Like a stone thrown across the surface of a lake, actions we take today can ripple across many generations. Careful!
A trail of trickery follows the line of Abraham from his half-truths about Sarah through Isaac’s similar ploy, and on through Jacob and Laban and Jacob’s sons to Joseph himself. Only one of these (Joseph’s scheme to win over his brothers) was positive; all the others had nefarious motives. We are reminded of Sir Walter Scott’s poetic couplet: “Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive.” Watch in this story in Genesis 27 as one lie leads to another. Isaac is almost blind. He has asked his son, Esau, to hunt him some game and make a savory stew. And then, he adds, “that my soul may bless you before I die” (v 4). But mother Rebekah overheard and immediately began to scheme how Jacob, her favorite, could intercept the blessing. She sprang into action, sending Jacob after two goat kids. With the right combination of spices, old Isaac would never know. Immediately Jacob sees a problem: “Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing” (vv 11-12). No problem, says his mother. The kid skins can be attached to your arms and back of your neck, and wearing some of Esau’s clothes, he’ll never know. So far we have doctored food, camouflaged arms, and borrowed clothes, but there’s more! When his father asks, “Who are you?” he replies, “I am Esau your firstborn.” The lies just keep coming. How did he get the meat so quickly? The answer must have stung Jacob’s lips: “Because the Lord your God brought it to me” (v 20). It has been well said that the truth sometimes hurts but lies end up hurting more. In the following lesson, wait till you see what happens next.