I remember the time when someone got the job I thought I deserved. And worse still, the time when I managed to weasel my way into the choice job I was after, but four years later it was taken away from me, and for no good reason given either.
It’s no surprise to me, then, seeing Esau’s reaction when he found out his weasel of a brother had lied his way into getting the blessing that he, Esau, was promised. When Isaac his father broke the news that he’d somehow blessed Jacob instead, Esau “burst out with a loud and bitter cry,” Genesis 27:34.
That’s because a father’s blessing meant a great deal back then. And especially the blessings being passed down to those in Abraham’s family, because they included amazing prophecies from YHWH himself. Imagine being in Abraham’s family, then, and your Dad calls you in before he dies to receive his blessing “in the presence of the Lord” (7), and he says, verse 29, “Son, may God give you the bounty of heaven and earth, and give you so much honour that the rest of our family will bow to your demands, and nations too will serve you. And, what’s more, if people bless you they’ll be blessed too, but woe to them who harm you.”
It would be like hearing from your lawyer, “Your Dad left you so much money and property and lifetime membership as President of his company, that your family and other businesses will always defer to you, and if they don’t they’ll get clobbered, so you have nothing to worry about for the rest of your life.” But then – horror of horrors – the lawyer hesitates, adjusts his glasses and says, “O dear, it says here on page nine that your Dad willed all this to your younger brother. I have no idea how it happened, but I’m afraid you come out of this with nothing.”
Esau bursts into tears on hearing this and in desperation yells, “Do you have only one blessing my father?” (38) – but probably wishes he hadn’t asked because the blessing he gets from Isaac predicts a sorry future for him (39-40). Esau, therefore, can only be consoled by one thought: first opportunity he gets, he’s going to kill that rat Jacob (41-42).
When Rebekah hears of Esau’s murderous intentions, she kicks into high gear again with a plan to save Jacob’s life. There’s no denying she is an amazing lady. And God seems to think so too, because rather than call her on the carpet for her shenanigans, he slots her misguided drive and resourcefulness smoothly into his plan so not a beat is missed. So really this story is about “Rebekah: a lesson in God’s ingenuity”….(next blog)
