John Calvin Commentary Genesis 27:11

"And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man." — Genesis 27:11 (ASV)

And Jacob said to Rebekah. That Jacob does not voluntarily present himself to his father, but rather fears that, his deception being discovered, he would bring a curse upon himself, is very contrary to faith. For when the Apostle teaches that whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23), he trains the children of God to this sound judgment, so that they do not permit themselves to undertake anything with a doubtful and troubled conscience.

This firm conviction is the only rule of right conduct, when we, relying on the command of God, go fearlessly wherever he calls us. Jacob, therefore, by debating with himself, shows that he was lacking in faith; and certainly, although he was not entirely without it, yet, in this respect, he is proven to have failed.

But this example teaches us again that faith is not always extinguished by a particular fault. Yet, if God is sometimes patient with his servants to such an extent that he turns what they have done wrongly to their salvation, we must not therefore take license to sin. It was by the wonderful mercy of God that Jacob was not cut off from the grace of adoption.

Who would not rather fear than become presumptuous? And since we see that his faith was obscured by doubt, let us learn to ask the Lord for the spirit of prudence to guide all our steps. Another serious error was also present: for why does he not reverence God rather than dread his father’s anger?

Why does it not rather occur to him that a shameful blot would stain the sacred adoption of God, when its fulfillment seemed to owe its accomplishment to a lie? For although it was directed towards a right end, it was not permissible to achieve that end through such a devious path.

Meanwhile, there is no doubt that faith prevailed over these obstacles. For what reason did he prefer the mere and seemingly empty blessing of his father to the peace he then enjoyed, to the comforts of home, and finally to life itself? According to the flesh, the father’s blessing, which he desired so much that he knowingly and willingly plunged himself into great difficulties, was merely an imaginary thing.

Why did he act in this way, if not because, in exercising simple faith in the word of God, he valued the hidden hope more highly than the desirable condition he actually enjoyed? Moreover, his fear of his father’s anger originated from the true fear of God. He says that he feared that he might bring a curse upon himself. But he would not have dreaded a mere verbal rebuke so greatly if he had not considered the grace entrusted to his father to be worth more than a thousand lives.

It was therefore under God’s prompting that he feared his father, who was truly God’s servant. For when the Lord sees us engrossed in earthly matters, he draws us to himself by human means.