Good Morning.
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son. (Genesis 27:5-6)
We all know what she said to Jacob; she told him to bring the two best kids from the goats so that she might prepare food for Isaac “such as he loves” in order that Jacob might obtain the blessing in Esau’s stead. In essence, Rebekah was instructing Jacob to deceive his father. Why would she resort to such deception in order to obtain the blessing for Jacob?
We know that Rebekah knew that Jacob, the second born, was the one who was destined to lead the family and rule over his brother. Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that Rebekah told Isaac about what she knew. So, faced with Isaac’s apparent intent to bless Esau in spite of the fact that he knew he was married to strange women, Rebekah took drastic action. While we can debate whether or not she did wrong, the one who ended up being branded a deceiver was Jacob. That’s ironic considering that he plainly said:
“Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” (Genesis 27:11-12)
In other words, the alleged deceiver is concerned about being regarded as a deceiver. On the other hand, Rebekah took full responsibility for the deception. Because she knew what God had said about Jacob, she was content to ask him to do something that was contrary to his nature. Jacob wasn’t the deceiver that people have made him out to but, unfortunately, they will point to this incident as proof of his deceptive nature.
So what can we learn from this? If something doesn’t seem right to you — if it goes against what you know is right — regardless of who is compelling you to do as they say, stand your ground. Do the right and honorable thing. One bad choice in a weakened or compromised state can result in years of consequences, baseless accusations and misconceptions. Better to do what is right and let God vindicate than to be pressured into doing something that compromises your integrity.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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