WORDS

He didn`t live under betrayal

When he tried to betray, Jacob delayed his blessing

18/05/2017

By: Bishop Jorge Pinheiro

Article by: Victor Correa

In Genesis 27.1, Isaac was very old, he couldn`t see very well and he had two children, Esau the eldest and Jacob. He called Esau and asked for a meal to eat and bless his son before the Lord God because he felt he would die. Rebekah, Jacob`s wife, heard about the hunt the son went to pick up and told Jacob, the youngest, what she heard and asked Jacob to pick up two good goats, and she would make the meal for him to take and be blessed before the father died

Rebekah was closer to Jacob, while the father was closer to Esau. She told Jacob to take over his brother`s position and receive the blessing of God. Jacob agreed with that situation, but he was smart when he remembered that Esau was hairy and he wasn`t. He was afraid that the curse would fall on him, but Rebekah said the curse would fall on her and he should do what she told him to do.

The mother who wanted to benefit her youngest son, planned to cheat on the father Isaac, who was old and couldn`t see very well. She covered Jacob’s hands and neck with the fur of goats in order to make the father mistake them both because they were twins. Isaac was God`s man, blessed by God, and what he blessed, fructified. Rebekah, aware of that, wanted the blessing to be with Jacob because Esau teased Jacob and Rebekah. Esau used to cause his parents many disappointments; he wasn`t any righteous, He was told not to get married with any foreigner, but to go against his family, he got married with two of them who turned into bitterness of spirit to Isaac and Rebekah. He had bad behavior, although it didn`t justify what she did, but explains, Jacob was calm, obedient, helped, was home, he was a good son. Esau used to fight a lot, hunter, disobedient, he was unpleasant and used to disappoint his parents. Jacob lied to his father saying he was his brother and gave him the food and bread and lied that he hunted and prepared himself. The father thought it was strange the speed he hunted and prepared, so Jacob said it was God who blessed him to find the hunt. Isaac wasn`t fool, so he suspected of that situation, he asked for touching Esau and have the evidence. As he couldn`t see very well, he touched Jacob and recognized the voice belonged to Jacob, but the hands belonged to Esau for the goat`s hair. One more time, Isaac asked Jacob if he was Esau and he received the lie again. He suspected but blessed his son anyway. The father ate, drank, and not being totally convinced, he asked his son for a kiss. Jacob took the risk of being exposed and he would be humiliated before his father. For his son`s hug, for kissing him, Isaac smelled Jacob, but he wore Esau`s clothes and he recognized the smell of green field of his eldest son. Before the evidences, Isaac really blessed Jacob. Blessed him with abundance, with the service and respect of his brothers. As soon as Jacob left the presence of his father, Esau arrives from the hunting. Almost caught his brother stealing his blessing. The one who makes mistakes takes the risk of being unmasked. The ones, who keep doing wrong things, also keep concerned, afflicted, and fearful of being unmasked any time. Sooner or later, it happens. It was hard for Jacob to lie to his father. He was betrayed, he suffered, had to run away from his brother, had to work for his uncle, Laban, who changed his salary many times, cheated on him about his promised daughter to get married. Jacob worked seven years to conquer Rachel, let Jacob drunk, and gave him Lea as his wife. Jacob harvested a lot what he planted. Jacob needed to work for fourteen years in order to have the wife he wanted because he cheated on his father and his brother. Never celebrate you cheated on anyone because who lives on cheating becomes cheated as well. Esau prepared the hunt as food and took to his father and the father became very nervous. The Bible says that for long time Jacob was named as betrayer and he wasn`t successful with his issues. He was so cheated as many times as he cheated on others. He worked fourteen years for free. He delayed his blessing because of the mistake he made. Never delay your blessing, never cheat on anyone, never pull others down, and never lie. Even if it seems you were successful, you will pay for that sometime in your future. This history didn`t have a happy end. Esau started hating Jacob and after his father`s death, he wanted to kill his own brother. Rebekah suffered too because she would lose her children and she needed to hide her beloved one and sent him away for many years. Esau never forgot about that, he never calmed down. Jacob was away for twenty years and just after this time he could come back home. Never make mistakes, never betray or cheat, never pull anyone down, because if you do harm, you will harvest harmful conditions too. God didn`t want Jacob to go through all of that condition, being betrayed, cheated, exploited, work hard, and have difficulties in getting married. Just many years later his brother could forgive him. If we want to receive God`s blessings in our lives, we have to be righteous, do the right things because it`s better to be late, but stay with God instead of being fast, but stay in satan`s hands. Instead of having blessings very soon, Jacob delayed his victories and suffered.