“Rebekah guides Jacob in seeking blessings. Jacob is blessed to have dominion and rule over peoples and nations. Esau hates Jacob and plans to slay him. Rebekah fears that Jacob may marry one of the daughters of Heth.”
See Genesis 27:1–46.
President John Taylor said:
“Now we will pass by the places in the Bible which speak of this birthright until we come to Isaac, the son of Abraham, and to Jacob, the son of Isaac, who bought the birthright of his brother Esau [see Gen. 25:29–34]. From the story that is told of Rebekah helping her son Jacob to get the first blessing from his father Isaac, on purpose to secure the birthright from his brother Esau, many would be inclined to think that deceit, dishonesty, and unrighteous means were employed to secure it, and they perhaps wonder why it should be so [see Gen. 27:1–46]. This was really not the case; it is only made to appear so in the eyes of those who do not understand the dealings of God with man, and the workings of the Holy Spirit to bring about His purposes. There was neither unrighteousness in Rebekah nor in Jacob in this matter; but on the contrary, there was the wisdom of the Almighty, showing forth His providences in guiding them in such a manner as to bring about His purposes, in influencing Esau to transfer his birthright to Jacob, that He might ratify and confirm it upon the head of Jacob; knowing as He did that Jacob and his seed were, and would be, more deserving of the birthright, and would magnify it in its true spirit [see Gen. 25:23]. While Esau did not sense nor appreciate his condition and birthright; he did not respect it as he should have done [see Gen. 25:34], neither did he hearken to the counsels of his father and mother. On the contrary, he went his own way with a stubborn will, and followed his own passions and inclinations and took to wife one of the daughters of the Canaanites whom the Lord had not blessed [see Gen. 24:1–3; 28:1–9]; and he therefore rendered himself unacceptable to God and to his father and mother. He gave himself to wild pursuits—to hunting, and to following the ways of the Canaanites, and displeased the Lord and his parents, and was not worthy of this right of seniority. The Lord therefore saw fit to take it from him, and the mother [Rebekah] was moved upon to help the younger son [Jacob] to bring about the purpose of the Lord, in securing to himself the blessing through the legitimate channel of the priesthood. And as you know, his father [Isaac] was induced to bless him and confirm this blessing upon him [see Gen. 27:1–46].”
(“Discourse,” Deseret Evening News, Feb. 26, 1881, 1.)
