{"id":2384,"date":"2020-11-20T00:01:41","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T06:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/?p=2384"},"modified":"2020-11-21T03:25:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T09:25:16","slug":"two-blessings-for-jacob","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/two-blessings-for-jacob\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Blessings for Jacob…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When we think of Jacob as a young man, we tend to recall the dramatic episode when he surreptitiously disguised himself as Esau to \u201csteal\u201d the blessing from his father Isaac. As we study our Torah reading, however, we learn that Jacob actually received two blessings<\/a> from his father. The first blessing — given to a disguised Jacob — focused on material blessings: the \u201cdew of heaven,\u201d the \u201cfatness of the earth,\u201d \u201cplenty of grain and wine,\u201d political power and hegemony (Gen. 27:28-29), whereas the second blessing — given to an undisguised Jacob — focused on his role as God\u2019s chosen patriarch of Israel (Gen. 28:3-4). The difference between these blessings turned on Isaac\u2019s restored vision. His first blessing was tailored to the character of Esau as his \u201cnatural choice,\u201d whereas his second blessing looked beyond mere appearances to behold the vision that was originally given to his father Abraham:<\/p>\n

\u201cMay God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful,
\nand multiply you so you become an assembly of peoples.
\nAnd may He grant the blessing of Abraham
\nto you and your offspring.\u201d
\n(Gen. 28:3-4)<\/p>\n

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In a sense, the self-effacing, disciplined, and strong-willed Isaac abandoned his \u201cnatural vision\u201d (i.e., to install Esau as the next patriarch, despite the assumed remonstration of his wife Rebekah) by finally surrendering to the vision of his father Abraham. Isaac\u2019s entire life was a sort of overreaction to his father – an \u201cantithesis to Abraham\u2019s thesis.\u201d By choosing to bless Jacob a second time, this time with his eyes wide open, Isaac revealed that he had finally accepted the grace of God that was revealed to his father Abraham.<\/p>\n

Recall that after Esau discovered that the blessing was given to Jacob, he lamented and pleaded with his father to bestow upon him a blessing as well. It is interesting to note that the \u201cresidual\u201d blessing that Isaac gave to Esau was the converse of that given to Jacob: the \u201cfatness of the earth\u201d was put before the \u201cdew of heaven\u201d (compare Gen. 27:39 with Gen. 27:28). Receiving sustenance from heaven is of greater value than finding earthly prosperity. And indeed, Jacob was \u201cblessed\u201d with trouble his whole life, which caused him to rely on the \u201cdew from heaven,\u201d whereas Esau was \u201cblessed\u201d with prosperity (and trouble) that came from trafficking in this world….<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/gen28-3-jjp.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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…<\/p>\n