing.
Here before us stands Jacob
With goat skins tied on his neck and arms holding goat meat.
Is this really supposed to work?
Let me show you all the inherent problems in this plan of Rebekah’s.
1) THE VOICE (18-19)
When a person loses one of their senses,
It is true that the other senses often times compensate.
If Isaac’s eyesight is dim, it only stands to reason that his hearing
(and later smell) would be more alert.
And when Jacob talks, Isaac instantly recognizes a problem.
Isaac calls him on it,
But somehow Jacob manages to convince him that he is Esau.
2) THE QUICKNESS (20)
Isaac obviously has red flags.
Not only the voice, but also the quick manner in which Esau has returned.
Esau might have been a mighty hunter, but this is quick.
Something just smells funny
3) THE HAIR (21-23)
You can still see that Isaac isn’t fully buying it.
Now he wants to feel of the boy.
STOP RIGHT THERE
Are we really to assume that Rebekah did such a good job of applying goat hair to Jacob that Isaac couldn’t tell it wasn’t real.
Does this seem a little far-fetched to anyone else?
Now maybe if you had a ton of time you could really do this right,
But they were working frantically tying on skins and Isaac couldn’t tell?
I’m baffled that this is working
4) THE MEAT (24-25)
Do you remember what Isaac said to Esau about the food?
“prepare a savory dish for me such as I love”
Isaac loved to eat wild game.
He knew the flavor, he loved the flavor
Now, he’s just supposed to eat goat meat and not know the difference?
How many people love Heinz ketchup?
You can’t tell when they put Hunts on the table?
I mean, come one, this shouldn’t be working.
5) THE SMELL (26-27)
What is Jacob wearing? Goat skins
One thing I know about goats – they stink!
But Isaac smells the garments and doesn’t pick up on it?
6) THE TIMING (30)
Admit it, when you read this, you have just a little bit of anxiety
That Esau is going to walk in any minute, but he doesn’t.
And all I really want you to see is that THIS WAS NOT A GOOD PLAN
This should not have worked.
In fact, this may be as bad a scheme as I’ve ever seen concocted,
And yet, despite all its flaws, IT WORKED
(28-29) “Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And an abundance of grain and new wine; May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”
Isaac blessed Jacob with prosperity and preeminence.
• This was God’s sovereign will
• This was God’s sovereign plan
And despite Isaac’s willingness to try and thwart it,
God saw His will done perfectly.
God said Jacob would be first and now he is.
He has the birthright and he has the blessing.
God’s will was done.
Now, I can hear some of the nay-sayers:
So does this make God an accomplice to lying and deception?
NO
Just because God allows wickedness to prosper
Does not mean that He endorses it.
He also allowed Judas to betray Jesus
He allowed Caiaphas to spew lies about Jesus
All to see His plan of the cross accomplished.
God does allow sinful men to do sinful things – and yet He still accomplishes His perfect will even through them.
Rest assured however that Jacob and Rebekah are going to pay for their deceptive sins. They will not get off scot free.
THE POINT IS THAT
God didn’t let Isaac and Esau get away with their scheme,
And even as bad as Rebekah’s plan was,
God still used it to see His perfect will done.
He uses imperfect people with imperfect plans
To accomplish His perfect will.
(That should encourage you as you serve Him)
The Plan Endangered The Plan Executed
#3 THE PLAN ENDORSED
Genesis 27:31-46
This is why we know that God was at work here with Rebekah and Jacob.
Do you see what happens when Isaac finally realizes what happened?
Esau returns:
(31-33) “Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”
Isaac’s response is the key here to understanding what is going on.
Put yourself in Isaac’s shoes.
• You just promised to bless Esau
• Esau goes and does as you have told him.
• In the meantime Jacob comes in lying to you
• And you actually bless him, thinking it is Esau
• Now the lies (which you wondered about) are exposed
What is YOUR emotional response? Anger
What was Isaac’s? Fear
What do you do about the blessing? You Reverse It
What did Isaac do? He upheld it
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
Isaac just came to his senses
Isaac was afraid because he realized that
He was working in opposition to the plan of God.
You want me to give you another story that closely resembles this one?
Balaam and Barak
In Numbers 22-24 Barak wanted to hire Balaam
To come and curse the children of Israel.
If you will remember, Balaam was willing to do it,
But God was going to kill him and the donkey saved his life.
2 Peter 2:16 “but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”
Peter said that Balaam was “mad”, he was out of his mind
That is a good way to describe Isaac.
And when Balaam did finally speak, all three times Balaam blessed Israel instead of cursing them.
Do you remember why?
It’s because of what God said:
Numbers 22:12 “God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
Israel was blessed, whether Balak and Balaam liked it or not.
God had decided to bless Israel
And there was nothing anyone else could do about it.
And if you were going to curse those whom God had blessed,
All you would do is gain hurt for yourself,
Which is why God was going to kill Balaam.
And that is why Isaac is trembling.
He is terrified, because he was about to go against the plan of God.
He is now acknowledging that Jacob is the blessed of God,
And there is nothing he nor Esau can do about it.
Isaac said, “Yes, and he shall be blessed”
GOD’S BLESSING CAN’T BE REVOKED
Notice also that:
GOD’S BLESSING CAN’T BE REVERSED
(34-37) “When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?”
Did you hear what Isaac said?
“what can I do, my son?”
If God has decreed it, what do you expect me to do about it?
It’s a done deal.
I can’t repeal it, I can’t reverse it – God is choosing to bless Jacob.
And also, GOD’S BLESSING CAN’T BE REPLICATED
(38-40) “Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. “By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.”
Esau’s blessing is opposite to Jacob’s in every way.
• Jacob is promised prosperity, Esau is promised a struggle
• Jacob is promised preeminence, Esau is promised service
Well why couldn’t Isaac just give Esau a great blessing too?
(That’s what Esau wanted)
Because Isaac is not the author of blessing
GOD IS!
We hear this a lot today with this word of faith movement
Speak blessing or Speak life
(To them it’s more than just being encouraging)
People hold to this notion of you speaking things into being
Can I tell you why this is a bunch of bunk?
BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOD
AND DIVINE BLESSING ISN’T A MATTER OF YOUR WILL
You can say “God bless you” to someone living in sin all you want,
But that won’t make them blessed.
Isaac couldn’t give a blessing to Esau because Esau wasn’t blessed.
He could say it all day long, but that wouldn’t make it so.
God’s blessing can’t be revoked
God’s blessing can’t be reversed
God’s blessing can’t be replicated
God was blessing Jacob
And there was nothing Isaac or Esau could do about it.
So what you clearly see in this story is God protecting Jacob’s blessing.
God had determined to bless Jacob
And there was nothing anyone else could do about it.
How does that relate to you and me?
We call that security.
TURN TO: ROMANS 8:28-39
Nothing can undo what God has determined to do!
There is security in the sovereign decree of God.
If God has determined to bless us, no one can undo it.
Take even Israel as an example.
Yes, because of their rejection of Christ,
They have been temporarily broken off,
BUT GOD HAS DETERMINED TO BLESS THEM.
Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
God is going to do it!
Nothing can stop that.
FRIEND – REJOICE IN THAT
God has chosen you and nothing can thwart that plan.
Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
• Lot can’t mess it up
• Ishmael can’t mess it up
• Esau can’t mess it up
• God protects His plan
NOW, LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU TO TRUST HIM.
This is one thing Rebekah and Jacob didn’t do.
When Rebekah overheard Isaac’s plan she should have trusted God
And reassured Jacob that God would intervene.
Instead she chose a plan of deception,
And I want you to see the CONSEQUENCES of that plan.
(41-46) “So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, ” The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban! “Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury subsides, until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?” Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
That is why Moses included that little tidbit at the end of chapter 26
About Esau’s two wives that grieved Isaac and Rebekah.
Rebekah used them as an excuse to get Jacob out of town.
And so Rebekah is sending Jacob away to live with Laban.
This is the consequence of the little stunt they pulled.
Jacob is headed to Laban and he’s about to meet his match in regard to deceivers.
Laban has forgotten more about deception and double dealing
Than Jacob has ever known,
And Laban will prove to be 20 years of discipline for Jacob.
Because Jacob is a deceiver,
God is about to put that lump of clay through quite a ringer
In order to form him into the man of God he is supposed to be.
It would have been much easier if he had trusted God from the start.
And as for Rebekah’s punishment? She will never see Jacob again.
This little stunt cost her the son that she loved.
She will never meet his children
She will never again fellowship with her boy
God did allow their stunt to work to fulfill His predetermined plan,
But He will bring consequences for their sin.
So the point of the chapter is simple.
GOD PROTECTS HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
AND YOU SHOULD TRUST HIM TO DO THAT
Taking matters into your own hands
Will not cause Him to abandon His plan,
But it might cause you some added grief along the way.
But above all know that if God has promised it to you, you will receive it!
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
