"When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah." (Genesis 26:34-35) Esau marries not one but two pagan women. He knows his grandfather Abraham obtained a believing wife for Isaac, but he doesn't follow this example. The Bible has already told us he despised his birthright, which means he despised all the responsibilities---including being the spiritual leader of the family---that came along with it. He's been brought up in the faith but thinks it unimportant to find a wife who shares his faith. I don't know whether this means that he thinks so little of God that he doesn't care if his wife and children worship the same God or whether he marries two pagan women because he has a rebellious attitude toward all things godly. I think maybe he's his own worst enemy and that he (either consciously or subconciously) wants to disqualify himself as head of the family. Whatever his motives, his parents are grieved that he's chosen this path for himself. If you have a believing child or grandchild who married an unbeliever, you can relate to how they feel.
But Esau is still Isaac's favorite son. "When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, 'My son.' 'Here I am,' he answered. Isaac said, 'I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your equipment---your quiver and bow---and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.'" (Genesis 27:2-4)
Isaac isn't feeling well and the only person who can cheer him up is Esau. I'm not sure why he believes he's near death, since he lives on for quite some time. I think maybe his biggest problem is that he's down in the dumps and feels like giving up. There's not a lot he can find to occupy his time now that his sight is gone and he's disappointed and stressed by some of the choices his favored son has made. It could be he's thinking to himself, "I might as well just go ahead and die. I'd be better off dead than being saddled with all these problems I can't do anything about." Have you ever gone through such a bad time that you wished the Lord would just go ahead and take you home to be with Him? I've had some days like that. I've had some days when so many things were horribly wrong and when I didn't feel like I could take one more step under the burden of all my problems. I didn't want to take my own life or come down with a terrible illness; I just sort of wished the Lord would suddenly call me out of this life so I could be finished with all my troubles. Isaac would just as soon go on to be with the Lord here in Chapter 27, but just as the Lord revived me spiritually and mentally and physically instead of taking me to heaven, the Lord revives Isaac and leaves him in the world for many more years with his family.
But right now Isaac thinks death isn't far off, and the only thing he has an appetite for is the wild game that he loves, so he urges Esau to hurry and get it and then he will give him the blessing of the firstborn. Rebekah overhears this conversation and decides it's time to promote Jacob into the position she feels is rightfully his. The Lord told her before these sons were born that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob). She knows the Lord has chosen Jacob to be the head of the family, but instead of waiting for the Lord to bring this about, she takes charge of the situation. Remember, Jacob is her favorite child in the same way Esau is Isaac's favorite child. She wants him to obtain the blessing of the firstborn and become the primary heir of Isaac even if she has to drag Jacob there kicking and screaming. She's what we would call in today's slang a "mama bear", a fiercely overprotective mom who is highly ambitious for her child and who will tear to shreds anyone who prevents her child from getting what he wants and what she feels he deserves.
"Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, 'Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.' Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.'" (Genesis 27:5-10)
Isaac's eyesight isn't the only thing that's failing. His sense of taste isn't what it used to be either, not if he can't tell the difference between a goat of his own herd and wild game from the fields. Rebekah has been married to Isaac for a long time and she's well aware that he can hardly tell one food from another anymore. She also knows his favorite spices and flavorings, so she's going to use plenty of them so he can enjoy the food and feel pleased with it. This will make him feel generous and ready to bless, and Jacob will be masquerading as Esau and will receive the blessing.
There's more going on here than unhealthy favoritism. Although Rebekah is handling things the wrong way, she knows Jacob's destiny is to be the leader of the family. The Lord told her so. The Lord doesn't need her help but since Isaac is so certain he's near death she wants to get the matter settled immediately. And there are practical reasons for wanting to see this come about. Esau is not at all suited to the position, but Jacob is. I am sure she loves her son Esau and wants good things to happen to him, but she's aware that he's spiritually and morally unfit to receive the birthright. He would need to be able to manage the money, the estate, the livestock, the servants, and the farming. He has no knack for this and would likely have bankrupted the family within a few years. He would be the person responsible for settling disputes among his descendants and extended family, but as a man who lacks people skills and who spends little time thinking about moral matters, this job would be impossible for him to handle successfully . He would be the person responsible for arranging and/or approving marriages in the family. Since he himself thinks it's unimportant to marry a godly wife, he can hardly be expected to think it's important for his family members to marry believers. More and more pagan marriages would have taken place in the family if Esau were in charge. Within just a few generations the family would have turned from the living God to idolatry.
Jacob doesn't object to his mother's deceptive plot. He's only concerned about carrying it out without getting caught. "Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, 'But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.'" (Genesis 27:11-12) There's an oft-quoted saying of Thomas Babington Macaulay, a British historian and politician and writer, that goes: "The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out." The measure of Jacob's character at this point in his life is not very impressive. He's willing to deceive his father if he can be sure he won't be found out. He's willing to steal the blessing from his brother without waiting for things to play out naturally in God's timing and in God's way.
Chapter 27 is quite lengthy so we will stop here and pick back up with verse 13 tomorrow. But it wouldn't hurt any of us to occasionally take stock of the condition of our hearts by asking ourselves, "What would I do if I knew I'd never get caught? What would I do if I thought God would never discipline me for it?" That tells us a lot about ourselves. Would we lie and deceive? Would we steal? Would we be unfaithful to our spouses? Would we plot against a co-worker to get a promotion that was meant for them? If we examine our hearts in this way and realize there are some ungodly things we'd do if we knew we'd never have to answer for them, it's time for us to draw even closer to the Lord and let Him mend the places where we're broken. If we have a teachable and willing heart, the Lord can light up what once was darkness in us. The Lord is going to light up the darkness in Jacob. Jacob has a teachable and willing heart, but right now he's just listening to the wrong person. He's listening to his mother, who is an authority figure but whose advice isn't godly at this particular time. He will learn to listen to the Lord and to rely on Him, and then he will be able to become the man his family needs him to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment