God chose Jacob, the second-born of Isaac's twins, to receive the birthright
inheritance that is usually reserved for the firstborn. This bestowed on
him the right to become the family's patriarch upon Isaac's death (Genesis 25:29-34). The birthright blessing made Jacob the direct heir of Abraham
and the recipient of the divine commitments to Abraham and his posterity.
At the time Jacob received the blessing, he still had not committed himself
to live by faith in God. Though God had designated Jacob as heir of Abraham's
blessing shortly before his birth (verse 23), Jacob and his mother were
both weak in faith and resorted to deceit to obtain the blessing from Isaac
(Genesis 27). This earned Jacob the hatred of his brother. Esau seethed
with anger and set out to kill him (verse 41). Their mother heard about
Esau's plans, so she asked Isaac to send Jacob to stay with relatives far
away so he would be safe (verses 42-46).
So Isaac and Rebekah sent Jacob back to Rebekah's family in northern Mesopotamia.
Apparently the only reason they mentioned to their large household was
that they wanted Jacob to find a wife from among Rebekah's relatives. This
was true, but Rebekah was also trying to prevent Esau from killing Jacob.
Before sending Jacob away, however, Isaac summoned his overly ambitious
and crafty son and blessed him again. Isaac apparently forgave his son's
previous deceptive behavior and this time willingly repeated his original
blessing. By this time Isaac had probably remembered and acknowledged that
God had designated Jacob, even before his birth, as the heir.
