Genesis 27:15, commentary and pictures

Rebekah took Esau's fine clothes that were with her in the house and put them upon her younger son Jacob to disguise him as Esau, as one act in the joint plan of Rebekah and Jacob to deceive Isaac and obtain the advantage and blessing intended for Esau. Rebekah persuaded Jacob to use fraud because she thought the blessing could not otherwise be obtained, and Jacob eventually agreed, instead of trusting God to fulfill His purposes in His own way and time. Jacob already knew God had promised him the blessing, but his action showed lack of faith in God's power to fulfill His purpose, though God did not prompt the deception and was fully able to provide for Jacob by His own methods without fraud.

By fraud Jacob gained what he would have received had he trusted God, for the blessing's benefits depended on God and not on securing it through fraud, and God could have blessed Jacob even without the privileges usually given to the firstborn. The obtaining of the blessing in this way was a sinful wrong that required repentance, by which Jacob by deceit took what belonged to his elder brother, and the fault was his own. Though the plan succeeded, the deception brought lasting sorrow and consequences, for Jacob had to flee Esau's anger and threats of revenge into many years of exile for his life, Rebekah never saw him again, and he was left with a crushing weight of self-reproach and terror that returned when Esau later approached, so that his only hope was the mercy of God and his only defense was prayer.

Isaac later became convinced, from the conduct of the two brothers, that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob. That sin gave Satan ground to accuse Jacob before the angels of God and claim the right to destroy him, and to stir Esau to march against him. Jacob repented of this fraud beforehand and learned that God is merciful, and during the long night of wrestling Satan forced the sense of that guilt upon him to discourage him and break his hold upon God and the Angel reminded him of his sin to try his faith, while Jacob reviewed his life almost to despair yet cast himself upon mercy, pointed back to that repentance, pleaded for deliverance, and held fast the Angel with earnest agonizing cries and tears until he prevailed, and only because of that prior repentance did God hear his later prayer for deliverance from Esau and mercifully preserve his life, which without that repentance God could not have done. The account places the fraud and flight from his brother's anger before God's later assurance to Jacob that he had not been forsaken.

Such devising and planning after the example of rivalry, secret working, partiality, hypocrisy, conniving at evil, deceptive reasoning, and underhand dealing to gain the advantage of brethren and turn men from their rights must never be followed, for it disappoints men and hurts and finally ruins every soul who engages in it. Deceptions similar to Jacob's are practiced by men standing in high places of trust who handle men as machinery, bind their freedom, pervert right principles by selfishness and covetousness, and rule as lords over God's heritage while supposing their counsels stand as the voice of God. So in the final struggle God's people must have no concealed unconfessed sins, but with a deep sense of unworthiness and shortcoming remember the greatness of God's mercy and their own sincere repentance, plead His promises made through Christ to helpless repenting sinners, lay hold of God's strength as Jacob laid hold of the Angel and not fail though answers delay, having their sins blotted out by Christ's atoning blood.