It seems that broken families and dysfunctional families are everywhere. Great things can come from broken families.
Jacob’s life works like a Russian nesting doll, for his life has conflict inside conflict inside yet another, conflict. What begins as a conflict with his twin brother Esau, moves to his quarrel with his eventual father-in-law Laban, to continual run-ins with his two wives (yes, he was a polygamist). Jacob’s family life is almost continual strife. As great as Jacob was, he will transform before our eyes in the weeks to come. From a scheming manipulator to a humbled man, Jacob transforms by the grace of God.
There are seven different conversations in Genesis 27 as the story of deception develops. We break into today’s story around the 3rd conversation between Jacob and his father, Isaac.
Today’s Scripture
“So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 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. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 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! May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 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!” As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”” (Genesis 27:18–34)
The book of Genesis hovers over this family because this is the one family that God has chosen to change all humanity through. The first part of Genesis teaches how humanity spirals downward but as you approach Genesis 12, the remainder of the book focuses on this family. This family is the hope of the world. There is a lot here and I won’t be able to touch on everything.
We have the aging father, Isaac, who we met last week and who’s eyesight is failing him. And we have his wife, Rebekah, who is willing to take advantage of a blind man. Lastly, here are twin boys, Jacob and Esau.
Jacob is cold, calculating, manipulating, and even insecure person. But Look at Esau for a moment. From what we can tell, he’s sort of a happy-go-lucky person. He’s a much more likable person than Jacob, but he’s shallow and impetuous and temperamental and spoiled. He makes poor decisions and rarely consults God on any matter in his life. If this family didn’t exist approximately 3,700 years ago, they would make terrific candidates for a reality TV show.
1. Dysfunctional Families are Self-Centered and Insecurity Filled
1.1 Family Rifts
Here is a family that doesn’t work together. You get a picture of just how fractured this family is because although there’s four people in the family, yet only two family members are talking at a time. In fact, this chapter feature seven different conversations and not once do we see a conversation between more than two people here. Why is this important? This a family deeply divided and where two people are continually in one corner of a room, whispering about everyone else. Not putting everyone in one room at one time magnifies this. “Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau…” (Genesis 27:5-6). Jacob’s parents, Isaac and Rebekah, do not seem to be able to communicate honestly with one another on important spiritual matters.
1.2 The Blessing
I need to circle back for a moment and talk about this idea of a blessing for everything in our story is driven toward this. It’s the blessing that Rebekah and Jacob seek to steal. Isaac wants to give it and in the end, Esau is so angry he wants to kill his brother for taking it. So this blessing is valuable. In ancient Israel, a father’s blessing was given at the time of his permanent departure or shortly before his death. And this is really important: it could not be altered once it was pronounced. Our concept of blessing is so wimpy and so weak and so shallow we really cannot understand this narrative at all. Now, that’s frustrating to us because everything in us screams at Isaac, “Take the blessing back. He’s a fraud! Your son is a crook.” But no so fast.
The ancient people knew that words were powerful. One Hebrew scholar who comments on this passage and says, “This narrative presumes that symbolic actions have genuine and abiding power, and that spoken words, especially of a parent to a child, shape our human life. Words here are not a matter of indifference which may be attended to or not as is convenient.” Counselors know this is true. I wonder if you know how powerful your words? Even though it was deception at play here, Isaac’s words … the words of a father have power to them. Your parents’ words become part of you – they shape you.
The birthright was usually handed down to the oldest son of the family. Because of the birthright, he would speak for the family and set the entire tribe/clan’s direction. For years to come after the passing of father, the oldest son would define the family’s understanding of itself. Usually, the blessing would follow the birthright. Remember, Esau sold his precious birthright in Genesis 25 for the price of a meal.
1.3 Isaac
Isaac is physically blind and more importantly he is spiritually blind. Isaac has faded spiritually over time. Focus on this fact: all of Isaac’s actions in this story fail to account for God’s message to his wife, Rebekah, when the twin boys were in her womb: “And the Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger’” (Genesis 25:23). Isaac’s spiritual blindness is in focus here because he disregarded God’s promise to his family.
Why does Jacob prefer Esau over God’s choice of Jacob? – much of it had to do with food! “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob” (Genesis 25:28). I know men love to eat but deliberating going against God’s will – this is too much. Look at what Isaac says to Esau: “Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die”” (Genesis 27:3–4).
Now, there’s something really fishy about this story for at least two reasons. First, Isaac says he’s near death but he’ll live at least another twenty plus years. You say, “Well, maybe he had a near death experience and he wasn’t aware that he was going to live another 80 years?” Ok, maybe, but look at this. All the other blessings from father to son are done in public before the entire gather family. Why is Isaac doing this blessing in secret? The secrecy shows that something is fishy here.
Why is Jacob is Important? It’s not just that he comes from a crazy family and he can help guide you through your next family reunion. No, he is important for us for another reason. Jacob matters because God’s choice of him. In fact, Jacob goes by another name, Israel. That’s right, the very nation of Israel will be named after Jacob. This just any family, for this is God’s chosen family – the one family He had chosen to change the very world. God’s promise to Abraham (Jacob’s grandfather): On screen: “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5).
God’s promise to Isaac (Jacob’s father): “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…” (Genesis 26:4).
God’s promise to Jacob: “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14).
In every generation, one child will bear the messianic seed. One child will be the leader of the clan, will be the head of the family, will teach the family to walk in God’s ways, and then will pass the faith on to the next generation
2. Thriving Families are Christ-Centered and Grace Filled
What Needs to Happen Here? Or, what do we learn from this dysfunctional family?
2.1 Don’t Be Like These Parents
As we see Jacob’s plotting and his ridiculous disguise, we quickly discern he has the ethical makeup of a con artist. And while there are no heroes in this story, we will soon see God shaping and remaking Jacob’s character. This is not Jacob’s finest hour. Think about Jacob for a moment, dressed in his ridiculous get-up. He not only lied but he also blasphemed, telling his father that God made him successful hunting in the field. Again, this is not Jacob’s finest hour.
Recognize the power of blessing over your children. Make sure we get to understand who our children are and have insight into their particular gifts and capacities and strengths and aptitudes and shower them with affirmation and confirmation.
Now, think about the words he finally heard from his father. He finally got the look on Isaac’s face he’d always wanted – he finally experienced the approval he’d always craved. He heard the words from Isaac’s lips he always wanted to hear. Do you think it helped? Do you think it changed him? No, his father’s words didn’t change him. Do you know why? Because Jacob knew it wasn’t him his father, Isaac was loving. The love was intended for his brother. It wasn’t him that his father was blessing, it was his brother’s blessing.
If you’ve ever been blessed, you’ll never forget it. If you’ve ever really had somebody make use of the spiritual power of a wise, discerning person God helps to look deep into who you are, to discern what God is doing, to affirm it and empower you to get there and encourage you, you don’t forget it.
2.2 Jacob, The Picture of Grace
Most of us think this: “If you just have great families, God will work in them, and if you have bad families, He doesn’t. If you don’t do things right as a father or mother or husband or wife, then things will go wrong and God won’t bless you.” But in front of us is truly God’s First Family. And God is blessing one of the most messed-up families I’ve seen. This family is a picture of God’s grace. If God can bring something good out of this Jerry Springer like family, He surely can work in your family.
2.3 Isaac Recognizes God’s Control
Even though, Isaac suspected it wasn’t Jacob the whole time (for even a blind father knows his sons), it wasn’t until the end of the chapter than he conclusively knows what happened. The Bible describes the father’s reaction: “Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, ‘Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed’” (Genesis 27:33). It was as if the last words from Isaac’s mouth were torn from his heart. He finally recognized that God will have his way – God’s will will be done.
Conclusion
Great things can come from broken families. God specializes in redeeming messes. The New Testament holds up Jacob as a portrait of the rich grace of God. Think of going to get a home loan – the bank officers want to see you can pay it back. Most gods of other religions want to see if you can pay them back or their investment in you. This is farthest truth from the Bible’s picture of how God works. Most of religion is climbing a moral ladder, grace is God coming down the ladder to rescue you.
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