Genesis 27:41 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. 42 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. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran.
This passage of scripture teaches us very serious lessons in the key of life which pertain directly to temptations, and the dire results of yielding to them. The bible teaches us that we should not be ignorant of satan's devices, meaning that the methods which he uses to ensnare our feet should be diligently studied, so as to avoid the many pitfalls that are in the Christian's pathway. In this instance, Rebekah and Jacob had not catered for the angry and emotional outbursts of Esau, for in their fraudulent calculations, they had concluded that since he had despised the birthright on several previous occasions, then it would not be a big deal with him, when he found out that it was forever lost.
In their plotting to deceive Isaac into blessing Jacob, they had overlooked several possibilities which could, and did arise on the spur of the moment, and thus being backed into a corner by the devil, they were forced to do and say things that they did not see coming. These various unforeseen situations and developments are just some of the cards satan holds close to his vest when tempting us to deviate from God's will, for there are always unexpected issues that will arise, which we would not have catered for. And it's only after yielding to his temptations that he shows us his hand, with the cards that were hidden from our view, and then it is often too late to turn back, after the fact.
In all of their planning, Rebekah and Jacob did not expect Isaac to question Jacob so closely, and when the old man suddenly asked the question of how did he fetch the venison so quickly, Jacob was forced to involve God Himself in the falsehood, by claiming that God had brought the animal to him. Now it's one thing to tell lies to mortal man, but it's a whole different matter to tell lies on God. Furthermore, in delivering the blessings of the birthright, The Holy Spirit was the one who would be speaking directly through Isaac, and thus by his falsehoods, Jacob had put The Holy Ghost in a very funny position, of having to bless him whilst he was actively practicing fraud, a situation no Christian ever wants to be placed in. Let's read:
Genesis 27:19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 20 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, it is a stated fact in the Bible that God hates falsehood, and even though the dire results of their actions began to materialize, and they most likely prayed and asked for forgiveness, The Lord in such situations usually allows sin to run its natural course, thus when Esau vowed to kill Jacob as revenge for him stealing the birthright, Rebekah was stung with remorse and alarm, and was therefore moved to evict Jacob from his fathers tents, to go to a faraway land where he remained for many years, and this was the very last time that Rebekah saw the face of her favorite son, for she died whilst he was in exile.
There are always hidden cards satan holds close to his vest, which are never revealed until the tempted one dares to take that fatal step in yielding to temptation, then when the devil has fastened us in his grip, he reveals the hidden consequences, which most often drive us to do more evil, and thus he tries to take us to the brink of desperation, where he can then cast us of the cliff. This is what he did with David who had not planned on killing Uriah, but was forced into that position, because of the fact that Uriah was authorized, according to the Bible, to slay both David and Bathsheba, his wife. And so satan drove David to do the unthinkable, which he never would have dreamed of doing.
It is always a dangerous thing for anyone to depart from the path of rectitude, for the scriptures do teach that the wages of sin is death, meaning that there will always be negative consequences occurring after we have yielded to temptation. The safest course of action for us as Christians is to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, for therein lies our only safety. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to stay the course with Christ, and the truths He has given us to live by, for it's only by doing this that we can maintain a clear conscience, void of offense towards God and man. Let's read:
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!