Lecture Six - The Patriarchs (5)

Now we get to the even more fascinating part of the Jacob/Esau story.  Jacob has got the birthright and now he will steal the blessing.  But not without help.

Isaac is old, blind and dying and he wants to pass on the blessing to Esau before it is too late.  At this point, I am wondering how much Isaac knows about Rebecca's conversations with God and Esau's selling of the birthright.  It would appear that he is ignorant of all that has gone on.  He asks Esau to hunt up some game and make him a stew so he can give him the blessing.

Rebecca overhears this conversation and tells Jacob to disguise himself as Esau while she prepares the meal.  Isaac is somewhat suspicious both at how quickly "Esau" has returned and at the sound of "Esau's" voice, but Rebecca has been very clever.  Because Esau was a hairy person, Rebecca covers Jacob with animal fur and put him in Esau's clothes so he will have the right scent.  After Jacob receives the blessing, Esau returns and both he and Isaac are horrified that they have been deceived.



Which begs lots of questions.

What is the importance of the blessing?  His blessing was intended for Esau.  Why should it matter that Jacob received it?  Couldn't Isaac just say, I take that blessing back.  I am now giving it to the rightful person?

How are we supposed to judge Rebecca?  Jacob appears somewhat hesitant about deceiving his father.  Rebecca tells him that she will accept the curse (whatever the curse may be) for the resultant actions.   Obviously she realizes that she is doing wrong even though the outcome will be as God had intended.  I read an article about Rebecca's love for Jacob compared to Abraham's love for Isaac.  Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son for duty, while Rebecca was willing to sacrifice truth for her son.  The writer thinks that Abraham's actions are more acceptable than Rebecca's.  I am going to disagree.  Rebecca was wrong, but killing a child is about as low as you can get, whatever the motivation.

How do we judge Jacob?  His deception is bad enough, but he also lies.  When Isaac asks how he was able to return so quickly, Jacob says that God provided for him.  I realize the 10 Commandments haven't shown up yet, but isn't using the Lord's name in vain one of them.  

How should we judge the duped Isaac?  Esau is so angry at what has transpired that he has threatened to kill Jacob.  Rebecca tells Jacob to run to her brother.  But before leaving and despite the lies and deception Isaac blesses Jacob again.  Did Rebecca NOW tell Isaac of God's prophecy?

What of poor Esau?  Well I guess poor is the wrong word as he was foolish to give up his birthright in the first place.  What good is the blessing if there is nothing to bless.  But even after he realizes he has been tricked, he asks for a blessing and Isaac can offer him little more than you will be ruled by your brother.  Esau can do nothing but offend his parents by marrying a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Ishmael, and moving away.   (Esau does return and it is interesting how he reacts but that is for later.)

And what of God?  On the way to his uncle's, Jacob has a dream of a ladder into Heaven and hears God telling him that he will be blessed, that he will continue to be the patriarch of this great nation that He had promised Abraham and Isaac.  God is perfectly happy at the result of all the deception.  There is a lot to be bugged by that.

Jacob lies and deceives and is rewarded.  For sure, his life will not be an easy one.  He will be tricked and duped himself and father a bunch of misfits,connivers, murderers, and adulterers.  But he still has God's blessing.  We are left to wonder what might have happened if Isaac had blessed Esau first instead of sending him for the game.  God wanted Jacob or at least had prophesied that Jacob would be the ruler of Esau so does it matter how it was accomplished?  For example, we know that Jesus was to be betrayed and his death was to result in the saving of humankind.  So why does Judas get all the bad press for helping to accomplish that result while Jacob gets rewarded.  Yes, Jacob's future isn't all that easy, but his descendants continue to be blessed while people like Esau and Ishmael and their descendants receive nothing but scorn.

Maybe I am reading too much into this story because of course it is just a story, one used as I believe to justify the position of the Hebrews as descendants of Jacob rather than somebody else.   Still, one of the things that does bother me involves God's role in the blessing.  Not only does he accept that a liar and a deceiver should get the blessing (all part of the plan you know), God ignores Isaac's intentions,  Isaac - in his heart - wants to bless Esau.  The words that come out of his mouth bless Jacob.  What should God be listening to.  Is it good enough for me to say I love God with all my heart, when in fact my heart - and God should know this - believes no such thing.

Every time, I read these stories, I come away more confused than before.