Tuesday: The Deceiver Deceived
Read Genesis 29:1-30. How and why does God allow for Laban’s deception? What lessons did Jacob learn?
The first thing that Jacob sees when he arrives at the place of destination is a stone, perhaps a hint referring back to the stone of Bethel, which signified God’s presence (Genesis 28:18-19). It is this stone that will, after all, give Jacob the opportunity to interact with Rachel. When Jacob hears from the standing shepherds that Rachel is coming with her sheep to water her flock, he urges the shepherds to roll away the stone. They refuse, which gives Jacob the opportunity to do it alone, and to introduce himself to Rachel (Genesis 29:11).
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Rachel responded by running to her family. This first contact between Jacob and Rachel was productive: “Jacob loved Rachel” (Genesis 29:18), so much that the seven years he worked for Laban in exchange for Rachel were like “a few days” (Genesis 29:20).
However, after these seven years, Jacob is deceived. On the night of the wedding, it is Leah, the elder sister, and not Rachel, whom Jacob discovers in his bed. Taking advantage of the confusion of the feast and of Jacob’s intense emotion and vulnerability, Laban had managed this trick. Interestingly, Jacob uses the same root word for “deceive” (Genesis 29:25, NKJV) that Isaac had used to characterize Jacob’s behavior toward his father and his brother (Genesis 27:35).
Note that the same thinking is also implied in the lex talionis (law of retaliation), “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Exodus 21:24; compare with Genesis 9:6), which forces the culprit to identify with his/her victim in that the culprit faces what the victim did. In a similar way, then, what Jacob had done to someone else had now been done to him.
Jacob understands now what it means to be the victim of deception. Ironically, God teaches Jacob about his own deception through Laban’s deception. Although Jacob as “deceiver” (Genesis 27:12) knows well what deception means, he is surprised when he is the victim of deception. Thus, he asks the question, “Why … have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:25, NKJV), which shows that he knows deception is wrong.
| Though Jacob was the deceiver, he himself was the deceived. How can we learn to trust God when we don’t see “justice” being done, when we see people who do evil get away with it, or when we see the innocent suffer? |
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Don't we love it when someone gets their "comeuppance". Particularly when the tables are turned and they get treated the way they have treated others. I remember a student, I will call Leo from my student days who was always playing practical jokes on others. Some were funny, others were definitely not appreciated. In the end the other young men got thoroughly sick of it, They asked Leo if he would help them dump Fred in the creek. Leo was all for it. This sort of prank was right up his alley. They raided Fred's room, grabbed and manhandled him to the swing bridge. Suddenly Leo did not know what was going on. Fred was no longer being held by the other men and was helping them to hold Leo over the side of the swing bridge. Then he was dropped unceremoniously in the cold waters of Dora Creek. "Gotcha!"
Jacob thought He had landed in the right place. He had found family and furthermore, they had a daughter that was comely. He had to work for her, but after seven years of work and waiting, Laban pulled a mean trick on him and substituted Leah for Rachel. So much for veiled weddings! The deceiver was deceived. "Gotcha!"
Jacob was given Rachel a week later, but he had another 7 years to think about the price of deception.
How is deceitfulness defined? By that definition are we not all deceitful? Or are there measures of deceitfulness that can be overlooked? Who has not deliberately omitted details, or used nuanced language or used ambiguity to our benefit to gain favor or to save ourselves probable injury to our character or ego, or to justify our own schemes. A little yeast worketh the whole dough. We will never truly understand the great work of the ‘renewing of our minds’ that needs to be acccomplished by the Holy Spirit, until we consider the sins that so easily beset us - the little foxes. Indeed, there is none righteous among us.
When I was born again the one thing I noticed I received is that I couldn't tell a lie. I never wanted to tell a lie; not even a white lie!
God gave me someone to minister to and one day she was here talking about something that I very much disagreed with. I must have made a face because she pressed me hard to tell her what I was thinking. I said I'd rather not say it, but her insistence won out. My thought happened to be a message God wanted her to hear. I had already gave it before, and it did not end well. When I told her, she got so angry! She ran out of my house and would have nothing more to do with me after that. I still pray for her, of course.
There's a reason why God doesn't want us to lie. When people hear the truth they have a chance to turn away from their mistakes and follow God. I am actually filled with joy that God will bestow upon me the means to tell the truth in any situation. My friend was high maintenance and it has been a blessing that she left my fold.
I am so full with joy for this gift that can only come from Jesus that I am compelled to praise him!!!
True is the phrase, "I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds."
In addition, this doesn't mean that we should tell people when we see them do something wrong. God always calls me to pray for them instead and overlook the faults. Otherwise I can ruin a relationship. However the case I mentioned earlier was from God's direction. If my friend had listened she would avoid a great deal of pain. I knew God had a great work planned for her. Instead she chose to be tortured by Satan.
Something to consider. I propose that the notion that "people who do evil get away with it" is a false notion. Yes, those who do evil may seem at times to evade observable 'punishment' here and now. But what happens to the heart and character of those who intentionally do evil? Can a person do evil and develop a pure heart and Christlike character? Will those who habitually 'do evil', and therefore cultivate evil hearts and characters (as per Genesis 6:5), obtain abundant/eternal life by doing so?
If abundant/eternal life is the true reference point, do people who do evil actually get away with it? Or does it just seem like they do when we use our present, temporal existence as the reference point?
The LAW of sowing and reaping.
Galatians 6:7, Psalm 19:7-9
The LAW in minds and hearts !
AKA The pure motivation, through the Spirit of Christ in us !
2 Corinthians 13:5
Shalom 🙏
Should someone be comforted when tables are turned around especially in these case; Should Esau have felt nice learning what happened to Jacob?
The first answer is NO reason because the law of karma takes its cause. The second answer is Yes/No, that depends on the individual whether or not to feel nice or pity. My opinion!
if you are being tortured is that evil
Though the deceiver gets deceived, God is still merciful that after 7 years he still got that which rightfully belongs to him. There are times we may have tried a short cut which turned out to be a long cut, don't be discouraged, God still loves us. After the process we shall still get that which belongs to us. Don't be discouraged by the process of God.