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Isaac's two sons, Esau and Jacob, grew up together. The primacy
of the elder was transferred to the younger by a bargain and agreement
between them, when the elder immoderately lusted after the lentiles the
younger had prepared for food, and for that price sold his birthright
to him, confirming it with an oath. We learn from this that a person
is to be blamed, not for the kind of food he eats, but for immoderate
greed. Isaac grew old, and old age deprived him of his eyesight. He
wished to bless the elder son, and instead of the elder, who was
hairy, unwittingly blessed the younger, who put himself under his
father's hands, having covered himself with kid-skins, as if bearing
the sins of others. Lest we should think this guile of Jacob's was
fraudulent guile, instead of seeking in it the mystery of a great
thing, the Scripture has predicted in the words just before, "Esau
was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a simple
man, dwelling at home." Some of our writers have interpreted this,
"without guile. But whether the Greek a?plastos means without
guile," or "simple," or rather "without reigning," in the
receiving of that blessing what is the guile of the man without guile?
What is the guile of the simple, what the fiction of the man who does
not lie, but a profound mystery of the truth? But what is the
blessing itself? "See," he says, "the smell of my son is as the
smell of a full field which the Lord hath blessed: therefore God give
thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fruitfulness of the earth, and
plenty of corn and wine: let nations serve thee, and princes adore
thee: and be lord of thy brethren, and let thy father's sons adore
thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth
thee." The blessing of Jacob is therefore a proclamation of Christ
to all nations. It is this which has come to pass, and is now being
fulfilled. Isaac is the law and the prophecy: even by the mouth of
the Jews Christ is blessed by prophecy as by one who knows not,
because it is itself not understood. The world like a field is filled
with the odor of Christ's name: His is the blessing of the dew of
heaven, that is, of the showers of divine words; and of the
fruitfulness of the earth, that is, of the gathering together of the
peoples: His is the plenty of corn and wine, that is, the multitude
that gathers bread and wine in the sacrament of His body and blood.
Him the nations serve, Him princes adore. He is the Lord of His
brethren, because His people rules over the Jews. Him His
Father's sons adore, that is, the sons of Abraham according to
faith; for He Himself is the son of Abraham according to the flesh.
He is cursed that curseth Him, and he that blesseth Him is blessed.
Christ, I say, who is ours is blessed, that is, truly spoken of
out of the mouths of the Jews, when, although erring, they yet sing
the law and the prophets, and think they are blessing another for whom
they erringly hope. So, when the elder son claims the promised
blessing, Isaac is greatly afraid, and wonders when he knows that he
has blessed one instead of the other, and demands who he is; yet he
does not complain that he has been deceived, yea, when the great
mystery is revealed to him, in his secret heart he at once eschews
anger, and confirms the blessing. "Who then," he says, "hath
hunted me venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before
thou camest, and have blessed him, and he shall be blessed?" Who
would not rather have expected the curse of an angry man here, if these
things had been done in an earthly manner, and not by inspiration from
above? O things done, yet done prophetically; on the earth, yet
celestially; by men, yet divinely!
If everything that is fertile of so great mysteries should be examined
carefully, many volumes would be filled; but the moderate compass
fixed for this work compels us to hasten to other things.
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