How we slander Jacob today

This is too lengthy a subject to handle in one post. The really difficult question is why, which I touched upon in the very first post of this blog. The slander covers the gamut - from the one minimal method of criticism by picking up on the deception of his father, the easiest event to find fault with, to finding fault with every single thing the man says and does.

The first minimal method of criticism is moralistic, not recognizing that the deception was actually a correction of a serious error on Isaac's part. It was so serious an error that God blessed the deception, so that Isaac would give Jacob the Blessing. The plan was actually his mother's idea. Jacob was obeying one parent while deceiving the other. Jacob's deception was similar to Rahab's. Both represent faith in God. One deceived a parent - an act of disrespect, the other the head of state - an act of treason. but both showed that the two individuals were assured that they were pursuing the true God and His will for their life - Rahab for salvation and transfer into the covenant family and Jacob for his calling and chosen position as covenantal ruler of the family line of Messiah. Jacob's desire and pursuit of the Blessing was not based on his righteousness but on the election and calling of God, while Esau rested legalistically upon his position as firstborn. His presumption became license, and that license became outright contempt for the very thing he claimed was his - interestingly, this is what happened with the Pharisees, who rested upon their status as "sons of Abraham" yet despised the Blessing of the Son who was the true Owner of the Blessing and Birthright.

This minimal criticism fails to see that Isaac's sin was much greater in several ways than the deception by his wife and son. Isaac disrespected his wife, ignored his firstborn's agreement to sell the birthright (which was bound up with the Blessing), was utterly blind to the failures of character of Esau whose marriages to Canaanites were already a demonstration of a lack of spiritual sight in addition to his despising of the birthright, and worst of all, defied the word of God as to which son was the chosen one. Thus, the deception of Isaac by Rebecca and Jacob was a correction, not a deception.

Our failure to see that is a result of our moralistic rejection of any and all deception. To be continued.