Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.
Isaac asks Esau to hunt game and prepare savory food for a feast so he can eat and give him the firstborn's blessing before the Lord before he dies. He intends that blessing for Esau whom he favors, even though Esau has sold his birthright to Jacob without telling him and even though he knows God's purpose is for Jacob to carry the promise forward. His request sets in motion Rebekah and Jacob's plan to take that blessing by deceiving him. God did not prompt that fraud and could have secured the promise by His own means, but Jacob's failure to trust God's power to fulfill His word led him into sin that required repentance. That deceit brought flight for his life, crushing remorse, Satan's accusation and the anguish of wrestling, yet because he had repented God heard him and preserved his life, warning all against rivalry, partiality and underhand dealing to gain advantage and showing that sins repented and blotted out leave confidence in the final trouble.
Isaac's Request and Intention
Isaac asked Esau to bring venison and make savoury food so that he might eat and bless him before the Lord before his death, following the custom of holding a feast on such an occasion. The blessing he prepared to give was the firstborn's blessing intended for Esau, even though he knew God's purpose was for Jacob to carry the promise forward. He favored Esau even though Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob, a sale Esau did not disclose to his father. His request set in motion Rebekah and Jacob's attempt to obtain the blessing by deception, by which Jacob secured what had been meant for Esau.
In one rendering it was Rebekah whom Isaac directed to prepare the meal for blessing Esau before the Lord before his death. After Jacob received the blessing, Isaac became convinced that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob. The firstborn's blessing itself could not guarantee prosperity, for Esau's prosperity depended on God and how he lived, so if he loved and revered God he would be accepted and blessed, but if he rejected God and His commandments he would be rejected as Cain was, and God could bless Jacob even without the privileges usually given to the firstborn.
Fraud, Repentance, and Warning
Jacob, aided by Rebekah, took the blessing Isaac meant to give Esau after eating venison before his death by deceiving Isaac through fraud. The deception was connected with the father's request for savoury meat and with Isaac's purpose to eat savory venison and then give the father's blessing before his death. One account presents the direction as given to Rebekah to prepare the meal so Isaac could bless Esau before the Lord before his death.
God did not prompt Jacob and Rebekah to deceive Isaac. He was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without fraud, has not changed, and will not connive at selfishness to carry out His plans nor work with any devising or planning after that example. Jacob knew God had promised him the blessing, but his failure to trust God's power to fulfill His purpose led him to sin.
The deception was secret working by deceptive reasoning, marked by partiality and hypocrisy and by selfishness and covetousness to grasp advantage while turning men from their rights and disregarding agreements and the wrong done to others. Though hidden from men it was open to the eye of God, who will not tolerate, justify or excuse such dealing. Obtaining the blessing by fraud was a wrong that required repentance, and Jacob did later repent of that fraud.
That sin brought danger and crushing self-reproach, forcing Jacob to flee for his life alarmed by his brother's deadly threats. He left with only his staff and traveled through a desolate country in fear and remorse with a sense of forfeited protection, and years later was left to face Esau marching against him for revenge as the consequence of his own wrong. The fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and claim the right to destroy him. During the long night of wrestling Satan pressed that guilt upon Jacob to discourage him and break his hold upon God, and the heavenly Messenger also reminded him of that sin to try his faith, so that as he reviewed his life he was driven almost to despair yet held fast with earnest, agonizing cries until he prevailed.
Though Jacob knew he had sinned, God did not forsake him. Because he had previously repented God heard his prayer and mercifully saved and preserved his life, which God could not have done without that prior repentance. Jacob had learned that God is merciful, and cast himself upon mercy, pointing back to his repentance and pleading for deliverance. Jacob's anguish over that sin represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble. In the final trouble unconfessed sins appearing under fear and anguish would overwhelm with despair and cut off faith to plead for deliverance, while sins repented of and blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ leave no concealed wrong to destroy confidence.
The spirit of rivalry in the deception should never have lived. For God's professed people to follow that wrong example by conniving at evil and using underhand dealing, pretense, fraud, dishonesty, intrigue or bribery to obtain advantage over brethren will hurt and finally ruin every soul who engages in it. Practicing the same kind of deception again imperils souls.
Isaac asks Esau to hunt game and prepare savory food for a feast so he can eat and give him the firstborn's blessing before the Lord before he dies. He intends that blessing for Esau whom he favors, even though Esau has sold his birthright to Jacob without telling him and even though he knows God's purpose is for Jacob to carry the promise forward. His request sets in motion Rebekah and Jacob's plan to take that blessing by deceiving him. God did not prompt that fraud and could have secured the promise by His own means, but Jacob's failure to trust God's power to fulfill His word led him into sin that required repentance. That deceit brought flight for his life, crushing remorse, Satan's accusation and the anguish of wrestling, yet because he had repented God heard him and preserved his life, warning all against rivalry, partiality and underhand dealing to gain advantage and showing that sins repented and blotted out leave confidence in the final trouble.
Isaac's Request and Intention
Isaac asked Esau to bring venison and make savoury food so that he might eat and bless him before the Lord before his death, following the custom of holding a feast on such an occasion. The blessing he prepared to give was the firstborn's blessing intended for Esau, even though he knew God's purpose was for Jacob to carry the promise forward. He favored Esau even though Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob, a sale Esau did not disclose to his father. His request set in motion Rebekah and Jacob's attempt to obtain the blessing by deception, by which Jacob secured what had been meant for Esau.
In one rendering it was Rebekah whom Isaac directed to prepare the meal for blessing Esau before the Lord before his death. After Jacob received the blessing, Isaac became convinced that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob. The firstborn's blessing itself could not guarantee prosperity, for Esau's prosperity depended on God and how he lived, so if he loved and revered God he would be accepted and blessed, but if he rejected God and His commandments he would be rejected as Cain was, and God could bless Jacob even without the privileges usually given to the firstborn.
Fraud, Repentance, and Warning
Jacob, aided by Rebekah, took the blessing Isaac meant to give Esau after eating venison before his death by deceiving Isaac through fraud. The deception was connected with the father's request for savoury meat and with Isaac's purpose to eat savory venison and then give the father's blessing before his death. One account presents the direction as given to Rebekah to prepare the meal so Isaac could bless Esau before the Lord before his death.
God did not prompt Jacob and Rebekah to deceive Isaac. He was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without fraud, has not changed, and will not connive at selfishness to carry out His plans nor work with any devising or planning after that example. Jacob knew God had promised him the blessing, but his failure to trust God's power to fulfill His purpose led him to sin.
The deception was secret working by deceptive reasoning, marked by partiality and hypocrisy and by selfishness and covetousness to grasp advantage while turning men from their rights and disregarding agreements and the wrong done to others. Though hidden from men it was open to the eye of God, who will not tolerate, justify or excuse such dealing. Obtaining the blessing by fraud was a wrong that required repentance, and Jacob did later repent of that fraud.
That sin brought danger and crushing self-reproach, forcing Jacob to flee for his life alarmed by his brother's deadly threats. He left with only his staff and traveled through a desolate country in fear and remorse with a sense of forfeited protection, and years later was left to face Esau marching against him for revenge as the consequence of his own wrong. The fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and claim the right to destroy him. During the long night of wrestling Satan pressed that guilt upon Jacob to discourage him and break his hold upon God, and the heavenly Messenger also reminded him of that sin to try his faith, so that as he reviewed his life he was driven almost to despair yet held fast with earnest, agonizing cries until he prevailed.
Though Jacob knew he had sinned, God did not forsake him. Because he had previously repented God heard his prayer and mercifully saved and preserved his life, which God could not have done without that prior repentance. Jacob had learned that God is merciful, and cast himself upon mercy, pointing back to his repentance and pleading for deliverance. Jacob's anguish over that sin represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble. In the final trouble unconfessed sins appearing under fear and anguish would overwhelm with despair and cut off faith to plead for deliverance, while sins repented of and blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ leave no concealed wrong to destroy confidence.
The spirit of rivalry in the deception should never have lived. For God's professed people to follow that wrong example by conniving at evil and using underhand dealing, pretense, fraud, dishonesty, intrigue or bribery to obtain advantage over brethren will hurt and finally ruin every soul who engages in it. Practicing the same kind of deception again imperils souls.