What if Jacob Had Not Tricked His Father Isaac?

“When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “See, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me. Then prepare for me savory food, such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.” Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food to eat, that I may bless you before the Lord before I die.’ Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you. Go to the flock, and get me two choice kids, so that I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he likes; and you shall take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies…obey my word, and go, get them for me.” So he went in to his father, and said, “My father”; and he said, “Here I am; who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went up to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. He said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” Genesis 27:1-13, 18-29 (not inclusive)

It is hard to know if the inclination to deceive Isaac was already in the heart of Jacob, or if it was his mother’s (Rebekah) influence which even put the idea initially into his head. No matter, it was not hard for her to convince him to do this deed. Why? Why was Isaac so willing a conspirator in this deed? It is hard to say. We can gather from the texts about the brothers that Esau was a hunter, an outdoorsman, while Jacob was more prone to staying at home with his mother. We also learn that Isaac loved Esau, “…because he was fond of game”; but Rebekah loved Jacob. And most likely Rebekah would have shared what the Lord had told her, that “…the elder shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23)

But, what if Jacob had a backbone and stood up to her and said “No?” What if Jacob did not trick Isaac? It is obvious to readers of the scriptures that the blessing from the father to the son was significant. The blessing was not only a familial custom, it was determined to indicate the favor of G-d upon the one receiving the blessing. And once Esau learned that Jacob had received his blessing, he was ready to kill Jacob. Everything that happens from here on out to both Jacob and Esau is contingent upon Jacob fleeing to his uncle Laban’s place – where he will meet Rachel and Leah – and thus the first of the twelve Sons of Israel will be born. Esau, in his fervent effort to gain favor with his father, marries the daughter of his uncle Ishmael.

Jacob is known for his cunning and deceit, but his lying and deceitful ways do not remove him from G-d’s favor – after all, it was foretold that the Elder would serve the Younger – and so it was. Was Jacob simply following his destiny? Had Jacob not tricked Isaac, who knows what the progeny of both would have been – but the descendants of Esau, not Jacob, would have carried the promise. Who knows, if Esau gets the blessing, then the descendents of the promise would have been called Edomites, not Israelites.

Pastor Dave

What if Joseph Gave His Coat Back – or Said Yes to Potiphar’s Wife?

“Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.” Genesis 37:1-4

Jacob, also known as Israel, had twelve sons, and one daughter. He was proud of his sons, mostly. He was proud of all of his sons, but one of his sons was more special than the others – Joseph. We are told in the scriptures that Jacob loved Joseph more because he was the son of his old age. When a father loves one child more than the others, he often will do things for them that he might not do for the others. This isn’t right, but it is just the way humans function. For Jacob, the one thing he would do for Joseph was to have a special coat made for him. It was a fancy coat – a coat with long sleeves – and as some call it, a multi-color coat, or the “Coat of Many Colors”. For Joseph it was a prized possession. For his brothers, it was a source of scorn.

Joseph wasn’t the most perceptive person, at least when it came to the actions of his family. We know Joseph was a dreamer, and he could interpret dreams. But he could not read the tea leaves that would have made it clear that his brothers were jealous of his status with their father. As such, what if Joseph had not accepted the coat of many colors, or had returned it to his father once he noticed it brought hatred and jealousy from his brothers?

It is the coat of many colors, and his dreams that finally sets into motion the fate of Joseph. He is jumped by his brothers while they are far from their father. He is sold into slavery to Ishmaelites. From there he ends up in the family homestead of Potiphar. Joseph’s life had taken a sudden and unexpected turn – from favorite to feeling forsaken. One moment he seemingly was unable to do anything wrong. The next moment he could be asking G-d “What have I done wrong to deserve this?” He goes from checking on his brother’s safety, to hoping he might safely get out of a pit – and then safely get out of the hands of Ishmaelites — and then safely out of the house of Potiphar — and then safely out of the hands of Potiphar’s wife. At each turn he could have lost hope, he could have cursed G-d, or he could have given in to temptation.

All through his journey, Joseph must have been tempted – tempted to escape – tempted to kill his captors – tempted to give up hope. But Joseph never gives in to temptation. By the time he encounters Potiphar’s wife, Joseph had made the best of all he had suffered. By giving in to temptation at that point, I believe Joseph’s character, trust, and faith would have suffered a fatal blow. If Joseph does not persevere, then his visions would have gone unfulfilled. If his visions go unfulfilled, then Joseph does not become second in command of Egypt – and does not save his brothers – and most importantly, save his father. And so he does not give in to temptation – and instead he finds himself on the wrong end of justice – landing in jail and in the company of the Pharaoh’s baker and wine steward. All along the way Joseph is noted for his wisdom, his ability to interpret dreams, and his dashing good looks. And, it will be his ability to interpret dreams that will win favor with Pharaoh – so much so that he is set up as number two of the kingdom. This leads to his family coming to reside in Egypt – and they are saved from a horrific famine. If Joseph had returned the coat, he would not have been in such a bad way with his brothers….though his dreams of being greater than his family may have still gotten him in trouble. And if he is not in Pharaoh’s jail, he would not have interpreted his dreams, and instead of saving many people from the famine, many people would die from the famine.

Joseph will say, eventually, that what his brothers intended for evil, G-d uses for good. But without the character to avoid temptation and the character to completely trust the Lord, we would not have this amazing story of one man’s test of will, courage, and faith.

Pastor Dave