1.  Genesis 27:1-40 is a story of deception, fraud, and deceit…all in the name of God.  While the chapter is rightly seen as a failure of faith with all its attending complications, at its core is the story of the chaos that overtakes a family when a father does not lead his family in a Biblical/spiritual way.

2.  Applications from Genesis 27:

-Fathers must lead their families in living out the Word of God honestly and transparently

-our sympathies often lie with people rather than with God’s purpose for them (this is exemplified in Isaac’s actions toward Esau).  Our loyalties must be with God.

-Spiritual responsibilities must be carried out in spiritual ways (by faith, not the flesh, in God’s timing, not ours)

-Life becomes complicated when we abandon faith as our way of life opting instead to live by our appetites, sympathies, our wits.  The result is broken relationships, hatred, separation.