And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
Rebekah told Jacob to bring prepared food to Isaac so that Isaac would eat and give him the blessing before dying, when Isaac was old and intended to bless Esau after Esau brought him food. By following her plan Jacob joined in fraud to take from his father the blessing meant for Esau, seizing by deceit what he would have received by trusting God. The blessing at stake concerned the line through which God's promise of the Redeemer would be fulfilled, yet that divine purpose did not justify deceit, for God did not prompt it and could have provided for Jacob in His own way and time. The fraud was a sin requiring repentance that gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob and claim the right to destroy him, and its guilt pressed on him during his night of wrestling until it nearly drove him to despair. Because Jacob had repented, cast himself on God's mercy, and pleaded for deliverance, God heard his prayer and preserved his life from Esau, showing that concealed, unconfessed sin prevents confidently pleading for deliverance and warning against all rivalry and dishonest grasping for advantage over others.
Context and Deception
The verse is Rebekah's instruction to Jacob to carry the prepared food in to Isaac so that Isaac would eat and give him the blessing before his death. It stands against the background of Isaac's approaching death and his intention to bless Esau, after Esau had prepared food for him. Rebekah turned that plan aside by deception in order to secure the blessing for Jacob.
Esau had already sold his birthright to Jacob and confirmed the sale with an oath, yet he had not told Isaac of it. Rebekah overheard Isaac's request to Esau and, remembering God's word that the elder would serve the younger, believed Jacob was entitled to the blessing. On that ground she arranged for Jacob to deceive Isaac and receive it, and Jacob, though at first unwilling, at last agreed to do so.
By that plan Jacob joined in fraud to take from his father the blessing meant for Esau. He thus obtained by deceit what he would have received through proper trust in God. That sin in obtaining the blessing was a taking by fraud of what belonged in his father's purpose to another.
The fraud made Jacob a fugitive, forcing him to flee to escape Esau's anger and threats. It separated him from Rebekah, whom she never saw again. Isaac afterward became convinced from the conduct of the two brothers that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob.
Lessons for Faith Today
The blessing at stake concerned the line through which God's promise of the Redeemer would be fulfilled, yet that divine purpose did not justify deceit. God did not prompt the deception and could have provided for Jacob by His own methods in His own way and time. Seizing the promised blessing instead showed lack of faith that God could fulfill His purpose despite discouraging circumstances, and what was obtained by fraud would have been received through proper trust in God. A person's blessing depends on loving and reverencing God rather than merely holding the firstborn's privileges; Esau would have received prosperity from God only if he followed God and otherwise would face adversity, while Jacob could be blessed by God even without the firstborn's usual privileges.
The fraud was a sin requiring repentance that gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob and claim the right to destroy him, and its guilt pressed on Jacob during his night of wrestling and nearly drove him to despair. Because Jacob had previously repented, cast himself on God's mercy, pointed back to that repentance, and pleaded for deliverance, God heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life from Esau; without that repentance God could not have heard him. Concealed, unconfessed sin prevents confidently pleading for deliverance.
The verse exposes secret working by deceptive reasoning to take what belongs to another and turn a person from his rights, which is open to God who will not tolerate or justify it. It warns against rivalry, conniving, and dishonest efforts to gain advantage over others. The same deception is practiced now through partiality and hypocrisy, handling people as machinery, binding their freedom, and grasping for all possible regardless of agreements and of harm to those disappointed and wronged.
Rebekah told Jacob to bring prepared food to Isaac so that Isaac would eat and give him the blessing before dying, when Isaac was old and intended to bless Esau after Esau brought him food. By following her plan Jacob joined in fraud to take from his father the blessing meant for Esau, seizing by deceit what he would have received by trusting God. The blessing at stake concerned the line through which God's promise of the Redeemer would be fulfilled, yet that divine purpose did not justify deceit, for God did not prompt it and could have provided for Jacob in His own way and time. The fraud was a sin requiring repentance that gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob and claim the right to destroy him, and its guilt pressed on him during his night of wrestling until it nearly drove him to despair. Because Jacob had repented, cast himself on God's mercy, and pleaded for deliverance, God heard his prayer and preserved his life from Esau, showing that concealed, unconfessed sin prevents confidently pleading for deliverance and warning against all rivalry and dishonest grasping for advantage over others.
Context and Deception
The verse is Rebekah's instruction to Jacob to carry the prepared food in to Isaac so that Isaac would eat and give him the blessing before his death. It stands against the background of Isaac's approaching death and his intention to bless Esau, after Esau had prepared food for him. Rebekah turned that plan aside by deception in order to secure the blessing for Jacob.
Esau had already sold his birthright to Jacob and confirmed the sale with an oath, yet he had not told Isaac of it. Rebekah overheard Isaac's request to Esau and, remembering God's word that the elder would serve the younger, believed Jacob was entitled to the blessing. On that ground she arranged for Jacob to deceive Isaac and receive it, and Jacob, though at first unwilling, at last agreed to do so.
By that plan Jacob joined in fraud to take from his father the blessing meant for Esau. He thus obtained by deceit what he would have received through proper trust in God. That sin in obtaining the blessing was a taking by fraud of what belonged in his father's purpose to another.
The fraud made Jacob a fugitive, forcing him to flee to escape Esau's anger and threats. It separated him from Rebekah, whom she never saw again. Isaac afterward became convinced from the conduct of the two brothers that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob.
Lessons for Faith Today
The blessing at stake concerned the line through which God's promise of the Redeemer would be fulfilled, yet that divine purpose did not justify deceit. God did not prompt the deception and could have provided for Jacob by His own methods in His own way and time. Seizing the promised blessing instead showed lack of faith that God could fulfill His purpose despite discouraging circumstances, and what was obtained by fraud would have been received through proper trust in God. A person's blessing depends on loving and reverencing God rather than merely holding the firstborn's privileges; Esau would have received prosperity from God only if he followed God and otherwise would face adversity, while Jacob could be blessed by God even without the firstborn's usual privileges.
The fraud was a sin requiring repentance that gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob and claim the right to destroy him, and its guilt pressed on Jacob during his night of wrestling and nearly drove him to despair. Because Jacob had previously repented, cast himself on God's mercy, pointed back to that repentance, and pleaded for deliverance, God heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life from Esau; without that repentance God could not have heard him. Concealed, unconfessed sin prevents confidently pleading for deliverance.
The verse exposes secret working by deceptive reasoning to take what belongs to another and turn a person from his rights, which is open to God who will not tolerate or justify it. It warns against rivalry, conniving, and dishonest efforts to gain advantage over others. The same deception is practiced now through partiality and hypocrisy, handling people as machinery, binding their freedom, and grasping for all possible regardless of agreements and of harm to those disappointed and wronged.