April 21 2011, 7:29 pm | Daniel Bollen
As I was reading through the first few verses of Genesis 27 this morning, God showed me something I have overlooked in the past. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Isaac, in his old age, called his oldest son Esau to meet with him. During this meeting, Isaac asked Esau to hunt down and prepare a “delicious” meal for him “so that I may eat, [and] that my soul may bless you before I die” (Gen 27:4). Rebekah, Isaac’s wife and Esau’s mother, overheard the conversation and sent for their other son Jacob. Rebekah told Jacob what was going on and revealed a plan she had devised to deceive Isaac and gain the blessing for Jacob. These next few verses hold the truth God revealed to me earlier.
Genesis 27:11-13
“11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”
In verse 11, we see Jacob pointing out the flaws in his mother’s plan but verse 12 suggests that Jacob isn’t just skeptical that the plan may fail; he is hesitant. But why is he hesitant? I believe verse 12 also demonstrates that Jacob’s hesitancy doesn’t come from moral conviction, rather, his hesitancy stems from self-preservation. THAT’S THE PROBLEM. In the past, what kept me from sinning and even today, what often keeps me from sinning is not a moral conviction based on a righteous principle or the Spirit leading me to live and act righteously. Instead, often times I refrain from sinning because of “a curse I might bring upon myself”. I am worried about what would happen if I sinned. What will people think? How will they respond if they find out? This line of reasoning is dangerously weak because the moment something offers protection from these fears, my defense for not sinning has just been removed. If self-preservation is the motivating factor behind choosing not to sin, then like Jacob when Rebekah persuades him in verse 13, we are vulnerable to any argument or logic that suggests that we can partake in the sin but still preserve our self.
To sum it all up, I always thought Jacob was alone in his deception. However, his mother actually talked him into it. So often when we sin, we may resist for a little while, but if our resistance is based on the consequences of our actions or the “curse” we would bring upon ourselves if we get caught, eventually we will fall… eventually, we will get talked into it. As Christians, we must be unwavering in our pursuit of righteousness rather than a concern for our self.