Gen 27:30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
Gen 27:31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
Gen 27:32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
Gen 27:33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
Isaac was shaken exceedingly, for he knew that God had chosen Jacob earlier, but wanted his favorite son to have the birthright. He knew it was God's will because he did not take the blessing back. "yea, and he shall be blessed." Isaac was a passive man and Esau was used to getting his own way. Rebekah got her own way in the house by manipulation.
Gen 27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
Why was Esau upset? He gave away his spiritual birthright earlier for a bowl of pottage. He probably was upset because he would have gotten a larger share of his father's posessions along with the power and authority of his family name as the firstborn heir.
Gen 27:35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath taken away thy blessing.
Isaac explained that Jacob came with subtlety,.and has taken away your blessings. Actually, Jacob was given the inheritance by God and Esau earlier had given it up to him.
Gen 27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
He took away both the spiritual birthright and the financial blessings, these two times. He was more interested in the material blessings, then the spiritual. Do you have anymore for me? Where is my share in this?
I think a lot of people in the church world are more interested in material blessings over the spiritual blessings. Is wealth a spiritual blessing? or a temptation, will it make you more spiritual?
Gen 27:37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
Gen 27:38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Esau's tears were the tears of frustrated selfishness.
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Gen 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
Gen 27:40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
They would dwell off the land, and be a warlike people, the Edomites. "When the sons of Jacob attend to the law and observe the precepts, they shall impose the yoke of servitude upon thy neck; but when they shall turn away themselves from studying the law and neglect the precepts, thou shalt break off the yoke of servitude from thy neck." (Jerusalem Targum)
Gen 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Esau vowed to kill Jacob, after his father's death.
Gen 27:42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
Gen 27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
Rebekah's brother Laban, would have his sister's scheming character, a match for Jacob.
Gen 27:44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
Gen 27:45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
Rebekah was to send for Jacob in a little while, but it would be 20 years and some say 40 years, before his return. Rebekah would not see her favorite son again.
Gen 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
These were Hitite women.
Gen 26:34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
Gen 26:35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
Gen 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
As did Esau.
Gen 28:2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
Gen 28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Gen 28:4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
Gen 28:5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Gen 28:6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
Gen 28:7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
Gen 28:8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
Gen 28:9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Ishmael is not the blessed tribe of Abraham that would bring forth the Messiah. The Ishmaelites and the Edomites would become the Arab nations, blessed in wealth from the land, but at war with their brothers and with a dislike for Jacob and his children. As Ishmael Hated Isaac, the hatred would continue from Esau and the Edomites, towards Jacob and his descendents.
Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
From this story I see that choices must be made. It isn't enough to be passive and uninvolved in our service to God. Isaac, was not the man of faith and obedience that his father Abraham was. We must be active in knowing and obeying God's will.
Esau was about doing his own thing. He was quiet active in the pleasures of this life and did not give any value to spiritual things. He cried tears when he was deprived of the inheritance, which to him meant wealth, power and authority. He disobeyed God and his parents by marrying two Hitite women and then a daughter of Ishmael. His actions proved that he was unworthy.
Rebekah and Jacob were schemers, they knew God's will, but did not wait on God. They went after the promise by their own schemes and caused strife in the family. He did want the spiritual blessings of Abraham, to his favor.
We must learn to seek God's will and do things in his strength at his leading. The church cannot stay asleep, they must awaken to their responsibilities. We cannot do God's work in the flesh, by our cleverness. There is no spiritual power in manipulation, we must walk in truth. We should not allow Esau's to lead in the things of God. No matter how attractive or worldly wise, or successful in business. We are to study God's word and obey him.
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