Shortcuts are the long way. Jacob is a man of shortcuts. God had already promised him the blessing—the prophecy said so before he was even born. But Jacob couldn't wait. He manipulates, deceives, and steals what was already his. First, he takes Esau's birthright for a bowl of stew. Then, with his mother's help, he steals his father's blessing through disguise and lies. Jacob gets what he wants, but here's the problem: grasping God's blessings the wrong way never leads to the blessing God intended. Jacob will spend decades learning this lesson the hard way. The heel-snatcher and the blessing-giver will inhabit one man, and they'll be at war with each other. Shortcuts feel efficient, but they cost us more than they save.
Here we sit with rivalry, favoritism, deception, ambition, blessing, and the long shadows our choices can cast.