Genesis 27:7 Daily Devotional & Meaning – Isaac’s Blessing Before the Lord
- Benjamin Michael Mcgreevy
- 6 days ago
- 13 min read
Daily Verses Everyday! Day 138
“Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.”
In this verse, Rebekah continues recounting to Jacob what she heard Isaac say to Esau. She tells Jacob that Isaac commanded Esau to bring venison, make savory meat, and prepare a meal so that Isaac could eat and bless him before his death. But this verse adds an important phrase that deserves careful attention: “before the Lord.”
That phrase makes the whole scene even more serious.
Isaac was not merely planning to speak a casual word of encouragement over Esau. He was not simply giving a fatherly compliment or expressing sentimental affection. He intended to bless Esau “before the Lord.” That means Isaac understood this blessing to be spiritually weighty. He was invoking the presence of God. He was acting as the patriarch of the covenant family. He was preparing to speak words that, in his mind, stood under divine witness.
This is what makes Isaac’s plan so troubling. He wants to bless Esau “before the Lord,” yet he appears to be ignoring what the Lord had already revealed. Before Jacob and Esau were born, God had spoken to Rebekah and said, “the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). The Lord had already made known that Jacob, not Esau, would carry the covenant priority. Isaac may love Esau. Isaac may prefer Esau. Isaac may enjoy Esau’s venison. Isaac may see Esau as the natural firstborn heir. But the Lord had spoken otherwise.
So there is a tension in this verse between religious language and spiritual obedience. Isaac wants to bless “before the Lord,” but the question is whether he is blessing according to the word of the Lord. This is a sobering distinction. It is possible to use the name of the Lord while acting contrary to His revealed will. It is possible to attach religious language to personal preference. It is possible to do something solemnly, emotionally, and sincerely, yet still be wrong because the action is not submitted to God’s word.
This is one of the most important lessons in Genesis 27. Sacred language does not sanctify disobedience. Saying “before the Lord” does not make Isaac’s preference righteous. A blessing spoken in religious seriousness must still be governed by divine truth. The Lord is not honored when His name is used to support what His word has already contradicted.
That should make every believer careful. We can say, “God told me,” “I feel led,” “I am doing this for the Lord,” or “This is before God,” while still being driven by personal desire, fear, favoritism, ambition, or tradition. The language may sound spiritual, but God weighs the heart. The issue is not whether we can put holy words around a decision. The issue is whether the decision itself is obedient to the Lord.
Isaac’s desire for venison continues to reveal the deeper problem. Rebekah reports that Isaac said, “Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat.” Once again, the blessing is tied to Isaac’s appetite. This has been present throughout the chapter. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his venison. Esau was sent into the field to hunt. The savory meat Isaac loved became part of the preparation for the blessing. Now Rebekah repeats the same point to Jacob.
This repetition matters. The text wants us to see that appetite is not a side detail in this story. It is woven into the family conflict. Esau once sold his birthright for food. Isaac now wants to bless Esau after eating the food he loves. In both cases, something sacred is brought dangerously close to physical desire. Esau’s hunger caused him to treat the birthright lightly. Isaac’s taste for venison appears to cloud his judgment concerning the blessing.
Food itself is not evil. Savory meat is not sinful. Enjoying a meal is not wrong. But when appetite begins to influence spiritual decisions, it becomes dangerous. A good gift becomes a ruling desire when it starts shaping obedience. Isaac’s love for Esau was connected to what Esau provided for him. His appetite had helped form his favoritism. And now, as he prepares to bless Esau, that appetite is still present.
This warns us that ordinary desires can become spiritually dangerous when they are not surrendered to God. Many of the most destructive decisions in life do not begin with open rebellion. They begin with something we love too much. Comfort, approval, success, family loyalty, tradition, control, pleasure, reputation, or security can begin as ordinary desires, but if they rule us, they distort us. Isaac’s venison becomes a picture of any desire that clouds obedience.
Rebekah’s report also heightens her sense of urgency. Isaac had not only spoken of blessing Esau. He had spoken of doing it “before the Lord” and “before my death.” From Rebekah’s perspective, this means the moment is extremely serious. Isaac believes death may be near. Esau is already in the field. The food is being hunted. The blessing is about to be pronounced. And Isaac intends to make this blessing solemnly before God.
Rebekah hears all of this, and she recognizes that if nothing happens, Isaac may bless Esau in a way that conflicts with the divine oracle. Her concern is understandable. She is not imagining the problem. Isaac really is moving toward Esau. Esau really is preparing the venison. The blessing really is imminent. The moment really is weighty.
But again, real urgency does not justify sinful methods.
This is where Rebekah’s response becomes dangerous. She hears a serious problem, but instead of confronting it in the light, she begins to plan in secret. She will soon tell Jacob to obey her voice and bring goats from the flock so she can make savory meat for Isaac. She will help Jacob disguise himself as Esau. She will teach him to take advantage of Isaac’s blindness. She will help him obtain the blessing through deception.
Rebekah’s problem is not that she takes the blessing seriously. She does. Her problem is that she tries to protect the blessing in a way that violates the character of the God who gives the blessing. She knows the right outcome, but she chooses the wrong path. She believes Jacob should receive the blessing, but she does not trust God to bring that about through truth.
This is an important warning for anyone who loves truth. We may be tempted to defend a true thing with false methods. We may be tempted to protect God’s promise with manipulation. We may be tempted to answer someone else’s disobedience with our own disobedience. Isaac is wrong to move toward Esau, but Rebekah will be wrong to deceive Isaac. One person’s sin does not excuse another person’s sin.
God does not need lies to defend His truth.
The phrase “before the Lord” should have stopped everyone in the story. If Isaac truly intended to bless before the Lord, then he should have asked whether his blessing aligned with what the Lord had spoken. If Rebekah truly feared the Lord, then she should have refused to use deception in the Lord’s name. If Jacob truly desired the blessing of the Lord, then he should have refused to gain it by lying. If Esau truly wanted blessing before the Lord, then he should have remembered that he had despised the birthright and grieved the covenant household by marrying Hittite wives.
The presence of the Lord exposes everyone.
That is one of the most powerful truths in this verse. Human beings may hide from one another, but no one acts outside the sight of God. Isaac may speak privately with Esau. Rebekah may overhear secretly. Jacob may soon disguise himself. Esau may go hunting unaware. But all of it happens before the Lord. He sees Isaac’s favoritism. He sees Rebekah’s fear. He sees Jacob’s ambition. He sees Esau’s profanity. He sees the hidden motives beneath every action.
This should humble us. We often worry about how things appear before people, but Scripture calls us to live before God. The question is not only, “Can I get away with this?” or “Will this work?” or “Will people understand?” The deeper question is, “Can I do this before the Lord?” Not merely with His name attached to it, but under His holy gaze, in submission to His word, with a clear conscience before Him.
Isaac says he wants to bless Esau before the Lord, but the entire chapter raises the question of what it means to truly act before the Lord. Acting before the Lord means more than doing something religious. It means acting in truth. It means acting in reverence. It means submitting to what God has said. It means refusing to let appetite, favoritism, fear, or ambition govern us.
This verse also teaches us about the danger of treating death as pressure to accomplish our own will. Isaac says, “before my death.” He believes he may be near the end of his life. He wants to bless Esau before he dies. In one sense, that is understandable. A father wants to settle the future of his family. A patriarch wants to pass the blessing to the next generation. Death makes the moment feel urgent.
But death should make a person more obedient, not more self-willed. The nearness of death should not cause us to push through our preferences as though time is running out for us to get what we want. It should cause us to submit more carefully to God. If Isaac is truly nearing death, then he should be more concerned than ever to align his final acts with the word of the Lord.
This is a serious lesson. The awareness of mortality should lead to wisdom. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Numbering our days should not make us manipulative, fearful, controlling, or partial. It should make us wise. It should make us prayerful. It should make us honest. It should make us eager to obey God while there is still time.
In this verse, Rebekah continues recounting to Jacob what she heard Isaac say to Esau. She tells Jacob that Isaac commanded Esau to bring venison, make savory meat, and prepare a meal so that Isaac could eat and bless him before his death. But this verse adds an important phrase that deserves careful attention: “before the Lord.”
That phrase makes the whole scene even more serious.
Isaac was not merely planning to speak a casual word of encouragement over Esau. He was not simply giving a fatherly compliment or expressing sentimental affection. He intended to bless Esau “before the Lord.” That means Isaac understood this blessing to be spiritually weighty. He was invoking the presence of God. He was acting as the patriarch of the covenant family. He was preparing to speak words that, in his mind, stood under divine witness.
This is what makes Isaac’s plan so troubling. He wants to bless Esau “before the Lord,” yet he appears to be ignoring what the Lord had already revealed. Before Jacob and Esau were born, God had spoken to Rebekah and said, “the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). The Lord had already made known that Jacob, not Esau, would carry the covenant priority. Isaac may love Esau. Isaac may prefer Esau. Isaac may enjoy Esau’s venison. Isaac may see Esau as the natural firstborn heir. But the Lord had spoken otherwise.
So there is a tension in this verse between religious language and spiritual obedience. Isaac wants to bless “before the Lord,” but the question is whether he is blessing according to the word of the Lord. This is a sobering distinction. It is possible to use the name of the Lord while acting contrary to His revealed will. It is possible to attach religious language to personal preference. It is possible to do something solemnly, emotionally, and sincerely, yet still be wrong because the action is not submitted to God’s word.
This is one of the most important lessons in Genesis 27. Sacred language does not sanctify disobedience. Saying “before the Lord” does not make Isaac’s preference righteous. A blessing spoken in religious seriousness must still be governed by divine truth. The Lord is not honored when His name is used to support what His word has already contradicted.
That should make every believer careful. We can say, “God told me,” “I feel led,” “I am doing this for the Lord,” or “This is before God,” while still being driven by personal desire, fear, favoritism, ambition, or tradition. The language may sound spiritual, but God weighs the heart. The issue is not whether we can put holy words around a decision. The issue is whether the decision itself is obedient to the Lord.
Isaac’s desire for venison continues to reveal the deeper problem. Rebekah reports that Isaac said, “Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat.” Once again, the blessing is tied to Isaac’s appetite. This has been present throughout the chapter. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his venison. Esau was sent into the field to hunt. The savory meat Isaac loved became part of the preparation for the blessing. Now Rebekah repeats the same point to Jacob.
This repetition matters. The text wants us to see that appetite is not a side detail in this story. It is woven into the family conflict. Esau once sold his birthright for food. Isaac now wants to bless Esau after eating the food he loves. In both cases, something sacred is brought dangerously close to physical desire. Esau’s hunger caused him to treat the birthright lightly. Isaac’s taste for venison appears to cloud his judgment concerning the blessing.
Food itself is not evil. Savory meat is not sinful. Enjoying a meal is not wrong. But when appetite begins to influence spiritual decisions, it becomes dangerous. A good gift becomes a ruling desire when it starts shaping obedience. Isaac’s love for Esau was connected to what Esau provided for him. His appetite had helped form his favoritism. And now, as he prepares to bless Esau, that appetite is still present.
This warns us that ordinary desires can become spiritually dangerous when they are not surrendered to God. Many of the most destructive decisions in life do not begin with open rebellion. They begin with something we love too much. Comfort, approval, success, family loyalty, tradition, control, pleasure, reputation, or security can begin as ordinary desires, but if they rule us, they distort us. Isaac’s venison becomes a picture of any desire that clouds obedience.
Rebekah’s report also heightens her sense of urgency. Isaac had not only spoken of blessing Esau. He had spoken of doing it “before the Lord” and “before my death.” From Rebekah’s perspective, this means the moment is extremely serious. Isaac believes death may be near. Esau is already in the field. The food is being hunted. The blessing is about to be pronounced. And Isaac intends to make this blessing solemnly before God.
Rebekah hears all of this, and she recognizes that if nothing happens, Isaac may bless Esau in a way that conflicts with the divine oracle. Her concern is understandable. She is not imagining the problem. Isaac really is moving toward Esau. Esau really is preparing the venison. The blessing really is imminent. The moment really is weighty.
But again, real urgency does not justify sinful methods.
This is where Rebekah’s response becomes dangerous. She hears a serious problem, but instead of confronting it in the light, she begins to plan in secret. She will soon tell Jacob to obey her voice and bring goats from the flock so she can make savory meat for Isaac. She will help Jacob disguise himself as Esau. She will teach him to take advantage of Isaac’s blindness. She will help him obtain the blessing through deception.
Rebekah’s problem is not that she takes the blessing seriously. She does. Her problem is that she tries to protect the blessing in a way that violates the character of the God who gives the blessing. She knows the right outcome, but she chooses the wrong path. She believes Jacob should receive the blessing, but she does not trust God to bring that about through truth.
This is an important warning for anyone who loves truth. We may be tempted to defend a true thing with false methods. We may be tempted to protect God’s promise with manipulation. We may be tempted to answer someone else’s disobedience with our own disobedience. Isaac is wrong to move toward Esau, but Rebekah will be wrong to deceive Isaac. One person’s sin does not excuse another person’s sin.
God does not need lies to defend His truth.
The phrase “before the Lord” should have stopped everyone in the story. If Isaac truly intended to bless before the Lord, then he should have asked whether his blessing aligned with what the Lord had spoken. If Rebekah truly feared the Lord, then she should have refused to use deception in the Lord’s name. If Jacob truly desired the blessing of the Lord, then he should have refused to gain it by lying. If Esau truly wanted blessing before the Lord, then he should have remembered that he had despised the birthright and grieved the covenant household by marrying Hittite wives.
The presence of the Lord exposes everyone.
That is one of the most powerful truths in this verse. Human beings may hide from one another, but no one acts outside the sight of God. Isaac may speak privately with Esau. Rebekah may overhear secretly. Jacob may soon disguise himself. Esau may go hunting unaware. But all of it happens before the Lord. He sees Isaac’s favoritism. He sees Rebekah’s fear. He sees Jacob’s ambition. He sees Esau’s profanity. He sees the hidden motives beneath every action.
This should humble us. We often worry about how things appear before people, but Scripture calls us to live before God. The question is not only, “Can I get away with this?” or “Will this work?” or “Will people understand?” The deeper question is, “Can I do this before the Lord?” Not merely with His name attached to it, but under His holy gaze, in submission to His word, with a clear conscience before Him.
Isaac says he wants to bless Esau before the Lord, but the entire chapter raises the question of what it means to truly act before the Lord. Acting before the Lord means more than doing something religious. It means acting in truth. It means acting in reverence. It means submitting to what God has said. It means refusing to let appetite, favoritism, fear, or ambition govern us.
This verse also teaches us about the danger of treating death as pressure to accomplish our own will. Isaac says, “before my death.” He believes he may be near the end of his life. He wants to bless Esau before he dies. In one sense, that is understandable. A father wants to settle the future of his family. A patriarch wants to pass the blessing to the next generation. Death makes the moment feel urgent.
But death should make a person more obedient, not more self-willed. The nearness of death should not cause us to push through our preferences as though time is running out for us to get what we want. It should cause us to submit more carefully to God. If Isaac is truly nearing death, then he should be more concerned than ever to align his final acts with the word of the Lord.
This is a serious lesson. The awareness of mortality should lead to wisdom. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Numbering our days should not make us manipulative, fearful, controlling, or partial. It should make us wise. It should make us prayerful. It should make us honest. It should make us eager to obey God while there is still time.
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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