And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
Isaac, believing himself near death and intending to give the firstborn blessing to the favored Esau despite God's purpose and Esau's sale of his birthright, calls the son before him to draw close in affection, not knowing he is Jacob disguised to take the blessing meant for his brother. The trick was not prompted or needed by God, but sprang from distrust that tried by selfish scheming to secure in another way what God would have accomplished in His own time and way. The wrong brought its own harvest in Esau's hatred and threats, in flight and twenty years of exile in which Jacob himself was wronged and defrauded, and in evils repeated in his sons, leaving his homeward journey burdened with misgiving and terror. That guilt had to be sincerely repented of and cast upon God's mercy, and when it was pardoned the forgiveness was sealed by the change of his name from Jacob to Israel, bringing peace and deliverance from Esau. The fraud must never be copied for advantage over a brother, for all pretense and underhand dealing must be cleansed away, and in the time of trouble only sins already repented of and blotted out give confidence to lay hold of God's strength.
Setting and Deceptive Act
Isaac, believing he was about to die, sought to give the firstborn blessing to Esau, asking him to prepare meat, venison, so he might bless him before death. He still loved Esau better than Jacob even though Esau's two idolatrous wives were a great grief to him and to Rebekah, and Esau had hidden from his father that he had sold his birthright to Jacob and confirmed it with an oath. He acted with partiality in going against God's will despite knowing God's purpose that Jacob would inherit the promise.
The word to come near and kiss was spoken to the son standing before him, whom Isaac took to be Esau but who was Jacob disguised as Esau to obtain the blessing intended for Esau. Rebekah had heard Isaac's words, remembered the Lord's word that the elder would serve the younger, and knew that Esau had lightly regarded his birthright and sold it to Jacob. Thinking the blessing could not be obtained in any other way, she persuaded Jacob to deceive his father and receive his father's blessing by fraud through presenting himself falsely, and Jacob, at first unwilling to practice this deception, finally consented to his mother's plans.
That resort to deception showed lack of trust in God rather than waiting for God to fulfill His purposes in His own way and time. God did not prompt it and did not need it, for He was fully able to provide for Jacob in His own way and would have accomplished in His own time and way what they sought by their own efforts to bring about in another way. It was selfish conniving to gain advantage over a brother. The blessing could not rightly be secured by deception, since God's favor depends on a person's love and reverence for Him, not simply on receiving the privileges of the firstborn, and a righteous Jacob would have been blessed even without them.
Consequences and Forgiveness
The coming near to kiss belongs to the fraud by which the birthright blessing already his by promise was taken, and it shows that retribution follows sin. The harvest was reaped in a brother's hatred, reaped again through twenty years of exile in which he himself was wronged and defrauded until forced to find safety in flight, and reaped a second harvest as the evils of his own character cropped out in his sons. Yet God does not contend forever, but promises to heal, to lead, to restore comforts to him and to his mourners, and to give peace to him that is far off and to him that is near. That deception to secure the blessing intended for Esau was his own sin and wrong toward his brother, bringing danger and crushing self-reproach upon him. Alarmed by deadly threats of revenge, he was forced to flee for his life and remain many years an exile before returning, and the memory of it still weighed on him with self-reproach when he feared his brother's approach.
The deception made him a fugitive and was the direct cause of his twenty-year exile from his native land. Twenty years later he left Padan-aram and returned in obedience to divine direction, upheld by divine favor and promises of help and guidance. Even so the memory of that sin was ever before him day and night, and the reproaches of an accusing conscience made his homeward journey sad and full of misgivings as the hills of his homeland appeared and all the past rose vividly before him. When he later returned at God's command the guilt of that sin filled him with terror at his brother's armed approach.
That fraud in obtaining the blessing was a wrong that had to be sincerely repented of and cast upon God's mercy. God heard his later prayer in the night of wrestling and mercifully saved and preserved his life from Esau only because he had previously repented, for without that prior repentance God could not have heard him. The guilt gave Satan claim to destroy him and left him tortured with a sense of unworthiness as he reviewed his life. God tested his faith, perseverance, and confidence by reminding him of his sin, yet answered his earnest agonizing holding fast with deliverance. This shows God is merciful to helpless repenting sinners whose sins are blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and that He can in no wise sanction or tolerate evil or concealed, unconfessed sin.
That sin as supplanter and deceiver, committed because God's promises were not trusted and His work was sought by human effort rather than in His own time and way, was later clearly set before him and pardoned. The pardon was commemorated by changing his name from Jacob to Israel as evidence of forgiveness. It ended the crisis of doubt, perplexity, and remorse and gave sweet peace of reconciliation with God. He no longer feared to meet his brother, because the God who forgave his sin could move Esau's heart to accept his humiliation and repentance.
Warning for Later Believers
The kiss Isaac requested was sought by selfish conniving and underhand dealing to gain advantage over a brother, born of covetousness, ambitious pride and rivalry. God did not prompt that presenting of Jacob falsely before his father to obtain the blessing, and did not need it, for He was fully able to provide for Jacob in His own way. It must never be copied as a pattern for devising and planning. Those who keep God's commandments must cleanse mind and heart of all such pretense, fraud and desire to gain advantage over brethren, for this unholy work corrupts every pure principle and will finally ruin all who engage in it.
That deception in coming close with a kiss while not known to be Jacob is repeated by those standing in high places of trust. The repetition comes through secret working, partiality, hypocrisy, and deceptive reasoning that perverts right principles by selfishness and covetousness. Those who do so claim their counsels stand as the voice of God while turning away from obeying God's Word. The episode stands as fraud and as an example of deceptive dealings that wrong others.
The fraud in obtaining the blessing had to be repented of beforehand and blotted out, because without that previous repentance God could not have heard Jacob's later prayer when he laid hold of the Angel and preserved his life. In the time of trouble God's people must likewise have no unconfessed sins, with sins already gone before the judgment and blotted out. Only sins so repented of give confidence to lay hold of God's strength, plead for deliverance, and pray with confidence.
Isaac, believing himself near death and intending to give the firstborn blessing to the favored Esau despite God's purpose and Esau's sale of his birthright, calls the son before him to draw close in affection, not knowing he is Jacob disguised to take the blessing meant for his brother. The trick was not prompted or needed by God, but sprang from distrust that tried by selfish scheming to secure in another way what God would have accomplished in His own time and way. The wrong brought its own harvest in Esau's hatred and threats, in flight and twenty years of exile in which Jacob himself was wronged and defrauded, and in evils repeated in his sons, leaving his homeward journey burdened with misgiving and terror. That guilt had to be sincerely repented of and cast upon God's mercy, and when it was pardoned the forgiveness was sealed by the change of his name from Jacob to Israel, bringing peace and deliverance from Esau. The fraud must never be copied for advantage over a brother, for all pretense and underhand dealing must be cleansed away, and in the time of trouble only sins already repented of and blotted out give confidence to lay hold of God's strength.
Setting and Deceptive Act
Isaac, believing he was about to die, sought to give the firstborn blessing to Esau, asking him to prepare meat, venison, so he might bless him before death. He still loved Esau better than Jacob even though Esau's two idolatrous wives were a great grief to him and to Rebekah, and Esau had hidden from his father that he had sold his birthright to Jacob and confirmed it with an oath. He acted with partiality in going against God's will despite knowing God's purpose that Jacob would inherit the promise.
The word to come near and kiss was spoken to the son standing before him, whom Isaac took to be Esau but who was Jacob disguised as Esau to obtain the blessing intended for Esau. Rebekah had heard Isaac's words, remembered the Lord's word that the elder would serve the younger, and knew that Esau had lightly regarded his birthright and sold it to Jacob. Thinking the blessing could not be obtained in any other way, she persuaded Jacob to deceive his father and receive his father's blessing by fraud through presenting himself falsely, and Jacob, at first unwilling to practice this deception, finally consented to his mother's plans.
That resort to deception showed lack of trust in God rather than waiting for God to fulfill His purposes in His own way and time. God did not prompt it and did not need it, for He was fully able to provide for Jacob in His own way and would have accomplished in His own time and way what they sought by their own efforts to bring about in another way. It was selfish conniving to gain advantage over a brother. The blessing could not rightly be secured by deception, since God's favor depends on a person's love and reverence for Him, not simply on receiving the privileges of the firstborn, and a righteous Jacob would have been blessed even without them.
Consequences and Forgiveness
The coming near to kiss belongs to the fraud by which the birthright blessing already his by promise was taken, and it shows that retribution follows sin. The harvest was reaped in a brother's hatred, reaped again through twenty years of exile in which he himself was wronged and defrauded until forced to find safety in flight, and reaped a second harvest as the evils of his own character cropped out in his sons. Yet God does not contend forever, but promises to heal, to lead, to restore comforts to him and to his mourners, and to give peace to him that is far off and to him that is near. That deception to secure the blessing intended for Esau was his own sin and wrong toward his brother, bringing danger and crushing self-reproach upon him. Alarmed by deadly threats of revenge, he was forced to flee for his life and remain many years an exile before returning, and the memory of it still weighed on him with self-reproach when he feared his brother's approach.
The deception made him a fugitive and was the direct cause of his twenty-year exile from his native land. Twenty years later he left Padan-aram and returned in obedience to divine direction, upheld by divine favor and promises of help and guidance. Even so the memory of that sin was ever before him day and night, and the reproaches of an accusing conscience made his homeward journey sad and full of misgivings as the hills of his homeland appeared and all the past rose vividly before him. When he later returned at God's command the guilt of that sin filled him with terror at his brother's armed approach.
That fraud in obtaining the blessing was a wrong that had to be sincerely repented of and cast upon God's mercy. God heard his later prayer in the night of wrestling and mercifully saved and preserved his life from Esau only because he had previously repented, for without that prior repentance God could not have heard him. The guilt gave Satan claim to destroy him and left him tortured with a sense of unworthiness as he reviewed his life. God tested his faith, perseverance, and confidence by reminding him of his sin, yet answered his earnest agonizing holding fast with deliverance. This shows God is merciful to helpless repenting sinners whose sins are blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and that He can in no wise sanction or tolerate evil or concealed, unconfessed sin.
That sin as supplanter and deceiver, committed because God's promises were not trusted and His work was sought by human effort rather than in His own time and way, was later clearly set before him and pardoned. The pardon was commemorated by changing his name from Jacob to Israel as evidence of forgiveness. It ended the crisis of doubt, perplexity, and remorse and gave sweet peace of reconciliation with God. He no longer feared to meet his brother, because the God who forgave his sin could move Esau's heart to accept his humiliation and repentance.
Warning for Later Believers
The kiss Isaac requested was sought by selfish conniving and underhand dealing to gain advantage over a brother, born of covetousness, ambitious pride and rivalry. God did not prompt that presenting of Jacob falsely before his father to obtain the blessing, and did not need it, for He was fully able to provide for Jacob in His own way. It must never be copied as a pattern for devising and planning. Those who keep God's commandments must cleanse mind and heart of all such pretense, fraud and desire to gain advantage over brethren, for this unholy work corrupts every pure principle and will finally ruin all who engage in it.
That deception in coming close with a kiss while not known to be Jacob is repeated by those standing in high places of trust. The repetition comes through secret working, partiality, hypocrisy, and deceptive reasoning that perverts right principles by selfishness and covetousness. Those who do so claim their counsels stand as the voice of God while turning away from obeying God's Word. The episode stands as fraud and as an example of deceptive dealings that wrong others.
The fraud in obtaining the blessing had to be repented of beforehand and blotted out, because without that previous repentance God could not have heard Jacob's later prayer when he laid hold of the Angel and preserved his life. In the time of trouble God's people must likewise have no unconfessed sins, with sins already gone before the judgment and blotted out. Only sins so repented of give confidence to lay hold of God's strength, plead for deliverance, and pray with confidence.