#73 Esau or Not Genesis 27

So he went 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 just as you told me; please arise, sit 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?" And he said, "because the Lord your God brought it to me." Isaac said to Jacob, "please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not." So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he 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. Then he said, "are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am." He said, "bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, "come near now and kiss me, my son." And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: Surely the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!" Genesis 27: 18-29 NKJV

This is a difficult section to read. Jacob's actions are deplorable, but I can't imagine there being no hurt in pretending to be another, to gain the blessing of your father. Isaac gives the boy several opportunities to end the deceit, but he marches on, and he receives the blessing that Isaac intended for his other son. Both men are wrong here, if you look at the blessing that Isaac gives him; in the end, it is the covenant blessing. God had already given this to Jacob; neither man was trusting in God's will and purpose. The father is acting no better than the son, and the son will suffer for this. The wisdom of the patriarchs is passed down in the honest telling of the stories. They were men like us; they were sinners. What Jacob receives from God is apart from any good dealings of his own. It is in spite of who we are in sin, but rather and by faith who we are in Christ.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 NKJV