The Blind Lies to the Blind

[Jacob] went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” [Isaac] answered. “Who is it?”

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.”

Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,” [Jacob] replied.

Genesis 27:18-20

I heard this story dozens–perhaps even hundreds!–of times growing up. I got so used to this conversation that it seemed normal. This is what Jacob and Isaac always say to each other at this point in the story.

But it’s not normal.

When I slow down long enough to hear what Jacob’s saying, it’s dumbfounding.

Isaac recognizes the voice of a son but can not tell which one he is. Isaac is dependent on his son to tell him the truth.

But Jacob uses intimate knowledge of his father–specifically his weakness, his blindness–against him.

And lies.

Jacob’s Lies

“I am Esau”

(Jacob)

And lies.

“your firstborn”

(second born)

And lies.

“I have done as you told me.”

(as Mother told me)

And lies.

“Please sit up and eat some of my game”

(your own kid goats)

And lies.

“so that you may give me your blessing”

(before Esau gets back)

And then blasphemes.

Isaac asks, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

Jacob replies, “The Lord your God gave me success.”

The NLT reads, “The Lord your God put it in my path!”

Jacob’s “God Add”

Jacob, you didn’t!

You didn’t just throw in God to add credibility to your lies, did you?

You didn’t just evoke the most powerful moment in your father’s history with God for your own personal gain, did you?

You didn’t just hint that God gave you the wild game just as He provided the ram on Mount Moriah, did you?

How can you so easily disbelieve–desecrate, even–your father’s core truth: “God Will Provide”?

Do you see what you are doing?

Or has the force of habit blinded you to all but your own ambition?

You have dug yourself deep into the meddling pit.

But you’ve not yet stooped as low as you can go.

You will do one last small but enormously symbolic act before this scene draws to a close.

Lessons from Jacob

1. Quit with the lies. To myself. To others. Stop lying before it’s too late.
2. Open my eyes. To the truth about my motives. To the truth about where God is (and isn’t) in the midst of my messes. See the truth about my own blindness.

Try This Today:

As you’re building your “God Will Provide” family time line, include a situation that involved lying and/or blindness.

Your Turn!

How has lying and/or blindness (literal or spiritual) impacted a relationship recently?