Blessed Deceit
I can get really frustrated when someone willfully lies to me. Trust is broken and it’s really hard to trust that person ever again. I really struggle with forgiveness of people who are not repentant of lies and deceit. I remember having a conversation with my children when they were small, I can handle you making mistakes, but a lie will bring down the hammer of punishment upon you.
I came across the “stolen blessing” of Jacob and Esau this morning. The lies and the deceit of Jacob and his mom are astounding. Rebekah clearly had a favorite. Jacob had already stolen the “birthright” from his brother. He was now going after the “blessing” of his dad prior to his death. The blessing of his dad was a big deal. It was a big deal to Esau too. Esau was aware that he had been tricked out of his birthright, but the blessing must have been an even bigger deal. So Rebekah and Jacob conspire to deceive Isaac in order for Jacob, the younger son, to receive a blessing. Check this out…
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.”
20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.
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.”
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.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied.
25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”(Genesis 27:19-25 NLT)
I often wonder how things would have been different if Esau had received his dad’s blessing. The Lord ends up building an entire nation through Jacob. It’s almost as if, God would have honored Jacob with or without Isaac’s blessing. I have tried to orchestrate things to go my way more than once in my life. I have tried to invoke the blessing of God upon my management of events. I have learned to be careful and test what I feel like the Lord is telling me. I want to make sure it is His Spirit speaking into my heart and not my flesh. I want what I want, but I’m learning to seek His face for what He wants.
I do not believe that the Lord calls upon me to deceive anyone in order for Him to bless me. I do believe that the Lord has used me in spite of stupid behavior in my past – that’s grace. I’m thankful that even when I do something stupid to get what I want, there is forgiveness and sometimes even blessing – that’s grace and mercy. I need to exercise more grace with others who are deceitful with me. I can use caution too – but grace needs to prevail.
Pressing On!
Dwayne