Identity Theft

Did you know that 7% of American households have been a victim of identity theft?  Out of every 100 families, seven have been affected by it.  That seems like such a small amount until you realize how many American households there are.  In 2010, there was an estimated 115,000,000 households.  That would mean there were about 8,050,000 victims of identity theft.  With the increase in technology, this number will only increase. 

Did you know that identity theft has been around for about 4,000 years?  The first person affected was victimized by his own brother.  You find this story in Genesis chapter 27. 

Isaac had two sons, twins, Jacob and Esau.  Esau was older than Jacob by probably a few minutes.  He was a very hairy man and Jacob had smooth skin.  In those days, the eldest son received the birthright and the blessing from his father.  Therefore, Esau should have received both.

Isaac was getting old and knew his days were numbered.  His ability to see had diminished.  He called in Esau and told him to hunt game and make a meal so Isaac could eat and bless him.  Esau hurried along to follow his father’s commands.  The problem was Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau.  The parents had played favorites and Jacob was hers.  She had heard Isaac’s request to Esau.  She wanted Jacob to receive the blessing, not Esau.

Rebekah called for Jacob and explained to him what his father had asked Esau to do but how she has decided that Jacob is the rightful recipient of the blessing.  She then explained her plan.  Jacob was to kill two goats and she would cook them up.  Jacob would then serve the food to his father Isaac and Jacob would receive the blessing.

Jacob was a smart man.  He knew that Isaac would realize he was not Esau due to the lack of hair on his body.  Rebekah already had a plan in mind.  She told Jacob not to worry and to follow her commands.  While Esau was still out hunting for game, Jacob had already captured the two goats and his mother had them cooked up and ready to serve.  She then took the skin from the goats and placed them on Jacob’s arms and neck and gave him some of Esau’s clothes to wear.  She then sent him into Isaac to receive the blessing due to the eldest son.

Jacob went before Isaac and Isaac’s first question was, “Who are you, my son?”  Isaac knew something was not right.  He even asked how he was able to find the game so quickly.  Isaac was suspicious of Jacob, not fully believing he was Esau.  He even asked Jacob to come near so he could feel if he was truly Esau or not.  He felt how hairy Jacob was and asked one more time if he was truly Esau.  Therefore, Jacob received the blessing due to his older brother.

Esau was a victim of identity theft and the thief was his own brother. 

But Isaac could have prevented it from happening.  He delivered the blessing to Jacob based on what he felt.  He relied on his feelings and not on what he knew to be true.  He knew that Esau could not find game and cook it as quickly as it was prepared by Jacob and Rebekah.  I would think that the two boys would sound differently, another reason why Isaac could have asked “Who are you?”  Instead of basing his decision on the facts, he based them on feeling if he was Esau.

Feelings can be tricky.  Jeremiah 17:9 even says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  We cannot trust our feelings.  Sometimes our feelings don’t match up with reality.

I am not saying feelings are bad all the time.  But I am saying we should not rely on our feelings.  We should rely on what we know to be true. 

And this is true with our walk with God.  We can’t rely on feelings when it comes to the relationship we have with Him.  There are times that I feel so…alone.  But God has promised me that He will never leave or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6).  I know that I am not alone.  But there are times that my feelings and reality do not match up.   Reality is God is still here and I am not alone.  Reality is that God will never leave me and I can rely on Him.  Reality is, He loves me too much to leave me alone.  So I am not alone.  I cannot rely on my feelings.  My feelings are a lie. 

This is where faith walks in.  This is where I need to trust and have faith.  I can’t just make myself feel like I am not alone.  I have to believe.  It is not about feelings.  It is about faith.  It is not about what my heart is telling me.  It is about what I know to be true. 

Have you ever been lying in bed with all the lights off and you see shadows on the wall?  The shadows can look like some scary creatures with lots of arms ready to grab its next victim from underneath the blankets.  The shadows can be very deceiving.  But the reality is that the light is shining on a tree that is being swayed by the wind.  The shadows are like our feelings.  They can make us see things that are not really there.  They make us believe things that are untrue.  Our feelings can be just as scary as those shadows on a wall. 

The key is to trust God, not our feelings.  We should have faith in Him, not in what our heart tells us to do.  I am able to trust in God and grow my faith only By God’s Amazing Grace.