Truth Be Told: Little Lies Aren’t Pretty (Genesis 27:19-25)

“But truth be told, the truth is rarely told.” – Matthew West 🔒

Dear possible pretender,

Got a secret? Hid something you regret? Told someone you’re fine when you’re negative nine? Didn't raise your hand when the speaker asked for any who didn’t understand?

It would be a lie if you say you didn’t deceive at least once in your life. Even the patriarchs of the Bible did it. Abraham lied saying his wife was his sister (Genesis 20). Isaac did the same thing (Genesis 26). Now it’s Jacob’s turn.

Genesis 27:19-25 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

²⁰ But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

²¹ Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

²⁴ Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.”

²⁵ He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

This is how Jacob, who will be renamed Israel, got his blessing from his father.

It happened when Isaac was old and had weak eyesight. He told his firstborn Esau to hunt game, which is “the flesh of any wild animal or bird (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2021),” make savory food from it, and receive his blessing afterwards. Rebekah heard this, dressed his favorite son Jacob with skins of goat kids to make him hairy like his brother, and made the food for him to bring to Isaac, pretending he’s Esau. She did this so Jacob would have the blessing.

Here are two deceivers in action: One is the mother trying to achieve God’s will for her son her way, and the other is the son who is obedient to his mom to the point of lying to his dad. The Lord told Rebekah that her older son shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). She forced this will to happen through her dishonest scheme, and her son followed along. Both did wrongly, so one sad thing happened as a consequence. Esau came to Isaac after he had blessed Jacob, both found out about the deception, Esau asked if there’s still a blessing for him, but Isaac declared he’ll live by his sword and serve his brother, so Esau hated Jacob badly enough to want to kill him. Rebekah told Jacob this and commanded him to flee to his Uncle Laban. This is the result: They were separated. Rebekah’s favorite son has to run away for his life.

They sound like the bad guys, but Esau has his faults, too. According to the Through the Word audio guide I’m listening to, game hunter Esau symbolizes the flesh, which is born first, and homebody Jacob is the spirit, which is born second but destined to rule. The picture gets even more vivid, for Rebekah their mom represents us Christians, the bride of Christ, and Isaac represents Jesus, the promised offspring to Abraham. As Rebekah carried the twins inside her, Christians have two forces battling within them, the flesh and the spirit (Langham, Genesis 25).

Esau is the embodiment of the flesh because he sold his birthright to his brother for food in exchange (Genesis 25). It’s not because he hunts for flesh, but I find that detail to be no coincidence at all. Selling one’s birthright implies he despises being the spiritual leader as firstborns are to be one, so God had no blessing for one who rejects this role (Langham, Genesis 27).

Isaac wasn’t innocent in this story as well. He intended to bless his favorite son Esau, which was against God’s will of the older serving the younger. They all did something wrong. Don’t we all?

promotional photo of Pretty Little Liars

The title of this epistle alludes to my favorite TV series, Pretty Little Liars. I like the pretty part of the show—a thrilling mystery, some reflections of reality, and, yes, the good-looking cast and their wardrobe. However, the lies, they’re the ugly examples we shouldn’t copy but learn lessons from. The lies the mother-son duo in our passage are not little though, just like PLL. I just want to give tribute to the series and give emphasis that lies, no matter how white they look, are not at all pleasing to God.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:35, “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” It’s either you lied or you didn’t. There’s no gray area, so white lies are pitch-black to God. When Abraham said Sarah was truly his sister, he still deceived Abimelech because he didn’t say she’s his wife.

The first part of my title is Truth Be Told, a song by Matthew West. It talks about how lies are the norm and asks God to let the truth be told. What is the truth? Jesus is the Truth. I’ve blogged about it in my first ever epistle. <https://therhymingepistles.blogspot.com/2021/05/one-way-john-141-6.html>

Live like Christ, for He’s the Truth. He follows the Father from His youth. Let your yes be yes, for insincere yeses are messes. If you erred, confess, and your soul He’ll bless.

With love,

Celina <3

References

Langham, K. (n.d.). Genesis 25. Genesis | Origins. Westminster, California, United States of America: Through the Word.

Langham, K. (n.d.). Genesis 27. Genesis | Origins. Westminster, California, United States of America: Through the Word.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2021, April 15). Game. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/game-meat 

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Series 3: Genesis 12-50