Genesis 27:27 Daily Devotional & Meaning – The Smell of a Field Which the Lord Hath Blessed
- Benjamin Michael Mcgreevy
- Jun 27
- 7 min read
Daily Verses Everyday! Day 142
“And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:”
This verse is the final step before Isaac speaks the full blessing over Jacob. Jacob comes near to his father and kisses him. Isaac smells the smell of his raiment, and that smell convinces him further that the son before him is Esau. Then Isaac begins to bless him.
The tragedy is that this entire moment is built on deception.
Jacob comes near, but he comes near falsely. He kisses his father, but the kiss is wrapped in a lie. Isaac smells the clothing, but the clothing does not belong to Jacob. It belongs to Esau. Rebekah had placed Esau’s goodly raiment upon Jacob so that Isaac would be deceived not only by touch, but also by smell. Now the plan works. Isaac smells the garments and says, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed.”
This is deeply ironic. Isaac is speaking poetically about the smell of his son, but he is not actually smelling Jacob. He is smelling Esau’s garments on Jacob’s body. He thinks the smell confirms the truth, but it actually confirms the disguise. His sense of smell, like his sense of touch, has been misled.
This reminds us that human discernment can be deceived by appearances. Isaac has already heard something that sounded wrong. He said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau” (Genesis 27:22). His ears warned him, but his hands persuaded him. Now his nose persuades him further. The smell of Esau’s clothing makes the deception seem more believable.
There is an important warning here: when our senses are governed by desire, they may lead us away from truth.
Isaac wants this to be Esau. He loves Esau. He loves the venison Esau brings. He had planned to bless Esau before his death. So when the smell seems to match the son he wants to bless, he accepts it. He interprets the smell as confirmation.
But the smell is not truth. It is part of the lie.
This matters because people often look for confirmation in things that only seem to support what they already want. A door opens, and they assume God approves. A situation feels right, and they assume it is righteous. A person says the right words, and they ignore the warning signs. Something “smells” like blessing, but beneath it may be deception.
The believer must be careful not to confuse outward confirmation with divine approval. A plan may appear to work and still be sinful. A situation may feel favorable and still be wrong. A desire may be satisfied and still be dangerous. Isaac smells what seems like the field, but he is actually smelling a costume.
The phrase “the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed” is also meaningful. Esau was a man of the field. He was a hunter. Isaac connects the smell of Esau’s garments to the field, and then connects the field to the Lord’s blessing. He speaks of abundance, fruitfulness, and divine favor. The field represents life outside, growth, provision, and the goodness of creation.
But again, there is irony. Isaac is speaking of the Lord’s blessing while being deceived. He is connecting what he smells to God’s favor, but the situation before him is not marked by truth. Jacob is using the smell of the field to steal the appearance of divine blessing.
This is a warning about using the language of God’s blessing while walking in deception. Isaac says, “which the Lord hath blessed,” but the moment is surrounded by lies. Jacob has already used the Lord’s name falsely when he said the Lord brought the food to him quickly. Now Isaac speaks of the Lord’s blessing while unknowingly blessing the wrong son according to his intention.
The name of the Lord is all over this scene, but the actions of the people are deeply flawed.
That should humble us. Religious language does not automatically mean a situation is righteous. People can talk about the Lord, blessing, providence, calling, and favor while still acting in manipulation, partiality, and deceit. The presence of spiritual words does not sanctify sinful methods.
True blessing must be tied to truth. The God who blesses is the God of truth. His favor does not need disguise. His promises do not need lies. His will does not need human manipulation to succeed.
Yet here, God’s promise is still moving forward. Isaac blesses Jacob. This is not the son Isaac intended to bless, but it is the son God had chosen. Before Jacob and Esau were born, the Lord had declared, “the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). So in one sense, Isaac is being redirected toward God’s purpose despite himself. Isaac wanted to bless Esau, but the blessing will fall on Jacob.
This shows the sovereignty of God. Isaac’s preference cannot overturn God’s word. Rebekah’s manipulation cannot improve God’s word. Jacob’s deception cannot secure God’s word by its own power. God’s purpose stands because God Himself is faithful.
But we must hold this together carefully. God’s purpose is fulfilled, but Jacob and Rebekah’s deception remains sinful. God can use human failure without approving of human failure. He can accomplish His will through a broken situation while still holding people accountable for the brokenness. The blessing going to Jacob proves God’s promise stands. It does not prove that lying was right.
That is a vital lesson. We should never judge our actions only by whether we got the outcome we wanted. Jacob receives the blessing, but that does not make his path righteous. A sinful plan can appear successful. A deception can produce a result. A wrong method can lead to an outcome that seems advantageous. But success is not the same as obedience.
Isaac’s statement also reveals how much Esau’s identity was tied to the field in Isaac’s mind. He smells the garments and thinks of a field blessed by the Lord. Esau smelled like the outdoors, like hunting, like the open land. Jacob, by contrast, was a man dwelling in tents. Yet Jacob is wearing Esau’s field-scented garments in order to pass as him.
This points again to the theme of false identity. Jacob is trying to receive blessing by becoming, or at least appearing to become, someone else. He covers his smooth skin. He wears Esau’s clothes. He carries food that imitates Esau’s venison. He kisses his father while pretending to be the son his father expects.
But God had chosen Jacob as Jacob. The promise did not require Jacob to smell like Esau. It did not require him to act like Esau. It did not require him to dress like Esau. God’s word did not depend on Jacob successfully impersonating his brother.
This is a powerful personal lesson. God does not need you to become someone else in order to bless you. He does not need you to wear another person’s life, calling, personality, appearance, or success. He does not need you to smell like someone else’s field. He knows who you are. He sees your weakness. He sees your calling. He sees your need for growth. And He is able to work in truth.
False identity may gain human approval for a moment, but it cannot produce lasting peace. Jacob is about to receive the blessing, but he will not remain peacefully in the house. His deception will lead to fear, separation, and exile. The borrowed garments help him succeed in the moment, but they cannot protect him from the consequences.
The kiss in this verse is also painful. A kiss should be a sign of affection and trust. Yet here it becomes part of the deception. Jacob draws near and kisses Isaac, but the closeness is false. The affection is being used to support the lie. This reminds us that even tender gestures can be corrupted when the heart is dishonest.
God calls His people to love without hypocrisy. A kiss should not hide betrayal. Kind words should not conceal manipulation. Service should not be a mask for selfish gain. Closeness should not be used as an opportunity for deception. The Lord desires truth in the inward parts.
This verse points us forward to Christ by contrast. Jacob comes near to his father in disguise and receives a blessing through deception. Jesus Christ, the true Son, comes near to the Father in perfect obedience and gives blessing through truth. Jacob wears another son’s garments. Christ clothes His people in righteousness. Jacob’s kiss is connected to falsehood. Christ’s love is pure and faithful. Jacob seeks a blessing by pretending. Christ secures blessing by offering Himself.
The believer’s hope is not that God smells the garments of another and mistakes us for worthy. God is not deceived when He receives us in Christ. He knows exactly who we are. He knows our sin. He knows our failures. He knows every disguise we have ever worn. Yet He blesses us because Christ has truly atoned for our sin and truly given us His righteousness.
That is the beauty of the gospel. We are clothed in Christ, not as a trick, but as grace. We are accepted in the beloved Son, not because the Father is fooled, but because redemption is real. Jacob’s covering hides the truth. Christ’s covering answers the truth.
Genesis 27:27 therefore asks us to examine what kind of “smell” our lives give off. Are we giving the appearance of blessing while hiding deception? Are we wearing garments that do not belong to us? Are we using religious language while walking in falsehood? Are we trying to seem fruitful, successful, or spiritually strong while avoiding truth before God?
It also asks us to examine what we call blessing. Isaac says the smell is like a field the Lord has blessed, but the situation is filled with deceit. We must be careful not to call something blessed simply because it feels favorable. True blessing is not merely a pleasant impression. True blessing is life under God’s favor, received in God’s way, through truth and obedience.
And yet, this verse also gives hope. Even in this broken scene, God’s promise does not fail. The Lord remains faithful despite the sin of His people. Jacob will be blessed, but he will also be disciplined and changed. Grace will not leave him in deception.
May we learn from this verse to walk honestly before God. May we not depend on appearances, smells, costumes, or borrowed identities. May our affection be sincere, our words truthful, and our pursuit of blessing faithful. And may we remember that in Christ, we do not need to deceive the Father to receive blessing. We come through the true Son, clothed in true righteousness, welcomed by true grace.
If you would like to explore Genesis in a sustained, verse-by-verse way with space to reflect, journal, and trace how these foundational truths unfold through Scripture the Verse by Verse book expands these reflections into a unified reading experience. The book gathers these meditations into a structured journey through Genesis, designed to help readers linger in the text and engage God’s Word more deeply over time.
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