Isaac Prepares to Bless Esau

Genesis 27:1-4 The Message

27 When Isaac had become an old man and was nearly blind, he called his eldest son, Esau, and said, “My son.”
“Yes, Father?”
2-4 “I’m an old man,” he said; “I might die any day now. Do me a favor: Get your quiver of arrows and your bow and go out in the country and hunt me some game. Then fix me a hearty meal, the kind that you know I like, and bring it to me to eat so that I can give you my personal blessing before I die.”

For Reflection

We often place blame on Isaac's wife and son for the deceptive manipulation of an old man's blindness. But Isaac must also share the blame. Isaac played favorites with his children. He openly favored Esau and thus set the stage for envy.

The culturally embedded rules also bear some culpability. It was a matter of form that the elder son would inherit the leadership of the patriarchal system. Lineage was the glue that held the social structures together. Perhaps one of the themes of this story may show a weakness in this inequitable, non-merit system.

Pray
Pray for those who live under inequitable social, economic and political systems. Pray for the equitable distribution of those things which lead to a safe and satisfying life.

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