Sneaky - Genesis 27:1-5

27:1-5 - You would think that the “reading of the will” portion of the birthright would be a big deal within the family/clan as this was the moment that everyone found out what the sons were getting for inheritance, even if the matter of who was getting the most and taking over the family was already decided. As for the little family that we’ve been following, of which Isaac is the head, it has been settled already that Jacob would be receiving the larger portion and the head position in the family because of the whole soup/birthright mess. Interestingly, for an occasion that has such substantial consequences, when it comes time to give his “birthright blessing,” or “read his will,” Isaac seems quite nonchalant, and sneaky about the whole thing. He doesn’t seem to mention it to his wife, or even the other son that is involved. Isaac simply pulls Esau aside and basically says, “hey I’m old and will die soon, go hunt some game and make me the food that I like and then I’ll tell you what part of the inheritance you’re getting.” That’s pretty shady behavior for someone dealing with a topic that affects every single person under Isaac’s care and responsibility. Esau obeys his father and goes out hunting, Rebekah overhears Isaac talking to Esau and makes a plan. I don’t know exactly what kind of dynamic this family has, and I’d probably have to think about it more, but Rebekah received personal revelation from God before these boys were even born that “the elder shall serve the younger.” Again, this account is thousands of years old and so looking too closely at it is probably not super helpful but according to Genesis 25:23, all it says is that there are two separate nations fighting each other in her womb, the descendants of one of the babies would be stronger as a group than the descendants of the other baby, “and the elder shall serve the younger”