Jacob and Esau

     “Jacob and Esau each developed in accord with his initial characteristics (25:24-26). Esau, the reddish, hairy man, cared about physical things rather than spiritual things (see Heb 12:16); he was finally overcome by physical appetites and sold his birthright.  Jacob, the heel grabber, knew the birthright's value and drove a ruthless bargain to gain it presumptuously from his brother.  Esau was a skillful hunter and an outdoorsman—a wild man who loved wild country. Jacob had a quiet (or even) temperament and preferred to stay at home (literally dwelling in tents)—i.e., he was civilized.  The parents each practiced favoritism.  Because: Isaac's love for Esau was conditioned upon his son's performance.  Rebekah's love for Jacob was constant and unconditional.”

—NLT Study Bible

     “Let no one become immoral or unspiritual like Esau, who for a single meal sold his rights as the older son. 17 Afterward, you know, he wanted to receive his father's blessing; but he was turned back, because he could not find any way to change what he had done, even though in tears he looked for it.” Heb 12:16-17 (TEV)

     “Gen 27:1-40 Jacob got his father Isaac's blessing through deception. In this story, an entire family tries to carry out their responsibilities by physical means rather than by faith. Faith would have provided Rebekah and Jacob a more honorable solution to the crisis.

     27:1-4 The first scene sets up the chapter's crisis. Isaac knew of God's oracle (25:22-23), yet he thwarted or ignored it by trying to bless Esau. • Isaac was old and turning blind: He was losing his senses, both physically and spiritually.

     27:5-17 The blessing seemed to be in jeopardy. In scene two, Rebekah and Jacob sought to achieve God's blessing by deception, without faith or love. Rebekah planned to deceive the old man into thinking that he was blessing Esau when he was actually blessing Jacob.

     27:11-12 Jacob had no qualms about this deception; he only feared that it might not work and that he would be cursed for trying.  In scene three, Jacob deceives his father and receives the blessing.  Jacob lied about his identity, and then came close to blasphemy by lying about God.

     27:20-27 Isaac voiced his suspicion three times, but was finally deceived by his senses, which were not functioning well (see note on 27:1-4).

     27:30-40 In scene four, everything is discovered and the family becomes even more divided.  When he realized what had happened, Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably; he had been tampering with God's plan, and God had overruled him.

Esau was very bitter, and angry enough to kill.” —NLT Study Bible

     Esau Begs for Isaac's Blessing

     “Isaac finished giving his blessing, and as soon as Jacob left, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He also cooked some tasty food and took it to his father. He said, "Please, father, sit up and eat some of the meat that I have brought you, so that you can give me your blessing." 32 "Who are you?" Isaac asked. "Your older son Esau," he answered. 33 Isaac began to tremble and shake all over, and he asked, "Who was it, then, who killed an animal and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came. I gave him my final blessing, and so it is his forever." 34 When Esau heard this, he cried out loudly and bitterly and said, "Give me your blessing also, father!" 35 Isaac answered, "Your brother came and deceived me. He has taken away your blessing." 36 Esau said, "This is the second time that he has cheated me. No wonder his name is Jacob. He took my rights as the first-born son, and now he has taken away my blessing. Haven't you saved a blessing for me?" 37 Isaac answered, "I have already made him master over you, and I have made all his relatives his slaves. I have given him grain and wine. Now there is nothing that I can do for you, son!" 38 Esau continued to plead with his father: "Do you have only one blessing, father? Bless me too, father!" He began to cry. 39 Then Isaac said to him, "No dew from heaven for you, No fertile fields for you. 40 You will live by your sword, But be your brother's slave. Yet when you rebel, You will break away from his control." 41 Esau hated Jacob, because his father had given Jacob the blessing. He thought, "The time to mourn my father's death is near; then I will kill Jacob."  Gen 27:30-41 (TEV)

     But God had other plans for Jacob.

     The Bible concentrates on Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, looking to the coming of Jesus who would be born of a Jewish woman.  God had decided this before the Creation.  Jacob trusted God.  The promise came through him, with all his faults.  (But God did not forget the rest of the world.)  The promise had been handed to Jacob and no human hand can change this. 

     “At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep. 7 You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence When once You are angry? 8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still, 9 When God arose to judgment, To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.”  Psalms 76:6-10 (NKJV)

     “And this is not all. For Rebecca's two sons had the same father, our ancestor Isaac. 11-12 But in order that the choice of one son might be completely the result of God's own purpose, God said to her, "The older will serve the younger." He said this before they were born, before they had done anything either good or bad; so God's choice was based on his call, and not on anything they had done. 13 As the scripture says, "I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau."  Romans 9:10-13 (TEV)

     “We human beings always want to think that we are in charge. We think that we are the "captains of our souls" and that by our decisions and actions we can determine what will happen. However, Scripture confronts us with quite a different scenario. Although human decisions and actions are significant, the will of God is vastly more important.

     In Rom 9, Paul shows that God determines the course of salvation. Paul constantly explains the unexpected development of salvation history by appealing to what God has said and done. Human decisions alone cannot explain the situation, and God has said that He will show mercy to anyone He chooses (Rom 9:15). While theologians will continue to debate the role of God's action and the role of human decision in salvation, God's sovereignty stands out clearly.

The contemporary world has set God to the side and ignores the divine influence on the course of human affairs. But God's decisions really do direct the world as well as the personal histories of those who trust Him. We can confidently affirm that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Rom 8:28).”  —NLT Study Bible

     “Esau hated Jacob, because his father had given Jacob the blessing. He thought, "The time to mourn my father's death is near; then I will kill Jacob." 42 But when Rebecca heard about Esau's plan, she sent for Jacob and said, "Listen, your brother Esau is planning to get even with you and kill you. 43 Now, son, do what I say. Go at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him for a while, until your brother's anger cools down 45 and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send someone to bring you back. Why should I lose both of my sons on the same day?" 46 Rebecca said to Isaac, "I am sick and tired of Esau's foreign wives. If Jacob also marries one of these Hittites, I might as well die."

Gen 27:41-46 (TEV)

     “Rebekah and Jacob got the blessing but reaped hatred from Esau and separation from one another; there is no indication that Rebekah and Jacob ever saw each other again. They gained nothing that God was not already going to give them, and their methods were costly. Jacob fled from home to escape Esau's vengeance.”  —NLT Study Bible

     “Isaac called Jacob, greeted him, and told him, "Don't marry a Canaanite. 2 Go instead to Mesopotamia, to the home of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of the young women there, one of your uncle Laban's daughters. 3 May Almighty God bless your marriage and give you many children, so that you will become the father of many nations! 4 May he bless you and your descendants as he blessed Abraham, and may you take possession of this land, in which you have lived and which God gave to Abraham!" 5 Isaac sent Jacob away to Mesopotamia, to Laban, who was the son of Bethuel the Aramean and the brother of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob and Esau.”  Gen 28:1-5 (TEV)

     “Isaac remained in the land, but Jacob had to leave it. God would deal with Jacob under the hand of Laban, his uncle (see note on 29:1-31:55). • Believers in any age must remain spiritually pure by marrying other believers (2 Cor 6:14-18). The Canaanite people incorporated dozens of groups and clans into their society and religion by wars, treaties, and marriages (see 34:20-23). Abraham's family was to resist such mixing (cp. 24:3; ch 34); they were to marry within their clan to maintain the purity of the line and of the faith that identified them as the chosen seed. The surest way to lose their distinctiveness was to intermarry with people of other tribal backgrounds and beliefs (see Ezra 9-10; Neh 13:23-29).

Before Jacob departed, Isaac gave him a pure, legitimate blessing. He did not hold back, because he now knew what God wanted him to do. Isaac clearly passed on the blessing God Almighty (Hebrew El-Shaddai; see 17:1) had given to Abraham and to him regarding prosperity and the land (cp. 15:5, 18-20).”  —NLT Study Bible