Connecting Scriptures:  Deuteronomy 27:18, Hebrews 11:20, Deuteronomy 33:13, 28, 2 Samuel 8:14, Hebrews 12:15-17, Genesis 36:6-7, 2 Kings 8:20-22, Amos 1:11

Today’s reading reminds me that you can have the right lineage and all the wealth in the land and still fail at family life.  Imagine sitting at the dinner table of Issac and his family.  A mother who is pushy and conniving, a father who is absent minded and feeble, sons who are as different as night and day and bitterly despise one another, and daughters in-law squabbling with their inherited family.  It seems like a mess.  But, right here is where God is intending to pass a blessing.  The chapter begins with Issac being described as having “dim eyes”, so much so that he could not see.  He also appears to be on his death bed.  There is another man in scripture who is described in much the same way (1 Samuel 3:2).  Eli was high priest and the father of corrupt children right on the cusp of young Samuel’s introduction into the scriptures.  His failure to see was a physical and spiritual condition, not even able to discern the voice of God calling to Samuel in the night.  I think the similarities with Issac are very striking.  Issac was blind to the brokenness in his own house and he was ripe for being tricked by false motives. 

Rebekah, in what I have to assume in her thinking, was that this was the “moment” to force the prophecy over her sons come to pass—firmly persuades Jacob into the scheme of deceit over Issac.  While he was not the driving force, he was a very willing participant, and Rebekah declares curses over herself if they don’t “pull this off”.  Can you hear the desperation in her voice?  Amazingly, Jacob does pull this stunt off.  Even with his father declaring that the voice that spoke was Jacobs!  Hello?!  Maybe its Jacob.  I can’t help but think on how just a few chapters back, Esau was foolish over a meal.  What was it with these men and being ruled by their stomachs?!  Jacob receives the blessing intended for Esau (at least Issac’s intention—God perhaps would have made it come to pass without all this treachery?).  The latter half of the blessing sounds a lot like a melding of the prophecy given to Rebekah by the LORD concerning the twins and Abrahams blessing.  It makes me think again—did Rebekah tell Isaac what God had told her?  Was this Isaac rejecting what the LORD said, in His own words, in trying to give the blessing to whom he thought was Esau?  

Jacob leaves, fully blessed, and enters Esau.  The agony of both of the men is palpable.  Issac is enraged that he has been tricked.  Esau is broken and embittered at what is now two times this brother has “tricked” him out of what he thought was his.  Notice how the only blessing that Isaac has for Esau is an anti-blessing.  It cause me to think, was this the blessing he would have given Jacob?  If I was a second son, you could count me out of the “receiving blessing” portion of death bed time.  It looks like there is really only one blessing and maybe a lot of leftovers for anyone born after.  

There are a few last things here that stand out to me in the reactions of Esau and the parents.  One, Esau goes from bitterness to all out hatred of Jacob.  A trait that would follow his people toward Israel for quite some time.  Two, Rebekah manipulates again, telling Jacob to run for his life while telling Isaac that he must let Jacob go in order to get a wife outside of the people that surround them.  She sites her harsh relationship with Esau’s wives as reason to let him go to her family.  And then notice one big thing that doesn’t happen.  Isaac doesn’t die.  How does a man on his death bed live for another 43 years?  Maybe it was grace?  Maybe it was to see his sons reconcile (spoilers, they do)?  I am not sure.  I know there was a lot of speculation by me in this chapter.  I am left with this truth:  What grace the Father lavishes on sinful, manipulative, embittered people!  Right?  All it takes is me to gaze in the mirror and to remember that this “happy families” motives are no different from my own as I operate in this fallen world.  We all need grace and Our Patient God to bear with us as we fight and figure out that His ways are not ours.  They are better.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How do we see the interaction between human choices and God’s sovereign power inthe unfolding of His promises?  What does it show you about God’s character that He would work through the mess of Isaac’s family to bring about the promises given to Abraham?

2.  Do some research on the significants of patriarchal blessing.  Why was it so desired in this culture and do we see this practiced in our modern society?