An Atheistic Bible Study Of Genesis Chapter Twenty Seven Jacob Steals A Blessing

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Isaac is growing old and infirm. His eyesight fades, and fearing death is imminent, he decides it is time to bestow his final blessing on his older son, Esau. (Isaac actually lives on for several more chapters yet). Isaac summons Esau and sends him on a simple routine hunting mission, to bring him back some game for one of his favourite meals. When the quest is completed, Isaac promises to bestow his blessings on the lad. Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, overhears the conversation between Esau and Isaac, and immediately puts quite a wicked scheme into play. She goes to Jacob, the younger son, who has already duped Esau out of the family inheritance, and gets him to pretend to be Esau before his father, with game food she has already prepared, so that Jacob will receive the blessing instead of his brother. Jacob wears furs and some of his brother’s clothes so he can smell like his hairy brother Esau, and feel like him too if he comes into physical contact with Isaac. Isaac has suspicions as the scam plays out, asking immediately just how Esau has returned with the catch so quickly after setting out. Jacob attributes it to good luck and blasphemously to God’s divine guidance, which really ought to anger God, but the Creator makes no effort to intervene to save Isaac and Esau from the scam. Isaac kisses Jacob and blesses him, convinced that he Is Esau. The poetic blessing is a promise that he, Jacob, will be revered by his descendants with a threat to curse any harming any of his descendants while reward await those who honour Jacob’s name. As soon as Jacob leaves his father’s side, the real Eau inevitably gets home with the awaited captured game, and he is shocked that Isaac won’t bless him too. Isaac tells him that the now bestowed blessing cannot be revoked and as Jacob already has Esau’ birthright, Esau forfeits any right of grievance against his superior brother who now has full divine and legally binding entitlement to lord it over Esau. In effect, Isaac simply lets Jacob get away with blatant identity theft. Isaac curses Esau to live apart, never find happiness, be denied Heaven, and have to live by violence and sword. Esau is a victim of extreme domestic abuse. Esau starts openly considering the murder of Jacob, so Rebekah advises Jacob to flee to Haran, and live with her brother, Labon, until Esau calms down. After Jacob leaves, Rebekah degenerates into simple racial prejudice. She tells her blind husband that she has decided that Hittite women are repulsive and that she is worried now as Jacob might marry a Hittite. She fears that such a marriage will make her own life unworthy of living. Jacob & Rebekah are seen as Holy Patriarchs and religious role models but their behaviour in virtually destroying Esau is really quite disgusting. Esau’s murderous fury is quite understandable and God is bizarrely silent given that Jacob makes such binding unbreakable oaths in his name. Isaac’s indifference to correcting his mistake or challenging Jacob and Rebekah for their deception is equally repulsive. Religionists say atheists have no morality while being prepared to set characters like these up as virtuous. Arthur Chappell