I’m the youngest of three kids, so I’m used to getting the short end of the stick.
I was always the last one picked for everything, always had to get my presents last on Christmas, ETCETERA ETCETERA.
When I played basketball with my two older brothers in the driveway, I was always the one that was responsible for inbounding the ball. My job was to literally stand on the edge of the driveway and throw it to one of my brothers so they could do an amazing trick shot from somewhere else.
High-fives abounded, yet I never once took the court. *Cue sobbing sounds*
I say that not to gain any sympathy from anyone, but simply to say that I totally empathize with Jacob. I get how it feels to be the younger brother.
But I can’t agree with how he stole the birthright from Esau. That I’m not okay with.
It’s worth taking a few seconds to notice just how far this deception goes. From Genesis 27:7-27 (twenty verses!), there is a continual back-and-forth about how this lie will play out.
First, Jacob argues with Rebekah about deceiving Isaac.
Then Rebekah steals some of Esau’s clothes to give to Jacob.
Rebekah also makes Isaac’s favorite dish, using the same recipe that Esau would use, to give to Jacob.
Finally, Jacob goes into Isaac’s room to begin the ruse. Isaac is suspicious, but every single aspect of this lie has been considered and handled. Obviously, Rebekah and Jacob have thought this through.
It’s amazing to me the lengths that people will go to in order to get what they want.
Abraham lies about his sister (twice!). David lied about Bathsheba. Peter lied about Jesus.
Lying, in particular, is a compounding sin. We have this idea that we can lie once and it’ll take care of the problem. In reality, it only creates more. When all three of those characters above lied (Abraham, David, Peter), it only made things worse. People suffered, and in some cases, even died.
Is it worth it? Absolutely not.
Not that Jacob thought about the implications of his deceit at the moment. He clearly coveted the birthright and had for some time. This was the end result of a long, drawn-out plan to take something that wasn’t his.
If only he had put that effort into doing things the right way instead.