Deception

Jacob is on my nerves, today.  As I re-read the account of the deception of his father and the theft of his brother’s blessing (see Genesis 27:1-17); I didn’t have a lot of nice things to say about him.  It’s kind of strange how our heroes of the faith are so often such terrible people.

I think we sometimes merge Jacob’s deceptions into one act, but it’s interesting that Esau remembers it differently:

“This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” (Genesis 27:36)

Jacob… is it never enough?  Oh…  I guess not…

Interestingly, I think it feels worse when Jacob takes Esau’s blessing than when he took his birthright.  In a certain sense, you have to earn a birthright…  I mean, you have to do something for it.  You have to be born in a certain order (in this case, first). 

Although I guess Jacob technically does something to receive the blessing; I’m not convinced that Isaac intended it to be this way (actually, we know he didn’t).  I have a suspicion that Isaac intended to bless Esau out of the love he had shared with him over a lifetime.  I think the blessing was more about who he was than what he did, and Jacob stepped right in and stole his brother’s identity.

Now… let’s be real…  The whole family is a mess.  You might read more about this particular incident here, if you’d like, but there is something horrific about parents who play favorites and love one child more than another.  There is something sickening about familial love that has limits.

Maybe it would be a good idea to stop kicking and clawing and biting and screaming in an attempt to take someone else’s blessing.  Unlike Isaac, I’m pretty sure there’s actually enough to go around.

L.