Genesis 27 is a powerful chapter that exposes one of the greatest weaknesses a family can suffer from: parental favoritism.

Isaac loved Esau. Rebekah loved Jacob. This imbalance did not stay silent — it shaped decisions, birthed manipulation, and tore a family apart.

When Isaac planned to bless Esau in secret and Rebekah plotted to help Jacob deceive his father, their actions came from a heart of partiality. The blessing became a weapon, a competition, a moment of betrayal.

And the result?
  • A divided home
  • A wounded Esau
  • A fleeing Jacob
  • A grieving mother
  • And years of broken relationships
All because love was not evenly distributed.

As a parent, it is dangerous to love one child at the expense of another. Genesis 27 teaches us that:
  • Favoritism blinds judgment
  • Favoritism breeds competition and bitterness
  • Favoritism weakens family unity
  • Favoritism creates long-term wounds
Isaac’s love for Esau made him ignore God’s earlier word that the younger child, Jacob, would carry the covenant promise. Rebekah’s preference for Jacob pushed her into deception. Both parents erred — not because they didn’t love, but because they did not love equally. God never calls parents to love one child more. Every child is unique, but every child deserves full and equal love.

A striking example is Jacob’s own family later in life. Jacob, who once suffered the consequences of favoritism, repeated the same mistake in Genesis 37. He loved Joseph “more than all his children,” and his siblings could see it clearly. This favoritism:
  • Produced jealousy
  • Fueled hatred
  • Led to Joseph being sold into slavery
The wound of unequal love broke the unity of the family and cost Joseph years of pain — even though God ultimately turned it for good. Jacob suffered from favoritism in his youth… and passed the same wound to his children. This shows how dangerous and generational the effects can be.

Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of children. I ask for Your wisdom to love each child You have given me with purity, balance, and fairness. Help me never to show partiality or preference that can wound the heart of another. Heal every brokenness caused by favoritism within families, and restore unity, peace, and love. Give me the grace to reflect Your kind of love — unconditional and evenly poured out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.