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The Trick

Words of Faith Final

The Trick
Words of Faith 5-16-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL    
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 27
[11] Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with 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."
   [14] So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. [15] Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. [16] She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. [17] Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
    [18] He went to his father and said, "My father."
    "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?"
    [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 blessed 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."

         Isaac appeared to be near death, so time was of the essence. The father's final blessing upon the oldest son was sort of a last will and testament that conveyed the right to lead the family into the future. Rebekah couldn't bear the idea that Esau would head the family, so she hatched an elaborate plot.
        Why such an elaborate ruse? We are never really sure of Rebekah's motivation. Of course, Jacob was Rebekah's favorite, and she had been told by God that Jacob the younger would rule over Esau the older. She may have simply thought that God needed a little help in carrying this out. (Never a wise conclusion.) She may have also rightly discerned that Esau, who was more concerned with his appetites than with the future, was not the man to lead the family. It may have also been her personal disgust for the Hittite women Esau had married that led her to such deception.  
         Jacob was no innocent party here. He had always had an eye for being the head of the family. He was brighter, sharper, and much shrewder. He had already secured a hold on the more significant portion of the family inheritance through a simple trade for stew! To actually receive the blessing of the oldest son would place Jacob in a uniquely powerful and responsible position. There was a certain unbridled ambition here.
         Whatever the case, Rebekah made a plan for Jacob that included an elaborate lie. Jacob did not shrink at the thought of lying to his father, only at getting caught. Somehow the end justified the means in his mind. Interestingly, Rebekah's trickery is not unlike what we will see in the dealings of her brother Laban! And Jacob will learn the tough side of a tricky deal when he seeks a bride from Laban.
          We can actually learn a great deal about ethics from this story. We can see that human ambition, even toward a Godly vision, can become clouded and murky when we try too hard to do things independently. A righteous end does not justify an unrighteous means. Failure to listen carefully to God can lead us to darker places.   We will soon see that there is a huge consequence for subterfuge, lies, and trickery. We will see that Jacob's painful process of faith will become much more painful! But we will also see a remarkable thing: God was still working here. God was still in control. And God did not give up on these sinful humans even when they tried so hard to be their own God.
           This may be the best news in the whole Bible. God does not give up on his sinful, broken children, even when we do tricky and deceitful things. He does not abandon us even when trying to control our own lives. He does not reject us even when we hurt other people and ourselves along the way. Yes, there will be consequences, but God keeps loving us and seeking to bestow upon us a blessing and destiny of His planning.
           Have you been trying to handle your own life? Surely God wants us to participate and work hard toward His intentions, but only at His leading, in His strength, and in His way. Have you tried to manipulate things or people? Have you painfully sought to put your will ahead of God's will? Has ambition clouded your "reception"? This is a great time to surrender. Jesus is our example, as He prayed, "Nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done."     

       Father, forgive me the times I have tried so hard to work out my way rather than Your way. Forgive me the times I have put myself ahead of those around me. Forgive me for failing to listen to You and to the needs of others. I give this day to You.  Not my will, but Thy will be done. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.