Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
The verse records a mother's order for her younger son to follow her scheme to mislead his blind, aged father to take the blessing meant for his older brother. Though she knew the divine promise that the older would serve the younger and that the birthright had been sold, neither she nor her son were led by God in using fraud to secure what God had already promised, but should have left Him to fulfill His word in His own time and way. The end does not excuse the wrong, for God could have blessed as He chose without deceit and will not join in selfish scheming to carry out His purposes. The deceit brought guilt and lasting separation and danger that could only be met by repentance before God would hear and save, and it gave the accuser ground to seek his destruction until mercy was pleaded. It stands as a warning never to seek advantage over others by dishonest dealing and as a picture of the anguish of God's people when only confessed and forgiven sins are blotted out and cannot be urged against them.
Command to Deceive
Genesis 27:8 is Rebekah's direction to Jacob to obey her instructions in her scheme to secure Isaac's blessing for him by deceiving his blind, aged father and taking the blessing intended for Esau. The account is one of fraud, in which Jacob at his mother's urging obtained his father's blessing by deceit.
Her plan rested on the Lord's promise that the elder would serve the younger and on her knowledge that Esau had sold his birthright. Jacob had already been promised the blessing by God. He was at first unwilling to take part in the deception and then agreed to carry it out, obeying his mother in a dishonest act.
Her command and his compliance were wrong, and God did not prompt them to act as they did. Instead of attempting to bring about God's foretold purpose by fraud and selfish devising and planning, they should have trusted God to fulfill the promise in His own way and time and waited for Him to act. God was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without such planning. He could bless or reject either son according to his conduct, and could have given Jacob the blessing without the privileges of the firstborn and without fraud. He will not work with conniving after this example nor connive at selfishness to carry out His plans, for His purpose does not justify wrongdoing.
Guilt, Flight, and Repentance
Obeying his mother drew Jacob into fraud against his blind, aged father to seize the blessing meant for Esau, though the blessing had already been promised to him by God. He could have received it without deceit if he had trusted God to fulfill the promise in His own way and time, and the fact that he took it by wrongdoing shows that God's purpose does not justify wrongdoing and that men reap what they sow. That deception brought guilt, fear, and remorse, with family distrust, jealousy, and revenge and lasting consequences. He knew he had sinned and had to flee for his life from his brother's anger, and the counsel that led him into deception helped bring about his separation from his mother for the rest of her life.
The fraud was sin that had to be repented of before God would hear Jacob's prayer and mercifully save his life and preserve him from danger. Without that repentance God could not have heard him. Having learned that God is merciful, Jacob cast himself upon mercy, pointing back to his repentance for that sin and pleading for deliverance from Esau.
That sin gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and to claim the right to destroy him. Satan pressed that guilt upon him during the night of wrestling to discourage him and break his hold on God. Jacob's later experience of danger, crushing self-reproach, and anguish represents the distress God's people will face in the time of trouble. Unconfessed sin would leave them without confidence to plead for deliverance, while sins already confessed and forgiven have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ and cannot be brought against them when the life is reviewed under fear and anguish.
Warning Against Dishonest Gain
The command to join in deceiving Isaac to secure his blessing stands as a warning to God's commandment-keeping people never to depart into covetousness, selfishness, ambitious pride and rivalry. They are never to seek to gain the advantage of brethren in the faith in any business deal by unfair methods, underhand dealing, dishonesty, intrigue, pretense, fraud or bribery. Such unholy work corrupts every pure principle and will hurt and finally ruin every soul who engages in it.
A deception like Jacob's practices partiality and hypocrisy, turning away from obeying God's Word to follow deceptive human reasoning and human counsels claimed as the voice of God. Selfishness and covetousness pervert right principles into crooked paths, binding men's God-given freedom and turning men from their rights. It grasps all possible advantage regardless of agreements and regardless of the harm to those disappointed and wronged.
The verse records a mother's order for her younger son to follow her scheme to mislead his blind, aged father to take the blessing meant for his older brother. Though she knew the divine promise that the older would serve the younger and that the birthright had been sold, neither she nor her son were led by God in using fraud to secure what God had already promised, but should have left Him to fulfill His word in His own time and way. The end does not excuse the wrong, for God could have blessed as He chose without deceit and will not join in selfish scheming to carry out His purposes. The deceit brought guilt and lasting separation and danger that could only be met by repentance before God would hear and save, and it gave the accuser ground to seek his destruction until mercy was pleaded. It stands as a warning never to seek advantage over others by dishonest dealing and as a picture of the anguish of God's people when only confessed and forgiven sins are blotted out and cannot be urged against them.
Command to Deceive
Genesis 27:8 is Rebekah's direction to Jacob to obey her instructions in her scheme to secure Isaac's blessing for him by deceiving his blind, aged father and taking the blessing intended for Esau. The account is one of fraud, in which Jacob at his mother's urging obtained his father's blessing by deceit.
Her plan rested on the Lord's promise that the elder would serve the younger and on her knowledge that Esau had sold his birthright. Jacob had already been promised the blessing by God. He was at first unwilling to take part in the deception and then agreed to carry it out, obeying his mother in a dishonest act.
Her command and his compliance were wrong, and God did not prompt them to act as they did. Instead of attempting to bring about God's foretold purpose by fraud and selfish devising and planning, they should have trusted God to fulfill the promise in His own way and time and waited for Him to act. God was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without such planning. He could bless or reject either son according to his conduct, and could have given Jacob the blessing without the privileges of the firstborn and without fraud. He will not work with conniving after this example nor connive at selfishness to carry out His plans, for His purpose does not justify wrongdoing.
Guilt, Flight, and Repentance
Obeying his mother drew Jacob into fraud against his blind, aged father to seize the blessing meant for Esau, though the blessing had already been promised to him by God. He could have received it without deceit if he had trusted God to fulfill the promise in His own way and time, and the fact that he took it by wrongdoing shows that God's purpose does not justify wrongdoing and that men reap what they sow. That deception brought guilt, fear, and remorse, with family distrust, jealousy, and revenge and lasting consequences. He knew he had sinned and had to flee for his life from his brother's anger, and the counsel that led him into deception helped bring about his separation from his mother for the rest of her life.
The fraud was sin that had to be repented of before God would hear Jacob's prayer and mercifully save his life and preserve him from danger. Without that repentance God could not have heard him. Having learned that God is merciful, Jacob cast himself upon mercy, pointing back to his repentance for that sin and pleading for deliverance from Esau.
That sin gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and to claim the right to destroy him. Satan pressed that guilt upon him during the night of wrestling to discourage him and break his hold on God. Jacob's later experience of danger, crushing self-reproach, and anguish represents the distress God's people will face in the time of trouble. Unconfessed sin would leave them without confidence to plead for deliverance, while sins already confessed and forgiven have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ and cannot be brought against them when the life is reviewed under fear and anguish.
Warning Against Dishonest Gain
The command to join in deceiving Isaac to secure his blessing stands as a warning to God's commandment-keeping people never to depart into covetousness, selfishness, ambitious pride and rivalry. They are never to seek to gain the advantage of brethren in the faith in any business deal by unfair methods, underhand dealing, dishonesty, intrigue, pretense, fraud or bribery. Such unholy work corrupts every pure principle and will hurt and finally ruin every soul who engages in it.
A deception like Jacob's practices partiality and hypocrisy, turning away from obeying God's Word to follow deceptive human reasoning and human counsels claimed as the voice of God. Selfishness and covetousness pervert right principles into crooked paths, binding men's God-given freedom and turning men from their rights. It grasps all possible advantage regardless of agreements and regardless of the harm to those disappointed and wronged.