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"THE DESTRUCTIVE DEPTHS OF DECEPTION" "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.And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;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.And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it." (Genesis 27:1-5)This chapter presents a high-stakes account of fallacy, favoritism, and family tension. As Isaac nears his last days, a nasty web of deception unfolds in his household, resulting in far-reaching consequences for his sons, Esau and Jacob.Many have called this chapter one of the saddest in Scripture because all 4 of the participants were stumbling around in the flesh. Read this entire chapter sometime and consider the steps which began with deception and ended in destruction. The father, Isaac, was attempting to get his own way and bless his favorite son, Esau, despite God saying that it would be the other son, Jacob, who would be blessed.The mother, Rebecca, convinced Jacob to join her in deceiving her husband, Isaac.The younger twin, Jacob, wanted to lay claim to the blessing before God’s time by his own human power.The older brother, Esau, attempted to divert or change God’s will after the whole mess had transpired and wound up with hatred and murder in his heart. All of them wanted their own will instead of God's.Many believers these days struggle with this kind of impatience as well. THEY want to do God’s will and receive God’s blessing, but THEY also want what THEY want to do, how THEY want to do it, and when THEY want to do it. We find from this chapter the sad tale that one lie soon requires a second lie. The long-term consequences were sweeping. Jacob never saw his mother again after their lie fest. Esau kept trying to kill Jacob. And because Jacob had to flee for his life, he met his equally conniving uncle Laban, who deceived him as well. It also caused him to be exiled from his loved ones for years.If only Jacob and his mother had trusted God’s timing, he would have eventually received the birthright as God had promised. He didn’t need to enter into this deception with his mama, but because he caved in to her scheme, it cost him and the other family members dearly. Yes, "Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel." (Proverbs 20:17) That birthright blessing seemed sweet to the taste for Rebecca and Jacob, but it resulted in a dirty odor concerning their dealings within the family.Friends, the lesson found in this telling story is crystal clear for us today. Trying to get God’s blessing thru deception is destructive to those around us and will always carry a heavy price tag. Oh, how we need to simply back off, develop some godly courage, and wait for our Heavenly Father to strengthen us, as He moves in His own time.