And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
Isaac was more than one hundred years old, dim of sight and infirm, yet he still favored Esau and resolved to bestow the firstborn blessing upon him before his death, contrary to the known purpose of God. He called Esau to him privately and told him to go to the field to hunt venison and prepare meat as a feast, according to custom for such occasions, so the blessing could then be given. Rebekah heard Isaac's instruction to Esau when Esau went to the field to hunt and bring in venison.
She remembered God's words that the elder should serve the younger, she knew Esau had sold his birthright, and she had been divinely instructed that Jacob was to be in the direct line for the birth of the Redeemer. She was confident Isaac was going contrary to the will of God and could not be changed by reasoning. As soon as Esau departed for the field she used the moment to call Jacob and set in motion a stratagem for Jacob to obtain Isaac's blessing by deception.
Mother and son should have waited for the Lord to accomplish His own foretold purpose in His own way and time instead of trying to bring about the foretold events by deception. Their scheme showed lack of faith in God's power to fulfill His purpose. God was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without fraud, and Jacob could have been blessed by God through a righteous life even without the privileges of the firstborn.
God did not prompt that deception, does not connive at selfishness to carry out His plans, and will not work with any devising or planning after that example. He does not justify such attempts and will not excuse them. The deception was secret working marked by partiality, hypocrisy, and deceptive reasoning to turn another from his rights. It is the same kind of deception practiced by men standing in high places of trust who handle men as machinery, bind their freedom, and grasp all they can irrespective of their agreements and of the wrong to those disappointed and wronged.
It warns commandment-keeping people against covetousness, selfishness, ambitious pride, rivalry, conniving at evil, and underhand dealing to gain the advantage of brethren, which hurts and finally ruins the soul. The time has come to investigate Christ's teachings to ancient Israel against them. Their unrighteous course brought only distrust, jealousy, revenge, and lifelong separation. That wrong forced Jacob to flee for his life from his brother's anger and later face the danger of Esau's approach, while bearing self-reproach because his sin had brought him into peril. It cost him peace and confidence in divine protection.
That fraud in obtaining the birthright and blessing by fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and claim the right to destroy him, and Satan moved Esau to march against Jacob to take his life. Jacob afterward repented of that wrong of obtaining the blessing and birthright by fraud. Despite his sin and despair, God did not forsake him. In his long night of wrestling for deliverance from the hand of Esau he cast himself on God's mercy, pointed back to his repentance, reviewed his life almost to despair, and held fast the Angel with earnest agonizing cries until he prevailed.
God heard Jacob's prayer and mercifully preserved his life only because he had previously repented of obtaining the blessing by fraud; without that prior repentance God could not have heard his prayer. His wrestling pictures God's people in their final struggle with the powers of evil in the time of trouble, when tested faith holds to God's strength and mercy and pleads the promises made through Christ to helpless repenting sinners without concealed wrongs. Concealed, unforgiven sins would overwhelm them with despair and destroy their confidence to plead for deliverance, but their confessed sins have already come before the judgment and been blotted out by Christ's atoning blood.
Isaac was more than one hundred years old, dim of sight and infirm, yet he still favored Esau and resolved to bestow the firstborn blessing upon him before his death, contrary to the known purpose of God. He called Esau to him privately and told him to go to the field to hunt venison and prepare meat as a feast, according to custom for such occasions, so the blessing could then be given. Rebekah heard Isaac's instruction to Esau when Esau went to the field to hunt and bring in venison.
She remembered God's words that the elder should serve the younger, she knew Esau had sold his birthright, and she had been divinely instructed that Jacob was to be in the direct line for the birth of the Redeemer. She was confident Isaac was going contrary to the will of God and could not be changed by reasoning. As soon as Esau departed for the field she used the moment to call Jacob and set in motion a stratagem for Jacob to obtain Isaac's blessing by deception.
Mother and son should have waited for the Lord to accomplish His own foretold purpose in His own way and time instead of trying to bring about the foretold events by deception. Their scheme showed lack of faith in God's power to fulfill His purpose. God was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without fraud, and Jacob could have been blessed by God through a righteous life even without the privileges of the firstborn.
God did not prompt that deception, does not connive at selfishness to carry out His plans, and will not work with any devising or planning after that example. He does not justify such attempts and will not excuse them. The deception was secret working marked by partiality, hypocrisy, and deceptive reasoning to turn another from his rights. It is the same kind of deception practiced by men standing in high places of trust who handle men as machinery, bind their freedom, and grasp all they can irrespective of their agreements and of the wrong to those disappointed and wronged.
It warns commandment-keeping people against covetousness, selfishness, ambitious pride, rivalry, conniving at evil, and underhand dealing to gain the advantage of brethren, which hurts and finally ruins the soul. The time has come to investigate Christ's teachings to ancient Israel against them. Their unrighteous course brought only distrust, jealousy, revenge, and lifelong separation. That wrong forced Jacob to flee for his life from his brother's anger and later face the danger of Esau's approach, while bearing self-reproach because his sin had brought him into peril. It cost him peace and confidence in divine protection.
That fraud in obtaining the birthright and blessing by fraud gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and claim the right to destroy him, and Satan moved Esau to march against Jacob to take his life. Jacob afterward repented of that wrong of obtaining the blessing and birthright by fraud. Despite his sin and despair, God did not forsake him. In his long night of wrestling for deliverance from the hand of Esau he cast himself on God's mercy, pointed back to his repentance, reviewed his life almost to despair, and held fast the Angel with earnest agonizing cries until he prevailed.
God heard Jacob's prayer and mercifully preserved his life only because he had previously repented of obtaining the blessing by fraud; without that prior repentance God could not have heard his prayer. His wrestling pictures God's people in their final struggle with the powers of evil in the time of trouble, when tested faith holds to God's strength and mercy and pleads the promises made through Christ to helpless repenting sinners without concealed wrongs. Concealed, unforgiven sins would overwhelm them with despair and destroy their confidence to plead for deliverance, but their confessed sins have already come before the judgment and been blotted out by Christ's atoning blood.