The fact is that God had determined in advance who should get it and announced that to Rebecca in Genesis 25: 23. Esau had violated his birthright for a bowl of stew and permanently removed himself from consideration. Now it seems that Isaac is about to attempt a reversal of the birthright over a bowl of venison. Perhaps his taste for venison governed his behavior. With Isaac’s action here Rebecca made a crucial decision to correct this. Most Bible commentators and pastors who elucidate these passages find fault with Jacob for “stealing” the birthright. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Esau was not worthy, Jacob had been prophesied as the rightful Covenantal heir and Rebecca saw Isaac’s failure to carry out God’s will. This speaks volumes to the problem we have in Christianity. Most people do not read the Bible carefully. The theological term for letting the text speak to us is exegesis. When we read what we want the text to say instead it is called eisegesis.
