If you remember from my previous post, “Israel—Chosen by God:  Isaac,” Jacob’s name means “he cheats.” His name perhaps came from his struggle in the womb with his brother Esau to be the firstborn. The Bible says he came out holding onto Esau’s heel.

When Jacob is a young man, we learn that he cheats Esau out of his blessing and lies to his father, Isaac.

Isaac was old and losing his vision, so he called for Esau to give him his blessing. He told Esau to first go out to hunt and bring him back some of the wild game prepared the way that he loved. His mother, Rebekah, overheard the conversation and quickly told Jacob to go out to the flock and bring her two goats so that she could prepare a delicious meal for Isaac and for Jacob to take it to him. Her intention was for Jacob to receive the blessing while Esau was out hunting.

Jacob was concerned that his father would know it was not him, because he and Esau were very different. First, Esau was hairy and Jacob was not. Esau liked to hunt and often smelled like the outdoors in the field where he liked to hunt; Jacob liked to stay around home. Their voices were distinct as most of our voices are compared to our siblings’.

Jacob was further concerned that his father would curse him for trying to fool him, but Rebekah was not about to let Jacob miss the blessing, and she was willing for the curse to be on her if Isaac found out. She told him to put on Esau’s clothes and she put goat’s hair on his body as a disguise.

Jacob took to his father the food Rebekah prepared, and Isaac was suspicious because he had brought him the food so quickly. Isaac may have been old and nearly blind, but his mind and other senses were still good.

So he went to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?" Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up an eat of my game, that your soul may bless me." But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He answered, "Because the LORD your God granted me success." Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not." So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am." Then he said, "Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 
Genesis 27:18-25

The goat skin he felt on Jacob seemed to convince him that it was his son Esau, so Isaac asked him to come closer to give him a kiss and then blessed him.

So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed! May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” 
Genesis 27:27-29

A father’s blessing was and still is very important to his children. And the blessing of passing on the family leadership meant everything to the child (usually the eldest) who received it.

So, Jacob lived up to his name and cheated his brother Esau out of his blessing.

Esau, on his part, was not an exemplary son; when he was younger, he had sold his birthright to Jacob for food, and had since married women from the Hittite tribe which greatly distressed Isaac and Rebekah. Just as the patriarch Abraham was very careful in ensuring Isaac would marry from his own family, Isaac should have done the same with Esau. Perhaps he contested these marriages with his eldest son, but Esau nevertheless married outside of the family. He clearly was not following God’s plan for his life and the blessing of the family legacy was taken from him.

When Esau returned from his hunting trip, he cooked the stew that his father had requested and went to see him for the family blessing. Isaac told him he had already given the blessing to whom he thought was Esau, but was deceived. They were both distressed and Esau pleaded with his father to give him the blessing. Isaac informed Esau that he could not reverse the blessing and that his future would be less than what it should have been and that he would serve his brother Jacob until he (Esau) broke away from him.  

Esau hated Jacob for this and plotted to kill him after his father died. As soon as Rebekah learned of this, she told Jacob to leave for Haran, where her brother Laban lived. She told Jacob that she would send for him to return when Esau had enough time to get over his anger toward him. Rebekah also wanted Jacob to find a wife from her family and not from any of the Hittite women that lived in Canaan.

Isaac then called for Jacob and told him to go his uncle Laban’s house and marry one of his daughters. He gave strict instructions for Jacob to marry within the family and not from the Canaanites. Isaac blessed him and sent him to Paddan-aram where his uncle lived.

Join me next for Israel—Chosen by God:  Jacob – Part 2

I have included a beautiful song below for your listening pleasure.

“I Am Not Alone” – Kari Jobe