Genesis 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”
Jacob knew that God had promised him the birthright blessing (“the older will serve the younger” Gen 25:23). Not only that, but Jacob had secured an oath from Esau, giving him that same birthright (which the Lord already promised him) in exchange for a bowl of stew: “But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob” (Gen 23:33). So why does he feel the need to engage in this deception in chapter 27?
Genesis 27:20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.
Ok, so that is a rhetorical question. I know the answer. I bet you do, too. Sometimes when I want something really, really badly, I decide to try to help God out a little. I trust Him, but… He could use my help, right? Maybe I justify myself by saying that I don’t go to the deceitful lengths of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob, but my heart is the same: I am afraid and I act to achieve the ends I want to see.
Genesis 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
Precious Savior, Forgive me when I am stubborn and headstrong, so locked into what I feel is my due that I run all over You and others to try to orchestrate things to turn out my way. Help me, always, to glorify You–in my words, in my thoughts, in my actions. Help me, Jesus. Amen.
Genesis 27:22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
Have a blessed day.