“And he said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ And he said, ‘I am.’" (v.24)
Isaac, who was growing old and not knowing when he might die, wanted to give his blessing to his son Esau, whom he loved (Genesis 25:28). But here in our text, Isaac was deceived by his son Jacob's lies and his wife Rebekah's planning. Isaac was no stranger to lies because, as we saw in Genesis Chapter 26, Isaac had told at least one major lie in his own life. And that lie jeopardized not only his life, but also his marriage and the lives of everyone in his large encampment.
But now he was being lied to and Jacob does his very best to impersonate his brother. He knew the words that Esau might say, the manner in which he would approach his father, etc. Since Isaac was now blind Jacob knew he didn’t need to worry about his father recognizing him. The only hurdle to overcome for Jacob was the fact that his voice did not exactly match that of his brother Esau.
Isaac is initially surprised that his son Esau would return so fast from a kill with a dish to eat. But Jacob tells his father a lie saying that the Lord had had ‘caused it to happen to me.’ Isaac immediately senses that Jacob’s voice does not exactly match that of Esau but when he feels the hairy pelts on Jacob’s hands he believes that this must indeed be his son Esau. However, his suspicion eventually leads him to ask (and this really is sad when you consider the circumstances), “Are you really my son Esau?” And Jacob replied by telling the biggest lie yet: “(Yes) I am.”
Yes, Jacob received the blessing through deception, but as a result, much trouble would come to him through a deceiving family. Remember, if you model the telling of lies, don’t be too surprised when your children do also. Therefore, be truthful and do not lie, it is not worth making people angry and bitter for no good reason, nor perpetuating the characteristic to your children.
In the ensuing chapters we will find out that in Laban, whom Isaac sends Jacob to in order to find his match, will deceive Jacob many times over. The “heel-catcher” will meet the master “heel-catcher.”
The Truth: “Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.” (Psalm 34:13)
