Deception + Fraud = Failure

Rebekah and Jacob are not the kind of people you would choose as role models. Have you ever questioned why God allows such characters to be included in Holy Scripture? This mother and son combination is the epitome of deception and fraud driven by greed to get the best of what belongs to someone else.

The blessing Isaac was to give Esau was a prize that’s hard for us to comprehend. What would be the most exceptional gift you could receive? The blessing was an honorable, prestigious gift that set you apart from others in your family. No one else could rise above you. Rebekah and Jacob stole that prize from Esau.

God gave us this story for a purpose. God wants us build bridges of integrity as strongholds to prevent lusting after what belongs to others and using deception to get what we want. God enlightens our conscience with the Holy Spirit to guide us in setting boundaries to keep us within God’s approval. Be thankful for God’s faithfulness.  

Confronting Unhealthy Pressure

Proverbs 22 challenges parents to “teach their children to choose the right path because when they are older they will remain upon it.” What did Rebekah teach Jacob as a child and adolescent that allowed him to defraud his brother Esau of their father’s blessing? Fear of discovery was overwhelmed by Rebekah’s convincing words of deception.

What prevented Jacob from standing up to the pressure his mother was putting on him to commit this heinous sin? His mother’s values prevented her from teaching him appropriate boundaries and God’s rules for living. Little did he know this act of deception and fraud would permanently separate him from his mother.

Rebekah apparently felt it’s okay to be deceitful provided you don’t get caught. Jacob must have been driven by greed and lust for power and prestige. He would have to learn time and again that God neither sleeps nor slumbers. God knows our deeds and our heart, yet consistently desires to create in us a clean heart through our repentance if we will but seek it.