{"id":4831,"date":"2020-08-23T13:22:53","date_gmt":"2020-08-23T19:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/?p=4831"},"modified":"2023-08-17T07:23:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T13:23:14","slug":"genesis-2634-2729","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/?p=4831","title":{"rendered":"Genesis 26:34\u201327:29"},"content":{"rendered":"

34\u00a0<\/sup>When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

35\u00a0<\/sup>And\u00a0they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

1 <\/span>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, \u201cMy son.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>And he answered him, \u201cHere I am.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

2\u00a0<\/sup>Then he said, \u201cBehold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

3\u00a0<\/sup>Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

4\u00a0<\/sup>And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring\u00a0it\u00a0to me that I may eat, that my soul\u00a0may bless you before I die.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

5\u00a0<\/sup>Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring\u00a0it.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup>So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, \u201cIndeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

7\u00a0<\/sup>\u2018Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the\u00a0Lord<\/span> before my death.\u2019<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>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.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

10\u00a0<\/sup>Then you shall take\u00a0it\u00a0to your father, that he may eat\u00a0it,\u00a0and that he\u00a0may bless you before his death.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

11\u00a0<\/sup>And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, \u201cLook,\u00a0Esau my brother\u00a0is\u00a0a hairy man, and I\u00a0am\u00a0a smooth-skinned man.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

12\u00a0<\/sup>Perhaps my father will\u00a0feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring\u00a0a curse on myself and not a blessing.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

13\u00a0<\/sup>But his mother said to him,\u00a0\u201cLet\u00a0your curse\u00a0be\u00a0on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get\u00a0them for me.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

14\u00a0<\/sup>And he went and got\u00a0them\u00a0and brought\u00a0them to his mother, and his mother\u00a0made savory food, such as his father loved.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

15\u00a0<\/sup>Then Rebekah took\u00a0the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which\u00a0were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

16\u00a0<\/sup>And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

17\u00a0<\/sup>Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

18\u00a0<\/sup>So he went to his father and said, \u201cMy father.\u201d <\/span>And he said, \u201cHere I am. Who\u00a0are\u00a0you, my son?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

19\u00a0<\/sup>Jacob said to his father, \u201cI\u00a0am\u00a0Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game,\u00a0that your soul may bless me.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

20\u00a0<\/sup>But Isaac said to his son, \u201cHow\u00a0is it\u00a0that you have found\u00a0it so quickly, my son?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>And he said, \u201cBecause the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0your God brought\u00a0it\u00a0to me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

21\u00a0<\/sup>Isaac said to Jacob, \u201cPlease come near, that I\u00a0may feel you, my son, whether you\u00a0are really my son Esau or not.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

22\u00a0<\/sup>So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, \u201cThe voice\u00a0is\u00a0Jacob\u2019s voice, but the hands\u00a0are the hands of Esau.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

23\u00a0<\/sup>And he did not recognize him, because\u00a0his hands were hairy like his brother Esau\u2019s hands; so he blessed him.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

24\u00a0<\/sup>Then he said, \u201cAre you really my son Esau?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>He said, \u201cI\u00a0am.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

25\u00a0<\/sup>He said, \u201cBring\u00a0it\u00a0near to me, and I will eat of my son\u2019s game, so\u00a0that my soul may bless you.\u201d So he brought\u00a0it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

26\u00a0<\/sup>Then his father Isaac said to him, \u201cCome near now and kiss me, my son.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

27\u00a0<\/sup>And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: <\/span>\u201cSurely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n
\n

28\u00a0<\/sup>Therefore may God give you o<\/span>f the dew of heaven, o<\/span>f the fatness of the earth, a<\/span>nd plenty of grain and wine.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

29\u00a0<\/sup>Let peoples serve you, a<\/span>nd nations bow down to you. B<\/span>e master over your brethren, a<\/span>nd let your mother\u2019s sons bow down to you. <\/span>Cursed\u00a0be everyone who curses you, a<\/span>nd blessed be\u00a0those who bless you!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

One paramount consideration must be kept in mind in trying to understand and apply these passages in the Book of Genesis. There is never a single instance in the Bible<\/em> of criticism of Jacob (except on the lips of Esau and Laban, both of whom are unworthy witnesses). Every time God spoke\u00a0 to Jacob, it was in a message of blessing and promise, never one of rebuke or chastisement. If we would be faithful Bible expositors, therefore, we must be guided by what God has actually said, not what we think He should have said.<\/span><\/h3>\n

God’s judgment concerning Jacob is given in Genesis 32:28<\/span><\/a>: “As a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and has prevailed.” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? said the Lord: yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau” (Malachi 1:2-3).<\/span><\/h3>\n

God’s decision to establish the Messianic line and promises through Jacob, rather than Esau, even before the two boys were born … was clearly conveyed to Rebekah and Isaac; but the latter nevertheless favored Esau, resolving to give him both the birthright benefits and the patriarchal responsibilities and blessings associated with God’s promise to Abraham. As the boys grew, their characters soon proved that God’s decision had been eminently wise. “Jacob was a plain [literally “perfect” or “complete”] man (Genesis 25:27<\/span><\/a>). Esau, on the other hand, “despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:34<\/span><\/a>). \u2014 Morris, page 428<\/span><\/h3>\n

__________<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

But in spite of God’s instruction concerning Jacob before he was born, in spite of the plainly obvious superiority of Jacob’s character and spiritual discernment and convictions over those of Esau, in spite of Jacob’s further legalization of his claim to the patriarchal blessing through his purchase of the birthright from Esau, confirmed by Esau’s solemn oath, in spite of Esau’s obvious indifference to his spiritual heritage and to the will of God\u2014in spite of all this, Isaac nevertheless determined that he was going to give the blessing to Esau.<\/span><\/h3>\n

And evidently, Isaac’s deliberate intent to thwart the purpose of God was motivated primarily by his personal love of Esau, and that was “because he did eat of his venison” (Genesis 25:28<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/h3>\n

Jacob may have been about seventy-five and Isaac 135 at this particular time. Everyone involved in this episode was thus quite mature, though Jacob and Esau at least were still quite vigorous and, gerontologically speaking, relatively “young” men in terms of the aging process as it existed in those days. As a matter of fact, even Isaac was not as near death as he seems to have feared, since he lived to be 180 before he died (Genesis 35:28<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/h3>\n

Perhaps [Rebekah] intended to use this means [trickery] to call Isaac’s attention to his presumptuous determination to thwart God’s will. … If [Isaac] could be made to realize that God’s will was so important that Rebekah (and Jacob, as well) was willing to sacrifice even his own love for it, then perhaps the shock would be a means of bringing him back to his senses and get him to realize his error. … Since all this turned out to be the actual result of Rebekah’s strategy, as we will see, can we not at least give Rebekah (as well as Jacob) the benefit of the doubt? \u2014 Morris, pages 431-432.<\/span><\/h3>\n

__________<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jacob’s fear that his father would think him a “deceiver” needs a little clarification. The word actually means “mocker,” and seems to suggest that discovery of the plan by his father would make him seem to be mocking his father’s blindness.<\/span><\/h3>\n

There is also a possibility that the “goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house,” were special garments associated with the priestly functions of the head of the house. It would have been appropriate for the recipient of the father’s commission, centering as it did in the transfer of Isaac’s patriarchal commission to his son, to be so clothed. … This was an interpretation of the ancient Hebrew commentators. \u2014 Morris, page 433.<\/span><\/h3>\n

__________<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Jacob said “that my soul may bless thee,” it should be noted that the word “soul” is the Hebrew nephesh<\/em>, and refers to the mind and heart, or the consciousness, of man. It is an emphatic way of saying “I,” stressing the deep conviction of the person regarding the action undertaken.<\/span><\/h3>\n

It would seem that the only way of understanding this situation is to conclude that, whatever may have been wrong with the stratagem and deception of Jacob and Rebekah, the sin of Esau and Isaac was infinitely more grievous. \u2014 Morris, page 435.<\/span><\/h3>\n

__________<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

That this blessing was definitely the same as the blessing given to Abraham and Isaac is clear from the words spoken by Isaac at its climax. First, however, Isaac referred to the material aspects of life which so occupied Esau and which had apparently increasingly concerned Isaac. … Then, Isaac got to the heart of the matter, as he repeated God’s own promise to Abram: “Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee” (note Genesis 12:3<\/span><\/a>). At the same time, note his awful presumption in saying to, as he though, Esau; “Be lord over they brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee.” This is in direct opposition to God’s statement: “The elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0 \u2014 Morris, page 437.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Morris is certainly correct in stating that most commentators spend most of their time on this passage by talking of Jacob’s and Rebekah’s sins of deception and dishonesty. In their view, God would have worked His will somehow if they had enough faith to wait for Him. And, although Jacob was God’s choice, it was purely a matter of grace because Jacob proved himself so unworthy.<\/h3>\n

Perhaps. But I think Morris’s take is worth considering since the Bible never says Jacob was wrong. Wechsler, takes the convention view, but with some twists. Notice that he doesn’t seem to make much of the actual blessing.<\/h3>\n

Since Isaac intends to bless Esau it may be reasonably deduced that Rebekah has not yet revealed to her husband God’s choice of “the younger” son over “the older” (see Genesis 25:23<\/span><\/a>)\u2014which is certainly consistent with the parents’ complicit dysfunction of favoring separate sons. For this reason, rather than trusting God to make His will known to and through the patriarch, Rebekah, who overhears Isaac’s intention, initiates a plot to deceive her husband into blessing her favored son Jacob instead. Isaac\u2014who, it should be borne in mind, is not yet a believer (see Genesis 28:21<\/span><\/a>) [!<\/span><\/strong>]\u2014 thus succeeds in stealing the blessing by presenting himself as Esau to the touch and smell of his blind father, in response to which his brother, when he finds out, justly points out that Jacob (which name means “he supplants”; see Genesis 25:26<\/span><\/a>) has again lived up to his name, “for he has supplanted me these two times.” \u2014 Wechsler, page 230.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

34\u00a0When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35\u00a0And\u00a0they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. 1 Now it came to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-genesis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4831"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8304,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4831\/revisions\/8304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}