Genesis Chapter 27 Esau's Deception

Genesis 27:1–4

In the course of time, after Yitz'chak had grown old and his eyes dim, so that he couldn't see, he called 'Esav his older son and said to him, "My son?" and he answered, "Here I am." "Look, I'm old now, I don't know when I will die. Therefore, please take your hunting gear—your quiver of arrows and your bow; go out in the country, and get me some game. Make it tasty, the way I like it; and bring it to me to eat. Then I will bless you, before I die."

This chapter begins with what appears to be a physical description of Yitz'chak but it is also a description of his spiritual state as well. When it speaks of the fact that Yitz'chak could not see, it is also speaking of the fact that he did not know about the prophecy that God had shared with Rivkah when she was pregnant or that 'Esav had sold his birthright to Ya'akov for a bowl of soup. See chapter 25.

Then, Yitz'chak called his oldest son 'Esav and told him that he had not known when he would die. The translation here is not very good as it is translated in the present tense but, when it was said by Yitz'chak, he said it as if it was in the past.

Once again, this speaks to his spiritual state as most of the righteous in the Torah knew when the end of their days was near.

He asked 'Esav to go out hunting and to cook him some wild game just the way that he had liked it. Once again, the translation here is not in the correct tense as Yitz'chak spoke in the past tense.

It was tradition to pronounce a blessing after a meal and Yitz'chak intended to give the blessing to 'Esav after he ate. The blessing was not only physical possessions but also the duty to carry on the heritage of the father.

Genesis 27:5–10

Rivkah was listening when Yitz'chak spoke to his son 'Esav. So when 'Esav went out to the country to hunt for game and bring it back, she said to her son Ya'akov, "Listen! I heard your father telling 'Esav your brother, 'Bring me game, and make it tasty, so I can eat it. Then I will give you my blessing in the presence of ADONAI, before my death.' Now pay attention to me, my son; and do what I tell you. Go to the flock, and bring me back two choice kids. I will make it tasty for your father, the way he likes it; and you will bring it to your father to eat; so that he will give his blessing to you before his death."

Rivkah heard what Yitz'chak told 'Esav and she must have known that 'Esav had sold his birthright and she had the prophecy that God had revealed to her.

She waited until 'Esav went out to the field to fulfill his father's wish and then she acted. She had waited for 'Esav to do the right thing which would have been to tell his father that he had sold the birthright but, since he did not, she knew that she had to act.

We might wonder why she did not simply go in and tell her husband the truth about what 'Esav was doing and that brings us to a biblical principle about gossip.

The Hebrew phrase “lashon hara,” or evil tongue in English, is communicating a negative or shameful thing about another person to anyone else and it does not matter whether the thing is true or not. This is what we would call gossip and it is prohibited in the Torah and is even considered the equivalent of murder.

We are reminded that satan is the accuser and we do not want anything to do with him. So, instead of telling Yitz'chak, she gave instructions to Ya'akov to go to the flock and get her two good young goats that she would prepare for Yitz'chak to eat and then bless Ya'akov.

The word tov is translated here as choice but it literally means good and refers to being without blemish and pleasing to God. These two young goats speak of atonement and covering sin which is what they were going to do as they were covering the fact that 'Esav was going to steal the birthright.

Genesis 27:11–13

Ya'akov answered Rivkah his mother, "Look, 'Esav is hairy, but I have smooth skin. Suppose my father touches me—he'll know I'm trying to trick him, and I'll bring a curse on myself, not a blessing!" But his mother said, "Let your curse be on me. Just listen to me, and go get me the kids!"

Here, we see that Ya'akov is concerned that his father will know that it is him and not 'Esav and that, in his father's eyes, he would be guilty of deception and bring a curse upon himself instead of the blessing.

It is significant that the Hebrew once again speaks of Yitz'chak's sight and the fact that he does not have all of the facts to make a proper conclusion.

Rivkah was confident in what God had told her so she reassured Ya'akov by saying that, if that happened, the curse would be on her. She takes responsibility for the entire situation because of her faith in God and what He had told her.

Genesis 27:14–17

So he went, got them and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared them in the tasty way his father loved. Next, Rivkah took 'Esav her older son's best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on Ya'akov her younger son; and she put the skins of the goats on his hands and on the smooth parts of his neck. Then she gave the tasty food and the bread she had prepared to her son Ya'akov.

Ya'akov obeyed his mother which is another biblical principle that will be made clear when the commandments are revealed to God's people at Mount Sinai.

We see that Rivkah took charge and cooked the food as well as dressing Ya'akov for the occasion. We notice that she had the appropriate clothes with her and she had been saving them for this occasion.

Next, we see that she was guided by prophetic truth as she covered his hands and neck with the skins from the goats. This truth relates to the biblical principle that we require atonement, as represented by the skins, when we go before our Father.

Genesis 27:18–20

He went to his father and said, "My father?" He replied, "Here I am; who are you, my son?" Ya'akov said to his father, "I am 'Esav your firstborn. I've done what you asked me to do. Get up now, sit down, eat the game, and then give me your blessing." Yitz'chak said to his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" He answered, "ADONAI your God made it happen that way."

If you just do a superficial study of this passage, it appears that Ya'akov lies to his father and that is what has been taught by countless Christian teachers throughout the years but that is not what we see upon closer study.

When Yitz'chak asked who he was, Ya'akov identified himself as 'Esav the firstborn but we must remember that Ya'akov had purchased that right when 'Esav traded the birthright for the bowl of soup.

We also see that, when asked how this came about, Ya'akov promptly gives the credit to God and it refers to the fact that God had told this all to Rivkah and caused it to come about.

Genesis 27:21–23

Yitz'chak said to Ya'akov, "Come here, close to me, so I can touch you, my son, and know whether you are in fact my son 'Esav or not." Ya'akov approached Yitz'chak his father, who touched him and said, "The voice is Ya'akov's voice, but the hands are 'Esav's hands." However, he didn't detect him; because his hands were hairy like his brother 'Esav's hands; so he gave him his blessing.

We see that Yitz'chak was unsure because he recognized the voice and so he touched Ya'akov and felt the skins that Rivkah had put on them.

Genesis 27:24–26

He asked, "Are you really my son 'Esav?" And he replied, "I am." He said, "Bring it here to me, and I will eat my son's game, so that I can give you my blessing." So he brought it up to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Yitz'chak said to him, "Come close now, and kiss me, my son."

The doubts still lingered in Yitz'chak and Ya'akov reassures him that it is proper to give him the blessing but Yitz'chak still needs more confirmation.

Genesis 27:27–29

He approached and kissed him. Yitz'chak smelled his clothes and blessed Ya'akov with these words: "See, my son smells like a field which ADONAI has blessed. So may God give you dew from heaven, the richness of the earth, and grain and wine in abundance. May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be lord over your kinsmen, let your mother's descendants bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"

When Ya'akov kissed Yitz'chak, his father recognized the fragrance of the clothes that Rivkah had put on Ya'akov and, because of that scent, Yitz'chak was ready to bless Ya'akov.

Throughout the Bible, garments speak of works and here we see that the blessing depends on the covering and for us that covering is the blood of Yeshua and His work in paying for our sins.

Yitz'chak blessed him and we see that it is the same words that God had told to Rivkah before her sons were even born. The blessing speaks to the fact that the purpose of Israel was and is to lead nations and people to worship God.

We also see that the final words in this blessing are the same words that God said in His covenant with Avraham.

Genesis 27:30–33

But as soon as Yitz'chak had finished giving his blessing to Ya'akov, when Ya'akov had barely left his father's presence, 'Esav his brother came in from his hunting. He too had prepared a tasty meal and brought it to his father, and now he said to his father, "Let my father get up and eat from his son's game, so that you may give me your blessing." Yitz'chak his father said to him, "Who are you?" and he answered, "I am your son, your firstborn, 'Esav." Yitz'chak began trembling uncontrollably and said, "Then who was it that took game and brought it to me? I ate it all just before you came, and I gave my blessing to him. That's the truth, and the blessing must stand."

Now, we see that, as soon as Ya'akov left 'Esav came in to see his father. It is interesting to note how fast he had caught and prepared the wild game and yet it was not fast enough to overcome the will of God in the matter of the birthright.

This is a reminder and a comfort to us in that God's will is going to be accomplished and that is all there is to anything that we face.

We notice that 'Esav speaks to his father in a distant third person way while Ya'akov had spoken intimately with his father when he had presented the food to Yitz'chak. In this, we see that 'Esav understood that what he was doing was wrong.

We also see a difference in the response of Yitz'chak as he had included “my son” when he asked Ya'akov who he was but, here, he does not include that when he asks 'Esav who he is.

In the answer of 'Esav we see his intent to deceive as he places emphasis on the fact that he is the son of Yitz'chak and he mentions the firstborn. We see that Yitz'chak is confused and basically says that it is too late for 'Esav as the blessing has already been given.

Genesis 27:34–36

When 'Esav heard his father's words he burst into loud, bitter sobbing. "Father, bless me too," he begged. He replied, "Your brother came deceitfully and took away your blessing." 'Esav said, "His name, Ya'akov, really suits him—because he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright, and here, now he has taken away my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you saved a blessing for me?"

'Esav desperately asked for a blessing and blamed Ya'akov for stealing it from him. He mentions his birthright but basically says that Ya'akov had stolen it as well which was a lie. He had not stolen the birthright as it had been sold to him by 'Esav.

The birthright and the blessing were traditionally connected but 'Esav had hoped to separate them when he sold the birthright. The birthright had to do with spiritual leadership while the blessing had to do with material provision.

'Esav was not concerned with matters of God, the spiritual things, but desperately wanted the material things. Finally, he asked his father for the leftovers from the blessing.

In Christ, we have both the birthright and the blessing as He has promised us that He will provide what we need both spiritually and physically.

Genesis 27:37

Yitz'chak answered 'Esav, "Look, I have made him your lord, I have given him all his kinsmen as servants, and I have given him grain and wine to sustain him. What else is there that I can do for you, my son?"

Yitz'chak responded with the fact that Ya'akov had been blessed and that he would be over 'Esav and all of his descendants.

Genesis 27:38

'Esav said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Father, bless me too!" 'Esav wept aloud.

'Esav did not understand why there was no blessing left and so he cried. He had not cried when he gave away his birthright because that involved the spiritual things.

He had only cared about the material things in life and, now, it seemed that he had missed out on that as well.

Genesis 27:39 & 40

And Yitz'chak his father answered him: "Here! Your home will be of the richness of the earth and of the dew of heaven from above. You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you break loose, you will shake his yoke off your neck."

Yitz'chak's attempt at blessing 'Esav was a hollow promise compared to that of Ya'akov as he was destined to live in the desert wilderness and to have to fight for everything.

'Esav and his descendants, Edom, would serve Jacob, Israel, for many years but, as we see in 2 Kings 8:20, they eventually rebelled.

They set up their own kingdom and king during the time of Jehoram and they remain in rebellion to this day.

Genesis 27:41

'Esav hated his brother because of the blessing his father had given him. 'Esav said to himself, "The time for mourning my father will soon come, and then I will kill my brother Ya'akov."

The deception of 'Esav continues as he wanted his father to die quickly and planned to kill his brother as soon as that happened but he kept his plans to himself.

We see, once again, that he held the grudge because of the blessing and not the fact that he no longer had the birthright.

Genesis 27:42–44

But the words of 'Esav her older son were told to Rivkah. She sent for Ya'akov her younger son and said to him, "Here, your brother 'Esav is comforting himself over you by planning to kill you. Therefore, my son, listen to me: get up and escape to Lavan my brother in Haran. Stay with him a little while, until your brother's anger subsides."

God revealed to Rivkah 'Esav's anger and his plan for vengeance and she immediately planned to save Ya'akov by sending him away to safety.

Genesis 27:45

Your brother's anger will turn away from you, and he will forget what you did to him. Then I'll send and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you on the same day?

Rivkah knew that Yitz'chak was about to die and was afraid that, if Ya'akov was killed, then all hope would be lost for the family as well as all nations.

The plan was to get him out of there until 'Esav cooled down and forgot about it.

Genesis 27:46

Rivkah said to Yitz'chak, "I'm sick to death of Hitti women! If Ya'akov marries one of the Hitti women, like those who live here, my life won't be worth living."

Rivkah did not have the authority within the family to send Ya'akov away so she explains to Yitz'chak how she would feel if Ya'akov married a local girl.