10. JACOB AND ESAU - THE BIRTHRIGHT AND THE BLESSING

"Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob € '

Aim

To show why God loved Jacob more than Esau.

God made wonderful promises to Abraham and later repeated them to Isaac, the son of promise. It was at the time when Isaac was dwelling in Philistine country that God spoke to him. "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 26:3-5). Note particularly v. 5 - it refers to Abraham as the man "who obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws". And regarding Isaac, he "waxed great and went forward ... for he had possession of flocks and possession of herds, and great store of servants". Finally, Isaac dwelt in Beersheba (Genesis 26:23).

Genesis 25:23-34; 27

ESAU AND JACOB: Genesis 25:23-28

These were the twins of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 25:25, 26). Before the babies were born, God told Rebekah that from these two boys would come "two nations ... two manner of people; ... and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger" (v. 23).

Esau the elder was a cunning hunter, a man of the field. He was self-willed and quick-tempered, and in Hebrews 12:16 he is described as a "profane" person, that is, someone who was not at all interested in pleasing God. He was too busy enjoying life as a hunter to be bothered to stop to think about God. However he was Isaac's favourite son and his father loved the venison that he prepared for him (v. 28).

Jacob was quite different, being quiet and peaceful, "a plain (or upright) man, dwelling in tents". This was the man God chose. He was his mother's favourite. Through this man (Jacob), came the people of Israel who became God's chosen people. "The LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself (Deuteronomy 7:6).

ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT: Genesis 25:29-34

Esau as the firstborn or eldest, was the heir to twice as much of his father's goods as Jacob, but this privilege, which was known as the birthright, did not concern him much until later. One day Esau came in from hunting, tired and hungry, and saw his brother Jacob, cooking some food. It was just what he wanted and he asked Jacob for a bowl of the food. Quickly Jacob made a bargain with him. "Sell me this day thy birthright" (v. 31). So Esau exchanged his birthright, his special privilege in the family, for a bowl of food. "What profit shall this birthright do to me?" he said. (Cp. Hebrews 12:16). Such was his lack of interest in the precious gift of inheritance that he would give it away to his younger brother for bread and a bowl of pottage (vv. 33-34).

ISAAC BLESSES HIS SONS AND GIVES JACOB THE GREATER BLESSING: Genesis 27:1-29

Years later, Isaac was going blind. He feared he would soon die, and wanted to bless his sons. He loved the venison that Esau hunted, and asked that he might have some before giving his blessing to his elder son. "Make me savoury meat such as I love".

So Esau took his bow and arrows to kill a deer for his father (vv. 1-5).

Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to Esau, and she set out to make sure it would be Jacob, not Esau, who would receive the blessing. She told Jacob to kill two young goats from which she would make savoury meat. Jacob was to dress in Esau's clothes and put the hairy goat skins on his hands and the smooth part of his neck, and to appear before his father so that Isaac would think he was Esau. (Remember that Esau was a "hairy man" and Jacob a "smooth man".) Hurriedly, they finished all their preparations before Esau returned from the fields. Isaac was a little surprised to learn that his venison was prepared so quickly, but Jacob lied to him and assured him that he was Esau. Isaac thought his voice sounded different. "This voice is Jacob's, but the hands are the hands of Esau." Satisfied that all was well, he blessed Jacob. "God give thee of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (Genesis 27:28-29).

So Jacob was blessed. God had shown Rebekah that "the elder shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23), but Rebekah was impatient. She thought that if she did not act quickly God would not be able to fulfil His promise! If only she had waited all the trouble that followed her deceitful plan would not have come upon her family.

ESAU IS ANGRY: Genesis 27:30-46

Jacob had only just gone out when Esau returned to seek the blessing from his father. How angry he was when he found out that Jacob had tricked him. Jacob was rightly named a "supplanter", for he had now both the birthright and the blessing. Esau pleaded with Isaac to bless him too, but there was very little that Isaac could say except that "By thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother" (Genesis 27:40).

Esau now revealed his true character. He planned to kill Jacob as soon as his father died. Encouraged by Rebekah, Jacob realised that the time had come for him to leave home. Isaac too could see that it was wise for Jacob to flee. So he instructed him to depart for Haran to his mother's people and marry a suitable wife from among them for, like Abraham, he realised how important it was that his son marry a godly woman. Esau had married women of Canaan which greatly disappointed Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34-35). Before he left, Isaac prayed that God would give Jacob the blessing promised to Abraham (Genesis 28:3-4).

LESSON FOR US

Esau was sorry that he had not received the blessing. "He lifted up his voice and wept" (Genesis 27:38). But he only wept for himself, hoping to make his father change his mind. There was no thought in his heart of turning to God and changing his ways. His thoughts were only for himself. He was angry and proud and his heart was wicked - and it is the heart that God looks upon (1 Samuel 16:7).

We must be sure that we do not follow the ways of Esau. We must "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6), and have respect for His Word and His promises. We also learn that it was not right for Jacob to lie to his father and deceive him as he did. In after years Jacob was brought to learn this lesson and faced many troubles in his life, as he was deceived by his father-in-law Laban, as we shall learn in later lessons. God had decided long before that Jacob should receive the blessing (Genesis 25:23), but Rebekah and Jacob interfered. They should have waited in faith for God to work in their lives. So we must patiently trust in God, always doing what is right and true, for He will not let us down.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Consider now the great and precious promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the birthright and the blessing which came to Jacob. In all these things we see the pattern of the future. Esau became the father of the nation of Edom, a wild and warlike people who lived by the sword and found no favour in the sight of God. On the other hand, Hebrews 11:17-20 speaks of the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in their lifetime and the promises to them that have not yet been fulfilled. Jacob was placed above Esau and received the special blessing of a firstborn son. Later, Jacob's twelve sons became the nation of Israel and God gave them a special blessing and called them His firstborn (Exodus 4:22).

In the years that followed, Israel were forced from their homeland just as Jacob was, but they are going to return, and when Jesus Christ returns they will be, like Jacob, much changed in heart. It is then that they will settle back into their land in peace: "Jacob (i.e. the nation of Israel) shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid" (Jeremiah 30:10).

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

1. Who were the two sons of Rebekah?

2. What kind of man was Jacob?

3. What did Esau give away to Jacob in return for a bowl of food?

4. Which son received the blessing from his father?

5. What did Esau plan to do to Jacob?

6. Where did Jacob go when he ran away from Esau ?

7. Rebekah's plan to deceive Isaac was not wise. What should she have done instead?

Detailed Answers

1. Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons. God spoke to their mother before they were born. What did God tell Rebekah about her two sons?

2. What do you know about Esau?

3. Why did Esau give Jacob his birthright?

4. Tell what happened on the day Isaac blessed his sons.
    

Additional Answers

5. Isaac was old and wanted to give a blessing to his sons. Tell the story of how Jacob gained the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau.

6. What blessings did Isaac give to Jacob and Esau?

7. When will Abraham, Isaac and Jacob inherit the promises God has given?