Genesis 27

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.

27:3-4 Like Esau, Isaac allowed his palate to govern his heart (cp. 25:28-34).

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.27:5 Esau agreed to Isaac’s plan, thus breaking the oath he had sworn to Jacob (25:33).

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.

27:18-29 In scene three, Jacob deceives his father and receives the blessing.27:18-20 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 study note on 27:1-4).

27:30-40 In scene four, everything is discovered, and the family becomes even more divided.

27:33 When he realized what had happened, Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably; he had been tampering with God’s plan, and God had overruled him.

27:34-35 Esau was very bitter, and angry enough to kill (27:41).

27:36 Esau began to realize Jacob’s true nature, saying he has cheated me (or tripped me up, or deceived me) twice, by taking the birthright (the right of inheritance, Hebrew bekorah; 25:27-34) and by deceiving their father to receive the blessing (the spoken pronouncement of the inheritance, Hebrew berakah). • Esau’s assessment of Jacob was correct, but he failed to see his own ungodliness in these transactions (see study note on 27:5; Heb 12:16).

27:37 There was no going back. Isaac had declared an oracle from God, who had made Jacob to be Esau’s master (see Rom 9:11-13).

27:39-40 All that remained for Esau was a promise of hardship and struggle (cp. 3:17-19; 16:11-12).

27:41-45 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.

27:42–33:17 Jacob met the Lord on a route that Abraham had taken 125 years earlier. The story recounted in 27:42–33:17 follows a chiastic structure that centers on Jacob’s exile: A: Jacob flees Esau (27:42–28:9) B: Angels of God meet Jacob at Bethel (28:10-22) C: Jacob is exiled in Paddan-aram (29:1–31:55) B’: Angels of God meet Jacob at Mahanaim (32:1-2) A’: Jacob is reconciled to Esau (32:3–33:17).

27:46 Rebekah manipulated Isaac into sending Jacob away. Like Isaac, Jacob took a wife from among his relatives in the east.