“Pastor, we must get Kai out of jail,” the Business Administrator declared. Kai, the pastor of our Southeast Asia congregation, had run afoul of the law when he took the written driving test for one of his church members. His explanation? The man needed a driver’s license so he could drive to work. He’d failed the test twice and would lose his job if he didn’t get a license. In the pastor’s culture, the right thing to do was take the test for his parishioner so he’d pass. Unfortunately, the Texas Department of Safety didn’t agree. Definitions of right and wrong differ in cultures. For Kai, loyalty to his relationship trumped the Western value of truthfulness. Isaac and Rebekah also lived in a culture that measured what was right more by loyalty and honor than by the rule of law. We find their story in Genesis 25—28.

An Ongoing Battle

When Rebekah was pregnant, she asked God about the battle in her belly. He responded:

Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older (literally: greater) will serve the younger (literally: lesser).

Genesis 25:23

Although the English translation seems clear, the original Hebrew is ambiguous about which child would serve the other. What’s obvious is that honor competition would define the relationship. Isaac’s preference for Esau and Rebekah’s for Jacob added to the conflict.

Once Jacob was cooking stew, and Esau came in famished. (25:29-34) When Esau demanded a serving, Jacob seized the opportunity to negotiate for Esau’s birthright. (Birthright: the right of the firstborn to a double share of his father’s wealth) According to the author, “Esau despised his birthright” (25:34) when he elevated his physical comfort over his family responsibility. The original audience would have reacted with horror at the shame Esau brought on himself and his family. His decision to marry outside his clan (26:34) further dishonored them. Was Jacob right and Esau wrong? Was the writer emphasizing Esau’s unsuitability to receive the covenantal blessing?

Which Interpretation Is Right?

Jacob wasn’t content with the birthright; he also wanted the blessing. (Blessing: transfer of clan leadership to the next generation) Consider Rebekah’s role in the scheme to ensure Jacob received Isaac’s blessing (27:1—28:4). Was she right or wrong?

Rebekah was right to deceive Isaac.

Rebekah understood God’s promise to mean Jacob would continue Abraham’s mission; he should receive the covenantal blessing. As Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks observed she knew that no one who despised his birthright could become “the trusted guardian of a covenant intended for eternity.” The issue was more than family relationships; it was about God and the future of his chosen people.

Rebekah was wrong to deceive Isaac.

According to Richard L. Strauss, if Rebekah believed God had chosen Jacob to carry on the covenant, she could’ve sought God’s direction and communicated that to Isaac. Instead, she resorted to treachery and deceit. Rebekah may have been more concerned about her will than God’s.

Rebekah and Isaac worked together to deceive Jacob.

Rabbi David J. Zucker proposes that Isaac and Rebekah knew Esau was unfit, and Jacob should receive the blessing. But Jacob was too soft; he needed toughening. So, his parents made him think he was stealing the blessing. Scripture records no sign of tension between Isaac and Rebekah either before or after Isaac gave the blessing.

Rebekah misjudged Isaac.

Rabbi Sacks also suggests that although Isaac loved Esau, he was blind neither to his firstborn’s temperament nor God’s choice of Jacob. Therefore, he prepared two blessings, one for each son. 

• To Esau, he intended to give wealth, power, and honor (27: 28-29). That was the blessing Jacob stole, and the one he tried to repay when he returned from spending 20 years in Haran (Genesis 33).
• To Jacob, he promised children and land (28:3-4), the essence of the patriarchal blessing. Deceit was unnecessary. The blessing Isaac gave Jacob as he left for Haran was intended for him from the beginning.

Is it Ever Right to Do Wrong?

Rebekah faced a dilemma; so do we. Decisions about right and wrong can be complicated. We must guard against spiritualizing our desires. Neither culture nor tradition nor popular opinion is an adequate standard. Believers must determine what’s right in God’s eyes, what honors him. Then we must do it.