“Genesis 27:1-4”

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

“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.'”

---End of Scripture verses---

Today's verses set the stage for the Jacob's purloining the family blessing from his older brother, Esau. Nahum Sarna makes the following excellent observations by way of introduction to Genesis chapter 27:

“In an earlier narrative we were told that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew. After satisfying his hunger, he not only showed no regret but also displayed a careless indifference to the sacred institution. The statement at the end of chapter 26 regarding Esau's intermarriage with Hittite women served to reinforce the impression of Esau's unworthiness to be the father of the future chosen people. Now Esau is about to be deprived of the final paternal blessing, sacred words intended to seal the destiny of their recipient. His mother conspires with Jacob, her favorite son, to bring this about.

“The action in its entirety covers 27:1-28:5 and unfolds in seven scenes. All four members of the family participate, but only in parts. Neither Jacob and Esau nor Rebekah and Esau appear together; they dare not confront each other. Each pair moves to the center of the stage twice, save mother and father who meet but once, and that briefly. The strong-willed, artful Rebekah prefers to hover inconspicuously in the background, manipulating the situation. She approaches her husband only when matters threaten to get out of hand.

“All the action and the dialogue is directed toward the dominant, recurring theme of the entire episode: the father's final blessing. The Hebrew noun berakhah occurs seven times and its verbal form exactly twenty-one times. The birthright is not an issue here, and its relationship to the blessing is unclear. Apparently, they were separate institutions. Nothing is said about the disposition of property, and it is striking that Esau expected to receive the blessing even though he admitted to having lost the birthright.”

“Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see...” (verse 1) At this time Isaac would have been 137 years old according to the prevalent tabulations of his age. But it was his failing eyesight that Rebekah and Jacob shamelessly took advantage of to secure the aged patriarch's blessing and all its attendant benefits. Of course, some have argued, since God's endorsement had been upon the younger son's place of prominence since before his birth, that Isaac's machinations were completely justified. It's a very hard sell, however, that the Lord would approve of such treacherous trickery, and the two subsequent decades of dirty dealings suffered at the hands of his despicable father-in-law were just punishment and difficult, necessary lessons learned.

“He called his older son Esau...” (verse 1) “The Narrator studiously avoids calling Esau the 'first-born' because the term carries with it social and legal implications that he wishes to avoid since Esau had sold his birthright.” (Nahum Sarna) “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.” (verse 2) It seems obvious that, even though Isaac was ignorant of the time of his soul's departure, he felt that it was more likely to happen sooner than later. He would actually live another 43 years to see his 18thdecade of life (Genesis 35:28), but he was ready to bestow his richest blessings upon the son that he loved the most while he was still physically and mentally capable of doing so.

“Hunt game for me; and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love...” (verses 3-4) Isaac had more on his mind than just satisfying his appetite for the tasty spread that Esau was noted for whipping up. This meal would serve as an integral part of the procedure for passing on the coveted pastoral blessing. “'That I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.'” “Literally, 'that my being (Heb. Nefesh) may bless you.' This formulation which appears again three times, is clearly of great importance to the understanding of the blessing. We see from verse 28 that the source and sanction of the blessing is not man but God. Isaac summons from the very depths of his own soul all the vitality and energy at his command in order to invoke God's blessing upon his son. He communicates the blessing to his offspring by virtue of his own special relationship with God and by dint of his power and authority as patriarch.” (Nahum Sarna)

Please read Genesis 27:5-13 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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