Do Not Use a Child to Accomplish Your Plan
Written for Bible Journey Plan. Our editorial standards.
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
Genesis 27:8-10 KJV
A parent can become so certain about a desired result that manipulation begins to look helpful. The plan may be explained as protection or wisdom, while a child is asked to carry a secret or participate in dishonesty.
Rebekah's instructions to Jacob led him into deceit. God's larger purpose in the account does not make the method righteous. Scripture often shows the Lord working despite human sin rather than endorsing the sin through which events unfold.
Keep children out of adult schemes. Do not ask them to mislead a spouse, carry hostile messages, or choose sides in a marital conflict. They should not have to protect a parent's plan at the expense of truth.
If such a pattern has begun, stop it and seek wise help. Address the adult issue with the adults responsible for it. The Lord's purposes do not need our dishonesty to make them secure. A faithful household teaches children that truth remains valuable even when it complicates an outcome. Protect their conscience by refusing to make them partners in a wrong you have persuaded yourself is necessary.
Keep the passage in context
Rebekah directs Jacob into a plan to deceive Isaac and obtain the blessing. The account records human manipulation within a family, without approving its deceit.
Read further: Genesis 27 in the King James Bible.