YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

Have you ever known a person to inherit large sums of money, real estate, or valuables such as expensive jewelry? People usually make a will that states who gets what of their personal and real property at their death. Parents and grandparents often state in their will what they want to happen to their house, how their bank account, stocks, bonds, and other investments will be divided. They may designate a grandchild to receive a valuable diamond or piece of jewelry. They may set up a trust account to pay for the college education of their children or grandchildren. Receiving such an inheritance can be a real blessing to the recipient.

Isaac was an old man and nearly blind. He too wanted to ensure that his two sons would receive the blessing he wanted to pass on to them. So he called Esau, his oldest son, and explained that he could die any day and made this request. He asked Esau to go kill a deer, and prepare it just like he liked it. Then he would give him the blessing that belonged to him as his firstborn son. This wasn't something to take lightly. God would respect this blessing and see to it that Isaac's pronouncement would be carried out.

But Rebekah overheard this conversation. Jacob being her favorite son made her want to find a way to ensure that Jacob, not Esau, received this blessing. Rebekah immediately did some devious planning. She knew that they had to act fast and get ahead of Esau. So she sent Jacob out to quickly kill a couple of goats so she could cook them in a very delicious way that would please Isaac.

But there was another problem. Do you remember that when Esau was born, he was covered with hair? Well, he was still a very hairy young man, and even though Isaac was almost blind, he was very much aware of the differences in the two sons. Rebekah didn't feel this was an insurmountable problem. Her devious thoughts were thorough. She had Jacob dress in Esau's best clothes, she made him a pair of gloves from the hairy skins of the young goat, and fastened a strip of the hide around his neck.

Before Esau had time to kill, dress, and prepare his deer meal, Jacob was ready to take his meal in to his father. When Jacob spoke, Isaac thought it was Jacob's voice. But Jacob assured him that he was Esau. Isaac still unsure that this was really Esau, asked: "How were you able to find this deer so quickly." Jacob said that God had helped him. This still wasn't all the proof Isaac wanted. He kept thinking the voice he heard was Jacob's. So he asked his son to come near so he could do the final test that would rule out all doubts. He wanted to feel Esau's hairy arms. Then he would know that he had the right son to pronounce his blessing on him. The gloves Rebekah made and Jacob wore fooled Isaac. He asked for the venison and ate it. Isaac wanted Esau to kiss him. So Jacob kissed him on the cheek. Isaac sniffed to see if this really smelled like Esau and Esau's clothes that Jacob was wearing. This was just another proof this was Esau. Then Isaac pronounced this blessing on Jacob:

"May God always give you plenty of rain for your crops, and good harvest of grain, and new wine. May many nations be your slaves. Be the master of your brothers. May all your relatives bow low before vou. Cursed are all who curse you, and blessed are all who bless you.”

Isaac had barely finished giving this blessing to Jacob when Esau showed up with his Father’s favorite dish. "Here I am, Father, with the venison. Sit up and eat it so that you can give me your finest blessings!" Oops! The finest blessing had already been given away. What was Isaac going to do now that he realized he had been tricked. He knew that God was going to honor the blessing he gave to Jacob even though Isaac thought he was blessing Esau.

Esau begged for a blessing and wept. Isaac said, "Your's will be no life of ease and luxury, but you shall hew your way with your sword. For a time you will serve your brother, but you will finally shake loose from him and be free.

Needless to say, Esau hated Jacob because he had Lost Out Again. He was planning to kill Jacob as soon as his father died. Rebekah certainly didn't want this. So she sent for Jacob and told him that his life was threatened and that he should flee to his Uncle Laban's place in Haran. She instructed him to stay there until Esau's furry passed.

Before Jacob left home, Isaac instructed him not to marry one of the Canaanite girls, but to marry a cousin - one of his Uncle Laban’s daughters. Then Isaac knowingly blessed Jacob one more time saying, "God Almighty bless you and give you many children; may you become a great nation of many tribes! May God pass on to you and to your descendants the mighty blessings promised to Abraham. May you own this land where we now are foreigners, for God has given it to Abraham.

Do you grasp how huge and important this blessing was? Do you recall from lesson two that God told Abraham, "I will bless you with incredible blessings and multiply your descendants into countless thousands and millions, like the stars above you in the sky, and like the sands along the seashore”? That's awesome! Now that blessing of Abraham's has been passed on to Jacob.

Jacob and Rebekah deceived Isaac and gained this enormous blessing for the son who was not the firstborn. How could this happen? They couldn't have done it if God had not intended it to be this way from the beginning. Do you recall what God told Rebekah when Esau and Jacob were fighting in the womb before they were born? He said, "The sons in your womb shall become two rival nations. One will be stronger than the other; and the older shall be a servant of the younger!" Even when men and women are deceitful, God is still in charge and can always make His plan work.