†. Gen 27:28 . . May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fat of
the earth, abundance of new grain and wine.
The benediction, first of all, regards things in nature necessary for prosperity
in an agrarian economy-- rain, fertile soil, and abundant yields. Rain is an
especially precious resource in the country of Israel where today it's confined
to just one season a year lasting only three months. In the old days, they
had two rainy seasons; the early rains and the latter rains.
City slickers hate rain. It's so inconvenient. It gets their hair wet; they have
to run the wipers; it floods their streets and storm drains, their gutters
overflow from clogged downspouts, they can't wear flip-flops-- caring little
that the foods available in the supermarkets and convenience stores are
utterly dependant upon adequate rain. I think that some people actually
think their foods are manufactured in sweat shops rather than grown in the
dirt. They just can't make the connection.
†. Gen 27:29a . . Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you;
Jacob's progeny has exercised dominance over many nations in the past,
most especially during Solomon's period. Today they're in a slump. But that
benediction isn't dead yet; no, not by a long sea mile. In the future, Israel
will be the seat of world power and the center for religious studies. You'd
never know it to look at Jacob's condition today; but it's going to happen.
†. Gen 27:29b . . Be master over your brothers, and let your
mother's sons bow to you.
The magic words! --and the very ones I'm sure Rebecca was anxiously
waiting to hear. His "mother's sons" right then only amounted to (in Isaac's
mind) just one: Mr. Jacob. But Rebecca became a grandma and today her
sons can't even be numbered. Every one of them are supposed to honor
Jacob and bow in respect because he, along with Isaac and Abraham, is a
member of the elite league of senior patriarchs.
The bestowal of the patriarchy upon Jacob was done with God as a witness,
who has, so far, neither interfered nor intervened; nor has He seen fit to
alert Isaac to Jacob's deception, nor said a single word about the whole
fraudulent business. In short, the Almighty God, of all people, is apparently
condoning Jacob's funny business. It seems to me, that the only way to
understand this situation is to conclude that, whatever may be wrong with
the stratagem and deception of Jacob and Rebecca, the sin of Esau and
Isaac was infinitely more grievous.
Yes, it's true that God doesn't usually condone lies; and I'm sure Jacob and
his mom well knew it. They were spiritual people; both of them. But I really
think that as bad as deception might be in God's sight, it had become a
desperate necessity in this case to prevent a much worse sin: that of
blasphemously presuming to impart the most holy of God's offices to a man
who neither appreciated its depth, nor would honor it-- and to do so directly
in the face of God's commandment against it. Such an eventuality surely
would have incurred God's most severe judgment upon both Isaac and Esau;
and I am convinced that Rebecca felt she must prevent that occurrence at all
costs, even if it meant alienating her husband and infuriating Esau to the
point of seeking Jacob's death.
Isaac, because of the solemn nature of what he was doing, (conveying holy
covenant promises and blessings to a son, who in turn would be responsible
for their transmission and implementation in his own family) was no doubt
under the influence of the power of God that day and was carried along in
the scheme even though he half suspected the son in the room with him
wasn't Esau. No. Jacob was getting that blessing, and there was nothing
short of Heaven and Hell themselves that could prevent it.
The Almighty Himself, who had made His solemn covenant with Abraham,
and renewed it with Isaac, certainly was present in that room during the
whole affair. What would have happened if Esau was instead standing there
that day we can only surmise. But it seems highly probable that the
consequences would have been tragic for both father and son. The Almighty
God's holy promises and covenants are never to be dispensed as trifles,
subject to the whim and preference of self centered mortals who are swayed
to make important decisions simply upon the taste of their favorite foods.
†. Gen 27:29c . . Cursed be they who curse you, blessed they who
bless you.
That the blessing upon Jacob was definitely the same as the blessing given
to Abraham and Isaac is clear from the words spoken here in the final part.
First, Isaac conferred the material aspects of patriarchal life: prosperity. I
am sure that Esau would have loved that part of it. However, there is
nothing in the wording of the blessing to suggest that it included an actual
bequeathal of Isaac's assets. Isaac's closing statement echoes God's own
words to Abraham in Gen 12:3
Some have wondered why Isaac didn't include the balance of the Gen 12:2-3
blessing at this time; which goes like this:
"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you shall be a blessing . . and all the families of the earth
shall bless themselves by you."
Sad to say, I think Isaac knew very well it would be like blessing a dead pig.
There is no way Esau would ever become a great nation, and especially ever
become a blessing to all the families of the Earth; nor that they would bless
themselves by him. Yet even knowing that, Isaac was, for all intents and
purposes, still determined to confer the patriarchy upon Esau, the unholy
son with no future. I hate to say it, but I strongly suspect Isaac was
becoming somewhat deranged; especially because of the feelings he
entertained about his supposedly imminent death.
Anyway, he did pronounce the blessing upon Jacob; and did so under the
very inspiration of God, though Isaac himself was trying to thwart the will of
God all the while he was speaking. Just so, many years later, the infamous
prophet for profit, Balaam, in Numbers 22, 23, and 24, was forced to bless
Israel even against his own will. And in the days of Jesus of Nazareth (John
11:49-52) the high priest spoke prophetically of the meaning of Jesus'
death; though the priest himself did not understand the real import of what
he was saying; nor even put any stock at all in his own words.
The blessing which, by God's command, should have gone to Jacob in the
first place, was indeed finally pronounced upon him by his father in spite of
Isaac's lack of willingness to do so. He was tricked into it, yes; but by
thunder that shouldn't have been necessary.
Cont.
/
the earth, abundance of new grain and wine.
The benediction, first of all, regards things in nature necessary for prosperity
in an agrarian economy-- rain, fertile soil, and abundant yields. Rain is an
especially precious resource in the country of Israel where today it's confined
to just one season a year lasting only three months. In the old days, they
had two rainy seasons; the early rains and the latter rains.
City slickers hate rain. It's so inconvenient. It gets their hair wet; they have
to run the wipers; it floods their streets and storm drains, their gutters
overflow from clogged downspouts, they can't wear flip-flops-- caring little
that the foods available in the supermarkets and convenience stores are
utterly dependant upon adequate rain. I think that some people actually
think their foods are manufactured in sweat shops rather than grown in the
dirt. They just can't make the connection.
†. Gen 27:29a . . Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you;
Jacob's progeny has exercised dominance over many nations in the past,
most especially during Solomon's period. Today they're in a slump. But that
benediction isn't dead yet; no, not by a long sea mile. In the future, Israel
will be the seat of world power and the center for religious studies. You'd
never know it to look at Jacob's condition today; but it's going to happen.
†. Gen 27:29b . . Be master over your brothers, and let your
mother's sons bow to you.
The magic words! --and the very ones I'm sure Rebecca was anxiously
waiting to hear. His "mother's sons" right then only amounted to (in Isaac's
mind) just one: Mr. Jacob. But Rebecca became a grandma and today her
sons can't even be numbered. Every one of them are supposed to honor
Jacob and bow in respect because he, along with Isaac and Abraham, is a
member of the elite league of senior patriarchs.
The bestowal of the patriarchy upon Jacob was done with God as a witness,
who has, so far, neither interfered nor intervened; nor has He seen fit to
alert Isaac to Jacob's deception, nor said a single word about the whole
fraudulent business. In short, the Almighty God, of all people, is apparently
condoning Jacob's funny business. It seems to me, that the only way to
understand this situation is to conclude that, whatever may be wrong with
the stratagem and deception of Jacob and Rebecca, the sin of Esau and
Isaac was infinitely more grievous.
Yes, it's true that God doesn't usually condone lies; and I'm sure Jacob and
his mom well knew it. They were spiritual people; both of them. But I really
think that as bad as deception might be in God's sight, it had become a
desperate necessity in this case to prevent a much worse sin: that of
blasphemously presuming to impart the most holy of God's offices to a man
who neither appreciated its depth, nor would honor it-- and to do so directly
in the face of God's commandment against it. Such an eventuality surely
would have incurred God's most severe judgment upon both Isaac and Esau;
and I am convinced that Rebecca felt she must prevent that occurrence at all
costs, even if it meant alienating her husband and infuriating Esau to the
point of seeking Jacob's death.
Isaac, because of the solemn nature of what he was doing, (conveying holy
covenant promises and blessings to a son, who in turn would be responsible
for their transmission and implementation in his own family) was no doubt
under the influence of the power of God that day and was carried along in
the scheme even though he half suspected the son in the room with him
wasn't Esau. No. Jacob was getting that blessing, and there was nothing
short of Heaven and Hell themselves that could prevent it.
The Almighty Himself, who had made His solemn covenant with Abraham,
and renewed it with Isaac, certainly was present in that room during the
whole affair. What would have happened if Esau was instead standing there
that day we can only surmise. But it seems highly probable that the
consequences would have been tragic for both father and son. The Almighty
God's holy promises and covenants are never to be dispensed as trifles,
subject to the whim and preference of self centered mortals who are swayed
to make important decisions simply upon the taste of their favorite foods.
†. Gen 27:29c . . Cursed be they who curse you, blessed they who
bless you.
That the blessing upon Jacob was definitely the same as the blessing given
to Abraham and Isaac is clear from the words spoken here in the final part.
First, Isaac conferred the material aspects of patriarchal life: prosperity. I
am sure that Esau would have loved that part of it. However, there is
nothing in the wording of the blessing to suggest that it included an actual
bequeathal of Isaac's assets. Isaac's closing statement echoes God's own
words to Abraham in Gen 12:3
Some have wondered why Isaac didn't include the balance of the Gen 12:2-3
blessing at this time; which goes like this:
"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you shall be a blessing . . and all the families of the earth
shall bless themselves by you."
Sad to say, I think Isaac knew very well it would be like blessing a dead pig.
There is no way Esau would ever become a great nation, and especially ever
become a blessing to all the families of the Earth; nor that they would bless
themselves by him. Yet even knowing that, Isaac was, for all intents and
purposes, still determined to confer the patriarchy upon Esau, the unholy
son with no future. I hate to say it, but I strongly suspect Isaac was
becoming somewhat deranged; especially because of the feelings he
entertained about his supposedly imminent death.
Anyway, he did pronounce the blessing upon Jacob; and did so under the
very inspiration of God, though Isaac himself was trying to thwart the will of
God all the while he was speaking. Just so, many years later, the infamous
prophet for profit, Balaam, in Numbers 22, 23, and 24, was forced to bless
Israel even against his own will. And in the days of Jesus of Nazareth (John
11:49-52) the high priest spoke prophetically of the meaning of Jesus'
death; though the priest himself did not understand the real import of what
he was saying; nor even put any stock at all in his own words.
The blessing which, by God's command, should have gone to Jacob in the
first place, was indeed finally pronounced upon him by his father in spite of
Isaac's lack of willingness to do so. He was tricked into it, yes; but by
thunder that shouldn't have been necessary.
Cont.
/
