Rebekah’s Deceiving Goat Stew
Goat Stew With Fresh Pita Bread
From Genesis 27
Rebekah’s deceiving goat stew from Genesis 27
With fresh pita bread
Blessings are all around us. When we take a minute to look back, we see even some of our so-called failures are blessings. Our family, friends, schools, mentors, community, the time we live in, we can go on and on and on... but these are the blessings God provides for us. What about the blessings we give to each other?
Ok, let me put it in this way. When was the last time you raised your hands, used your words to truly bless someone? No, saying 'bless you' when someone sneezes doesn't count and No, singing the song 'The Blessing' doesn't count either. LoL.
What comes to mind when you hear the word - Blessing?
Have you blessed others?
How do you feel when someone blesses you?
Take a minute to ponder these questions before getting into this story. Almost everyone agrees on the importance of God's blessings to us, but how about others blessing us or us blessing others? How important is it or what is the role of blessings in our life other than God's blessings?
Our story here starts from Genesis 27. Isaac was old now and he can no longer see. He knows his time of his passing is coming so he wants to bless his eldest son Esau before he dies. Why does he want to bless only Esau and not Jacob? Is it because he thinks Esau needs all the blessings he can get or is it because he was partial towards one son over the other?
Genesis 27:3-4,
Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your equipment - your quiver and bow - and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die."
So Esau left to hunt and prepare the meal while Rebekah was listening in on this conversation. She wanted Jacob to receive this blessing instead of Esau. Again, why does she want Jacob to receive this blessing and not Esau? Is it because she knows the plan of Isaac and wanted to outsmart him or is it because she was partial towards one son over the other?
Genesis 27:8-10,
Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you. Go out to the flock and bring me two choice goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies."
We all know from the birthright soup story that Jacob is capable of cooking well, but Rebekah is not taking any chances here. She wanted this plan to go perfectly.
There are many odd details in this story, purposefully placed for the readers to understand the heart of those characters. One such detail is the next one in verse 11.
It says, Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, 'What if my father touches me (which he will), I would appear to be tricking him and would in turn bring in a curse rather than a blessing. Notice how he was less concerned about deceiving his father and more concerned about getting caught? Before we judge this, honestly can't we all relate? How many of us slow down when we see a police car parked at the side of the road? It's not a trivial example, it reflects our heart. We are more concerned about getting caught rather than making a mistake in itself. God sees our heart and not our actions.
For 1 Samuel 16:7 says, '...People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'
Ok, let's get back to the story. Rebekah will convince Jacob and make the savory goat dish with some freshly baked bread, just the way Isaac likes it. She will dress him up to smell and feel like Esau and will send him to his father.
Genesis 27: 17, Then she gave Jacob the delicious meal, including freshly baked bread.
Isaac will first be suspicious of his quick return, but then Jacob will use the, 'The Lord Your God put it in my path' card. Here we can see that Isaac is not easily convinced. He will touch him, question his voice, smell him and will even ask him again for a verbal confirmation. Isaac knows the weight of this blessing.
He knew exactly how he wanted to bless Esau and he knew how it would be a blessing that would not affect, not just him, but for the generations to come.
Here comes the blessing, Gen 27: 28-29
"From the dew of the heaven and the richness of the earth,
May God always give you an abundant harvest of grain and bountiful new wine.
May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you,
May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed and all who bless you will be blessed."
Notice the underlined part? 'May you be the master over your brothers'.
Remember the prophecy Rebekah received when she was pregnant with the twins? 'The older son will serve your younger son'. Do you see the contradiction? Isaac wanted Jacob to serve Esau but the prophecy was for Esau to serve Jacob.
What Isaac just did was a mere attempt to reverse that prophecy. This is why Isaac wanted Esau to have this blessing and not Jacob, this is why he wanted to make sure the son he was blessing this with was Esau and not Jacob. And probably this could be why Rebekah wanted Jacob to receive this blessing and not Esau- but deception is deception, regardless of the reason.
When Jacob leaves after the blessings, Esau returns from his trip only to realize his father already blessed Jacob. He pleads with his dad to bless him also but his father used up all his best blessings for Jacob. Another odd detail here, Isaac didn't reserve any good blessings for Jacob according to his original plan. After all, Jacob is his son too.
But whatever happened, happened. Isaac indeed blessed Jacob to be the master of Esau and declared all his brothers to be his servants, guaranteeing him an abundance of grain and wine.
What do we learn from this story? Agreed, there is something for everyone here, but my focus today is the blessing part. Blessings truly matter. Who are you blessing, what are you blessing and how are you blessing. All these are very important.
To bless is a blessing, to be blessed is a blessing.
When you make this meal, meditate on this. Discuss when you share this meal together. Start with your family. Take your time to ask God how to bless them. Lay your hands on each child’s head and bless them with all your heart. Bless them out loud. Let them hear their blessings from you. Every time someone lays their hands on me to truly bless me, I can almost feel as if the blessings are flowing in me through their hands. It could be how I perceive it, but it is special and true. It's definitely more real than any earthly gift anyone can give.
Seek for blessings, not just from God but also from the people around you. When we seek the blessing, knowing the weight of it, we will also seek a genuine relationship with them,. We will try to resolve conflicts with them. As we know, blessings have to be true and from the heart. This can pave a way for us to live in peace with others.
Romans 14:19 says,
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Let's take our Lord Jesus as our example and how he started his sermon on the Mount. The best sermon for mankind, by the way! He starts off with a series of blessings before going into detail. Refer to Matthew 5, 6 and 7. Let's be imitators of Him!
Rebecca's Deceiving Goat Stew:
Rebekah’s Deceiving Goat Stew and Pita Bread
Recipe:
I have assumed that for a goat to taste like venison it should be a savory stew and not a roast. Also, the meat will be tender as Rebekah used young goats. She must have made everything in a hurry, as she wanted Jacob to get the blessing before Esau's return, so I assume the bread is unleavened.
Goat Stew Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 lbs. goat meat : cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion
2 inch piece of ginger
2 inch piece of whole cinnamon stick
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
2 whole cardamom pods
2 tsp. white pepper powder
3 green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 large potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium sized carrots cut into half inch pieces
1/4 cup green Peas
1 can of coconut milk (Approximately 13 oz)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Directions:
1. In a pot, cook Goat meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt, ginger and 1 teaspoon pepper powder. Add 2 cups of water and cook it till tender. If using a pressure cooker, Keep it for 5- 6 whistles.
2. Heat oil in the pan and add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamom, fennel seeds, thinly sliced onions, slit chilies and let it cook until the onion turns light brown.
3. Now add the potatoes, carrots and peas in to the onion mixture.
4. Sprinkle a little salt now and let it all cook.
5. Add the cooked Goat with the stock and let it all simmer for a good 5 minutes.
6. Stir the coconut milk in the can and add the milk into the pan. Keep it low and let it all cook together until the stew is the desired consistency. Add the remaining pepper and the stew is ready to serve.
Substitution: You can substitute goat for lamb or stew beef meat. You can completely skip the meat part and make this a vegetable stew also.
With Fresh Pita Bread
Pita Bread Recipe: (Without Yeast)
Ingredients:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup of warm milk
2 Tbsp. of melted butter
Water: As required
Directions:
1. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder with the melted butter.
2. Add the warm milk into this mixture and knead for 5 minutes. Use water as necessary.
3. Combine everything to form a smooth, soft dough. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
4. Make dough balls the size of a lime and use a rolling pin, roll it out. The dough should not be very thin, it should be about a quarter inch thick.
5. Heat the pan and let it cook. It will puff up, forming a pocket in the middle. Flip it once, allowing the other side to cook.
6. Once done, spread some butter on top and serve hot.
You can make the pita ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Simply reheat the pita in the microwave for 15 seconds and serve it with the stew.
The stew is also good when served with hot cilantro rice.
