Genesis 27-28 is a whirlwind. A broken family, a stolen blessing, a furious brother, a mother’s desperate plan, and a son suddenly sent into exile, fleeing for his life. Yet in the midst of all this turmoil, something surprising happens: God’s plan of restoration keeps moving forward.
Jacob’s escape from Esau feels like everything is falling apart. It’s a moment when a story that was supposed to be joyful suddenly collapses into fear, deceit, and painful separation. But this moment of loss becomes the very soil in which God begins to prepare restoration. Before Israel would ever taste national exile and return, God was already showing that his promises outlast every human failure.
Rebekah’s anguished plea captures the emotional weight of the moment: “Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?” (Gen.27:45 ESV). In her distress we hear an echo of God’s own longing for his people. As Paul later writes, “Has God rejected his people? By no means! … God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.” (Rom.11:1-2 ESV). Even when relationships shatter, covenant love (hesed) refuses to give up.
And right in the midst of this chaos comes one of the most beautiful blessings in the Torah:
“God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you,
that you may become a company of peoples.
May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you,
that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings
that God gave to Abraham.”
(Genesis 28:3-4 ESV)
The phrase “company of peoples” (קְהַל עַמִּים, qahal ‘ammim) is stunning. Qahal (“assembly,” later translated ekklesia in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament) hints at a gathered people. ‘Ammim (“peoples”) pushes the door wide open to the nations, way beyond Abraham’s descendants. Embedded in Isaac’s blessing is the promise of a restored humanity: Israel and the nations brought together in the seed of Abraham, fulfilled ultimately in Messiah (Gen.12:3; Eph.2:15).
Jacob may be stepping into exile as he flees from his brother, but God is already preparing the way for reunion — brothers reconciled, nations joined, the family of God restored.
Exile never gets the final word. Restoration does.
Featured image by cottonbro studio on Pexels.
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