The Eighth of June

JACOB AND THE BIRTHRIGHT --- Genesis 27:24

"And he said, Art my very son, Esau? And he said, I am." --- Genesis 27:24.

There are certainly some circumstances in this affair which may help a little to excuse Jacob and his mother, but cannot justify them. The case may be thus stated: It cannot be denied, on the one hand, but that both Jacob and his mother were justly to be praised for having a due esteem of the father's solemn blessing, and for their endeavouring to attain it; since this could proceed from no other motive but a full persuasion of the truth of God's promises and covenant with Abraham.

And thus, from the consideration of the goodness of the end, and from Jacob's title to the blessing as accompanying the birthright, as also from the fore-appointment of God, together with Isaac's approbation of the thing done, may be drawn some arguments to lessen the crime.

But on the other hand, it must be confessed that the means use to attain there ends were highly criminal. Rebecca was wrong in her advice to her son, and he was wrong in following it; for though God, before he was born, designed him to inherit the blessing, yet he ought to have waited until the Divine Wisdom opened the way, and not have anticipated God, and procured the blessing by an irregular act of his own.

Besides, both of them, presumed to limit the power of God, by thinking that fraud was needful to accomplish God's purpose.

For God's good promise let me wait,
Though fear would oft my faith forbid
No venture on a pious fraud,
As Jacob and Rebecca did.