This wonderful painting depicts a very human drama in Genesis 27. Young Jacob, disguised in goat skins, trembles at the breast of his father as he engages in an act of deceit. Rebekah lurks outside the tent -- is she praying to God, or hoping her scheme will succeed? Isaac wears uncertainty on his face. He does not trust his touch, nor his ears, nor his eyes. But when Jacob leans close for a kiss, Isaac smells the outdoors on his clothing -- garb belonging to brother Esau, whom Jacob is impersonating. Finally convinced, Isaac gives his blessing.
The blessing differs from the birthright. The birthright has to do with wealth. Jacob has already taken advantage of Esau's hunger to get this, the greater and better portion of his father's estate. The blessing he seeks will give him a kind of endorsement as the head of the family; it is a conferring of the mantle of leadership. In taking this Jacob supplants Esau a second, and more painful, time. Now, not only his substance, but his place, are taken by his brother. That this is the more serious of the two dealings can be seen both in Isaac's violent trembling in learning of his error, and in Esau's palpable despair.
Read through chapter 33 for an account of the brother's lives after these events. We wondered if Jacob got what he expected. Certainly he himself experienced injustice in the household of his uncle Laban. After years of toil he is a successful man, with many children and much wealth; but the cost of attaining it has been a lot of frustration and fear. In the mean time Esau has moved on and is, himself, becoming a powerful and successful man.
In the midst of all this "life", full of human failing, passion, and redemption, God appears twice to Jacob. The first, early in his life, affirms God's covenant promise made to Jacob's grandfather. Later, as Jacob prepares to meet his brother, Jacob wrestles with an angel, is injured, and is given a new name and a new identity, "Israel". When Jacob and Esau finally meet again, they embrace as true brothers. Time has probably not healed the wounds, but perhaps the fulness of life and the greater will of God have 'supplanted' human failing.
How did God work through Isaac and Esau's weakness; in Rebekah's scheming; in Jacob's helpless passions and fear-driven life? The New Testament provides a perspective for us, if our lives feel like theirs: "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
For this week's class on November 25, please read Genesis 37-41, the first part of the tale of Joseph.
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