Genesis 29:1

Genesis 29:1 says, Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.  Jacob completed his journey after he had a personal assurance from God.  Wherever we go in life, if we have God's assurance that He is with us, and we are being obedient to His will, we should feel free to go.  Jacob left under Isaac's blessing and direction, but he arrived under God's.  Verse two states, And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth.  Jacob, like Abraham's servant, came to a well, this one used to water sheep, but the well had a great stone across it.  Jesus said He is Living Water for those who accept Him, but until someone does, sin is the same as having a rock blocking him or her from that water.  Verse three adds, And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place.  After all the flocks were gathered, they removed the stone, watered the flocks, and then replaced the stone.  We all have equal access to the Living Water that Jesus provides, but faith in Him is like the stone.  It is removed for those who accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, but it still blocks those who do not from having access to the Living Water.  Verse four says, And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.  Jacob asked the people at the well who they were.  They told him that they were from Haran.  If someone asks us who we are today, would our answer include anything about being God's people?  I know that these people did not say that, but we should always ensure that when we are telling people who will are, as followers of Christ, that should always be one of the things we tell them.  Verse five adds, And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him.  Jacob asked if they knew Laban, the son of Nahor, and they said they did.  When someone asks us today if we know Jesus, the Son of God, hopefully we can honestly say that we do.  Verse six continues, And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.  Jacob asked if Laban was well, the people said that he was and then Rachel came with her sheep to water them.  Jacob had found at least one of Abraham's people.  If we were to continue to equate this with coming to Christ today, then we could say that when people are going about their everyday life, hopefully they will encounter someone who can point them to Christ.  Though Jacob had left simply to find a wife, after his encounter with God, he was now there also as a representative of God.  Once we encounter and accept Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, wherever we go we are His representative, whether we want to be or not.  Verse seven states, And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.  Jacob told them to water and feed the sheep.  We likewise have a command from God to feed His sheep.  Verse eight adds, And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.  They told Jacob that they couldn't water the sheep until all the flocks were gathered.  Again, when equating this to Jesus as the Living Water, we all have equal access.  Verse nine declares, And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them.  While Jacob was talking with the men, Rachel came to water her father's sheep.  Verse ten adds, And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.  Jacob saw Rachel, who was indeed his mother's relative, and he rolled the stone from the well and watered her flock.  The time might not have been right in the tradition of those at the well, but Jacob was there on a mission from God now.  We cannot allow tradition to keep us from doing what God leads us to do, even if it might be risky.  Verse eleven states, And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.  I believe that Jacob felt that Rachel was the one he was looking for.  We might question his kissing her when he first met her, but a kiss was a normal greeting back then.

Genesis 28:10

Genesis 28:10 says, And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.  Jacob did what Isaac told him to do.  Though he had received Isaac's blessing, he was still obedient to Him.  We should likewise be obedient to our heavenly Father, even if we have already received our inheritance, or blessing of everlasting life through our faith in Christ.  Verse eleven states, And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.  Jacob stopped over night on the way.  It says he made a pillow of stones, which really doesn't sound very comfortable. Isaac may have been the one through whom God was going to fulfill His promise to Abraham, but that didn't mean that he would never be uncomfortable.  Some people today claim that as followers of Christ we will never have to struggle or suffer, but this has never been what God's word teaches us.  Of course, some would say that Jacob had yet come to have a personal relationship with God, which was most likely true.  Verse twelve declares, And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.  Jacob had a dream of a ladder reaching into heaven and angels going up and down it.  God often spoke to people in dreams in Biblical times, and may still do so today, but if so, we must somehow be able to determine that it is really God speaking.  Not all dreams are a message from God.  Verse thirteen adds, And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;  Isaac saw the LORD God or simply God as we would say, standing at the top of the ladder.  God first identified Himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac.  God simply being their God was not enough, just as His being the God of our parents and grandparents is not enough.  God had now come to Isaac in a personal way, just as He must to each individual in order for anyone to claim salvation through Christ.  Verse fourteen continues, And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  This was a repeating of the promise to Abraham and Isaac.  When we come to God through faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord, He does not promise us any more than He has always promised anyone who has accepted Christ.  Verse fifteen concludes, And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.  God told Jacob that He would not leave him until God's promise was secured.  As followers of Christ, we can also be certain that no matter where we go in this world that God will be with us and His promise of everlasting life is secure.  Verse and sixteen says, And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.  When Jacob awoke, he said that God was surely in that place and he didn't know it.  Until we come to a personal relationship with Christ, even though God is wherever we are, we won't recognize it, and once we have that personal relationship we should always acknowledge that God is with us, wherever we go.  Verse seventeen states, And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.  Jacob saw the place as a dreadful place because he said it was the home of God.  As followers of Christ, the home of God should never be a place of dread and fear for us, but a place of joy and peace instead.  Verse eighteen adds, And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.  Jacob took the stone that he had slept on and turned it into a altar to God.  Verse nineteen continues, And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.  Jacob called the place Bethel, though it apparently already had the name Luz.  I believe that whenever a person accepts Christ into their life, everything should become different, since everything should now be viewed through obedience to God.  Verse twenty declares, And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,  I believe that Jacob could have said that since God would be with him, just as we must acknowledge that He is with us today if we are following Christ in faith.  Verse twenty-one adds,  So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:  Jacob was putting conditions on his faith in God, and we can never afford to do that.  Verse twenty-two concludes,  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.  Jacob promised a tenth, or tithe, of all that God might bless him with to God.  I believe that we must likewise give a tithe unto God, but we must acknowledge that everything we have belongs to God and should be used to glorify Him.

Genesis 28:1

Genesis 28:1 says, And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.  Isaac blessed Jacob once again, this time knowing who Jacob was.  He then told Jacob to not take a wife from the women of Canaan.  As parents, though we really cannot choose who our children marry, as followers of Christ, we should always want them to choose the one they marry wisely.  Verse two states, Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.  Just as Abraham had sent his servant to Abraham's family to find a wife for Isaac, Isaac was sending Jacob to her family to find a wife.  Isaac was not sending a servant, but was sending Jacob himself, which would also give Esau some time to allow his anger to cool.  Somethings are better done personally, and when it comes to salvation, that is the only way we can achieve it.  Verse three declares, And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;  Even though Jacob had gotten Isaac's blessing through deceit, once it was given, Isaac asked God's continued blessing on Jacob.  Isaac asked that God make Jacob the father of a multitude of people.  Since this was a promise that God had made to Abraham and reaffirmed to Isaac, we might think that Isaac would already know that this was what God would do.  Still, even if we know God's promise to us, it is good to ask His blessings on others and ourselves.  Verse four adds, And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. Isaac did ask that Jacob be given the blessing of Abraham, and that was that God would make Abraham the father of a great nation.  We, as followers of Christ, can really only ask that others will claim the promise of salvation through Christ and thereby become a part of His great nation.  We will spiritually always be strangers in this world.  Verse five states, And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.  Isaac sent Jacob to Rebekah's family.  While he was alive, though he had blessed Jacob, Isaac was still the authority.  When we become a follower of Christ, we still need to listen to those who are older in their relationship to God and wiser than us many times.  Verse six declares, When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;  Esau saw what was happening with Jacob.  He may have been watching Jacob because he was still very angry at him and wanted to see what would happen next.  It is not unusual that someone who is angry at us, especially if they feel that we have somehow cheated them, to be watching us closely.  Verse seven adds, And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;  Esau saw that Jacob obeyed his father and mother.  I believe that this may have further added to his anger.  Verse eight continues, And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;  We have already been told that Esau married two local women, so he may have felt that Isaac was rejecting him even more by sending Isaac back to Rebekah's family to find a wife.  Though Esau should not have married more than one woman, he had.  We should attempt to never play favorites with the spouse's of our children, though at times it may be difficult not to.  Verse nine states, Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.  Esau took one of Ishmael's daughters as wife, possibly believing this would satisfy the requirement that his wife be a blood relative of Abraham. 

Genesis 27:34

Genesis 27:34 says, And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.  Esau was very upset when he heard of Jacob's trickery.  He asked Isaac to bless him as well.  We cannot expect someone to not be upset or angry if we cheat them, nor can we expect them to not want what is rightfully theirs.  Verse thirty-five states, And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. Isaac told Esau that through trickery Jacob had taken away his birthright.  Sometimes, the things that we lose through the trickery of others cannot be reclaimed, but no one can ever take away our birthright as a child of God that we obtain through our faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-six asks,  And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?  Esau asked if Jacob was not rightly named, since he was a deceiver.  Esau said Jacob had deceived him twice, but Jacob didn't really deceive him when Esau sold his birthright.  We cannot blame all our failures on someone else if we willingly participated in part of them.  Esau also wanted to know if Isaac had a blessing left for him.  We would view this more as an inheritance, I believe.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?  Isaac told Esau that he had made Jacob Esau's lord.  We may have difficulty understanding this today, but once given, for whatever reason, the blessing could not be taken back.  Verse thirty-eight asks, And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.  Esau wanted to know if Isaac had even one blessing left for him.  Fortunately, no one can cheat us out of God's blessings for us.  Verse thirty-nine declares, And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and or the the dew of heaven from above;  Then verse forty adds, And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.  This was not the blessing that Esau was looking for, but it was all that Isaac could offer.  There are times when we cannot change our earthly situation, and we simply have to make the best of life.  Verse forty-one adds, And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.  Esau hated Jacob and said he would kill him after Isaac died.  We can never allow hatred to rule us, even if we have been cheated, even if the person who cheats us is very close to us.  Again, they can never cheat us out of our salvation, and this is all that really matters.  Verse forty-two states, And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Verse forty-three adds, Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;  Verse forty- four continues, And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away;  Then verse forty-five concludes, Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?  Rebekah, who had set up the whole deception, heard of Esau's plan to kill Jacob.  She called Jacob, told him Esau's plan to kill him, and sent him away to her family until Esau's anger died down.  Sometimes, we may have to simply leave a situation until anger dies down.  Verse forty-six says, And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?  Rebekah then told Isaac that she was weary of her life, and asked what good her life would have been if Jacob married a woman of Beth.  I believe this was one reason Rebekah was sending Jacob away.

Genesis 27:23

Genesis 27:23 says, And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.  Rebekah and Jacob were successful in getting Isaac to bless Jacob instead of Esau.  Again, we could say that they just did what God had said was going to happen, but I don't believe that God expects us to use deceit and trickery to accomplish His purpose.  Some would even say that everything happened just as it did because God caused it to happen that way, but then we remove personal responsibility and free will from the events.  Verse twenty-four says, And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.  Isaac gave Jacob another chance to tell the truth, but Jacob lied.  Deceptions and outright lies seem to go together.  Verse twenty-five adds, And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.  Isaac asked Jacob to bring the food to him so that he might eat and his soul might bless Jacob, whom he thought was Esau.  Isaac was doing nothing wrong in wanting to bless Esau.  Even if Esau was Isaac's favorite, as the first born, it was his birthright.  Even if we don't like the way things are done legally, we are not allowed to use any method necessary to get around them.  Still, if the law of man contradicts the law of God, we should stand firmly against it and not look for ways around it.  Jacob also brought Isaac wine to drink, possibly hoping to make his senses even duller.  Verse twenty-six states, And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.  Isaac once again asked Jacob to come near and kiss him.  Isaac was still trying to decide whether this was really Esau or not.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:  Again, the plan of deception was successful.  Rebekah had thought of everything, but not only was she deceiving Isaac by her plan, she was also cheating Esau.  Even if we successfully deceive someone, they and possibly others will be harmed.  Verse twenty-eight declares, Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:  Then verse twenty-nine adds,  Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.  This was the actual blessing bestowed on Jacob.  Isaac asked that God give Jacob success and that other people bow down to, or serve, him.  Though God would indeed bless Jacob, we cannot expect that He will bless us if we deal dishonestly with those around us in order to profit materially.  Verse thirty declares, And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.  Jacob had barely left before Esau returned.  Verse thirty-one adds, And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.  Esau had simply been obedient to Isaac.  He had killed a deer, prepared the stew and brought it to Isaac.  We need to make sure that we never attempt to deceive and cheat anyone, but especially other Christians who are doing what our heavenly father leads them to do.  Verse thirty-two states, And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.  Once again Isaac asked who this was, and Esau told him truthfully who he was.  Esau had really done nothing wrong, unless we go back to selling his birthright.  Sometimes, even if we have done nothing wrong, we may be cheated in life, but hopefully it will never be by another Christian.  Verse thirty-three declares, And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.  Isaac was upset and confused, but the blessing he had given could not be taken back.  We today might say that Isaac should have just nullified the blessing on Jacob and given it to Esau instead, but it just didn't work that way then.  When a person gave a blessing before God it could not be taken back.  The same should be true of our promises to God today.

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.

Genesis 27:1

Genesis 27:1 says, And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.  Isaac was old and going blind when he called for Esau to come to him.  Though Esau was grown, he came when Isaac called.  Hopefully, we will never get to old to come when our parents need us, but just as important, as parents, as we grow older, hopefully we will never abuse the right to call on our children for help.  Verse two states, And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:  Isaac told Esau that he knew that he was old and didn't know how much longer he would live.  As we get older, we become more aware of our mortality, but no matter our age, we never know how much longer we are going to live.  As followers of Christ, we need to live each day committed to doing His will, because it could be our last.  Verse three adds, Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;  Isaac asked Esau to go and kill a deer and bring him some venison.  This would require a good bit of effort on the part of Esau, but it wasn't really a totally unreasonable request, because this is what Esau did.  I might note also that there was nothing wrong with hunting and eating meat then, and that is even more true today.  God removed restrictions that had been placed later in the Old Testament on what meat could be eaten in the New Testament.  Verse four continues, And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.  Isaac wanted some of the savory meat.  He said that he wanted to eat some of it before he gave Esau his blessing.  It seems that Isaac made the giving of the blessing dependent on the receiving of the meat.  If that was the case, then hopefully we will never do the same.  We should never expect our children to do things for us in order to receive our blessings.  Verse five says, And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.  Rebekah heard what Isaac told Esau, and Esau went to do what his father had asked him to do.  Verse six adds, And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,  Rebekah went to Jacob and told him what Isaac had told Esau.  Jacob was her favorite, just as Esau was Isaac's favorite.  We really should never favor one child over another in our love for them.  Verse seven adds, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.  Rebekah simply repeated to Jacob what Isaac had said to Esau about what Isaac wanted Esau to do.  Verse eight states, Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.  Just as Esau had obeyed Isaac, Rebekah asked that Jacob obey her, but she was about to carry out a plan so Jacob could receive the birthright blessing.  Verse nine adds, Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:  Rebekah planned to fool Isaac.  We could say that Rebekah was simply carrying out God's plan for Jacob to be blessed instead of Esau, but I personally do not believe that God ever expects us to use deceit to accomplish His will. Verse ten concludes, And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.  Rebekah had her plan, but we are never told that this was God's plan.  I believe that God can accomplish His plans without our having to use dishonest means to accomplish them.