Does the end justify the means? Is it really easier to get forgiveness than permission? If we wonder, we may place these sayings alongside scripture. Sir Walter Scott wrote in his epic poem Marmion,
“Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!”
He might have been writing about Rebekah and Jacob in this story.
As Rebekah eavesdropped on Isaac’s request of Esau, she hatched a scheme to deceive him and steal Esau’s blessing for her favorite son Jacob. She sent him to get young goats for her to cook. Pretending to be his brother Esau, Jacob would deceive his father. Even Jacob the trickster was not sure whether the plan would work. Wouldn’t his voice and smooth skin give him away? Not to worry. Rebekah had a plan.
What do we want more than anything? What would we do to get it? For Christians, the end does not justify the means. If we cannot get permission, we should not presume we will be forgiven. As an alternative, we place our trust in God. Since God planned for Jacob to be the heir of the promise, Rebekah and Jacob might have trusted him. So may we.
