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| Genesis 27: 18 - 29
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 proceeded to bless 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.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”
27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
and earth’s richness—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.”
New International Version (NIV)
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Donald Miller wrote about a cussing pastor in his book Blue Like Jazz. “Unthinkable,” I thought. Actually, I once knew a cussing pastor. He is no longer a pastor, but he cussed a lot. At one of our meetings, two pastors had a wager on how long it would take the cussing pastor cuss. Betting on cussing seems strange to me.
My Baptist mother made it her mission to eradicate cussing from the earth. We were not allowed to use “by-words.” Even saying “darn” or “dang” garnered a stern look. This created cognitive dissonance because our soldier father had learned many colorful phrases in his time in the military. Suffice it to say that my brothers and I tasted Ivory soap when we were kids.
The Israelites knew they were not to take the Lord’s name in vain. What exactly does that mean? To mom, it meant cussing. Cussing is certainly included in the spectrum of words Christians should not use. But God’s name is uniquely holy. Among the other sins Jacob committed, he most certainly took the Lord’s name in vain here. Not only did he lie to his dad, but he did it in the good name of the Lord.
We notice that Isaac is suspicious about whether he is being deceived. He asks how his son killed wild game so quickly. “The Lord your God gave me success.” Jacob involved God in his lie, falsely associating God with his deceitful plan. This is an example of taking the name of the Lord in vain. When Isaac questioned again, Jacob kept the lie going so that he could steal his brother’s blessing. The ruse worked. Isaac blessed Jacob with the blessing intended for his brother.
Jacob’s misuse of God’s name to get his father’s blessing reminds me of the book of James. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9). Jacob blessed God to curse his brother. As James said, “My brothers and sisters, this should not be” (James 3:10).
Is there a moral to this story? If you are planning to deceive a parent to defraud a brother or sister, be sure not to blame your actions on God. He had nothing to do with it!
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Pray with me:
Father, we thank you for teaching us your truth. Forgive us, we pray for ways that we have sought to deceive others. In the name of Jesus who is the truth, help us to believe, live, and tell the truth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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| Our Monday through Friday devotionals are in the book of Genesis this year. Join us for these devotionals as we learn together about our God and his Kingdom in the world.
We also invite you to join us as we read through the Bible. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy here:
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