And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
Jacob knew his smooth skin was unlike his brother's hairy body, and that difference stood in the way of pretending to be Esau and made him afraid his blind father would feel the trick and expose him. His joining with his mother in that disguise to steal by fraud the blessing meant for Esau was wrong and was not prompted or approved by God, for they should have trusted God to bring about in His own time and way what He had promised about the elder serving the younger. The fraud brought guilt, lifelong repentance, flight from Esau's anger, a fearful journey without peace, years of hardship, and lasting separation from his mother. That conscious wrong gave Satan ground to accuse him and seek his destruction, yet when his sin was forced upon him in the night of wrestling he cast himself on mercy, pointed to his prior repentance, and pleaded with tears until he prevailed. His case shows that God's people in the final struggle must have sincerely repented with no concealed wrongs, have their sins blotted out by the blood of Christ, and hold to God's strength and promises without failing, and that his devising for advantage must never be copied by secret, selfish dealing with brethren.
Setting and Wording
The verse belongs to the moment when Rebekah planned for Jacob to be disguised as Esau to deceive his blind, aged father Isaac and obtain by fraud the paternal blessing intended for Esau but promised to Jacob. That plan was connected with the remembered promise that the elder son would serve the younger and with the fact that Esau had sold his birthright. It was Rebekah's wrong counsel which Jacob at first questioned and then consented to carry out, so that he took an active, agreeing part in the deception of Isaac to secure the blessing.
In the verse Jacob points to the bodily contrast between himself and his brother, that Esau was a hairy man while he himself was a smooth man. He recognized that difference of skin as a practical obstacle to impersonating Esau in his mother's scheme. He feared on that account that his father would detect the imposture, which made the fraud dangerous to attempt and to carry through.
Sin, Consequences, and Application
The deception to obtain the blessing was wrong, neither approved nor prompted by God, and Rebekah and Jacob should have trusted God to fulfill His purpose in His own time instead of resorting to deception. God was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without deceit, and Jacob would have received the blessing as his right had he trusted God, even despite discouraging circumstances. The blessing and prosperity of either son would ultimately depend on whether he loved and obeyed God, not merely on being the firstborn. Isaac later became convinced, from the way Esau and Jacob lived, that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob.
That deceit brought self-condemnation, lifelong repentance, and the reaping of consequences, teaching that God's purpose should be trusted rather than advanced through deception. Jacob had to flee for his life from Esau's anger, travel far with little, and face his journey in fear and remorse without the comfort of peace or confidence in divine protection. He endured years of hardship and separation from his mother, whom he never saw again.
The verse shows Jacob's conscious part in fraud to take Esau's blessing, a wrong that required repentance, and the deception made the fraud dangerous to carry out. God heard his later prayer for deliverance from Esau and mercifully saved and preserved his life only because he had previously repented of that fraud, and without that prior repentance God could not have heard him. That fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before God and claim the right to destroy him and to move Esau to march against him. During the long night of wrestling Satan forced a sense of that guilt upon him to discourage him and break his hold upon God, and the Angel also reminded him of his sin to try his faith. Jacob had learned that God is merciful, so he cast himself upon mercy, pointed back to his repentance for that sin, and with tears and earnest agonizing cries pleaded for deliverance until he prevailed.
His case shows that in the final struggle God's people must have sincerely repented, have no concealed wrongs, have their sins blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and lay hold of God's strength and plead His promises through Christ without failing though answers delay. Their devising and planning after this example must never be copied to gain advantage over brethren, for God will not work with selfishness, rivalry, covetousness, ambitious pride, unfair methods, conniving at evil, and underhand dealing. The verse exposes such deception as partiality and hypocrisy done by secret working. The same kind is practiced by men standing in high places of trust who handle men as machinery, bind their freedom, harness and drive them for selfishness and covetousness, and rule as lords over God's heritage while supposing their councils stand as the voice of God. Such secret working is open to the eye of God, He will in no case justify or excuse turning man from his rights and wronging him by deceptive reasoning, and the time has come to investigate Christ's teachings to ancient Israel concerning it.
Jacob knew his smooth skin was unlike his brother's hairy body, and that difference stood in the way of pretending to be Esau and made him afraid his blind father would feel the trick and expose him. His joining with his mother in that disguise to steal by fraud the blessing meant for Esau was wrong and was not prompted or approved by God, for they should have trusted God to bring about in His own time and way what He had promised about the elder serving the younger. The fraud brought guilt, lifelong repentance, flight from Esau's anger, a fearful journey without peace, years of hardship, and lasting separation from his mother. That conscious wrong gave Satan ground to accuse him and seek his destruction, yet when his sin was forced upon him in the night of wrestling he cast himself on mercy, pointed to his prior repentance, and pleaded with tears until he prevailed. His case shows that God's people in the final struggle must have sincerely repented with no concealed wrongs, have their sins blotted out by the blood of Christ, and hold to God's strength and promises without failing, and that his devising for advantage must never be copied by secret, selfish dealing with brethren.
Setting and Wording
The verse belongs to the moment when Rebekah planned for Jacob to be disguised as Esau to deceive his blind, aged father Isaac and obtain by fraud the paternal blessing intended for Esau but promised to Jacob. That plan was connected with the remembered promise that the elder son would serve the younger and with the fact that Esau had sold his birthright. It was Rebekah's wrong counsel which Jacob at first questioned and then consented to carry out, so that he took an active, agreeing part in the deception of Isaac to secure the blessing.
In the verse Jacob points to the bodily contrast between himself and his brother, that Esau was a hairy man while he himself was a smooth man. He recognized that difference of skin as a practical obstacle to impersonating Esau in his mother's scheme. He feared on that account that his father would detect the imposture, which made the fraud dangerous to attempt and to carry through.
Sin, Consequences, and Application
The deception to obtain the blessing was wrong, neither approved nor prompted by God, and Rebekah and Jacob should have trusted God to fulfill His purpose in His own time instead of resorting to deception. God was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without deceit, and Jacob would have received the blessing as his right had he trusted God, even despite discouraging circumstances. The blessing and prosperity of either son would ultimately depend on whether he loved and obeyed God, not merely on being the firstborn. Isaac later became convinced, from the way Esau and Jacob lived, that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob.
That deceit brought self-condemnation, lifelong repentance, and the reaping of consequences, teaching that God's purpose should be trusted rather than advanced through deception. Jacob had to flee for his life from Esau's anger, travel far with little, and face his journey in fear and remorse without the comfort of peace or confidence in divine protection. He endured years of hardship and separation from his mother, whom he never saw again.
The verse shows Jacob's conscious part in fraud to take Esau's blessing, a wrong that required repentance, and the deception made the fraud dangerous to carry out. God heard his later prayer for deliverance from Esau and mercifully saved and preserved his life only because he had previously repented of that fraud, and without that prior repentance God could not have heard him. That fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before God and claim the right to destroy him and to move Esau to march against him. During the long night of wrestling Satan forced a sense of that guilt upon him to discourage him and break his hold upon God, and the Angel also reminded him of his sin to try his faith. Jacob had learned that God is merciful, so he cast himself upon mercy, pointed back to his repentance for that sin, and with tears and earnest agonizing cries pleaded for deliverance until he prevailed.
His case shows that in the final struggle God's people must have sincerely repented, have no concealed wrongs, have their sins blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and lay hold of God's strength and plead His promises through Christ without failing though answers delay. Their devising and planning after this example must never be copied to gain advantage over brethren, for God will not work with selfishness, rivalry, covetousness, ambitious pride, unfair methods, conniving at evil, and underhand dealing. The verse exposes such deception as partiality and hypocrisy done by secret working. The same kind is practiced by men standing in high places of trust who handle men as machinery, bind their freedom, harness and drive them for selfishness and covetousness, and rule as lords over God's heritage while supposing their councils stand as the voice of God. Such secret working is open to the eye of God, He will in no case justify or excuse turning man from his rights and wronging him by deceptive reasoning, and the time has come to investigate Christ's teachings to ancient Israel concerning it.