And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
Isaac was old and dim of sight, and because the hands felt hairy like Esau's he took Jacob for his firstborn and gave him the blessing. It was a deliberate fraud in which Jacob, aided by Rebekah, disguised himself as Esau to take the blessing meant for Esau, which God had not prompted. The birthright and blessing were already his by God's promise, but he failed to trust God to fulfill it in His own time and way and sought by his own deception to bring it about. The fraud reaped Esau's deadly hatred and forced Jacob to flee as an exile for twenty years in fear, remorse and self-condemnation. God heard his prayer and preserved his life only because he had repented of obtaining the blessing by fraud, and his anguish at Esau's approach represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble, whose only hope is in God's mercy through confessed and forgiven sin.
Deception Behind the Blessing
Isaac did not recognize Jacob because his sight was dim with age and blindness. Jacob's hands felt hairy like Esau's hands, so the touch confirmed the disguise. Believing him to be Esau his firstborn son, Isaac gave him the blessing.
The verse belongs to a deliberate deception in which Jacob, aided by Rebekah, disguised himself as Esau. By that fraud he had his father bless him as Esau with the blessing intended for Esau. Rebekah joined with Jacob in planning and carrying out the disguise to obtain what had been foretold. That deception was not prompted by God, for God could have provided for Jacob by His own methods.
Mistrust and Its Harvest
The birthright and the blessing were already Jacob's by God's promise and by right, and he knew God had promised him the blessing, yet he failed to trust God to fulfill His purposes and promises in His own time and way. With Rebekah he sought by his own efforts and by deception to bring about what God Himself would have accomplished, when they should have waited for God to fulfill His purposes in His own time and way. The blessing itself did not determine prosperity, for prosperity or adversity depended on God's favor and on the recipient's conduct, course of action, and love and fear of God. Esau would have prospered only through God, while Jacob could have been blessed through righteous faith even without the privileges usually given to the firstborn.
The fraud reaped Esau's hatred and deadly threats that forced Jacob to flee for his life as a fugitive and an exile for twenty years. During that exile Jacob was himself wronged and defrauded until he had to flee again for safety, and his wrong course left him fearful, remorseful, and troubled by the thought that he had forfeited God's protection. The deception brought self-condemnation, family distrust, jealousy, revenge, and lasting sorrow. There was a second harvest when the evils of his own character appeared in his sons, proving that what a person does comes from what he is and that every deed reacts upon the doer.
God did not forsake Jacob after his sin and his flight to escape his brother's anger. Isaac's later experience convinced him that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob. When Jacob obeyed God's direction to leave Padan-aram and retrace the road he had trodden twenty years before, the memory of the deception was ever before him, and the reproaches of an accusing conscience filled him with misgivings and made his journey sad. Yet with that vivid memory came also God's favor toward him and promises of divine help and guidance, for God will not contend forever but sees, heals, leads, and restores comfort and peace.
Repentance and End-Time Lesson
Obtaining the birthright and the blessing by fraud was Jacob's own sin and wrong against his brother, a deception by which he had his father bless him as Esau, and it required repentance. That fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and to claim the right to destroy him, and to move upon Esau against him. It brought the danger that followed, forcing Jacob to flee for his life alarmed by Esau's deadly threats and keeping him an exile for many years.
God heard Jacob's prayer and mercifully saved and preserved his life only because Jacob had previously repented of his wrongs in obtaining the blessing by fraud, and without that prior repentance God could not have answered. Unconfessed sin would have left him unable to trust God and plead for deliverance in his time of trouble. Forgiven sinners whose sins have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ have no concealed wrongs to reveal, so though they still feel unworthiness and review their lives with sinking hopes they can still plead mercy with confidence for deliverance. God can in no wise sanction or tolerate evil, and all who excuse or conceal their sins will be overcome by Satan.
When Jacob returned, the same sin added crushing self-reproach to his anxiety and fear and filled him with terror at Esau's approach with warriors, because his own sin had brought the danger. His only hope was in the mercy of God and his only defense was in prayer in his night of anguish wrestling for deliverance from Esau. That night represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble, whose deliverance requires confessed and forgiven sin rather than concealed wrongdoing. They should leave nothing undone to atone for wrong, to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger threatening liberty of conscience.
Deceptions similar to Jacob's deception by disguise are practiced by men standing in high places of trust, where deceptive reasoning gains an unjust advantage and covers partiality and hypocrisy. There men are handled as machinery and their freedom is bound by methods and terms, right principles are perverted by selfishness and covetousness which is idolatry, others are corrupted, council decisions are claimed to stand as the voice of God, man is turned from his rights, and all that can be gotten is grasped irrespective of agreements or of the disappointment and wrong to others. All such secret working is open to the eye of God, it imperils souls, it is an offense God will not tolerate, and God will in no case justify or excuse it.
Isaac was old and dim of sight, and because the hands felt hairy like Esau's he took Jacob for his firstborn and gave him the blessing. It was a deliberate fraud in which Jacob, aided by Rebekah, disguised himself as Esau to take the blessing meant for Esau, which God had not prompted. The birthright and blessing were already his by God's promise, but he failed to trust God to fulfill it in His own time and way and sought by his own deception to bring it about. The fraud reaped Esau's deadly hatred and forced Jacob to flee as an exile for twenty years in fear, remorse and self-condemnation. God heard his prayer and preserved his life only because he had repented of obtaining the blessing by fraud, and his anguish at Esau's approach represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble, whose only hope is in God's mercy through confessed and forgiven sin.
Deception Behind the Blessing
Isaac did not recognize Jacob because his sight was dim with age and blindness. Jacob's hands felt hairy like Esau's hands, so the touch confirmed the disguise. Believing him to be Esau his firstborn son, Isaac gave him the blessing.
The verse belongs to a deliberate deception in which Jacob, aided by Rebekah, disguised himself as Esau. By that fraud he had his father bless him as Esau with the blessing intended for Esau. Rebekah joined with Jacob in planning and carrying out the disguise to obtain what had been foretold. That deception was not prompted by God, for God could have provided for Jacob by His own methods.
Mistrust and Its Harvest
The birthright and the blessing were already Jacob's by God's promise and by right, and he knew God had promised him the blessing, yet he failed to trust God to fulfill His purposes and promises in His own time and way. With Rebekah he sought by his own efforts and by deception to bring about what God Himself would have accomplished, when they should have waited for God to fulfill His purposes in His own time and way. The blessing itself did not determine prosperity, for prosperity or adversity depended on God's favor and on the recipient's conduct, course of action, and love and fear of God. Esau would have prospered only through God, while Jacob could have been blessed through righteous faith even without the privileges usually given to the firstborn.
The fraud reaped Esau's hatred and deadly threats that forced Jacob to flee for his life as a fugitive and an exile for twenty years. During that exile Jacob was himself wronged and defrauded until he had to flee again for safety, and his wrong course left him fearful, remorseful, and troubled by the thought that he had forfeited God's protection. The deception brought self-condemnation, family distrust, jealousy, revenge, and lasting sorrow. There was a second harvest when the evils of his own character appeared in his sons, proving that what a person does comes from what he is and that every deed reacts upon the doer.
God did not forsake Jacob after his sin and his flight to escape his brother's anger. Isaac's later experience convinced him that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob. When Jacob obeyed God's direction to leave Padan-aram and retrace the road he had trodden twenty years before, the memory of the deception was ever before him, and the reproaches of an accusing conscience filled him with misgivings and made his journey sad. Yet with that vivid memory came also God's favor toward him and promises of divine help and guidance, for God will not contend forever but sees, heals, leads, and restores comfort and peace.
Repentance and End-Time Lesson
Obtaining the birthright and the blessing by fraud was Jacob's own sin and wrong against his brother, a deception by which he had his father bless him as Esau, and it required repentance. That fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and to claim the right to destroy him, and to move upon Esau against him. It brought the danger that followed, forcing Jacob to flee for his life alarmed by Esau's deadly threats and keeping him an exile for many years.
God heard Jacob's prayer and mercifully saved and preserved his life only because Jacob had previously repented of his wrongs in obtaining the blessing by fraud, and without that prior repentance God could not have answered. Unconfessed sin would have left him unable to trust God and plead for deliverance in his time of trouble. Forgiven sinners whose sins have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ have no concealed wrongs to reveal, so though they still feel unworthiness and review their lives with sinking hopes they can still plead mercy with confidence for deliverance. God can in no wise sanction or tolerate evil, and all who excuse or conceal their sins will be overcome by Satan.
When Jacob returned, the same sin added crushing self-reproach to his anxiety and fear and filled him with terror at Esau's approach with warriors, because his own sin had brought the danger. His only hope was in the mercy of God and his only defense was in prayer in his night of anguish wrestling for deliverance from Esau. That night represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble, whose deliverance requires confessed and forgiven sin rather than concealed wrongdoing. They should leave nothing undone to atone for wrong, to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger threatening liberty of conscience.
Deceptions similar to Jacob's deception by disguise are practiced by men standing in high places of trust, where deceptive reasoning gains an unjust advantage and covers partiality and hypocrisy. There men are handled as machinery and their freedom is bound by methods and terms, right principles are perverted by selfishness and covetousness which is idolatry, others are corrupted, council decisions are claimed to stand as the voice of God, man is turned from his rights, and all that can be gotten is grasped irrespective of agreements or of the disappointment and wrong to others. All such secret working is open to the eye of God, it imperils souls, it is an offense God will not tolerate, and God will in no case justify or excuse it.