The Blessing of God vs. the Blessing of Isaac: Genesis 26:17-27:46; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10

On a human level, this story makes me want to jump up and scream, “UNFAIR!!! LOW BLOW!!!” It seems so twisted: Rebekah directing her younger son to deceive his father? On a human level, within the human family, this seems so distorted, so dysfunctional.

 

But what was happening within the spiritual family? Back in Genesis 25:23, when Rebekah finally became pregnant after almost 20 years of barren marriage (verses 20, 26), this is what the heavenly Father said about the boys:

 

Two nations are within your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.

 

The older one was Esau. The younger one was Jacob.

 

But look at the blessings Isaac tried to give Esau: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed. Does anyone else think that Isaac tried to give Esau the very blessing God had already promised Jacob?

 

God said, “The older will serve the younger.” But Isaac, thinking he spoke to Esau, the older, said, “Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.” It seems that there was some spiritual family dysfunction, too. It seems like Isaac and Esau tried to get around God’s promises to Jacob.

 

So who was deceptive?

 

In the end, God’s promises were the ones to stand. What Rebekah and Jacob did may have been sinful. Then again, maybe Rebekah’s motivation had to do with her memory of the promises God had given her in her pregnancy. Whether the humans acted sinfully or not, God had His righteous way. And His good, righteous, loving, wise promises were fulfilled.

 

Father, thank You that human plans and intentions can never overcome Your good purposes. You are in control, and You are wiser, stronger, more righteous, and more worthy than all of us put together. Thank You for loving us anyways, and for making sure Your good plans triumph over our attempts at control!