Genesis 27:1-46

What we find in Genesis 27 is that, as Jacob receives the blessing of the covenant even though he doesn’t deserve it, this scandalous story paves the way for Jesus so that we also can receive the blessing of God in Christ even though we don’t deserve it.

Outline

  • First, Jacob’s plot to deceive Jacob’s blindness (27:1-13)
  • Second, Jacob’s plot to receive Jacob’s blessing (27:14-29)
  • Third, Jacob’s plot to escape Esau’s Wrath (27:30-46)

Christ Connections

  • The blessing that Isaac pronounces over Jacob does not find its fulfillment in the person of Jacob. It is fulfilled in the person of Christ. Jesus is the one who receives the abundance of grain and wine—he is the bread of life whose body is broken for us and he pours out the cup of his blood for you and me.
  • The greater Jacob will take on the garment of the flesh of humanity in order to die, rather than cover his skin with the sacrifice of an animal, this greater Jacob covers our sin with the sacrifice of his life.
  • Genesis 27 is Jesus’s family tree. This reminds us that who Jesus came from reveals who he came for, he came from broken people like Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob so he could come for broken people like you and me.

Applications

  • This text is a mirror to us. Each figure shows us who we are apart from Christ:
    • We are all like Isaac, striving for success. Setting aside God’s design for our lives to pursue what we think is best.
    • We are all like Rebekah, striving for security, fearful that the next generation will fall apart unless we grasp the future for them.
    • We are all like Esau, striving for pleasure, being cast out and rejected because we sold our birthright for momentary pleasure.
    • We are all like Jacob, striving for approval, covering ourselves to win the approval of others but the path to the true blessing is not deception but dependence on God, not seduction but surrender to Jesus.