Tag: Blessing

Episode NT34 – Thomas’ Story

tale2tell original Bible Stories series – New Testament

Based on John chapter 20 verses 19 to 29

Episode NT34 – Thomas’ Story

‘I was there! I watched Him die! Me! Thomas! One of His so-called disciples!

‘You have no idea what it’s like, to watch all your dreams, all your ambitions, all your hopes being crucified on a rough cross, and then die – right before your eyes! All I wanted, all I ever hoped for – was in that man, Jesus. And now He’s dead!’

‘And what makes it worse is that I believed Him! I was there! I was right with Him when He asked us, His close followers, His disciples. He asked us who everyone was saying He was. And we told Him. Some were saying He was John the Baptist, others were saying He was a great Prophet. But then He asked us, ‘Who do you think I am?’ (P) And Peter told Him. He told Jesus what we all believed with all our hearts, that Jesus was the Messiah, the Saviour, the Son of the Living God.’

‘Why didn’t He tell us there and then that we were wrong? Why did He let us believe it if it wasn’t true? (P) All He told us was, ‘don’t tell anyone else’. But you see I did believe it, with all my heart – I believed that He was the One sent to save us, to rule the world in power. And I hoped that I might have a small role in His Kingdom, to play my part with Him as the eternal KING! But how can it be true? I watched Him die!’

‘I was standing there when the Roman soldiers came and broke the legs of the other two criminals so that they’d die more quickly. I saw them come to Jesus’ body, and seeing that He was already dead, one of them thrust his spear up into Jesus’ side. And when he pulled it out again I saw blood and water gush out.’

‘And I watched those two hypocrites, Joseph and Nicodemus, religious leaders who hadn’t said anything before! Oh, they were so brave now! Going to Pilate to ask for the body – why hadn’t they said something when He was alive? (P) But I guess it was a mercy because now I know He wasn’t who I thought He was. Because if He was, He’d still be alive.’

‘I couldn’t take it any longer as I watched them wrap His body up in a long piece of cloth, and so I ran away. All my dreams had gone to the grave with that man! I ran until I couldn’t run any more, and I wept until I had no more tears in my eyes.’ (PAUSE)

‘I couldn’t face being with anyone – it hurt too much. So I went away to be on my own. For two whole days, I kept away from the other disciples. (P) But then I thought that, as a follower of Jesus, I was a wanted man – and where else could I go?’

‘So I went back to where I knew the other disciples would be hiding. They’d be feeling as terrified as I was. Always hiding, constantly watching over your shoulder, hoping that those footsteps aren’t the footsteps of a Roman soldier coming to arrest and execute you!’

‘When I arrived at the house, it took me ages just to find the courage to give the secret knock. (P) I so didn’t want to be there, but where else could I go? Who else could understand the pain I felt inside?’

‘As I stood in the darkness, trying to build up my courage, I made a resolution. I wasn’t going to be fooled again! Not now, not ever! I’d believed He was everything, and then I’d watched Him die, and seen He was nothing. It wasn’t going to happen again! Jesus was dead, end of story!’

‘But as soon as I knocked, the door swung open and Peter grabbed my arms and pulled me inside. Something was wrong! Why didn’t he look sad? And then, he gave me a great big hug! I looked at his face in astonishment; he had the biggest smile I’d ever seen! I couldn’t believe my eyes! And then he said, ‘Isn’t God amazing Thomas?’’

‘Was he mad? How could Jesus’ death be amazing? When he saw the expression on my face, he looked closely at my swollen red eyes. ‘You haven’t heard, have you Thomas?’ he asked.’

‘‘Heard what?’ I replied angrily. ‘That you’ve lost your brain? I knew that years ago!’’

‘And then he laughed, he actually laughed. How could he laugh? ‘What?’ I shouted! ‘What haven’t I heard?’’

‘‘Thomas,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’’

‘‘What’re you talking about?’ I asked, ‘Who’s alive?’’

‘‘Jesus, He’s alive Thomas, we’ve all seen Him!’’

‘‘You’re mad!’ I shouted, ‘I saw His body cold and lifeless on that cross. I saw them stick a spear in His side. I watched them take His dead body down from the cross.’ And then with tears streaming down my face. ‘What kind of cruel trick are you trying to play on me?’’

‘The others were all looking at me, all of them with that same … smile … or whatever, on their faces. And then they were all talking at once! ‘It’s true Thomas! We’ve seen Him Thomas. He came into this very room Thomas. Jesus stood here with US Thomas. God’s raised Him back to life Thomas.’’

‘‘Shut up! Shut up! Shut up all of you! He’s dead, don’t you understand. Dead bodies don’t come back to life. You’re all mad!’’

‘Somehow they really believed that God had raised Jesus back to life and that He’d appeared to them in that very room, and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ And shown them His hands and His side!’

‘But I wasn’t going to be taken in, not again. That man had already shattered my heart. I’d thought He was the Saviour of the World, but then He’d died the death of a criminal. No, I wasn’t going to be taken in again! Not now, not by Him, not by anyone!’

‘And so I shouted back at them all. ‘Listen – Unless I see Him standing before me, with the nail marks in His hands, and the spear mark in His side. – And, I can put my own fingers where those nails went, and I can put my fist in that hold left by the spear – I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT!’ And then I ran out.’ (PAUSE)

‘One of the most uncomfortable weeks of my life followed that day. Jesus was dead and gone, my so-called friends had been taken over by some kind of madness, and I didn’t know what to do!’

‘I tried to keep away from them. But after a week, I had to go back for some reason or other, and there they were, just as full of it as before. (P) When they let me in, they locked the door behind me and started telling me all those lies again. But I wasn’t having any of it … until that is, I – I heard His voice.’

‘When I turned to look, there He was, just as I’d remembered Him. He wasn’t a ghost, He wasn’t a vision, He wasn’t some imagining of my mind. He was real. And the others were smiling so much I thought their faces would burst open! But He was looking at me – this … this … I – I couldn’t get the words out before He started talking to me.’

‘‘Thomas,’ He said again. And then He held out His hands so I could see the marks left by the nails. ‘Put your finger here Thomas.’ And He pointed to the holes in His hands. And – and then He pulled His robe to one side and I saw the hole where the Roman soldier had thrust his spear. ‘Thomas. Reach out your fist, and put it in my side.’ I didn’t move. I didn’t have to, because I knew it was true – He was alive. ‘Stop doubting Thomas,’ He said, ‘and believe.’’

‘But I didn’t doubt. Not when I saw Him, face to face, the same Jesus who I’d known and loved these past three years. And so I did the only thing I could, I fell to my knees and I worshipped Him and said, ‘My Lord and my God.’’ (PAUSE)

‘Then He spoke to me again, ‘You believe because you’ve seen me, Thomas. But there is a greater blessing for those who haven’t seen me and yet believe I’m alive.’’

Episode NT21 – The Rich Young Ruler

tale2tell original Bible Stories series – New Testament

Based on Mark Chapter 10 verses 12 to 31

The Rich Young Ruler

DISCIPLE (ANDREW)‘Look, He’s a very busy man! Everyone wants to see Him and I’m sorry but He doesn’t have time for your children. You’re just going to have to go.’

‘We’d been trying to protect Jesus from the constant stream of people wanting to come and see Him. And now it wasn’t just adults, but parents wanted to bring their little ones to Jesus so that He could bless them. Well, they had to come to us first, His disciples, and we knew how busy and tired He could get. So we started sending the parents and their children away.’

‘We saw the disappointed looks on their faces as some of the older children had really been looking forward to meeting Jesus. But Jesus was busy with more important matters, so we started to hurry them on their way.’

‘It was as we were pushing them away that we heard Jesus’ voice. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ He asked. ‘Don’t stop them, let the children come to me!’’

‘That was it, the children and their parents didn’t need a second invitation, they surged passed us and ran to Jesus. Here we were, trying to protect Jesus from the unimportant disturbances that came along and He went and ignored our efforts!’

‘As we looked at Him He picked a couple of children up in His arms and with a broad grin on His face He looked from them to us. ‘The Kingdom of God belongs to people like these,’ He called across. ‘Because I tell you unless someone has the same kind of faith these children have, they’ll never enter God’s Kingdom.’’

‘After He’d said this He carried on welcoming the children and putting His hands on their heads and blessing them.’

‘Shortly afterwards, as we started out on another trip, a young man came running to Jesus! Not many people run anywhere in our country, it’s too hot and not really the ‘done thing’. But what caught our attention was that this young man was obviously a man with money and influence! So can you imagine our surprise and joy when he ran right up to Jesus, knelt down before Him in the road for all to see – and said, ‘Good Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?’’

‘Wow, we thought, imagine what a difference this could make, having someone like him with us! We all turned to Jesus to see what He’d say to this earnest young man. ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus asked. ‘Only God is truly good.’ And then He started to answer the young man’s question. ‘Now, you know what the commandments are; don’t commit murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t tell lies. Don’t cheat. Respect your father and mother?’’

‘The young man looked closely at Jesus, his brow furrowed. And with a slight nod of his head, he said. ‘Teacher, ever since I was a child I’ve obeyed all these commandments.’ Obviously, he felt that obeying wasn’t enough – there had to be more!’

‘Jesus’ smile grew as He looked at the young man and He felt genuine love for him. ‘Well,’ Jesus answered, ‘there is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, because then you will have treasure in heaven. And when you’ve done that, come and follow me.’’

‘I’d been listening to the conversation as the two of them spoke, and as Jesus told the young man to go and sell all he owned and give the money to the poor, I watched his face. It was painful to see his look of earnestness turn first into surprise and then to sorrow.’(P)

‘Suddenly the conversation was over. Without looking at Jesus again, the young man stood up and walked sadly away – because he had many possessions.’

‘Jesus let him leave. He’d set the standard this man had to reach and He wasn’t about to change it – even if it meant the man went away, never to return! Then, Jesus turned round to speak to us. ‘It’s so hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!’ He said. We were amazed at this – that the people with all the advantages in life: money, power, ability and talent should struggle to enter God’s Kingdom. But Jesus was continuing, ‘My Dear Children, it is very hard to get into God’s Kingdom. In fact, it would be easier for a camel to go through the little hole at the end of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s Kingdom.’’

‘To us, this was … mind-blowing … so we asked Jesus, ‘If that’s true, then is there anyone in the whole world who can be saved?’’ (PAUSE)

‘Jesus had a way of looking at us sometimes that told us we needed to listen very carefully. And as we stood there, not knowing what to think, Jesus looked at us intently. ‘From a human perspective, it’s impossible to be saved. But not when God’s involved! With God, everything’s possible!’’

‘As usual, it was my brother, Peter, who was first to open his big mouth. ‘But Jesus, we’ve given up everything to follow you.’’

‘Jesus nodded and continued to fix us with His gaze. ‘And I assure you,’ He replied, ‘everyone who’s given up their house or their brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or property for my sake and for the sake of the Good News I bring, will in this life receive in return a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and property  – along with persecution! And then, in the world to come, they’ll receive eternal life. But, many who seem to be important now will be the least important in the world to come, and those who are considered least important here will be the greatest then.’’

‘As Jesus said this, we couldn’t help thinking about the children who came to see Jesus earlier. We thought they were so unimportant but He welcomed them with open arms. And now, this rich young ruler with so much wealth and who we thought was so important, Jesus had let walk away!’

Episode 19 – Joseph – A New Life in Egypt

tale2tell original Bible Stories series – Old Testament

Based on Genesis chapters 39 & 40

Joseph – A New Life in Egypt

Hated by my brothers and sold by them to slave traders making their way down to Egypt, my life was never to be the same again. No longer was I the dearly loved son of my father Isaac, but the lowest slave in the household of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s servants. But the Lord had not left me, and whatever I put my hand to, God blessed. In fact, His blessing was so great upon me that Potiphar realised the Lord was with me and put me in charge of more and more of his estate. Potiphar became fond of me, and after a while he put me in charge of his entire household. And from the day I was put in charge, the Lord blessed Potiphar in every way. He had no worries of any kind except to decide what food he would have put on the table.

But it was also at this time that the wife of Potiphar started to take notice of me. She would come to me when her husband was not around and ask me to embrace her and kiss her! But I would not do such an evil thing! ‘Look,’ I said to her. ‘My master has put me in charge of his entire estate; he has not held anything back from me except you, for you are his wife. So how could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a terrible sin against God!’ But she would not listen to me.

Day after day she pestered me, ‘Oh come on Joseph, just a little kiss and cuddle, no one will know.’ But I refused and as much as I could I avoided her.

However, the day came when I thought I was alone in the house doing my daily chores, when Potiphar’s wife sneaked up behind me and grabbed hold of me shirt. ‘Come on Joseph, kiss me now,’ she insisted. ‘I’m not going to let you go this time.’

She had trapped me, but as quickly as I could, I ducked out of my shirt, leaving it in her hands, and ran out of the house. But this was too much for Potiphar’s wife; she could not take being rejected by me time and time again. Seeing that she still had my shirt, she started to scream and scream until all the men came running to find out what had happened. When the men arrived, she sobbed out her lies. ‘Joseph tried to hurt me. But when I screamed he stopped and ran away. Look I have his shirt as proof!’

When her husband came home later that night, his wife told him the same lies she had told all the other men. Potiphar was furious and threw me into prison.

What had happened to me? The Lord had been blessing me, even though I had been sold by my brothers as a slave. But now, because of this woman’s evil lies I was thrown into prison – with no hope of ever being set free again. (PAUSE)

But even in prison, the Lord God had not left me. What ever I did, He blessed! Until the day came when the jailer put me in charge of the running of the whole prison. The chief jailer did not need to trouble himself about anything because the Lord blessed everything I did. (PAUSE)

Some time later, Pharaoh sent two new prisoners to the jail. One was the cupbearer to King Pharaoh, who tasted the wine before giving it to Pharaoh, to make sure it had not been poisoned. The other was the chief baker. (P) I was put in charge of these new prisoners. One morning when I went to see to their needs I noticed a worried look on their faces. ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked, ‘Why do you both look so anxious?’

‘We both had dreams last night,’ they said. ‘And we know they have meanings, but there isn’t anyone here to explain them to us.’

‘Explaining dreams is God’s business,’ I replied. ‘But even so, tell me what you dreamed.’

The chief cupbearer spoke first. ‘Last night I dreamed I saw a grape vine with three branches on it. And as I watched, the branches budded, then blossomed, and then bunches of grapes appeared. I was holding Pharaoh’s cup in my hand, and I walked over to the grapes and squeezed the juice from them into Pharaoh’s cup. Then I took the cup to Pharaoh and gave it to him.’

‘I know what that dream means,’ I told him. ‘The three branches means three days. In three days time Pharaoh will call you out of prison and restore you to your position as chief cupbearer. But please, when you are restored, mention me to Pharaoh, because I was kidnapped from my home land, and now I’m in jail and I haven’t done anything wrong!’

The chief baker had been listening to our conversation, and because I had given a good explanation of the cupbearer’s dream, he decided to tell me his dream. ‘In my dream,’ he started, ‘I was holding three baskets full of bakery products on my head. The top basket had all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but then the birds came along and started to eat them.’

When I heard his dream, my heart fell. But I could not hold back the explanation. ‘In your dream, the three baskets also mean three days. But in three days, Pharaoh will cut off you head and leave your body to be eaten by the birds.’ (PAUSE)

Three days later, Pharaoh had a birthday party. And during the celebrations, just as I had explained, he restored the cupbearer and had the chief baker killed. (P) However, the cupbearer completely forgot about me, not giving me a second thought.

And so, for the next two years I continued to wait in jail.

Episode 17 – Jacob goes home

tale2tell original Bible Stories series – Old Testament

Based on Genesis chapter 31 verse 1 to chapter 33 verse 11

Jacob goes home

Twenty years had passed since I, Jacob, had first arrived in the lands of the east and met Rachel who would later become my wife. Twenty years of twisting and cheating from Laban, her father, who was always trying to beat me and deceive me. First he’d tricked me into marrying Leah, Rachel’s older sister. And then – he’d made me work an extra 7 years for Rachel. And after that, he constantly changed his agreement with me to try and make sure I didn’t get rich. But the Lord had been with me, and I’d managed to work it out so that I had got rich, and my own flocks and herds had grown healthy and strong.

But it wasn’t just at work that the twenty years had been difficult, at home things seemed to go from bad to worse. Leah had children, but Rachel couldn’t have any, and in an act of desperation, Rachel gave me her personal maid, Bilhah, to be another wife for me, so that any children Bilhah had would be considered as Rachel’s! But Leah didn’t want to be outdone and she gave me her personal maid, Zilpah, as yet another wife, so that any children Zilpah had would be considered Leah’s! Eventually, and mercifully the Lord also let Rachel give birth to her first son Joseph.

As I became richer, I started to notice that my father-in-law, Laban, liked me less and less! It was at this time that the Lord spoke to me and told me to go back home to the land of my father Isaac and my grandfather Abraham.

So I talked it over with Leah and Rachel. They too had noticed that their father’s attitude towards them had cooled, so we all agreed to leave. (P) I should’ve trusted the Lord and told Laban openly that the Lord had said to leave, but I still hadn’t learnt to trust God, so I did it my way! I waited until Laban went away to shear his sheep, and then, without telling anyone, we made our escape. I put my children and wives on camels, packed everything up and left as quickly as we could.

Laban didn’t hear about it for 3 days. But when he did, he was furious, and gathered a group of his relatives together and set out in hot pursuit. (P)

I think Laban would’ve done us great harm if the Lord hadn’t intervened. The night before he caught up with us, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and warned him to be very careful in what he said to me. But even so, when he turned up he was furious! He accused me of acting foolishly, and then he said I was a thief and went through every one of our tents looking for his stolen household idols! He didn’t find them of course – even though I found out later that Rachel had taken them, and sat on them when her father searched her tent – so he wouldn’t find them!

But because the Lord had warned Laban, he didn’t harm us and eventually let us go with his blessing. (PAUSE)

The incident with Laban had been frightening, but that was nothing – to what lay ahead of me. I was going to have to face Esau. Esau whom I’d tricked out of his birthright, Esau from whom I’d stolen the blessing all those years ago. The same Esau whose plan to murder me had seen me hurry off to the lands of the east in fear for my life. (PAUSE)

I supose I could have returned to the land by a back road, and hoped that Esau didn’t find us. But I wanted to get things sorted out between us, so I sent a servant to Esau with this message. ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob! I have been living in the lands of the east with our uncle Laban for the last twenty years, and now I own oxen, donkeys, sheep, goats and servants, both male and female. And so I’m sending you this message to tell you that I’m coming back in the hope the you’ll be friendly towards me.’

But when my servant returned, the news he brought was terrifying! Esau had heard the message and was on his way to meet us with four hundred armed men! What was I going to do now? We wouldn’t stand a chance against an army of 400-armed men.

As quickly as I could I split the camp into two, hoping that if Esau attacked one group, the other would be ok. And then – I did something that I’ve not really done as often as I should. You see I didn’t have any smart schemes that could save us, I had to put our lives into the hands of the living God – so I fell upon my knees and prayed.

‘Oh God of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac – It was You O Lord who told me to come back to the land of my family – and it was You who promised to be kind to me. I don’t deserve Your faithfulness and the unfailing love that You show to me. When I left all those years ago, all I owned was a walking stick, and now my household fills two camps! Please Lord, rescue me from my brother Esau. I’m afraid that he’s going to murder me, my wives and my children. But You promised to treat me kindly, to multiply my descendents until they were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore – far too many to count!’ (P)

I’m not sure, but I think that was the first time I ever really called on the Lord for help. You see there was no escape; we were a large slow moving group, while Esau and his 400-strong army could move quickly, and no matter what we tried he’d still be able to catch up with us. I didn’t have an answer – for the first time ever I just had to trust the Lord.

Mind you, that didn’t stop me coming up with a plan. I decided to send a series of presents to Esau. First I sent two hundred female goats, and 20 male goats. Then, after a short gap, I sent two hundred ewes, and twenty rams. Then, after another short gap I sent 30 female camels with their young, then 40 cows and 10 bulls, then 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. With each group I sent a servant to lead them to Esau, and each servant had to give the same message. When Esau asked them ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Whose servant are you? And, ‘Whose animals are these.’ I told them to answer, ‘These animals belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present for his master Esau. Jacob is coming along behind us.’

My plan was to make Esau feel less and less angry as he received this series of gifts. I hoped that he’d feel friendly towards us. (PAUSE)

We were camped beside a river, and that night, after the presents had gone I started to feel uneasy again. So in the middle of the night I woke everyone up and sent them all across the river, my family, my possessions and everything. Until I was the only one left in the camp – or so I thought.

For out of nowhere a stranger came and wrestled with me. Hour after hour we wrestled until the first light of dawn started to shine over the horizon. When the man realised that he couldn’t win the fight, he struck my hip, knocking it out of joint. All I could do was hang onto him.

‘Let me go, it’s dawn,’ said the man.

‘I will not let you go,’ I replied. ‘Not unless you bless me.’

‘What’s your name?’ the man asked me.

‘Jacob,’ I replied.

‘From now on your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, which means ‘one who struggles with God’. Because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.’

And then I asked him was his name was. But he replied, ‘Why do you ask?’ And then he blessed me and left. (P)

I named that place ‘Peniel’ which means ‘face of God’, because I had seen God – face to face and he had spared my life. (P) So as the sun continued to rise I limped over to join the others as we waited for Esau’s arrival. (P)

It wasn’t long before we saw Esau and his 400 strong army coming towards us. When I saw him, I formed our group into two columns, with Bilhah and Zilpah, the servants of Leah and Rachel at the front with their children behind them. Next was Leah, with her children, and last came Rachel with Joseph. And then, I went on ahead of them all to face my brother Esau.

As Esau approached, I bowed low to the ground seven times before him. But as I watched Esau started to run towards me. I stood there unable to move, yet trusting that somehow the Lord would keep His promises.

Closer and closer Esau came. I couldn’t tell from the look on his face how he was feeling until he ran right up to me – and throwing his arms around me gave me a great big hug! Suddenly both of us were in tears – tears of joy at seeing each other again, and for me, tears of relief that my head was still on my shoulders!

Then Esau saw the women and children coming toward us.

‘Who’re all these people with you brother?’ he asked.

‘These are the children God has given me,’ I replied. And then Bilhah and Zilpah and their children came forward and bowed low before Esau. Next came Leah with her children, and they bowed low. And finally Rachel and Joseph came and also bowed low to the ground before Esau.

Esau was amazed at all he’d seen. ‘What about all these flocks and herds I met as I came to see you?’ he asked.

‘They’re a gift – to you, to make sure you’d be happy to see us,’ I answered.

‘I don’t need them,’ said Esau. ‘I’ve already got more than enough!’

But I insisted, ‘Please, accept them as my gift to you, for seeing your smiling face is such a relief to me, it’s almost like seeing the smile of God.’ So Esau took the gifts, and we settled in the land.

Episode 14 – Jacob the liar

tale2tell original Bible Stories series – Old Testament

Based on Genesis chapter 27 verses 1 – 41

Jacob the liar

It wasn’t long before the whole family knew what’d happened between Esau and Jacob, how Jacob had tricked Esau out of his birthright for a bowl of red lentil stew! But it didn’t change the way their parents felt. Isaac still wanted his favourite Esau, the great hunter, to be head of the family – for no other reason than that he liked the food Esau caught. And Rebekah wanted her favourite, Jacob to be the head. Things weren’t looking good; they were a family at war!

A while later, when Isaac was older and his eyesight had almost failed, he decided it was time to pass on the blessing of God to his children. Normally, the head of the family would have called a gathering of family members, and with them all present to witness the event, he would have publicly blessed his children for all to see… kind of like reading your will – but before you’ve died.

But you see – Isaac knew all about the prophecy Rebekah’d had when she’d asked the Lord about her pregnancy… he knew that the Lord had said the older son would serve the younger son. He also knew of the time Jacob had tricked Esau out of his birthright for a bowl of red lentil stew… that Esau had given up his birthright with a solemn promise. And yet, even though Isaac knew all these things, he was still determined to do what he wanted and pass the blessing onto Esau. So, without calling a family meeting, in fact, without telling anyone at all what he intended to do, he called Esau in for a private chat.

But even as he made his plans, he couldn’t get his mind off his stomach! ‘Now Esau,’ he started. ‘ I’m getting to be an old man, I could die any day! So I want you to do something for me. I want you to get your bow and arrows and go out and catch something for me to eat. Bring it back and prepare a meal for me – just the way I like it. And then, when you’ve done all that and I’ve had my meal, I’ll give you my blessing, the blessing that belongs to my first born son.’

Isaac was trying to go directly against what God had said! Not only that, he was also trying to ignore the solemn promise Esau had given – that the birthright would belong to Jacob! And Esau was no better! Ignoring his own promise to Jacob, he ran off to get his bow and arrows, anxious to take the blessing for himself!

But what they didn’t realise as they hatched their little plot together, was that Rebekah had overheard the whole thing! And she had no intention of letting it happen. (P) As soon as Esau left for the hunt she ran to find Jacob. ‘Jacob, I overheard your father talking to Esau. He’s sent him off to catch some wild animal to make him a tasty meal. After that, he plans to bless Esau in the Lord’s presence before he dies! Now listen and do exactly as I tell you. Go to the flock of goats and bring me two fine young goats. When you’ve done that, I’ll prepare a meal – just the way your father likes it. Your father can’t see very well, so when you take the food to him, pretending to be Esau, he’ll bless you instead of Esau.’

Oh dear, Isaac was planning to do something he shouldn’t with Esau agreeing to his evil plan, and now Rebekah and Jacob were planning to trick Isaac! Why no one talked to the Lord about it all and asked Him for help we’ll never know. And one thing you can be sure of when people try to trick each other is that no good’ll come of it!

However, Jacob had seen a flaw in his mother’s plan. ‘But mum,’ he said. ‘What if dad touches me for some reason? I’m not all hairy like Esau, and when he finds out that I’m trying to deceive him, he’ll curse me instead of blessing me!’

‘Let the curse fall on me, my son.’ Rebekah said, ‘just go and get the goats (P) quickly.’

While the goat stew was cooking, Rebekah took some strips of goatskin and made a hairy covering for Jacobs’s arms and hands. She also took another strip and put it around his neck. Then she made Jacob put on some of Esau’s clothes. Her plan was almost ready. So when she’d prepared the stew, with a rich mouth-watering smell, along with some freshly baked bread, she gave them to Jacob to take to his father. The deception was complete!

‘Father,’ said Jacob, trying to sound as much like Esau as he could.

‘Yes,’ said Isaac. ‘Who is it – Esau or Jacob?’

‘It’s me, Esau, your eldest son,’ he lied, ‘I’ve been hunting and made you some stew, just the way you like. Sit up and eat, then you can give me your blessing.’

‘But how were you able to catch an animal so fast son?’ Isaac asked.

‘Oh, the Lord your God put it right in my path father – I couldn’t miss it!’ Jacob lied – again.

‘Come here Esau,’ Isaac said, a little suspiciously. ‘I want to touch you so that I can be sure it’s really you.’ So Jacob went to his father who touched the goatskin on Jacob’s arm. ‘Well,’ he said to himself. ‘The voice’s Jacob’s, but the hands are all hairy like Esau’s!’ Then out loud he said, ‘Are you really Esau?’

‘Yes of course I am,’ lied Jacob.

And then, because he could think of nothing else except the lovely meal prepared for him, Isaac said. ‘Ok, bring me my meal (licks lips) and after I’ve eaten it I’ll give you my blessing. (Smacks lips)’

So Jacob took the meal over to his father and waited while he watched the old man greedily eat up his meal without even realising that it wasn’t made from wild animal at all, but from goats! However, Isaac was still a little unsure if the person in the room with him was really Esau and not Jacob, so after he’d finished eating he called him over again. ‘Come here boy and give your old father a kiss.’ As Jacob came across, Isaac caught the smell of Esau’s clothes that Jacob was wearing. It was enough to finally convince him. ‘That’s a good smell,’ he said. ‘The smell of the open fields that the Lord God has blessed.’ And then he started to bless his son.

‘May God always give you plenty of dew for healthy crops and a good harvest of grain and wine.’

‘May many nations become your servants.’

‘May you be master of your brothers, and may all your mother’s sons bow low before you.’

 ‘All who curse you are cursed, and all who bless you are blessed.’

It was a close-run thing. Because as Jacob left his father, having received the blessing, Esau returned. Thankfully he didn’t see Jacob and got on preparing the meal for his father. When he’d finished he strode into his father’s tent. ‘Right, here I am with this wonderful wild game stew you wanted. Sit up and eat so that you can give me your blessing.’

Isaac was spooked. ‘Who are you?’ He asked in a quavering voice.

‘It’s me of course, Esau, your eldest son. Who else would it be?’

Isaac began trembling uncontrollably. ‘Then who was just in here serving me food? I’ve eaten already and I blessed that person with a blessing that can never be undone!’

It took a while for Esau to realise what’d happened. But when he realised that Jacob had tricked him again, he began to cry out loud. ‘Oh Father, bless me too!’

 ‘Your brother’s tricked me. He’s taken away your blessing,’ said Isaac.

Esau: ‘No wonder his name’s Jacob – the deceiver. He’s deceived me twice. Once when he tricked me into selling my birthright and – and now he’s stolen my blessing. (P) Oh father, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?’

But Isaac knew that he’d been beaten, and he also knew that it was what the Lord’d said would happen all those years ago when Rebekah went to talk to him about the children in her womb. ‘I – I have made Jacob your master. I have made all his brothers his servants and I have blessed him with grain and wine… what else is there left to bless you with?’

‘Oh please father, please – there must be some blessing for me too?’ Then Esau fell to his knees crying bitterly.

‘All I can say is this,’ Isaac continued. ‘You will live off the land and what it gives. And you will live by the sword. You will serve your brother for a time, but then you will make yourself free.’

After that, Esau hated his brother Jacob and waited for an opportunity to murder him.