JACOB SECURES THE BLESSING
Genesis 26.1 to 28.9
=Interpretation.= In the first part of this lesson which deals
with the life of Isaac, Genesis 26.3 is significant as emphasizing
the idea of Palestine as a chosen land, an idea which is the more
significant because it suggests that Jacob's flight from the land
implied that he had somehow forfeited God's favor and that his
flight was in reality a form of exile imposed on him as a punishment
and discipline. Verses 7 to 12 must necessarily be omitted. Their
general significance is the same as that of Genesis 20. Isaac's
patience and forbearance in the matter of the wells suggests
comparison with Abraham in his relations to Lot.
With regard to the incident of Jacob's securing the blessing, we
have already in the last chapter discussed the significance of the
main theme of this story. A few new elements, however, enter into
it here. One of these is the blindness of Isaac, which, by making
him more dependent upon Esau, keeps him from realizing Jacob's
superior qualifications for becoming heir to the blessing of
Abraham. Another new element that enters into the story is Esau's
marrying the two Hittite women "who were a bitterness of spirit to
Isaac and Rebekah". This gives an additional motive for Rebekah's
action in trying to secure the birthright to Jacob, since Rebekah
would otherwise, at the death of Isaac, become subject to Esau and
his wives. It moreover gives emphasis to the fact that Esau was
not to be the father of the chosen seed, since, in the case of all
of the patriarchs care is exercised that their wives shall likewise
be of chosen seed, of the same stock which produced the patriarchs
themselves. Genesis 27.33 is significant, particularly the words,
"yea, and he shall be blessed", as implying Isaac's recognition
that, though the blessing was secured to Jacob by a deception, it
was still an indication of God's purpose, and that he had hitherto
been mistaken in wanting to confer the blessing on Esau. The same
thought is implied in his assenting to Rebekah's suggestion that
Jacob seek a wife from her kindred and in his repeating on that
occasion the blessing, "May he give thee the blessing of Abraham",
etc. As we have already explained, this does not mean that the Bible
approves of the deception practiced by Rebekah and Jacob. Quite
the contrary. The one immediate effect is that Rebekah has to lose
Jacob; that Jacob, instead of entering immediately into possession
of the land and the birthright, is a fugitive and an exile; that,
as we shall see in subsequent chapters, Rebekah's hope for Jacob's
speedy return is not fulfilled; and that as will likewise appear
later, there is great danger of Jacob's remaining in Aramea and
totally forgetting his destiny until Providence forces him to
remember.
The circumstances related in this narrative as we have explained
them are significant by reason of what they have to teach us with
regard to Israel's mission as the chosen people. In the first place,
there is implied the idea, which we have frequently pointed out
before, that God's purpose with regard to his people is not fully
realized by them. This is shown in our lesson by the fact that the
patriarchs are represented as acting in a way which would tend to
defeat God's purpose regarding them, as, for instance, when Isaac
almost gives the blessing to Esau and when Jacob, through the means
he chooses to secure the blessing, is compelled to flee from the
Promised Land which he was to inherit. This is a very important
corrective to that arrogance which faith in divine election is
likely to bring with it, for it contradicts the assumption that
the Jewish people is infallible. There is, moreover, implied in
this story the idea that when Israel does not rightly conceive
its mission, it must be taught through the discipline of hardship
and suffering, as in the case of Jacob, that election does not
mean immunity from punishment but, on the contrary, stricter
accountability, as expressed by Amos, "You only have I known of all
the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your
iniquities". (Amos 3.2.)
=Aim.= The child will not be expected to grasp all the implications
of this narrative, but neither will they all escape him, and if the
story is well told, without any undue idealization of the characters
or distortion of the narrative for the sake of reading a moral
into it, the story will impress itself on him sufficiently to gain
added meaning as he reverts to it in later years. It is a mistake
to imagine that a moral which is not formulated is of necessity not
learned.
For the child's immediate benefit, however, it is well to emphasize
the punishment of Jacob's deception in order to inculcate the ideal
of truthfulness. But great care must be exercised in order not
to make Jacob so unsympathetic that Esau becomes the hero of the
story, for this would distort the Biblical moral and give rise to a
misunderstanding of it which the pupil is not likely to correct in
later life. It must always be made plain that Jacob had a right to
want and expect the blessing, but that he should have trusted God to
give it to him and should not have tried to get it through deception.
=Suggestions to the teacher.= Inasmuch as the moral of this story is
dependent on an understanding of the motives on which the characters
act, take particular pains to make your dramatic impersonation
of the characters as realistic as possible and not to delay the
movement of the plot by lengthy moralizing. This story, like the
preceding one of the sale of the birthright, lends itself very well
to dramatization by the class, and the success of the children in
assuming the roles of the different characters will be an excellent
test of your success in imparting the story.
Though one should avoid moralizing in such a way as would interrupt
the thread of the narrative, the very complexity of the motives of
the characters gives a good opportunity to ask such questions as
would necessitate the exercise of moral judgment on the part of
the class, as for instance: Was Jacob right in trying to get the
blessing from his father by taking advantage of his blindness? Was
Jacob punished for having deceived his father? How? etc. But though
the teacher may raise these questions, they must not be left open
questions. The Biblical moral must be kept clearly in mind and
convincingly presented; otherwise such questions merely develop a
casuistical attitude on the part of the class, which is morally bad.