The patriarchs · Genesis 25–27
Esau, Jacob, and the Stolen Blessing
Rebekah, barren for years, is expecting twins who struggle together within her. The LORD tells her: “the elder shall serve the younger.” Esau is born first, red and hairy; Jacob follows, his hand gripping his brother’s heel. Esau grows up to be a skillful hunter, his father Isaac’s favorite; Jacob is a quiet man, Rebekah’s favorite. One day Esau comes in from the field exhausted and sells his birthright for bread and a stew of lentils. Years later, Isaac, old and nearly blind, wants to bless Esau after one last meal of game. Rebekah hatches a scheme: Jacob, dressed in Esau’s clothes, his hands covered with goatskins, brings his father a dish of food. “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau,” Isaac says in surprise, yet he blesses him. Esau comes back, cries out bitterly, then vows to kill his brother. Rebekah sends Jacob to take refuge with Laban in Haran.
What happens
- “The elder shall serve the younger” Genesis 25:23
- The twins are born: Jacob grips Esau’s heel Genesis 25:25–26
- Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of stew Genesis 25:32–34
- “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau” Genesis 27:22–23
- Isaac blesses Jacob Genesis 27:27–29
- Esau wants to kill Jacob, who has to flee to Laban Genesis 27:41–43
Who is in this story
The lesson
God carries out his purposes of grace even through a divided family, but scheming and favoritism come at a painful price. Let us not be “profane like Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright” (Heb 12:16).
And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Quick quiz on this story
What does Esau sell his birthright for?
Jacob gives him “bread and pottage of lentiles”; Esau eats, drinks, and goes his way: “Thus Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:33–34
What does Rebekah use to cover Jacob’s hands and neck?
Rebekah has him put on Esau’s best clothes, then “put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck.” Genesis 27:15–16
Complete Isaac’s words after he touches Jacob: “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but …”
Isaac hesitates, but does not recognize him, “because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands.” Genesis 27:22–23
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