Genesis 27:11–29 (ESV) —
11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a
hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father
will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself
and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my
son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”
14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his
mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were
with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the
smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which
she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here
I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I
am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my
game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 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.” 21 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.” 22 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.” 23 And he did not
recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So
he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered,
“I am.” 25 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.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 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!
28 May God give you of the dew of heaven
and of the fatness of the earth
and plenty of grain and wine.
29 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!”
NOTE: Rebekah and Jacob's deceit did not
achieve the blessing they sought, but it does reveal how we, through human
effort, try to get / deserve God's blessing. The words of a Father are
comforting but they lack power because they were done in deceit. Jacob has much
to learn and much to repent of before he learns that human effort cannot
achieve God's true blessing. The real blessing is so much different. I am
tempted to also compare Jacob's prayer as he leaves home, running to Haran with
the prayer in Gen 32, but I will save that for later. God does not bless us
because of what we do. But he will bless the repentant and those who go to him
in prayer. Twenty years later, Jacob will finally be at that point in his life.
Genesis 32:9–12 (ESV) — 9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God
of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your
kindred, that I may do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of
steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and
now I have become two camps. 11 Please deliver me from the
hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and
attack me, the mothers with the children. 12 But you said, ‘I
will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which
cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”
Genesis 32:24–30 (ESV) — 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with
him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw
that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s
hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I
will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to
him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said,
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven
with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob
asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my
name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called
the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and
yet my life has been delivered.”
We need to let go of
our stupid human efforts to achieve God's blessing. We need to get beyond
works. I am in a church that believes in Grace, but deep down you see some
people going through the motions as if it all depended on works. There is no
life or transformation in some, just bitterness masked in good while they
attend church.
PONDER:
- Am I changing, becoming more
like Jesus every day?
- Am I just going through the
motions, trying to earn blessing through human effort?
PRAYER: Father, I too am guilty of trying to
achieve your blessings the wrong way. Forgive me. I am undeserving of all that
you have done for me over these decades. Thank you for your kindness and your
blessing. Please, bless me. Let me live in your blessing, not the kind I try to
make for myself.
