18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”
Jacob is ready to deceive his father. Since his birth he has been on this path. His life started with a message to his mother that twins were in her womb and that the older would serve the younger. He came out of the womb grabbing at his brother’s foot. Later he took advantage of his brother’s weakness and got him to give up his rights to his inheritance. Of course his brother did not go to his father and tell him this. He hoped he could still get his inheritance. Jacob’s Mom hatches this plot to get Jacob his father’s blessing, the official passing on of inheritance rights. Jacob goes along with his mother. But even as this plot is unfolding Jacob gets confronted with his past. When his father asks his name, he must face his past. The name Jacob means heal grabber or supplanter. His name symbolizes what he is doing. He is gaining something through taking advantage of another’s weakness. His father is going blind and deaf. His brother was starving and dying of thirst. He uses their weaknesses to get what he wants. But when his father asks him who he is, he must face his character as a deceiver. When was the last time you had to face your character? When did someone point out your fault and you had the choice to come clean or to deceive? We have all made these types of choices. None of us likes to have our dirty laundry exposed to the public eye. We all want a degree of deception in our lives. We all want the proverbial fig leaf to protect our nakedness. At this moment, Jacob could have told his father the whole truth and faced the consequences. But instead, he continues down this path of deception. Coming clean after lying is very hard, but very cleansing. In what areas do you need to come clean?
The Arnold Journey 