Genesis 27:12, commentary and pictures

Jacob at first shrank with genuine misgiving from his mother's plan, yet consented to disguise himself and deceive his blind, aged father to take by fraud the blessing meant for Esau. He feared his father would feel him, see through the disguise, denounce him as a deceiver, and give him a curse instead of a blessing. In this he sinned by trying to secure by trickery what God had already promised him, instead of trusting God to fulfill His purpose in His own time and way despite discouraging appearances. The fraud brought guilt, gave Satan ground to accuse him, and forced him to flee as an exile under fear and self-reproach, yet God did not forsake him. The wrong had to be repented of, confessed, and put away before pleading for deliverance, and his later prayer was heard and his life preserved because he had repented.

Jacob's Fearful Deception

Genesis 27:12 belongs to Jacob's consent, though at first unwilling and with genuine scruple, to his mother's plan to disguise himself and deceive his blind, aged father to obtain by fraud the blessing intended for Esau. He let his mother's urging overcome his hesitation rather than trust God to fulfill the promise in His own way and time. His words mean he feared his father would feel him, see through the disguise, regard him as a deceiver, and give him a curse instead of a blessing, and he understood the blessing was at risk. His concern was real, for he knew the plan to obtain the blessing by fraud could expose him and bring the curse upon himself.

The fraud forced Jacob to flee for his life from Esau's anger and deadly threats and remain an exile for many years. He knew he had sinned and fled his brother's anger. The deception brought a separation his mother bitterly regretted, for she never saw him again after he fled, while his father later became convinced the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob. His deceit left him burdened with fear without the comfort of God's peace. When Esau later approached with warriors he was crushed with self-reproach because his own sin had brought the danger, yet God did not forsake him.

Trust God Not Fraud

Jacob sinned in trying to gain by fraud a blessing God had already promised him, showing lack of faith that God could fulfill His purpose despite discouraging circumstances. He and his mother should have trusted God to carry out His purpose in His own time and way, instead of consenting to deceive his father at his mother's urging when he understood the blessing was at risk. God did not prompt that deception, but was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods. God's blessing depended on a person's love and reverence for Him, not on receiving the privileges of the firstborn, so Jacob could have been blessed by God even without Isaac's blessing.

Obtaining the blessing by fraud was sin that brought guilt and gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob and claim the right to destroy him. The wrong had to be repented of and confessed, not concealed, and put away before pleading for deliverance. Before the night of wrestling Jacob repented of that fraud, and when reminded of his sin he cast himself on God's mercy, pointed back to his repentance, and pleaded for deliverance. Because he had previously repented, his later prayer for deliverance was heard and his life was mercifully preserved. Had he not repented God could not have heard him, so past deceit must be put away in order to have confidence to plead with God when guilt is forced upon the conscience.

Warning Against Dishonest Gain

God does not lend Himself to selfishness, covetousness, ambitious pride, and rivalry in order to carry out His purposes, and He will not cooperate with any scheming or planning patterned after Jacob and Rebekah's deception of Isaac to secure the blessing. That deception, undertaken despite Jacob's fear of appearing as a deceiver and bringing a curse rather than a blessing, was not prompted by God, who was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods.

The history stands as a prohibition of unfair methods, of seeking advantage over brethren in business, of conniving at evil, underhand dealing, dishonesty, intrigue, bribery, pretense, and fraud. Such supposed gain is like the gain Adam and Eve obtained by obeying Satan, a knowledge of evil purchased at the loss of purity, and it will be made as chaff which the wind drives away and will finally ruin every soul who engages in it.

The fear of seeming a deceiver exposes deceptive reasoning, partiality, and hypocrisy that works in secret, grasps all it can, disregards agreements, and turns work from straightforward channels into crooked paths. When practiced by those in high places of trust who regard their counsels as the voice of God and suppose none dare question their wicked acts, it treats men as machinery, binds their freedom, violates rights given by creation and redemption, imperils souls, and destroys confidence. It is perverted by selfishness and covetousness, which is idolatry, an offense God will not tolerate, justify, or excuse, so the time has come to turn from it, obey God's Word, and investigate Christ's teachings to ancient Israel.