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†. Gen 27:3-4 . .Take your gear, your quiver and bow, and go out
into the open and hunt me some game. Then prepare a dish for me
such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my
innermost blessing before I die.
The part about "my soul" is a curious statement. The word for soul is
nephesh (neh'-fesh) which is a very common word for creatures in the Old
Testament beginning at Gen 1:20. Nepesh never refers to inanimate life;
viz: it only refers to fauna, never to flora.
A pretty good paraphrase of that portion of the passage would be "that I
may bless you from the core of my being" and/or "from the bottom of my
heart."
Esau was Isaac's favorite and I don't think he ever did care too much for
Jacob. If he had purposed to bless Jacob, I think it would have been done
with a very grudging spirit. This particular blessing regards Esau's
inheritance. He already sold the patriarchy to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup.
Whether or not Isaac was aware of the deal the brothers struck, is not said.
What takes place next in chapter 27 is difficult to believe. To think that two
grown-ups, one at least 75 and the other very likely 115 years old, took part
in this incredibly clownish deception. I could understand young,
inexperienced kids doing something so stupid. But it is difficult to understand
how supposedly mature adults like Rebecca and Jacob could ever seriously
ponder such a silly scheme.
It is simply moronic that Rebecca would even remotely consider that her
crafty little plan had even the remotest chance of success. Conducted under
false pretenses, and a fake ID; it would only be a matter of hours before the
scam was uncovered, the ill gotten blessing of course annulled, and the
perpetrators soundly excoriated . . unless . . unless there is more to this
incident than meets the eye; and there most certainly is.
Ninety-five years prior to this point in time, God personally selected a
vibrant water girl up in Haran to be Isaac's spouse. The wisdom of that
selection is now going to become apparent as we begin to realize who
actually wore the spiritual pants in Isaac's house. If spirituality were a
martial art, Rebecca would be a black belt. Her discernment regarding
matters of Heaven is just incredible. Was she really a silly female? Far from
it.
In spite of God's mandate in chapter 25 concerning Jacob, and in spite of the
plainly obvious superiority of Jacob's character, and his spiritual
discernment, and his convictions, and in spite of Esau's blatant indifference
to his birthright, and to his spiritual heritage, and to the mind of God; Isaac
was nevertheless apparently determined to give both the patriarchy and the
inheritance to Esau-- clearly the wrong choice; not to mention a direct
affront to God. The inheritance was one thing, but the patriarchy was a
whole other matter altogether.
Esau even married impious women from among the pagan Canaanites. A
horrible choice considering the repercussions of such spouses upon the
future of Abraham's covenant. And Esau no doubt made that choice against
the counsel and consent of his parents; proving all the more just how head
strong and self-willed the man really was. Motivated by the gain of temporal
advantage, and the gratification of carnal appetites; Esau had no spiritual
vision at all. Well; Rebecca is fixin' to give Mr. Isaac, and his secular son Mr.
Esau, the wake-up call of their lives!
Esau was a man's man. I think if any of us met him, we would be instantly
drawn by his charisma and virility. And I think that Isaac saw in him the kind
of man he always wished he was himself. But in the coin of heaven, Esau
had no more worth than a dilapidated old shoe.
It's difficult to comprehend how favoritism, on the part of such a presumably
spiritual man as Isaac, could be based upon such a carnal motive as the
taste of venison. But it wasn't just the meal, but rather the way it was
obtained.
We get runs of Salmon up here in Oregon's rivers at various times of the
year. Last time I checked; you could buy fresh Coho salmon in local
supermarkets for about $12 a pound. But no; guys prefer instead to spend
all day on a river shivering in the freezing cold just to catch one salmon in
the wild.
But the river fish means something that the supermarket fish can never
mean. Yes, both are edible and both make great eating and honestly you
can't tell the difference. But one is obtained with a shopping cart. The other
by a man's own bare hands: with fishing tackle, by personal energy
combined with risk, skill, and cunning. All those are important to a "real"
man's feelings of personal worth.
It was customary in Jacob's day to mark solemn occasions with a feast; like
the one Isaac prepared for Abimelech when they swore an oath together in
chapter 26. And since the blessing Isaac resolved to bestow upon Esau was
such an important one, it seemed appropriate that the solemnities should be
marked by a feast of wild meat provided by Esau's own personal hunting
skills.
However, father and son didn't reckon on the God factor, and they surely
didn't reckon on black ops Rebecca. Their little party is not going to happen
because this sharp gal from up north anticipated this very day and is all set
to implement a little fiesta of her own.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 27:3-4 . .Take your gear, your quiver and bow, and go out
into the open and hunt me some game. Then prepare a dish for me
such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my
innermost blessing before I die.
The part about "my soul" is a curious statement. The word for soul is
nephesh (neh'-fesh) which is a very common word for creatures in the Old
Testament beginning at Gen 1:20. Nepesh never refers to inanimate life;
viz: it only refers to fauna, never to flora.
A pretty good paraphrase of that portion of the passage would be "that I
may bless you from the core of my being" and/or "from the bottom of my
heart."
Esau was Isaac's favorite and I don't think he ever did care too much for
Jacob. If he had purposed to bless Jacob, I think it would have been done
with a very grudging spirit. This particular blessing regards Esau's
inheritance. He already sold the patriarchy to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup.
Whether or not Isaac was aware of the deal the brothers struck, is not said.
What takes place next in chapter 27 is difficult to believe. To think that two
grown-ups, one at least 75 and the other very likely 115 years old, took part
in this incredibly clownish deception. I could understand young,
inexperienced kids doing something so stupid. But it is difficult to understand
how supposedly mature adults like Rebecca and Jacob could ever seriously
ponder such a silly scheme.
It is simply moronic that Rebecca would even remotely consider that her
crafty little plan had even the remotest chance of success. Conducted under
false pretenses, and a fake ID; it would only be a matter of hours before the
scam was uncovered, the ill gotten blessing of course annulled, and the
perpetrators soundly excoriated . . unless . . unless there is more to this
incident than meets the eye; and there most certainly is.
Ninety-five years prior to this point in time, God personally selected a
vibrant water girl up in Haran to be Isaac's spouse. The wisdom of that
selection is now going to become apparent as we begin to realize who
actually wore the spiritual pants in Isaac's house. If spirituality were a
martial art, Rebecca would be a black belt. Her discernment regarding
matters of Heaven is just incredible. Was she really a silly female? Far from
it.
In spite of God's mandate in chapter 25 concerning Jacob, and in spite of the
plainly obvious superiority of Jacob's character, and his spiritual
discernment, and his convictions, and in spite of Esau's blatant indifference
to his birthright, and to his spiritual heritage, and to the mind of God; Isaac
was nevertheless apparently determined to give both the patriarchy and the
inheritance to Esau-- clearly the wrong choice; not to mention a direct
affront to God. The inheritance was one thing, but the patriarchy was a
whole other matter altogether.
Esau even married impious women from among the pagan Canaanites. A
horrible choice considering the repercussions of such spouses upon the
future of Abraham's covenant. And Esau no doubt made that choice against
the counsel and consent of his parents; proving all the more just how head
strong and self-willed the man really was. Motivated by the gain of temporal
advantage, and the gratification of carnal appetites; Esau had no spiritual
vision at all. Well; Rebecca is fixin' to give Mr. Isaac, and his secular son Mr.
Esau, the wake-up call of their lives!
Esau was a man's man. I think if any of us met him, we would be instantly
drawn by his charisma and virility. And I think that Isaac saw in him the kind
of man he always wished he was himself. But in the coin of heaven, Esau
had no more worth than a dilapidated old shoe.
It's difficult to comprehend how favoritism, on the part of such a presumably
spiritual man as Isaac, could be based upon such a carnal motive as the
taste of venison. But it wasn't just the meal, but rather the way it was
obtained.
We get runs of Salmon up here in Oregon's rivers at various times of the
year. Last time I checked; you could buy fresh Coho salmon in local
supermarkets for about $12 a pound. But no; guys prefer instead to spend
all day on a river shivering in the freezing cold just to catch one salmon in
the wild.
But the river fish means something that the supermarket fish can never
mean. Yes, both are edible and both make great eating and honestly you
can't tell the difference. But one is obtained with a shopping cart. The other
by a man's own bare hands: with fishing tackle, by personal energy
combined with risk, skill, and cunning. All those are important to a "real"
man's feelings of personal worth.
It was customary in Jacob's day to mark solemn occasions with a feast; like
the one Isaac prepared for Abimelech when they swore an oath together in
chapter 26. And since the blessing Isaac resolved to bestow upon Esau was
such an important one, it seemed appropriate that the solemnities should be
marked by a feast of wild meat provided by Esau's own personal hunting
skills.
However, father and son didn't reckon on the God factor, and they surely
didn't reckon on black ops Rebecca. Their little party is not going to happen
because this sharp gal from up north anticipated this very day and is all set
to implement a little fiesta of her own.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=