Isaac is close to dying.
He instructs his first-born son, Esau, to prepare a wild game meal and be ready to receive his blessing.
Rebekah, Isaac's wife, overhears the conversation.
Loving Jacob more, she coaches the younger son to deceive his father by impersonating his brother and stealing Esau's blessing.
Jacob pulls it off - even though Isaac seems suspicious.
Esau returns and discovers what has happened. He is desperately disappointed and furious.
He vows to kill Jacob after Isaac's death.
Rebekah schemes to have Jacob sent to live with her brother, Laban, until Esau's temper cools. She doesn't want him to marry a Hitite woman.
WORDS ABOUT MARRIAGE AND PARENTING
Previous glimpses of this marriage were positive in nature. Isaac and Rebekah appeared to have a good marriage when they were younger. But, with the birth of children, they apparently grew distant. According to Genesis 25:28, Isaac loved Esau while Rebekah loved Jacob. This is a recipe for disaster. To be healthy, wealthy and wise, children need the love and attention of both father and mother! That's why God designed marriage the way He did! We do not have the luxury of loving one child more than the other!
The world can be harsh! Children will need the love and devotion of both parents to be able to make it! Gary Smalley and John Trent claim that there are five elements to the blessing that we must provide to EACH of our children: [THE BLESSING, 2004, Thomas Nelson Publishing]
- meaningful touch
- spoken words
- expressing high value
- picturing a special future, and
- active commitment
When they are deprived any of these from either parent, the potential for maladjustment is increased!
Parents must pull together to raise children in a healthy, fair, balanced environment! Competition has its place, but siblings need to be taught that they are on the same team! Playing 'favorites' will inevitably create jealousy, animosity and meanness! These are destructive forces that can and will destroy relationships and lives!
Isaac may not have understood this since he was raised as an only child. He put great stock in the belief that the blessing went to the first-born son. Rebekan, on the other hand, had been told by God [25:23] while her twins were still in her womb, that the older child would serve the younger. Perhaps she was simply guilty of trying to facilitate God's revealed will.
Rebekah's character is exposed, however, in this story. She is an eavesdropper and a schemer who clearly acts to deceive her husband. Although her intentions may have been right, her actions were clearly not!
There's another point that often eludes us in this passage. According to Isaac's blessing of Jacob, there were other brothers as well! [27:29]
Be master of your brothers and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
How were these other children affected by this conspiratorial act?
Isaac and Rebekah failed to cultivate a closeness and shared concern for their children. They had apparently allowed their relationship to stagnate and develop into petty rivalries. How sad! The damage of such a development is always manifested in the lives of the children!
Don't let this happen in your family! Stay close and committed in your parenting goals. Love one another openly and genuinely; it is the best way to maintain health, comfort and confidence in the lives of your children! Together, give them the blessing by studying and implementing Smalley and Trent's list [above].
And PRAY! Pray for wisdom, guidance, unity and grace! Pray together! Pray together for your children! Pray with your children! Never stop praying with them - even when they mature and leave home! Keep passing them the blessing as long as you live!
