dotmj

The birthright belongs to God, not to man. Once the birthright is given, it cannot be revoked as it is a right of God to determine who receives it. Isaac was simply following tradition of passing the birthright to the first born, but God had other plans for that birthright and gave it to Jacob instead. God controlled the circumstances to allow the birthright to be transferred to Jacob and not to Esau.

It doesn't excuse her at all and Jacob joined her in the deception even though he was fearful of being cursed.

Like many of us, Rebekah started out being spiritual. She accepted the God of Israel and she sought God during the pregnancy. However, at the time of the deception involving Isaac and Jacob, she did not place her trust in God to fulfill His promise of "the younger ruling over the older" wherein Jacob would rule over Esau. I believe Isaac was more spiritual than Rebekah, but they seemed to not be communicating with God during this time of their life. Without communication between husband and wife and God, Rebekah and Isaac took things into their own hands when it came to giving the blessing of the birthright. If they had sought God, He would have instructed them on the birthright. Jacob had greater spritual understanding than Esau because Jacob understood the significance of the birthright and he probably had been told by Rebekah about the promise God had made to her. Esau scorned spiritual things and was only concerned about being cheated out of his birthright. He didn't care that the birthright was a privilege from God.

Esau was a godless man and had contempt for the things of God. That is why he so quickly and readily gave up his birthright for a bowl of stew. The birthright is a right given of God to all first born males in Israel that they shall be His. Esau shunned this right thus he shunned God. Jacob's name means "he deceives". He was living up to his name sake. Rather than trusting in God to fulfill the promise He had made to Rebekah that "the younger will rule over the older", Jacob used deception and manipulation to achieve what he wanted. Jacob had a greater understanding of what the birthright meant - he knew it was God's right to receive the first born.