Genesis 27:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.”

NIV: Isaac asked his son, 'How did you find it so quickly, my son?' 'The LORD your God gave me success,' he replied.

NASB: Isaac said to his son, 'How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?' And he said, 'Because the Lord your God made it come to me.'

CSB: But Isaac said to his son, "How did you ever find it so quickly, my son? "He replied, "Because the Lord your God made it happen for me."

NLT: Isaac asked, 'How did you find it so quickly, my son?' 'The Lord your God put it in my path!' Jacob replied.

KJV: And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

NKJV: But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

Lies tend to lead to more and deeper lies. Jacob has lied by claiming, to his blind, elderly father, Isaac, that he was actually the older son, Esau (Genesis 27:1–5). Wearing his brother's clothes and with his skin disguised, Jacob—at the urging of his mother, Rebekah—insists that he is ready to receive the blessing intended for his brother (Genesis 27:6–17). Before this can happen, however, Jacob must build on his lie. Isaac already seems suspicious (Genesis 27:18). For one thing, "Esau" has returned too quickly. Not enough time had passed to hunt the game, make the kill, prepare the meat, and return, as Isaac had instructed.

Caught, Jacob spiritualizes his lie, claiming that God provided an animal in record time. It's always hard to argue with an assertion that God provided. It makes for effective deception, but it takes lying to the level of manipulating the name and reputation of God for personal gain. Some Bible teachers suggest that Jacob took God's name in vain, something that would later be forbidden by the Ten Commandments.

Genesis 27:1–29 describes how the Abrahamic family blessing came to second-born Jacob, instead of his firstborn brother, Esau. Isaac intends to give the blessing to his favored son, Esau. Rebekah commands Jacob to impersonate Esau, instead, in order to get the blessing for himself. Isaac almost catches on but is convinced by the smell of Esau on Jacob's borrowed clothes, and the hairy, Esau-like goat's skin on Jacob's hands. Isaac gives to Jacob the future-defining blessing of God.

Isaac's plan to pass the family blessing on to his favorite son, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah, and his other son Jacob. Old and blind, Isaac fails to recognize that the man claiming to be Esau is actually Jacob in a clever disguise. His prayer of blessing for wealth and rule over his brothers will remain valid though it is given under false pretense. Esau will be left with a blessing that sounds like a curse and a plan to murder his brother. Jacob will be forced to run for his life.

Prior chapters described the prosperity of Isaac, living in the Valley of Gerar. Genesis 27 leaps forward to near the end of Isaac's life. The time has come to pass on the family blessing. Isaac's intention to give that blessing to firstborn, Esau, is thwarted by the deception of Isaac's wife Rebekah and his other son Jacob. Isaac overcomes his suspicions that the man before him is not Esau and delivers the very blessing of God on Jacob. Esau is left with a near-curse and a murderous rage. Rebekah urges Jacob to go to her brother's household, a plan Isaac will endorse in the following chapter. There, he will ironically experience the sting of deception in his own life.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/8/2024 8:33:38 PM