Genesis 27:11

Genesis 27:11 says, And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:  Jacob saw a flaw in Rebekah's plan.  Isaac may have been nearly blind, but he could still feel the difference between Jacob and Esau's skin texture.  Esau was hairy and Jacob wasn't.  Verse twelve adds, My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.  As just discussed, Jacob was afraid that Isaac would know by touching him that he wasn't Esau.  Jacob said he was then afraid that Isaac would see him as a deceiver and curse him instead of blessing him.  Whether Jacob recognized it or not, Jacob was a deceiver.  When we attempt to deceive others, the problem is not in being caught, but in the deception itself.  Verse thirteen states, And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voices, and go fetch me them.  Rebekah told Jacob that she would take the responsibility if he were caught, and asked that he simply obey her.  Even though someone might tell us that they will take the punishment for our sins, there is only One Who can, Jesus Christ.  Even if we are led into sin by someone else, we are still responsible for our own sins.  Verse fourteen declares, And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.  Then verse fifteen adds, And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:  Rebekah had the answer.  First, she made the stew, then she dressed Jacob in Esau's clothes.  People today sometimes put a lot of thought and effort into carrying out sinful plans, but as followers of Christ, we must not help them.  Verse  sixteen continues, And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:  To make Jacob feel hairy, Rebekah put goat skins on Jacob's hands and neck.  She was prepared to carry out the deception, and Jacob was a willing participant.  Even if we don't make the plan that leads us to sin, we are still responsible if we participate in it.  Verse seventeen concludes, And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.  Once the plan was in place, Rebekah told Jacob to act on it.  So far, the had really done nothing wrong, except conceive and plan the deception, but now they were ready to carry the plan out.  Even though we are told that we are responsible even for our thoughts about sinning, that does not mean that we should just carry them out anyway.  Until acted upon, our thoughts of sin are only between God and us, but when we act on them, they involve others.  Verse eighteen proclaims, And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?  When Jacob came and said to Isaac that he was there, Isaac questioned who he was.  Verse nineteen adds, And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.  Jacob lied to his father.  We may attempt to lie to our heavenly Father when we engage in sinful activity, but we will never fool Him.  Verse twenty states, And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.  Now, Jacob was not only lying about who he was, but he was bringing God into the lie.  He said God had blessed him with a quick success in his hunt.  It is bad enough when we sin, but we should never claim that God has blessed us in that sin.  I know some people will say that Rebekah was just carrying out God's plan, but I don't believe that God ever leads ue to do His will by sinful or deceitful methods.  Verse twenty-one declares, And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.  Isaac wanted to be sure that Esau was there.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.  Though he was not fully convinced, since Jacob and Esau did not sound the same, Jacob would rely on his touch instead of his hearing.  I believe that as followers of Christ that if we listen to His voice instead of what we may see, hear or feel, that we will never be deceived by sin.