Jacob the Trickster
September 21st, 2025 “Jacob the Trickster” Rev. Heather Jepsen
Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23 and 28:10-17
This morning we continue on our journey through the overarching message of the scriptures as we jump ahead a few chapters in Genesis. Last week we read about Isaac and his father Abraham, and the story of Abraham struggling with a test from God asking him to kill his son. Since that time Abraham has died, and Isaac has taken a wife named Rebekah.
Rebekah becomes pregnant with twins, and the babies begin to fight within her womb. In her discomfort she prays to God, asking why she would suffer in such a way. God speaks to her and tells her that the boys in her womb will be the fathers of two nations, and that they will always be in struggle. Her son Esau is born first followed by Jacob who is grabbing his brother’s foot. Jacob’s name means heel, or grasper, implying one who is grabbing for things that don’t rightfully belong to them. When the brothers get older, Jacob convinces Esau to give him his rights as the first born in exchange for a bowl of stew.
The brothers never get along, and the parents don’t help. Isaac’s favorite son is Esau who is a man of the wilderness, hunting and bringing home game. Rebekah’s favorite son is Jacob who is more docile, spending his days in the tent with her.
When Isaac is old, he decides that it is time to give his blessing. Esau, being the oldest son, is called forward and told to hunt and prepare a meal as part of the blessing ceremony. Rebekah hears this plan and tries to thwart it. She prepares a meal and convinces Jacob to dress up like his brother. Jacob goes along with the ruse; convincing Isaac he is Esau and receives the blessing that belongs to his brother. When Isaac and Esau realize they have been tricked they are both heartbroken. Esau vows to kill his brother and so Jacob runs away.
When Jacob is on his own in the wilderness he has a dream. He views a connection between heaven and earth, and he is visited by God. God grants Jacob the lineage blessing that was given to his father and his grandfather before him. Jacob will be the father of a great nation, he will have the land upon which he sleeps, and he will be a blessing for generations to come. When Jacob wakes and realizes he is in a holy place, he creates an altar and worships God.
As we have looked at these readings from Genesis we have talked about the varying authors within the book. This story was written by the Yahwist author which is the first or oldest voice in the Pentateuch. The Yahwist author wrote during the years 960-930 BCE. Scholars think that this author was a government employee for the early nation of Israel. They believe this person was tasked with writing a national epic of the new kingdom, and so they wrote stories describing the history of Israel from the time of creation to the exiles settling into the land of Canaan. We call them the Yahwist because when they write the name of God the use the name Yahweh.
I love the story of Jacob and Esau because it is so upsetting and also so relevant in our own lives. People have always longed for justice to be clear. Good people get good things and bad people get bad things. The problem arises in the fact that that is not the way the world works today. Corrupt people get away with all kinds of wrongdoing in our world and good people are often struggling just to get by. In fact, the world has never been fair. The bad guys always seem to get away with something. We teach our kids that “cheaters never prosper” but just look around and we can find cheaters prospering every day.
Even here in our Bible, cheaters prosper. Jacob and Rebekah behave rottenly in this story. They deceive and betray their own family members causing deep emotional grief. They are clearly the bad guys in the story. And yet God chooses to bless Jacob. In this story, God doesn’t seem to care about good people getting good things. In fact, God doesn’t seem to care about what kind of person Jacob is at all.
This story is not fair, and it reminds us that God never plays fair. God doesn’t care about fair. God chooses whomever God wants to choose and that’s just it. Such is the nature of the sovereignty of God. God chooses Abel over Cain, God chooses Sarah instead of Hagar, God chooses Jacob instead of Esau, and when Jacob has kids, God will choose Joseph instead of all his other brothers. God picks favorites and there is no rhyme or reason to who God picks. God doesn’t play fair.
On the one hand this can be depressing. Why even bother being good if God doesn’t care about what I do? But that’s not the message. God does care about what you do, God just isn’t promising blessings in exchange for good behavior. The good news here isn’t that God rewards us for good behavior. The good news here is that God blesses us no matter what we do. Even in the midst of the mess of our lives, even when we are at our worst, God is still with us.
We like to imagine that every family gets along perfectly and never has hurt feelings or broken relationships. But we know that’s not true. No one knows how to push our buttons like our families, and hurts from decades past can suddenly rise up to the surface and cause pain all over again. The story of Jacob and Esau reminds us that dysfunctional families have been around since the dawn of time. We all struggle to be in relationship.
And yet God finds a way. God works in the midst of our brokenness, and God blesses us even when we don’t deserve a blessing. At this point in the story Jacob wins and Esau is heartbroken. But God doesn’t leave things that way. God gives to Esau his own nation and people, and Esau’s heart will soften as he pursues peace with his brother. In fact, even though God chooses one branch of people to be blessed, God doesn’t neglect the rest. God chooses Abel over Cain but still provides Cain with safety. God chooses Sarah over Hagar but still provides Hagar with a lineage through her own son. And God chooses Jacob over Esau but still Esau is rewarded and blessed. God doesn’t make the choices we would make, but still God makes things right.
When we read these stories of God and God’s people, we find that life doesn’t work out in the ways we think it should. Just as in our own lives, our Bible stories are full of things that are unfair, unjust, and just not right. And yet, the Bible stories are also full of God’s love and grace and mercy.
Jacob cheated and lied, he used the name of God in his deception, and his action breaks a fractured family even further apart. On the run for his life Jacob sleeps and dreams of a God who blesses him even in the midst of his sinfulness. When Jacob awakes, he realizes that when he thought he was alone, he was really with God. He rises to mark the place as holy, for even ordinary places can become holy ground.
This week, I encourage you to look for God’s blessing in your life. Don’t assume that you will get what you deserve. Instead, sleep and dream of the blessings and providence of God. Ordinary places can become holy sites, ordinary moments can become holy dreams, and ordinary people can be blessed by God. Even in the midst of our brokenness and pain, God is with us bringing blessings and hope that we could never dream of deserving. Amen.
