Have you ever wondered why Scripture says to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)? The answer is that our senses can be deceived. In Genesis 27 we witness the deception of the senses. Isaac is 137 years old, and he feels as if he is about to die (Gen. 27:1). Ishmael, his half brother, had died at that same age, so Isaac figured he’d die at that age also (Gen. 25:17). But Isaac doesn’t die until the age of 180 (Gen. 35:28-29)! Isaac’s self-perception is off. On account of this, Isaac desired to give Esau the patriarchal blessing.
Rebekah is afraid that Jacob will be left out. So when Esau goes hunting for his father’s favorite venison to cook, she concocts a plan to deceive Isaac. She sent Jacob to fetch a goat to cook instead. How long had Rebekah been cooking goat and saying it was venison?! Obviously Isaac’s tastebuds were not up to par. Isaac’s eyesight was dim, and Jacob was fearful that Isaac would want to touch him if he couldn’t see well enough. Consequently, Rebekah had Jacob wear the goatskin, but Isaac couldn’t perceive with touch either. When Jacob was close enough for his father to touch him, he even believed Jacob smelled like Esau. Isaac’s nose couldn’t detect a difference between his twin sons.
But there was one sense that worked for Isaac, and it was his hearing. When Jacob spoke Isaac thought, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau” (Gen. 27:22). What Isaac heard was correct. Unfortunately, what he felt, smelled, tasted, and seen were out of sorts.
Hearing is referenced at least 170 times in the New Testament. Ears are referenced 52 times in the New Testament. No less than 15 verses in the New Testament you can find the phrase, “He that hath ears, let him hear”
Friends, we do not walk by sight. We do not walk by feeling. We do not walk by taste. We do not walk by hunger. We do not walk by touch. We do not walk by smelling. We do not walk by emotions. We are to walk by faith, and faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The Word of God should be the basis of our walk with God.