Jacob - Pt. 4

 

So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. (Genesis 27:18-24 ESV).

 

Jacob is the deceiver in this portion of the story. He pretends to be his brother, Esau, in order to receive his father’s blessing, which includes special promises from God. Twice he blatantly lies to his father about his identity. He also lies about God helping him on a hunt that never happened. We can imagine Jacob nervously waiting while his father eats, knowing that in just a short time Esau will return and these lies will be revealed. Jacob was clearly a deceiver, adding one lie to another to trick his aged father. Jacob even faked the way he smelled, and that “smell of a field” reminded Isaac of God’s blessing. Jacob wanted to portray himself as someone worthy of his father’s approval, but he was not yet someone who could be trusted with the gifts of abundance and blessing that God had promised.

 

Before we are too hard on this Old Testament patriarch, we must ask ourselves if we are really so different? Don’t we often lie about our identity, to others and to ourselves? Thinking that God will be impressed with our achievements, we dress ourselves in the claim that we’re pretty good people. We lie about our own sins and the harm we do to others. And we too do not (yet) “smell” like the One who has received God’s blessing (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:15). Don’t we often quantify and rank the severity of sin before God. We must remind ourselves there is no one who is righteous before God.

 

That ought to prompt a great sense of repentance in us. Only in Christ can we admit our true identity: a deceiver, a sinner in need of grace. I am so grateful that the Scripture is honest in showing us both the failures and successes of those who have gone before us. It encourages me to be honest with God today, and receive his grace and forgiveness. I pray it will do the same for you.