Opposites contd

Now there is some question as to whether Isaac really knew which son he was blessing when Jacob came in pretending to be Esau. "Are you really my son Esau?" "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."

However, there is no question as to whom Isaac blesses the next two times.

What does Isaac say when he knows for sure it's Esau?

"Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above.
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." Gen 27:39-40

What kind of blessing is this? Away from the earth's richness and away from the dew of heaven above? It's the opposite of what he originally intended to give to Esau. Instead of blessing of the heavens and earth, he is away from them. Instead of ruling over his brother, he is servant to him.

Isaac had already blessed Jacob and Jacob had to remain blessed. Esau asked if Isaac had only one blessing. His pitiful cry "bless me too, father!" echos through the ages. And so Isaac answers his eldest son. Although if this is a blessing, I'm not sure what to make of it.

Esau is naturally upset at Jacob supplanting him two times (once with the birthright and now again with the blessing.) And Esau vows to kill Jacob once their father is dead. The rabbis say that Esau wished for his father's death so that he could kill Jacob sooner. There's nothing in the text to support this, but the rabbis go out of their way to villify Esau.

Rebekah, knowing of her son's murderous intent invents another story to have Jacob flee Canaan and go to Haran, to her brother Laban's house.

And so Rebekah blames Esau's wives for her misery and says that Jacob must not marry a Hittite woman. So Isaac sends Jacob away. And before Jacob goes, Isaac gives Jacob another blessing.

And this time, Isaac is sure that it is Jacob, and not Esau. And what does Isaac say?

"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." Gen 28:3-4

The blessing of children and the land. The same promise given to Abraham and to Isaac. This is the covenant. This is what Jacob was to get. Notice that when Isaac first gave the blessing to whom he thought was Esau, he didn't mention this at all.

Perhaps Isaac knew that Esau was not the one to inherit the covenant after all.

But oh what misfortune and heartache when parents are at opposite ends of the tent and don't communicate with one another.

Let there be shalom bayit (peace in the home) and blessings on all of us. Amen.