Grasping for the Blessing
Text: Genesis 26:34-27:46
Core Idea: Knowing that everything Christ has is ours by grace, let’s stop striving to secure what only He can give and live by faith as we fix our eyes on Jesus – the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
INTRODUCTION
We are continuing our journey through the Book of Genesis – tracing how God’s plan of salvation began. And last week, through the life of Isaac, we learned what it means to dwell in God’s promises, trust Him through opposition, and live as people who have been blessed to be a blessing. But more importantly, we were reminded that God’s promises move forward not because His people get everything right, but because He remains relentlessly faithful – which is why even when Isaac acted out of fear and disobedience, God’s covenant was never placed in jeopardy. Now, as we come to our passage today, God’s promises are once again put under threat – but this time, the danger doesn’t come from outside forces like famine or hostile nations. The threat comes from within – from the sins, fears, and self-reliance of God’s own people. As a result, there are no clear heroes in this passage – no obvious examples for us to imitate. And yet, beneath all the brokenness we’re about to see, we’ll discover that God is still sovereignly at work – patiently accomplishing His purposes. So, with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Genesis 26:34-27:46.
26:34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. 27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered. 2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your equipment – your quiver and bow – and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. 18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” 20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God gave me success,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. 25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. 28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness – an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” 30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” 32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him – and indeed he will be blessed!” 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me – me too, my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. 39 His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” Amen, this is the Word of God for you today.
Let me focus on three characters from this passage and show three ways they tried to secure God’s blessing:
· ISAAC: DECEIVED BY HIS SENSES
· REBEKAH: DESIRED TO BE IN CONTROL
· ESAU: DRIVEN BY WORLDLY SORROW
1) ISAAC: DECEIVED BY HIS SENSES
At the end of Chapter 26, we’re told that when Esau was 40 years old, he married two Hittite women – making life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah. That detail matters because Isaac himself was married at 40 – but under very different circumstances. In Chapter 24, Abraham went to great lengths to ensure that Isaac wouldn’t marry a Canaanite woman. Knowing the idolatry and moral corruption of the Canaanites, he didn’t want his son to be drawn away from the covenant. So, he sent his servant back to his own people and waited for the Lord to provide – which is how Isaac married Rebekah. Esau did the exact opposite. He married not just one but two Hittite women – the Hittites, by the way, were one of the Canaanite peoples living in the land. Now, whether this reflects Isaac’s negligence in leading his sons, or Esau’s pride in acting independently, or, most likely, a combination of both, the result was clear: Esau did what was deeply displeasing to the Lord and deeply painful to his parents. Once again, he revealed what we already saw in Chapter 25: that he despised his birthright. And this is what makes the beginning of Chapter 27 so troubling. Think with me. Despite Esau’s disregard for the covenant and despite God’s clear word to Rebekah that “the older will serve the younger,” Isaac was still determined to bless Esau. God had already made His will known. And yet Isaac prepared to pass the blessing to the very son whose life contradicted God’s promises. This tells us something important: Isaac’s problem wasn’t a lack of information – it was misplaced trust. The tragedy is not that Isaac didn’t know God’s will. The tragedy is that he knew it and still chose to move in a different direction. And it’s at this point that the author draws our attention to Isaac’s condition. Verse 1 tells us that his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see. On the surface, this describes his physical frailty – but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Isaac’s physical blindness reflected his spiritual blindness. He couldn’t discern things clearly – not because God had stopped speaking, but because he had stopped listening. And because he couldn’t see, Isaac began to rely on his other senses – but one by one, those senses began to deceive him. Let me explain. First, he listened. When Jacob spoke, Isaac immediately sensed something was wrong: verse 22, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” For a brief moment, his hearing gave him clarity. But instead of stopping to discern carefully, he pressed on. He reached out to touch – and even though he was feeling the goatskin wrapped around Jacob’s arms and neck, he began to believe that this was Esau. But he wanted to be even more sure. So, he asked for the meal. This is significant because Genesis 25:28 said, “Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau.” In other words, his affection for Esau was shaped, at least in part, by his appetite. And once again, his senses reassured him that it was Esau – even though the food had been prepared by Rebekah. Finally, he invited his son to come closer. And when he smelled the scent of the field, he was convinced – even though it was just Jacob wearing Esau’s clothes. All that to say, he was no longer guided by God’s Word but by his senses. Isaac allowed his senses to overrule what God had already made clear. And here’s the sad irony: the one sense that mattered most, his hearing, was the one Isaac chose to ignore. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that faith is driven not by sight or sensation, but by hearing God’s Word. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel.” And Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” And yet Isaac lived as though God’s will could be discerned through instinct, familiarity, and appetite rather than submission to God’s revealed truth.
And this is something we all need to watch out for because the truth is that we live in a world that constantly trains us to trust our senses – to follow our hearts, trust our instincts, and do what feels right. Never before in human history have we been so relentlessly shaped by images, sounds, and comforts. And if we’re not careful, we’ll begin to live as though discernment comes from what feels good or looks reasonable, rather than from what God has said. From a human perspective, Isaac’s decision makes sense. Esau was the firstborn. He appeared strong and capable. He looked like the natural heir. But Isaac’s reasoning was no longer anchored in God’s promise – it was anchored in preference and appetite. So, let me ask you: How often do you confuse God’s will with what feels right to you? We often say we’re seeking God’s will when what we’re really doing is asking God to bless what already feels right to us. For example, we may avoid hard conversations and call it keeping the peace. We may overwork and call it being responsible. We may delay obedience and call it waiting for the right timing. And slowly, “it feels right” becomes a substitute for obedience. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that mature believers are those “who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Friends, this kind of discernment doesn’t come from indulging our instincts – it comes from submitting our instincts to God’s truth. In fact, discernment weakens when God’s Word becomes optional. Then, let me ask you: What is shaping your discernment right now? Are you guided more by what you see, feel, and desire – or by what God has said? Where might God be calling you not to press forward, but to pause and listen more carefully to His Word? Brothers and sisters, faith doesn’t mean ignoring our senses – but it does mean refusing to let them rule us. We’re called to live not by sight, but by faith; not by appetite, but by obedience; not by what feels right in the moment, but by the enduring and trustworthy Word of God. Isaac learned this too late – but we don’t have to. Then, turn to the Word today – meditate on it, for He will give you the wisdom to distinguish good from evil.
2) REBEKAH: DESIRED TO BE IN CONTROL
As the story continues, the focus shifts from Isaac to Rebekah. And at first glance, Rebekah appears to be the most spiritually perceptive person in the household. She overhears Isaac’s conversation with Esau and immediately recognizes that what her husband was about to do was wrong. So, she tried to make things right – but she pursued it in the wrong way. She had options. She could’ve confronted Isaac – calling him back the Word God had spoken. She could’ve slowed down and prayed – asking God for wisdom and direction, just as she did during her painful pregnancy. But she did neither. Instead, she took matters into her own hands and crafted a plan marked by deception. Notice how meticulous she was. She called Jacob and gave him step-by-step instructions. She dressed him in Esau’s clothes and covered his arms and neck with goatskin. She even prepared the food. And when Jacob hesitated, worried about being caught, she said in verse 13, “Let the curse fall on me.” She was basically saying, “Don’t worry, son. If things go wrong, I’ll take the fall. I’ll bear the consequences.” This shows the state of her heart – in that she no longer trusted God to fulfill His promise. She trusted herself to make it happen.
And this is a temptation many of us know well. Rebekah’s problem wasn’t ignorance or indifference to God’s will. Her problem was that she wanted control rather than trust. She believed God’s promise, but she didn’t trust God’s process – His timing or methods. So, she stepped in to control the outcome. And this is often how spiritual failure works in our lives. Many of our greatest sins don’t come from wanting the wrong things – but from pursuing the right things in the wrong ways. For example, we may desire justice – but we pursue it by returning evil for evil. We may desire holiness – but we pursue it through legalism rather than grace. We may desire security – but we pursue it through dishonesty or manipulation. We may desire growth in the church – but we pursue it through worldly methods rather than being faithful to the Word. In each case, the logic sounds reasonable: “But the outcome is good.” And yet good intentions never justify sinful means. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” The truth is that control often disguises itself as faithfulness or wisdom. Think about it. You can plan every detail of your future so tightly that there’s no room left to trust God – and call it being responsible. You can refuse to rest, delegate, or say no because everything feels too important to leave in God’s hands – and call it diligence. You can manipulate conversations, timing, and information to get the result you want – and call it protecting others. On the surface, these things can look spiritual – even commendable. But underneath it all, they just reveal a heart that refuses to trust God.
To make things worse, Rebekah’s desire for control came at a great cost. Yes, Jacob received the blessing. God’s purposes moved forward. But Rebekah lost her son. At the end of the passage, she manipulated Isaac once more by expressing disgust over the Hittite women Esau married – convincing him that Jacob must leave to find a wife from her family. On the surface, it looked as though she was being spiritually responsible – and in one sense, she was. But underneath, it was driven by fear – Esau wanted to kill Jacob, and Rebekah was just trying to protect him. So, she said to Jacob in verse 44, “Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides.” The phrase “a while” in Hebrew literally means “a few days” – which means she believed this separation would be brief. But Jacob was gone for 20 years – and the Bible never says that Rebekah reunited with her son. So, her attempt to secure the blessing for her son at all costs ultimately cost the very relationship she cherished the most. How tragic is that? Jacob also bore the consequences because he participated willingly in the deception – lying to his father and exploiting his weakness. And even though he walked away with the blessing, he left home as a fugitive. And if that’s not enough, he would be deceived by his uncle Laban. All that to say, he reaped what he sowed.
Brothers and sisters, clinging to control is a costly sin. It can fracture relationships, create anxiety, and train our hearts to trust ourselves more than God. Now, this is not to say all planning is sinful. No, the Bible invites us to discern life with wisdom and diligence. But if our plans become unnegotiable, if frustration with our disrupted plans turns into anger toward God, if our plans cause us to compromise in our love for God and those around us, then our desire for control has become an idol of our hearts. So, let me ask you: Where in your life are you tempted to take control instead of trusting God? Where are you manipulating outcomes instead of submitting to God’s Word? Where have you convinced yourself that the ends justify the means? Today, I want to invite you to slow down to see where in your life you’re trying to control because it might actually expose the fear in your heart. I say this because control is often a response to fear – fear of loss, fear of failure, fear that God may not come through in the way we expect. And when fear governs us, we stop asking, “What does faithfulness look like?” and start asking, “How do I make sure this turns out okay?” If this is you, reflect on Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Look at the order: trust and submission come first – guidance follows. Rebekah teaches us that knowing God’s will doesn’t automatically mean that we’re trusting God’s ways. Trust requires surrender, especially when obedience feels risky. Remember that God doesn’t need us to fulfill His will. He will do what He said, no matter what. But He still desires our trust because He wants to fulfill His will through us. Will you give Him that today? Let go of your control and give yourself to Him.
3) ESAU: DRIVEN BY WORLDLY SORROW
In verse 30, Esau returns from the field with the meal he prepared – eager to receive what he assumed was his by right. But Isaac seemed to be surprised: “Who are you?” You can almost feel the confusion in the room. Esau said, “Dad, it’s me – your first son, Esau.” And at that moment, Isaac trembled violently and shared that the blessing had already been given. Esau was devastated. Verse 34: “Esau burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me – me too, my father!’” Now, realizing what had happened, Isaac explained in verse 35, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” And notice the response of Esau in verse 36: “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?” The name Jacob in Hebrew literally means “heel-grabber.” Now, it can carry a positive sense of persistence and refusal to give up. But more often in their culture, it implied deceit or tripping someone up. Then, Esau was basically saying, “Of course, he would do this. This is who he’s been all along.” And he added, “This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Notice what’s missing. There’s no reflection on his own choices – no acknowledgment that he sold his birthright willingly, no grief over marrying outside the covenant, and no sense that his heart has been far from God. Instead, Esau framed himself as the victim and Jacob as the villain. He condemned his circumstances but never his heart. There was no repentance – only resentment.
In describing the believers in Corinth, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, “I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.” Worldly sorrow grieves consequences – but godly sorrow grieves sin. Worldly sorrow asks, “How did this happen to me?” – but godly sorrow asks, “Why did I sin against God?” Worldly sorrow wants the pain to stop – but godly sorrow wants the heart to change. This is important to point out because it teaches us that sorrow over sin doesn’t always lead to repentance. It’s possible to cry loudly but still remain far from God – regret consequences without ever turning from sin. Friends, we must guard our hearts against this because worldly sorrow hardens our hearts. It turns us inward. It fuels self-pity. It justifies anger. And over time, it pushes us further from God rather than draws us closer to Him. That’s exactly what happened to Esau. His grief turned into bitterness. And that bitterness turned into rage as he resolved to kill his brother in verse 41. Then, let me ask you: When you face the consequences of sin, what do you grieve most – the loss of comfort or the loss of closeness with God, the damage to your reputation or the dishonor done to the Lord? When sin is exposed, do you move toward confession or toward self-pity? Brothers and sisters, don’t settle for sorrow that leaves you unchanged. Let your sorrow lead you back to Him.
Now, this passage is filled with people grasping for the blessing. Isaac relied on his senses. Rebekah relied on control. Jacob relied on deception. And Esau relied on his right. Everyone wanted the blessing. Everyone reached for it. But everyone failed. And yet the Bible points us to the One who didn’t grasp for the blessing but gave it up. Philippians 2:6-8 says, “[Jesus] who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” Jesus is the true Firstborn, the rightful Heir, the One to whom every blessing belongs. And yet, unlike everyone in this passage, He didn’t cling to His rights. He didn’t manipulate outcomes. He didn’t deceive to receive. He didn’t rage when He suffered loss. Instead, He willingly laid down His glory, surrendered His rights, and trusted the Father completely – even unto death. And through Christ’s death and resurrection, we’re not just forgiven – we’re also adopted. We become heirs with Christ. This is so important because it means the Christian life is no longer about striving to earn what only Christ can give. It’s about receiving it by grace through faith. Our hope is not in our ability to get it right – our hope is in Christ, who got it right for us.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, knowing that everything Christ has is ours by grace, let’s stop striving to secure what only He can give and live by faith as we fix our eyes on Jesus – the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What details in this passage show that Isaac knew God’s will but still chose to act against it? Where in your life is it possible to know God’s Word clearly but still feel tempted to move in another direction? Can you think of a recent situation where “this feels right” became a substitute for obedience?
2) Rebekah wanted the right outcome but pursued it in the wrong way. Do you ever find yourself doing this? What fears might be underneath your desire to manage outcomes? What would it look like for you to surrender that today?
3) How did Esau respond to losing the blessing? What did he grieve, and what didn’t he grieve? What is the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-11)? How can sorrow that doesn’t lead to repentance harden our hearts over time?
4) What is one way you feel invited to stop striving and start trusting this week?
