Genesis 25:19-28:9
1 Samuel 20:18-42
Introduction
Isaac wants to bless his eldest son-a blessing which has the effect of conveying primacy and line of succession. He sends Esau out to hunt and prepare him a special meal. Rebecca hears the conversation and disguises Jacob as Esau, sending him to Isaac with a tasty dish. Nonetheless, Isaac enjoys the food and then blesses Jacob, placing the mantle of leadership upon him.
Genesis 26:1-5 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, "Come near and kiss me, my son." 27 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! 28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29 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!" 30 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. 31 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." 32 His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" He answered, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau." 33 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." (ESV)
Was it proper for Jacob to mislead his father about who he was so he could get the blessing of the firstborn, which would give him the leadership of the tribe and a double portion of the inheritance? It would seem at first glance man once again finds himself in the position of believing he needs to help the Lord accomplish His purpose. To find out more about this we need to go back and read about Rebecca’s encounter with the Holy One.
Genesis 25:21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 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." 24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (ESV)
Genesis 27:5 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, 7 'Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.' 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies." (ESV)
We are not told in Torah whether Rebecca shared what the Lord had told her about the children she was going to give birth to. I would have to make the assumption, and I say assumption, she did not, because had she shared what the Lord had told her, we would hope Isaac would have remembered it and not told Esau he was going to bless him. This is not the first time in Scripture when the Lord has passed over the eldest son in favor of a younger brother. Ishmael was the eldest son of Abraham but he was not the son of promise, since Sarah wasn't his mother. Isaac was the son of promise because his mother was Sarah. In much the same way that Abraham had to send Hagar and Ishmael away to maintain peace in his household, so Jacob had to flee from Esau, knowing his brother would try to kill him once their father had died. From Esau’s actions it would appear he forgot about the fact he had willingly given away his birthright to Jacob. Everyone knows the story about Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew, though later he claims Jacob stole it from him. The Holy One of Israel knew who the proper heir should be, and it was not Esau. Esau would become the father of a nation who would be in conflict with the nation of Israel just as the descendants of Ishmael would be in conflict with Israel. One would be the father of the Arab people and one the father of Edom. This conflict still rages today as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still at war with Ishmael and Esau. As Esau wanted to kill his brother, so Moslems want to kill the Jewish people. Their hatred is way out of proportion with common sense, but a hatred that finds its roots in the Torah as a blood feud is not rational, particularly when man is in the middle of the battle between God and Satan.
Just as the Jewish people, the Moslem nation plays a very important part in the Lord’s plan, whether they know it or not. God had this all planned out before He brought about creation in the same way that redemption was already planned out before anything was brought into existence. This is because God lives outside of time as we understand it, residing in eternity where the past, present, and future are finished. We are walking out His plan in our lives with the free will to change what happens in our lives, but it does not affect the end result. God’s plan has certain parameters within which we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (NKJ)
Esau did not work out his salvation with fear and trembling. It would appear he was interested in what he could gain from the blessings, but not the responsibility that went with them. We tend to do a lot of that ourselves where we desire the “blessings” the world would bestow upon us, simply because it fulfills our “wants” and not our “needs.” When Esau sold his birthright to Jacob he showed what he thought of his birthright as the firstborn. He took it for granted and his “want” overcame his real “need.”
Genesis 25:29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." 32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33 Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (ESV)
Strong's 0959 bazah {baw-zaw'}
Meaning: to despise, hold in contempt, disdain, to be vile, worthless
There is no mistaking what the Hebrew word for despising actually means and it carries a lot of weight regarding Esau’s decision concerning his birthright. When it came to the blessing of the firstborn, Esau naturally believed he would receive that blessing and inherit a double portion of all his father had. Perhaps Esau was also under the impression that his rights as the firstborn would still be his despite what his brother might claim? If Esau thought so little of his birthright what would stop him from lying about the rest of it?
Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (ESV)
God is not like His creation man. He does not lie or change His mind, which should tell us a lot about the Lord’s encounter with Abraham over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though it appears Abraham was bargaining with God over saving the two cities, maybe the perspective we should take is that God wanted to see what Abraham would do when he heard the news. God knew that Abraham’s nephew Lot lived there, but Abraham did not ask for God to spare Lot by name. Perhaps Lot and his family were among the righteous people Abraham tried to persuade God to spare? Of course this is pure speculation on my part, but this is how we study Scripture. We probe and pull it apart to find the deeper meaning. Taking the Word of the Lord at simple face value does the Word a disservice. We need to learn to take Scripture in its proper and complete context while understanding that the literal meaning is one level of Biblical understanding. We should learn how to study Scripture based on the rabbinical teaching of PARDES, which means Orchard. It is a four level study of the Word, as follows:
The Torah is studied on four different levels, known by the acronym P-R-D-S. A pardes is an orchard or garden. In Hebrew it is spelled with the consonants peh, resh, dalet, and samekh.
In the context of studying Torah, the peh represents p'shat, which means the simple or literal interpretation. All students of the Scriptures are expected to learn the p'shat thoroughly before delving into the other meanings. Thus, a passage of Biblical history, such as the story of Joseph in Egypt, is to be understood in its simplest (literal) fashion before one begins to draw lessons from it. By the way, p'shat is the 'safest' method of interpreting the Scriptures.
Resh represents remez, which means the interpretation of what is being hinted at in the text: the metaphors, allegories, and parables. Remez is sometimes called the 'esoteric' meaning of the Scriptures. In other words, it is a meaning which is not apparent from the surface or p'shat meaning. Often it involves the connecting of different Scriptures together, based upon key words or concepts. This is what commonly takes place when Bible students do word studies by searching out all of the uses of a word in Scripture in order to better understand its full meaning. However, this method can also be used to connect differing concepts concerning the same subject, such as the different literary devices used to describe the Messiah.
Dalet represents drosh, which is an examination of the text by bringing in additional material. Drosh, from which comes the Hebrew word Midrash, are the moral lessons to be learned from the various stories and parables found in Scripture. In Y'shua's day the Rabbis tended to be divided into two different types of teachers; those who taught the law, and those who taught moral lessons based on the law, through stories and examples. The former method was called halachah-'the way one walks', while the later was called aggadah. Y'shua was primarily an aggadic teacher, as witnessed by His many parables.
Finally, samekh represents the sod of the material, the secret, hidden meanings that offer insights into the structure of the universe. Sod is the deeper meaning of Scripture. It is often associated with the Kabbalistic teachings of medieval Jewish mysticism. Sod includes various methods of addressing Scripture text from a completely non-literal position. For example, Gamatria is a common form of sod. This is where a different meaning, of a word or passage, is derived based on numerical values of the Hebrew letters. Sod, in some of its forms, can be a dangerous form of study because it can lead the student down wrong paths of understanding. Some believe the "New Age' form of Judaism falls into the category of sod study.
By using these four different methods of interpretation, the Sages were able to understand that many of the Scriptures, which seemed to have been written in a very literal fashion, also contained layers of more profound meanings. As a result of this viewpoint, many Orthodox Rabbis might say that all of the Hebrew Scriptures, right down to the letter level, teach in some way about the Messiah and how He is to come to redeem Israel and the world.
Try it for yourselves and watch a whole new world of understanding open up to you. I do need to warn you however, to remain rooted in the literal level, or else you might find yourselves veering to the left or the right in your study of the Word. Don’t wind up being like Esau, who could not see beyond the end of his nose in thinking the world was his due to his position as firstborn. There are no guarantees, except for the promises the Holy One makes. Even then, you have responsibility.
1 Samuel 20:39-42 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, "Go and carry them to the city." 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.'" And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. (ESV)
In this story from this week’s haphtarah portion we see how one man can be the polar opposite of Esau. Where Esau thought only of himself, Jonathan thought of his relationship with David and placed it above the relationship he had with his father, Saul. We know Jonathan witnessed his father’s thinking and behavior towards David, and over time he saw that his father bore David nothing but ill will. God had told the prophet Samuel He would take the kingship of Israel away from Saul and give it to another. When Saul found out it was David, he did what anyone would do when they wanted to hang onto their power and position. What better examples do we have than those happening today? Look at Egypt, Libya, and Syria to see desperate men trying to hang onto their power. Does this mean they will be replaced by something better? I can’t say, because only God knows the heart of man, while people are persuaded by what they see and hear. Look at Germany prior to World War II. Hitler was known as a charismatic speaker who, little by little persuaded the people that he knew what was best for them, to the extreme they were willing to turn in their Jewish neighbors in order to take what they had. The same mindset exists today as the Arab and Muslim countries try to isolate Israel, and even some Jews are against Israel.
Israel is not perfect, but God called them out as His own special people and made a covenant with them. As we saw earlier, God does not change His mind as man does. God knows the end from the beginning because He has seen it all. While Esau may be larger and have more money and influence, which persuades most of the world, Israel as Jacob is the younger brother who God placed in a position over his older brother Esau. Jonathan put David ahead of his father Saul, despite his father being the king of Israel.
1 Samuel 20:27 And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?" 28 So Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 "And he said, `Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table." 30 Then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31 "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." 32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be killed? What has he done?" 33 Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. 34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. (NKJ)
This is the Biblical example of how power corrupts and what men will do to hold onto it. The Syrian government is killing thousands of its citizens so Bashar al-Assad can cling to his throne. Legally he is the president of Syria, not the king, but let’s not bandy words around here. He is what he is, trying to hold onto what his father passed to him in the same way Saul was trying to preserve his throne for Jonathan by killing David, even though Saul knew he was the one God had chosen to be king over Israel instead of Saul and his house. What is the difference between David and Saul? Saul was chosen by the people, though confirmed by God, and David was specifically chosen by God. God had chosen Jacob, while Isaac chose Esau.
Genesis 27:42 But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran 44 and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away-- 45 until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?" 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?" 28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, "You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. 3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!" 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. 6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, "You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women," 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth. (ESV)
It’s interesting to read through this passage. Why did Esau think his father would be pleased if he married a daughter of Ishmael after Abraham had sent Ishmael and his mother away?
1 Corinthians 7:10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the congregations. (NKJ)
Esau and Jacob can only live together if it is in the peace of the Lord, under His covenant with Israel through Yeshua. Esau chose his own path and Jacob his. Do you follow Esau or Jacob?
Blessings, Mordecai Silver
Torah Man Says: “Never mess up an apology with an excuse.”
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