Genesis 27:36–38
This is one of the most heartbreaking parts of Scripture I have read so far. It makes me cringe. Isaac pronounced the blessing on Jacob unintentionally with the words of his mouth. How come he couldn’t take the blessing back with his mouth and place it on Esau?
Isaac suspected foul play when he heard the voice of Jacob, but felt the skin of Esau. Why didn’t he pause and ask to hold on and give himself some hours, or days, weeks, months or even years? Might that have bought him time to figure things out?
Prior to that, Esau had traded his birthright verbally to Jacob over a pot of steaming pottage and could not retrieve it. Isaac blessed Jacob with his words and couldn’t retrieve it either.
Rebekah was the mastermind behind it all. Why did she attempt to help God? Could it be because of the revelation she received about the destiny of her twins while they were still in the womb, that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob)? Was it because of favouritism? Isaac loved Esau because of the wild game he hunted and prepared for him, while Rebekah loved Jacob because he stayed in the tent, probably helping her in the garden and around the house.
Could it be that Rebekah lost hope and feared that the promise of Abraham through his seed was not safe with Esau, considering the two Hittite wives he married that made life miserable for both her and Isaac? Whatever her motive might have been, Jacob already had the blessing, and Isaac could not retrieve it no matter how hard he wept!
Such a heartbreaking scene it must have been that days when Esau came in and Isaac told him Jacob has got the blessing!
But then, did the birthright or blessing really matter to Esau? He traded it. He despised it. Why did he weep so violently?
What a heart-wrenching scene that day must have been for the entire family. My heart goes out to them.
Why, then, is it so difficult for us to accept God’s promises and covenants, God’s own unretrievable blessings hidden in the texts and pages of the Bible?
