Morally, yes—Jacob deceived his father by claiming to be Esau, but Les Feldick teaches that the claim aligned with what God had already sovereignly decreed.
Scripture records Jacob telling Isaac, "I am Esau thy firstborn," while dressed in Esau's clothing and goat skins. Les Feldick acknowledges that Jacob and Rebekah look like cheats morally and that Jacob's name means "supplanter." Yet God had told Rebekah before the twins were born that the elder would serve the younger, and Les says Jacob was the one through whom the promises would come. So while the method was fleshly, Jacob was claiming a position God had already assigned to him.
Genesis 27:19 — This is the exact statement in question—Jacob's direct claim to Isaac that he was Esau the firstborn.
Genesis 25:23 — This is God's declaration before the twins were born that the elder would serve the younger, which underlies the entire question.
In Genesis 25:23, before the twins were born, the LORD told Rebekah, “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” When Isaac was old and ready to bless his firstborn, Rebekah prepared Jacob to go in disguise. She put Esau's chief garment on him and placed goat skins on his hands and neck. When Isaac asked who he was, Jacob said, “I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.” Later, Esau himself used a similar claim when he said, “I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.” The Bible records both the divine decree and the human word, without hiding the deception.
Les Feldick teaches that while Jacob and Rebekah's actions looked morally like cheating, God had already sovereignly decreed that Jacob, the younger twin, would be the one through whom the promises would come. Rebekah took Esau's designated cloak, the clothing that marked him as eldest, and put it on Jacob. In Les's words, this was "again, in the energy of the flesh," but God did not stop it because He "had mandated in the beginning that this is the way it should be." Les also teaches that God chose Jacob because, in His foreknowledge, He knew Esau would be destitute of faith. Esau was not cheated and deserved nothing—he had no faith and was an immoral man who married among the Hittites and Canaanites. When Esau later complained that Jacob had taken away his birthright, Les points out that this was not true: Esau had sold it to Jacob himself.
Scripture records that while Rebekah was pregnant, God told her the elder would serve the younger. Les Feldick emphasizes that this was said before they were ever born and that it was against human reason, since the firstborn twin would normally be the heir. Les explains that God, in His foreknowledge, could see the end from the beginning and knew Esau would be destitute of faith.
On the human level, Les does not dispute that Jacob was a deceiver—his very name means supplanter. But he teaches that Jacob's words need to be seen in light of God's sovereign decree. When Esau later used the same kind of claim, Les points out that Esau was speaking from physical reality as the firstborn, while in God's reckoning he was the second. This suggests that Jacob, by claiming the firstborn's place, was asserting a position God had already assigned to him, even though the method was fleshly.
Les is emphatic that Esau was not cheated: "He was not cheated, he was not rooked, he did not deserve it." In the incident where Esau complained to Isaac that Jacob had taken away his birthright, Les says that was not true—Jacob simply offered food in exchange for the birthright and Esau agreed. Furthermore, Les says Esau had no faith and was an immoral man, marrying among the Hittites and Canaanites, so he deserved neither the birthright nor the blessing.
Les does not present the deception as God's ideal; he calls it "the energy of the flesh" and acknowledges that morally Jacob and Rebekah look like "a bunch of cheats." But he says God did not stop it because He had mandated the outcome from the beginning. The point, for Les, is not that human deception is approved, but that God's sovereign purpose can be carried out even through flawed human actions.
Rebekah's Fleshly Method
Les shows that Rebekah put Esau's firstborn cloak on Jacob and calls this 'the energy of the flesh,' yet says God had already mandated that this was the way it should be.
Two Identical Claims
Les notes that Esau later answered with the same claim Jacob made, but Esau was speaking from physical reality; in God's reckoning he was the second.
God's Foreknowledge of Esau's Unbelief
Les explains that God, in His foreknowledge, chose Jacob because He knew Esau would be destitute of faith.
Esau's False Claim About the Birthright
Les corrects Esau's complaint that Jacob took away his birthright: Jacob only offered food in exchange and Esau agreed.
The Decree Before Birth
Les points to God's declaration before the twins were born that the elder would serve the younger.
Esau Deserved Nothing
Les says Esau deserved nothing because he had no faith, and was an immoral man who married among the Hittites and Canaanites.
From Deceiver to Prince: Jacob’s Struggle and God’s Unconditional Promise (Genesis 28-32)
He is still Jacob. All right, keep that in mind. So Isaac sent him away in verse 5, and he went to Paddan Aram, up to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau's mother. Now we come back to Esau in verse 6, and when he saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him away from thence, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge,…
Jacob the Supplanter
Les describes Jacob's name as meaning supplanter and deceiver, the human character behind the events.
Genesis 25:23: And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
This is God's sovereign declaration before the twins were born, indicating that Jacob, not Esau, would receive the prominent role.
Genesis 27:19: And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
These are Jacob's exact words when he claimed to be Esau in the deception.
Genesis 27:32: And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
Esau later gave the same kind of answer, but Les notes Esau was speaking from physical reality as the firstborn.
On the human and moral level, yes—Jacob claimed an identity that was not his, and Les Feldick acknowledges that Jacob was a deceiver by nature. But Les teaches that God had already declared Jacob would receive the firstborn's role, so Jacob was claiming a position God had sovereignly assigned to him.
Les Feldick acknowledges that morally they look like cheats acting in the energy of the flesh. He does not excuse the deception, but he emphasizes that God did not stop it because He had mandated from the beginning that Jacob would be the one through whom the promises would come.