I was asked a few weeks ago during the Song of Solomon bible study I lead on Sunday mornings to explain what I meant in a passing comment I made about Isaac the patriarch forsaking the covenant.

My basic claim was something like this: For all of Jacob’s other short-comings, failures, sins, he is not acting sinfully or wrongfully during his early encounter with his brother Esau nor in his collusion with his mother to get his father’s (Isaac’s) blessing…