Gen 27:1
Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am.": Commentaries say that Isaac was 137. He had gone blind. Isaac favored Esau, and Rebekah favored Jacob. Even after all the wrongs Esau had done by marrying Canaanites and living such a worldly existence, Isaac still loved him so strongly. Unfortunately, I probably will never understand what it's like to be a father.
Gen 27:2
Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.: Isaac was afraid that he could die at any time.
Gen 27:3
Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.: Esau was a man of the field, and Isaac loved this about him. I think I can relate a bit to Isaac here. I love a great steak.
Gen 27:4
And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.": I don't think this was a requirement of Isaac to receive the blessing, but he loved the meat from a fresh hunt. He probably wanted to have a good meal and bless his son before he died. This blessing wasn't the birthright, which Esau had already sold to Jacob for a bowl of red stew (Gen 25:29-34).
Gen 27:5
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.: Rebekah liked Jacob better, and it appears that Jacob took after his mother in their cunning nature. Rebekah probably knew what Isaac was planning, and was waiting for it.
Gen 27:6
So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,: Once Esau left to go hunting, Rebekah leaped into action. She tells Jacob that she overheard a conversation that Isaac and Esau had.
Gen 27:7
'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.': Rebekah tells Jacob about Isaac's request that Esau go hunting and prepare Isaac a meal from the game so he can bless Esau.
Gen 27:8
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.: She knows what she's about to say is wrong, so she begins by telling Jacob to obey her.
Gen 27:9
Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.: Interesting here that she tells Jacob to get young goats. I doubt that Esau was hunting goats. However, I guess it's possible to disguise the flavor because Isaac liked it savory, which to me means that he liked it heavily seasoned. Maybe Rebekah asked for two young ones so the distinct gamey flavor hadn't had a chance to develop fully, and she could choose the better of the two for Jacob to present. I also find it interesting that Rebekah had to cook the meal. We already know that Jacob was a good cook. Did Jacob not know how to cook for Isaac?
Gen 27:10
Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.": So the plan was to take two goats, disguise their flavors as if they were venison, present it to Isaac, and steal Esau's blessing. This is the kind of nonsense we come up with when we try and help God. God had already promised Isaac the blessings. God doesn't need any help.
Gen 27:11
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.: Jacob gets a bit alarmed because he's nothing like his brother. Esau was named because he was hairy. Jacob wasn't hairy at all. Isaac was blind, but he wasn't completely senseless. He had hearing, smell and touch. Jacob was worried about those senses.
Gen 27:12
Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.": He's worried that Isaac will touch him and realize he wasn't hairy like Esau. If Isaac realized he wasn't Esau, Isaac would have cursed him instead of blessing him.
Gen 27:13
But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.": She tries to comfort him by saying that the curse would fall on her, and not on Jacob. It's possible that she said this because she believed God's promises, but the scriptures don't record that. It's also possible that she didn't believe in the curses.
Gen 27:14
And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.: Hunting isn't something that can be done quickly, so she had plenty of time. Plus, even if Esau had gotten game quickly, he still would have needed to come back and cook it.
Gen 27:15
Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.: Rebekah took Esau's nicest clothes and had Jacob dress in them.
Gen 27:16
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.: The Preacher's Homiletical says that these goats were Syrian, which have long, soft hair.
Gen 27:17
Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.: Everything is set. She gives Jacob the food, and the act begins.
Gen 27:18
So he went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?": You can tell from Isaac's response, he couldn't see Jacob.
Gen 27:19
Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.": Two lies in one verse. He wasn't Esau, and he didn't hunt. He was willing to deceive his own father to get the blessing. We are so strange. If he hadn't done this, the blessing would have come in some other manner. It's not like God needs the help or something.
Gen 27:20
But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me.": Egregious. Isaac knows something is wrong because it takes time to hunt and prepare the food. The answer is lying about God. Jacob tells Isaac that God brought it to him. I do find it interesting as well that Jacob says, "your God," instead of my God or our God or something along those lines. Every translation says it in the same way too. There's something there, but I'm not sure what. Maybe Jacob wasn't a believer at this point?
Gen 27:21
Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.": Isaac knows something's up. Rebekah knew that Isaac would do something like this, and she had prepared by using the skin of the goat she cooked.
Gen 27:22
So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.": We may look at this and think that this is impossible, but love makes people do strange things. If you don't want to believe something, you'll find any reason not to. Even though it was Jabob's voice, Isaac convinced himself that it really was Esau. Most of us would do the same thing, even if we don't want to admit it. It was probably harder to believe that Jacob would lie like this than to believe that he was Esau.
Gen 27:23
And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.: Jabob passes the first test. The blessing here in this verse is that he determined within himself that he'd bless Jacob, thinking it was Esau.
Gen 27:24
Then he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am.": He must have still not been satisfied and asks Jacob again if he's Esau. And Jacob again lies.
Gen 27:25
He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.: So now Jacob does as Isaac initially had asked Esau to do and feeds his father the goat. They ate and drank. There's no mention of talking, but I'm assuming they must have talked. My guess is this is why Isaac kept asking if Jacob was really Esau.
Gen 27:26
Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son.": This was not really endearment, but Isaac wasn't fully satisfied that this was Esau. This was the second test.
Gen 27:27
And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the LORD has blessed.: Jacob was wearing Esau's clothes so he would smell like him. When Isaac smelled Jacob, he smelled like Esau, so now he was hairy and smelled like Esau. He just sounded like Jacob. It was probably easier for Isaac to believe that his hearing was going out than to believe that Jacob would like like this.
Gen 27:28
Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.: Now here's the blessing which Jacob stole from Esau. Isaac blesses him with material wealth.
Gen 27:29
Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!": The blessing is more than just material wealth. Jacob would rule nations. Isaac also blesses Jacob that he'd have power over his brethren, and his family. The Webster dictionary says that brethren is used in solemn and scriptural language, in place of brothers. So, it almost reads as "Be master over your bothers, and let your brothers bow down to you." This promise, "Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you," is an eternal promise. This promise was based on the Abrahamic promise that God established with Abraham. If you want to be blessed, bless Israel. If you want to have God pour out his wrath, go ahead and curse Israel. I'd advise against it. Right now, as this war between Israel and the Hamas terrorists wages, take a good look at the nations coming against Israel. It's an easy prophecy to predict. Those nations coming against Israel will be cursed. Those who support Israel will be blessed. Unfortunately, there's only a few countries coming to the side of Israel, and even the Biden administration is coming against Israel and siding with Hamas. I think America is in for a rude awakening.
Gen 27:30
Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.: Jacob hurried up and got out of there. Just in time too. Esau had hunted and prepared the food as requested.
Gen 27:31
He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me.": In trots Esau with his prepared meal. Hey Dad! Come eat the food I prepared for you!
Gen 27:32
And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.": You know that feeling when something wrong hits you? That gut-wrenching feeling deep down in your stomach? I'm sure it hit Isaac right then. He knows he's been had, so he asks Esau, "Who are you? Of course Esau says it's himself, but he also knows something's wrong.
Gen 27:33
Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, "Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.": Even here, Isaac doesn't want to admit it was Jacob. "Who?" He exclaims. He knew it was Jacob. "and indeed he shall be blessed." - This seems like Isaac suddenly remembered God's promises. Isaac didn't tremble out of anger, he trembled out of fear. If he was angry about the deceit, he would have trembled in anger.
Gen 27:34
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me—me also, O my father!": It seems that they both knew what happened. Remember what the Lord had said to Rebekah when the two brothers were in her womb? (Gen 25:23 And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”) God's promises are going to be fulfilled. You can't go around them.
Gen 27:35
But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.": This had always been Jacob's blessing. You can't thwart the will of God. Yes, it was deceitful, but it did fulfill what God said would happen. Keep in mind that this in no way makes God part of the deceit. He has no need of deceit. He just said what would happen ahead of time. God had declared that the blessing would be Jacob's, and through the deceitfulness of man, it happened as God said. If there had been no deceit on either side, God would have made it happen in a different way. But God will use what man intends for evil, for good.
Gen 27:36
And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?": Jacob's name means supplanter. Now is Esau's turn to lie. Jacob didn't take away Esau's birthright, Esau willingly sold his birthright in contempt of it. Esau then asks if Isaac had reserved a blessing for him. Isn't that a weird way to word it? It doesn't make sense to me. If Isaac had reserved some of the blessing, then he wouldn't have blessed Esau fully as intended, but reserved some for Jacob. That was clearly not Isaac's intent. It was probably a mix of exasperation and frustration on Esau's part.
Gen 27:37
Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?": Isaac had blessed Jacob with the family responsibility as overseer of the house, and all the wealth that comes with it. What more could Isaac bless Esau with? Isaac's intention was to pass this on to Esau as the firstborn, but that was not God's intention.
Gen 27:38
And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.: We have an expository teaching found in Heb 12:14-17. Here we find that Esau was rejected, "for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears." This wasn't repentance of the heart. He was weeping because he lost the inheritance. Esau is considered profane because he was a fornicator (adulterer, or idolater) and sold his birthright for stew.
Gen 27:39
Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.: There is disagreement on how this verse should be read. If you read as written in this translation, there's not much difference between Jacob's blessing and Esau's. Instead, there are other translations that say it's supposed to be opposite of Jacob's blessing. EG, the ESV translates it as, "Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high." This does make much more sense to me.
Gen 27:40
By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.": Isaac predicts that Esau's descendents (Edomites) will be warlike, and that they will serve Israel. However, the prophecy also says that they will break free of that condition, which possibly happened as recorded in 2Ki 8:20.
Gen 27:41
So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.": Bitterness is a crazy thing. I know Esau was angry, but here he is wishing for his dad to die so he could kill Jacob! The author of Hebrews was speaking truthfully when he said Esau was profane (Heb 12:14-17). He was loveless.
Gen 27:42
And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.: Rebekah is smart. She knows that Esau will try to kill Jacob. Esau isn't messing around or making idle threats.
Gen 27:43
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.: And the story returns now to Laban, where Abraham's servant went to find Rebekah (Gen 24:1-67).
Gen 27:44
And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away,: Rebekah encourages Jacob to stay with Laban for a while. She says a few days, but she knew it would be longer. She was just trying to get him to leave.
Gen 27:45
until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?": There's no way someone would forget something like stealing the family inheritance. Rebekah was just trying to get Jacob to leave. The statement that she would be bereaved of them both in one day is probably because if Esau killed Jacob, according to law, Esau would either be executed or banished.
Gen 27:46
And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?": Recorded here, we see Rebekah working Isaac's anger against Esau's wives. She's concocting a story of why Jacob left. It could be that she was trying to save Isaac from sorrow because he was old, but it's more probable to me that she was trying to get him to agree with Jacob leaving. It doesn't seem to me that she was some pious woman trying to save her husband from grief. She wouldn't have had Jacob do what he did if she were.
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