Deception: Genesis 27.1-29 (ESV)

We’ve been working through Genesis since January and then we got this thing called COVID.  We do a lot of planning.  Some things we even plan out a year out.  In this season it’s hard to plan even a few weeks out.  You’ll receive some updates later on this week about our plans for the fall.  In March everything was crazy and we were asking, “God, what do we need to do?”  God pressed upon my heart that His Word is sufficient in these times.  I just need to stay with scripture.  The Bible addresses so many things in our lives.  God speaks into our lives through the Bible.  Here’s what we want to happen in these times: we want you to keep growing and to get spiritually stronger.  Satan’s tactic is confusion.  God’s Word unites us.  Jesus’ prayer for the church was to make us one.  I want you to not just get through all of this but to get stronger.  Today we wrestle with deception.  The serpent came to deceive.  Cain tried to deceive God saying he wasn’t his brother’s keeper.  Deception came in so early.  We think, “Sure!  I understand deception is in the Bible, but I’m not that kind of person.”  Maybe you’ve already been deceptive this morning if someone asked you how you’re doing and you responded, “I’m fine.” 

Where we are in this passage is Rebekah and Isaac have two children: Esau and Jacob.  It was common in those times for the father to pass a blessing onto the son.  It was a legal transfer of power and wealth.  Isaac is getting ready and the plan was for Isaac to pass the blessing to Esau, the oldest.  Rebekah sought the Lord while she was pregnant and God spoke to her saying her older son will serve the younger.  This was a dilemma.  Isaac is about to transfer everything to Esau and Rebekah wants it to go to Jacob.  There’s a tremendous amount of drama in this family.

Deception begins in the mind.

In our thoughts is where deception begins.  Rebekah is known for her decisiveness.  She was a decisive person.  Here we see it again:

                    ⁶Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 

She overheard Esau getting word to prepare a final meal so Isaac can give him his blessing.  Rebekah is planning what she needs to do to give Jacob the blessing.  Something isn’t right in this family.  Esau is out hunting and Rebekah knows her time is short.  She’s put together a plan.  For her, the end justifies the means.  She launches the plan.  Most of us do not set out to be deceptive people.  We think before we act most of the time.

I plan out my desserts.  A few weeks ago I was in Alabama with my family on July 4^th and we were having a big meal.  While eating my BBQ I realized there were three dessert options plus ice cream!  I was planning how I can have a taste of all of them.  We do this with a lot of things in our lives.  We also have the opportunity to change things while they’re in the thought stage.  We have seen Rebekah seek God but here there’s no pause before God.  There’s no asking what she should do in this moment.  If we pause in the moment and ask God what to do it can save us a lot of heartache. 

Your parents can be wrong.

Sometimes our parents are wrong.  Rebekah was wrong, but she had the right promise.  Rebekah leads her son down the wrong path.

                    ¹⁴So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 

The plan was that while Esau was out hunting Jacob would go get an animal and deceive his father.  We see Jacob pause here.  He doesn’t want to go through with this but his mother is persuasive.  Rebekah prepares the food.  She is a fixer.  Parents, we want to protect our children.  Rebekah ends up leading Jacob down the wrong path.  Jacob goes along with his mom.  Jacob is responsible for his actions too.  Kids, most of the time your parents are right but every once in a while they may not be.  So Jacob goes along with Rebekah.  Sometimes we need to pause and ask God what to do.  Parents can do some crazy things like route for the St. Louis Cardinals, for example! 

Mary was wrong in Mark 3 when Jesus began his public ministry.  Jesus had been labeled as crazy, or demon possessed.  Mary and the brothers of Jesus launched a plan.  They’re thinking they have to get Jesus outta there!  Mary, with the greatest intentions, tries to stop Jesus.  In Mark 3, Jesus is told his mom is there.  Jesus responds with a question and asks who are his mother and brothers.  Mary was wrong.  She had a good heart but Jesus came to go to the cross and to bring forgiveness of our sins.  Jesus came with a purpose and you and I need to be reconciled.  Logically, we think, “I’m not that bad of a person.”  Yes we are!  Because of our sin we are irreconcilably separated from God!  Jesus had to go to the cross.  There is no other way to be reconciled.  Jesus died in our place so we can be reconciled to the Father.  We are wise to pay attention when something doesn’t feel right.

Pay attention when something doesn’t feel right.

                    ¹⁸So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 

Jacob goes in to see his father.  Isaac has been waiting.  In verse 18 he hesitates.  What a strange statement!  Jacob goes in to where his father is and is asked who are you? My son?  That’s not a normal question a father would ask.  Isaac is right.  He’s figured it out.  All the planning they did. The hairy arms, the smell… and here’s the one thing they didn’t think about: the voice.  Mothers can pick out their child’s voice in a crowd of children playing.  When their child cries a mother knows it’s her child.  Our voices are distinct.  Isaac knows the voice doesn’t sound right.  He has a moment of pause.  Something’s not right in our hearts as well.  Deception gets even worse when we start with a lie and we have to increase the lie.

God’s name can be put on anything.

Isaac asks questions.  He presses in farther:

                    ²⁰But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” 

Esau is hunting.  Isaac is old, feeble and his eyesight is fading, but he is sharper than they thought.  Jacob has lied three times in this passage.  Isaac has figured it out.  The question is simple.  Look at his answer in verse 20.  The Lord granted me great success.  It’s saying here, “God sent it to me at just the right time.”  This language comes from one of the greatest events of Isaac’s life: when God provided a ram when Abraham had him strapped to an altar.    Jacob has heard this story.  The lie is saying God provided the animal at just the right moment.  Isaac buys it.  There’s always a bit of skepticism when someone says, “God told me to do it.”  Sometimes God does say things that don’t make sense.  Sometimes somebody is using God to deceive us.  In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus tells us to let our yes be a yes and our no be no.  Here’s what the Pharisees would do: they’d put God’s name on it.  It’s like us saying, “I swear to God this is true.”  This is a red flag.  Be careful when someone adds God’s name to give greater emphasis. 

Deception can bring short term success.

Jacob ends up getting the blessing.  It looks like he is successful.  Isaac realizes what’s happened.  He’s transferred his estate to Jacob.

                    ²⁷So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him

It worked.  We deceive because in the short term we get what we want.  Kids, when your mom asks you to clean your room and you remove everything off the floor but it’s thrown in other places works in the short term.  You eventually have to deal with the mess in the long term. 

We think God needs our help, right?  We think we have to intervene.  Isaac’s mother did the same.  Sarah tried to help God.  Rebekah didn’t plan for unintended consequences.  Rebekah was successful in getting Jacob the blessing but she loses Jacob forever.  After this Jacob leaves and she dies before she sees him again. 

The greatest deception of all happens in our hearts.  There’s a lie Satan whispers, “God won’t forgive you.   You’re not good enough.”  God’s promises are true.  The truth of the Bible is that we can trust God.  God’s grace is enough.  The cross is sufficient.  We don’t need deception.  The hope of Christ is enough.  Will you trust God today?  Can you say, “My hope is in You, Lord?”

Sermon Notes are taken, transcribed and posted by Jeni Martin Johnson.