Did Rebecca and Jacob sin by decieving Isaac?

[Bezant]

In Genesis 27 Jacob and Rebecca lead Isaac into giving Esau’s blessing to Jacob. Was this sinful or not? By decieving her husband, did Rebecca’s action contradict the ideal Catholic marital dynamic (e.g., “wives, submit to your husbands”) ? By decieving his father and taking his brother’s blessing, did Jacob steal or dishonour his father?

 

[CHRISTINE77]

In Genesis 27 Jacob and Rebecca lead Isaac into giving Esau’s blessing to Jacob. Was this sinful or not? By decieving her husband, did Rebecca’s action contradict the ideal Catholic marital dynamic (e.g., “wives, submit to your husbands”) ? By decieving his father and taking his brother’s blessing, did Jacob steal or dishonour his father?

Yes they both sinned. Rebecca never saw her son again after he left home. Jacob was tricked by his uncle into working for him for 7 years and being given Leah for a wife, rather than Rachael, whom he loved. So they both were punished for their sins.

GOD sent the angel to search flaws in Jacob and to test him. This was not physical but mental fight. Jacob passes this test. And the angel tells him: You are no more Jacob (can also mean one that cheated) but Israel (can also be translated as rule by God’s will).

This means after the fight no one could say that Jacob received his blessing by cheating, but he would rule by the will of GOD. Jacob had already received punishment for his sin and was forgiven by GOD. And when Jacob returned home we see strange thing: Esau (who wanted kill him) forgave him too.

 

[SonCatcher]

Possibly they did, though not necessarily for the reasons you cite.

Whether they particularly sinned is not really the point in Salvation History, however. It was through Jacob’s descendants that God chose to bring the Savior into the world. In this situation, like many others, God is able to bring about something good from less than desirable circumstances.

 

[PennyinCanada]

In Genesis 27 Jacob and Rebecca lead Isaac into giving Esau’s blessing to Jacob. Was this sinful or not? By decieving her husband, did Rebecca’s action contradict the ideal Catholic marital dynamic (e.g., “wives, submit to your husbands”) ? By decieving his father and taking his brother’s blessing, did Jacob steal or dishonour his father?

I’ve never looked at it at that angle.
What I saw was that the story reveals a truth of Christ. When we are baptized and in the state of grace, we’ve ‘put on Christ’. God the Father, decides to see Jesus rather than us sinners, and gives us the blessing. Our Blessed Mother is the interceding Mother to assist us in gaining the blessing.

It could also be a type illustrating how the Jews were the ‘first born son’ that did not care to have the blessing, and the second born son, the Christians, wished so much for the blessing that they ‘stole’ the blessing. Think of when Christ comes to judge the living and the dead at the end of time. When Christ is revealed to the nations, the Jews will wonder how they missed out on the blessing that was intended for them from the beginning. (Sorry, I can’t seem to find quite the right words to illustrate what I mean. Hope you can piece it together.)

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I’ve never looked at it at that angle.
What I saw was that the story reveals a truth of Christ. When we are baptized and in the state of grace, we’ve ‘put on Christ’. God the Father, decides to see Jesus rather than us sinners, and gives us the blessing. Our Blessed Mother is the interceding Mother to assist us in gaining the blessing.

It could also be a type illustrating how the Jews were the ‘first born son’ that did not care to have the blessing, and the second born son, the Christians, wished so much for the blessing that they ‘stole’ the blessing. Think of when Christ comes to judge the living and the dead at the end of time. When Christ is revealed to the nations, the Jews will wonder how they missed out on the blessing that was intended for them from the beginning. (Sorry, I can’t seem to find quite the right words to illustrate what I mean. Hope you can piece it together.)

The youngest son getting the blessing is a common theme in the Old Testament: Aaron/Moses Ishmael/Isaac, Esau/Jacob, Reuben/Joseph, Manasseh/Ephraim,(etc.) and of course David.

However, in Ancient Near East culture the firstborn was supposed to be second to his father and had authority over his younger siblings. Upon the death of his father, he was entitled to the Birthright, which was a double portion of the estate among his brothers and leadership of the family.

Just because this is a common theme in the OT, it doesn’t mean that Jacob did not sin by tricking his father into giving him the blessing.

 

[TimothyH]

Whether they sinned or not isn’t the point.

Jacob was obedient to his mother who told him “Only do what I tell you.” Rebecca was able to clothe Jacob in the garments of the the older son and in so doing, secured for him the blessing of the “First born.”

This is allegory for Mary and you and I. We have only to do what she tells us and she will clothe us in the righteousness of her Son, and secure for us the blessing of the Father.

The Jews in Old Testament times who read the story wouldn’t have been interested in whether they sinnned or not becuase they would have understood it to be a story of securing the blessing of being clothed in righteousness through obedience and obtaining the blessing due to the firstborn son.

-Tim-

 

[Abundant]

Don’t forget that earlier In the story Esau had given away his birthright for what I think amounted to a bowl of soup. Rebekah and Jacob clearly sinned because they lied to Issac, but Esau had sinned too.

 

[StrawberryJam]

I can only imagine the sinning that the non favored ones of God did. Every one of these bible characters were doing things that sure don’t seem honorable in any stretch of the imagination, yet they were chosen by God?
What is the point? The entire thing reads like a promotion for doing anything you want to and getting kudos from a God for doing it just for being chosen. It can’t be taken seriously.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I can only imagine the sinning that the non favored ones of God did. Every one of these bible characters were doing things that sure don’t seem honorable in any stretch of the imagination, yet they were chosen by God?
What is the point? The entire thing reads like a promotion for doing anything you want to and getting kudos from a God for doing it just for being chosen. It can’t be taken seriously.

One of the “points” is the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Also, God is watching over humanity, and people are punished for sins, but also God is very merciful to sinners.

 

[TimothyH]

I can only imagine the sinning that the non favored ones of God did. Every one of these bible characters were doing things that sure don’t seem honorable in any stretch of the imagination, yet they were chosen by God?
What is the point? The entire thing reads like a promotion for doing anything you want to and getting kudos from a God for doing it just for being chosen. It can’t be taken seriously.

The point of the story of Jacob and Esau was explained in post number 6.

-Tim-

 

[sirach2v4]

Yes they both sinned. Rebecca never saw her son again after he left home. Jacob was tricked by his uncle into working for him for 7 years and being given Leah for a wife, rather than Rachael, whom he loved. So they both were punished for their sins.

GOD sent the angel to search flaws in Jacob and to test him. This was not physical but mental fight. Jacob passes this test. And the angel tells him: You are no more Jacob (can also mean one that cheated) but Israel (can also be translated as rule by God’s will).

This means after the fight no one could say that Jacob received his blessing by cheating, but he would rule by the will of GOD. Jacob had already received punishment for his sin and was forgiven by GOD. And when Jacob returned home we see strange thing: Esau (who wanted kill him) forgave him too.

good comment and insights; thanks