God's Sovereignty

This is the story of the twin brothers Jacob & Esau. Esau was the first boy to come out, making him the firstborn. He became a skillful hunter- a man who was comfortable in the wilderness often embodying a rugged, adventurous and untamed spirit. His brother, Jacob came out grasping Esau’s heel. Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents- a homebody. Isaac, their father who loved wild games, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Their father became old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see. He called his firstborn Esau and asked him to go out in the wild and hunt a wild game for him and then prepare a delicious stew for him to eat so that he could give him his blessing before he dies. The brother’s mother, Rebekah, was listening as her husband spoke to Esau. Immediately after Esau left for the open country, she called Jacob and told her what she heard and instructed him to go to the flock and bring her two young goats so that she could prepare a stew the way her husband likes it so that Jacob can give it to him and receive the blessing instead of his brother Esau. Jacob was skeptical about this because of his smooth skin versus Esau’s hairy skin. He was afraid that his father would notice, and this would bring a curse to his life rather than a blessing. His mother told him to let the curse fall on her and just do as she said.

Lo and behold, Jacob did as his mother had told him. His father was suspicious at first, but Jacob was covered in goatskin, and it felt like his skin was hairy and he had also worn Esau’s clothes and smelled like him, so Isaac gave him the blessing.  

When Esau came back with the wild stew and found out that his father had given Jacob his blessings; he was devastated and burst out with a loud and bitter cry. His father also trembled violently at the news of the deceitfulness Jacob did. However, there was nothing that Isaac could do about the blessings as they had already gone to Jacob. The Bible says that Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him and swore to himself that once his father passes away, he will kill his brother Jacob.

Now, the question for the story is, did Rebekah have the right to do what she did? Deceiving her husband and sinning against God. She and Jacob both sinned against God, and they knew it and proceeded with their plan anyway.

Rebekah’s weakness became clear at two points; the lack of reverence and respect for her husband and his leadership and the exhibition of favoritism concerning her sons, which brought into their home rivalry, deceit and contention. Her unwavering faith in her youth faltered, and she took into her own hands the direction of the future of her sons. Perhaps her own discernment of her sons- that is, recognizing Esau as worldly and adventuresome and Jacob as having more potential for spiritual sensitivity – or her won affinity toward one son over the other or even a strong faith in God’s revealed plan motivated her own deceitful acts.

In any case, the deceiving of her husband was without excuse, and her poor example to her son was a far-fetching tragedy. Even if her motive was pure, her action was wrong. She paid a bitter price in living out her final years in separation from the son whose presence she desired, in alienation from the son who would ever remember his mother’s deception toward him, and in broken fellowship with her husband who had loved her devotedly. (The Woman’s Study Bible- Rebekah: A Woman of Faltering Faith)

The passage was concluded that even though sometimes, we do our own things that are not in alignment with God’s plan- He is a sovereign God. He has so much grace and mercy for us all. However, this does not mean that we should do whatever we please and think that God will always clean up after us. If He does- just remember that there are consequences for everything.

Thank you for reading and God bless you.