Bless the Lord O My Soul – Genesis 27-28

“Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, ‘My son.’ And he answered him, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver, and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.’” Genesis 27:1-4

Isaac wanted to convey a blessing upon his firstborn son by the power of God’s prophetic Spirit. Not a flippant, “May God bless you,” but a solemn blessing which carried with it the firstborn’s share of his father’s estate. Esau might have been thinking, “I want to bring back the most savory meat possible for my father.”

“Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So, Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, ‘Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.” Genesis 27:6-10

Is Rebekah taking matters into her own hands or is God leading her to bring about His promise to Jacob. Rebekah’s husband is following tradition. He also likes the meat that Esau brings him. But remember, the Lord told Rebekah while her sons were still in her womb that the older son would serve the younger one. So, it seems she is willing to do whatever it takes to insure that Jacob gets the firstborn’s blessing of his father. She believes the prophetic blessing of a father on his son is powerful and effective. She wants it for Jacob, not for Esau.

“And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.’ But his mother said to him, ‘Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.’ And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then, Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.” Genesis 27:11-17

Do you have children? Has one ever questioned what you were planning to do? Jacob envisioned being cursed by his father rather than blessed because his father would easily detect that he was not Esau. Even though Isaac could not see, he could feel. Jacob was not covered in red hair like his brother. He told his mother, “I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” Rebekah is willing to bear that curse for Jacob. She urges Jacob to obey her. So, he does. She attaches skins of young goats on Jacob’s hands and the back of his neck. She hands him the savory meat and sends him into his father.

“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 just as you told me. Please arise, sit and 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?’ And he said, ‘Because the Lord your God brought it to me.’ Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.’ So, Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he 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. Then he said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ He said, ‘I am.’” Genesis 27:18-24

When Governor Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if He were a king, Jesus responded in John 18:37, saying, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” In John 16:13, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “When the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth.” In John 8:44, Jesus called the devil the father of lies.

God is not condoning deception or lies by allowing Rebekah and Jacob to deceive Isaac. They will pay in other ways for this crime afterwards. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

God’s blessing was on Jacob before he was born. God doesn’t need him and his mother conniving and cajoling to bring about His promise to Jacob. Rebekah and Jacob just needed to believe the Word of the Lord that was spoken to Rebekah before Jacob was born. And we too, should wait on and trust in the Lord concerning His will for our lives. Let God alone be God!

“He said, ‘Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.’ So, he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, ‘Come near now and kiss me, my son.’ And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: ‘Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be those who bless you!’” Genesis 27:25-29

Isaac ate the meat and drank some wine. He asked Jacob for a kiss. So, Jacob betrays Isaac with a kiss. Isaac prophesies blessings of heaven and earth upon Jacob. He prophesies for people to serve him, and for his brothers and nations to bow to him. No one should curse lest that person be cursed. People who want to be blessed should bless him. Perhaps, Jacob was feeling ashamed of himself at this point. When God pours His love out on you and you know you don’t deserve it, it is a moment to stop and realize, “I just got a blessing that I did not deserve.”

In truth, Isaac was blessing the family line of Messiah. All blessings of heaven and earth come to people who believe in Jesus Christ. His Name is the only Name that we should bow to and serve. Philippians 2:10-11 says, “At the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Those who curse the Name of Jesus will be cursed. Those who bless His Name will be blessed.

Jacob was brought into the family line of Messiah before he was born. Before he did good or bad! His election was by God’s grace. He was still a sinner. The difference maker in his life was the forgiveness, love and mercy of Christ. This is the same for every one of us. We are brought into the family line of Messiah by His grace. To God be the glory! He alone deserves it.

The world would be a wonderful place if we all believed the simple truth: “Saved by grace.”

“Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, ‘Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.’ And his father Isaac said to him, ‘Who are you?’ So, he said, ‘I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.’ Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, ‘Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.’ When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, ‘Bless me—me also, O my father!’ But he said, ‘Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.’” Genesis 27:25-35

What happened to Isaac and Esau in the above passage tends to be what happens to all who are defrauded. They are shocked! Their hearts are broken. How could someone so close to me treat me this way? He did not consider their feelings. He only thought about himself. He needs to pay for the wrong he has done. He needs to make it right.

That’s why we need Jesus Christ. He paid for the sins that we committed against God and against one another. Romans 3:10 says “There is none righteous, no not one.” Jesus suffered the worst end-of-life experience that anyone ever suffered. Jesus was mocked, slapped, punched, spit on, whipped with a whip that tore His flesh to pieces, forced to carry a heavy cross while in an extremely weakened condition, stripped naked and nailed to a cross. He experienced extreme agony for six hours on a cross. His Heavenly Father turned from Him due to our sin that was upon Him. The very people He was dying for hurled verbal abuse at Him. He forgave them.

“And Esau said, ‘Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!’ And he said, ‘Have you not reserved a blessing for me?’ Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, ‘Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?’ And Esau said to his father, ‘Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!’ And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then, Isaac his father answered and said to him: ‘Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck.’” Genesis 27:36-40

Isaac blessed Esau prophetically but not with the firstborn blessing. Esau too would enjoy blessings from sky and land, but he would experience conflicts, and he would serve his brother until a day in which his ancestors would no longer serve Israel.

In Genesis 27:4, 19, 25, Isaac used the phrase “that my soul may bless you.” Though Isaac’s body was old, his soul was rich with faith in God. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Isaac listened to God. Thus, his soul was well nourished.

Hebrews 11:20 says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

How’s your soul? Do you feed it daily with God’s Word? In Matthew 11:29, Jesus urged us to learn from Him because in Him our soul would find rest. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus urged us to love God with all our soul. In Psalm 103:1, David instructed his soul, saying, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” Praising God daily is good for the soul. Finally, in Matthew 16:26, Jesus asked, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

“So, Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’ And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So, she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, ‘Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then, I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?’ And Rebekah said to Isaac, ‘I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?’” Genesis 27:41-46

Jacob unworthily received his father’s blessing, but he earned his brother’s hatred. Rebekah overheard Esau planning to kill Jacob. She must send the son she loves away to save his life.

Esau’s wives caused Rebekah more grief than she could bear. She used her grief with them as a reason for Isaac to send Jacob away. She did not want Jacob to marry a pagan woman.

Rebekah urged Jacob to stay with her brother a few days until his brother’s anger cooled. Those few days turned into 20 years. Scripture leaves her out of the story of Jacob’s return so it is likely that she never saw Jacob again this side of heaven.

“Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. ‘May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.’ So, Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.” Genesis 28:1-5

Isaac took Rebekah’s advice. He sent Jacob to stay with his Uncle Laban. Isaac blessed him.

“Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,’ and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. Also, Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.” Genesis 28:6-9

Esau marries a third wife at least partially to please his father. He marries his cousin Mahalath. She is the daughter of his Uncle Ishmael.

“Now, Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So, he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: ‘I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth. You shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And in you and in your Seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’” Genesis 28:10-15

What happened after Jacob received his father’s prophetic blessing? Jacob had a dream. In his dream, he saw a ladder from earth to heaven. Angels of God ascended and descended on it. This ladder represents Jesus. He is the mediator between God and humanity. He is the path through whom communication flows back and forth between God and humanity. The Lord told Jacob, “In your Seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In Galatians 3:16, Paul wrote of this Seed saying, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.”

Jesus said that the meek shall inherit the earth. The meek are those who recognize their need for Messiah. They need ongoing communications with Him. Emmanuel, God-with-us, brings forth victories. We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!’” Genesis 28:16-17

Jacob lacked the fuller revelation that we now have in Christ. We now know Jesus Christ is the gate of heaven. In John 10:9, Jesus said, “I am the gate. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus brings us who believe in Him into His Father’s house. To be in Christ is an awesome place to be. Amen!

“Then Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” Genesis 28:18-22

The stone is symbolic of Messiah in the Scripture. He anointed the stone with oil. The word Messiah in Hebrew literally means “Anointed One.”

Jacob called the place where he heard from God, “the house of God.” There was no house or building there. The house of God is not a building made of brick and mortar. The house of God is wherever Christ tabernacles... wherever He abides. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Tabernacle in the Bible refers to a tent. A tent can be easily moved from place to place, but still serves as a shelter in which someone can abide. The tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament are symbolic of Christ. He is the true dwelling place of God!

Oh how the devil hates the above truth! He is okay with people having counterfeit Christianity, but not Christ Himself. The accusation that got Christ crucified and Stephen the martyr stoned, was the one about Christ destroying the temple and becoming the new one.

How do we overcome the devil and temptation? We abide in Christ. How do we experience God’s presence? We abide in Christ. Who saves our soul? Jesus Christ!

In Acts 16:30-34, when a man asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” The man and his family believed in Christ and were baptized into Christ. Afterwards, they rejoiced!

This has been my experience too. I have love, peace and joy that I never had before since I believed in Jesus Christ. He abides with me and I abide with Him. A friendship with Christ is the best of all friendships. If you have not yet believed in Christ, I urge you to pray to Him today. The Bible says that all who call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.