Bible Summary:

Old and blind Isaac sends his eldest son Esau out to hunt for a tasty dinner after which Isaac will give him his blessing.  Isaac’s wife Rebecca overhears and helps their younger son Jacob disguise himself as Esau so he can receive the blessing instead.  She even agrees to accept any curse if the deceit is discovered.

Isaac does not believe Jacob is Esau, so tests him in several ways.  With Rebecca’s help, Jacob passes all the tests and Isaac gives him his final blessing.

Esau returns and discovers he has been cheated out of his blessing.  Esau cries and pleads for any blessing from Isaac.  Isaac says the blessing is final and forever, that Esau is now Jacob slave along with all their other relatives, and that Esau will “live by the sword, be his brother slave, rebel, and break away from his control.”

Esau hates Jacob and plots to kill him when their father dies.  Rebecca overhears the plan and tells Jacob to live with her brother Laban far away until Esau cools off.

My Thoughts:

Is Deceit Good? Okay, on the surface, this story is right out of a Hollywood film, with favoritism, deceit, lies, mother and brother against father and brother, and revenge.  It makes for a captivating story, but what is the lesson?  Is deceit really good?  It seems to work well for Jacob.  Do you need to be cunning and do whatever it takes, even against your brother, so you can get ahead?

Following God’s Will:  Rebecca is the instigator in this story. She listens to other peoples’ conversations and guides Jacob into deceiving father and brother even though he knows it is wrong.  However, maybe Rebecca is just following God’s will. In Genesis 25, she is told by God that “the older will serve the younger”. Maybe this is why she takes extra care of Jacob and makes sure he receives the power God intended.

Verbal Contracts are Binding: Isaac sticks by his word even though he gave the blessing to the wrong person through deception.  Maybe Esau should have stuck to his word and told his father about selling his birthright to Jacob.

You know, if our word was our bond today, then we would not have hundred page legal documents for every transaction between people.  Of course, no one likes to get deceived either!

Family can be tough: Boy, you thought your family was bad.  No matter how bad things are, you can always find someone else in a worse situation, like Esau.  Be thankful for your blessings.

Self-Help Tip: I think Rebecca has a great tip for Jacob to leave until Esau cools off.  This can also work the other way: if you are angry, you can go to another room or leave until you cool off.

NOTE: no matter how much I try to be objective, I still don’t like the deceit, especially against family members, in this story!