Genesis 27:14-26

¹⁴ And he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made tasty food, the kind that his father loved.

¹⁵ Also, Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her larger son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her smaller son.

¹⁶ And she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck the skins of the young goats.

¹⁷ And she set 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 said to me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may give a blessing to me.”

²⁰ But Isaac said to his son, “What is this, why did you find it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God made it come to me.”

²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Draw near me now, so that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

²² And Jacob drew 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, “Draw near and kiss me, my son.” _________________________________________

undeserved blessing

What lesson could the Israelites possibly take from this story? It is about how their ancestors Jacob and Rebekah deceived their ancestor Isaac, causing him to give his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. But perhaps the lesson is not about the deception. Maybe it is about how God frustrates our plans ands expectations and visits his grace upon those he chooses to love. The fact is, neither son deserved the blessing that was actually at stake here. God is at work, and he always gets his man. If grace only came to the deserving, it would not be grace.

LORD, we celebrate your grace today. We thank you that you chose us – though we were the “wrong” choice. You have determined to make us Jacobs your Israel.