Deception and Lies…Jacob’s Story Continues

The story of Jacob continues with more deception and lies.  But this time, the tables are turned on him.  That never feels good!

Do you remember how Jacob got to the place in the desert in the first place?

Deception and lies took him by the hand and led him there. In the deception to his father, Isaac, Jacob dressed up like his brother Esau and took advantage of his father’s poor eyesight to receive his father’s blessing.  This blessing was to go to the oldest son and since Esau had wiggled his way out of the womb first, this blessing was his. It was also customary that “the blessing” was just that…”the”.  There weren’t many to hand out as a father. There was only one and Jacob used deception and lies to receive what wasn’t his to receive. 

Fast forward a bit…Jacob had traveled from his homeland of Canaan to the land of his grandfather Abraham’s to find a wife.  Well, at least that was his outward excuse.  The truth is he was escaping Esau’s wrath. Wife hunting was just a cover up.  But a wife he did find! Love is always the perfect end of any story, but his story didn’t end.  Waiting for love for him when on and on and on!

As Jacob reached his destination he paused at the well where the livestock was watered daily.  Once all livestock were gathered, the stone was removed. But this day was different.  As Jacob stood at the well, he saw a beautiful lady shepherd approaching with her herd. Being the total gentleman, he removed the stone for her even though it wasn’t time to water all the flock. After the herd had been watered, he questioned her a little more about herself and learned that she was the daughter of his uncle Laban.  His mother, Rebekah, had left this land to marry his father, Isaac. These were his kin, and they had a beautiful daughter, his cousin Rachel.  Don’t get worked up over this folk, because this is what they did in those days…cousins married cousins!

After Jacob had met his kinfolk, he moved in with his uncle working the fields for him. After a month passed by his uncle asked him what wages he could pay for all of his work. This is Jacob’s reply…

“Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes (kind of a funny way to describe her!), but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful (men never change!). Jacob was in love with Rachel (of course he was!) and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.’” Genesis 29:16-18 NIV

Hi ho, hi ho…it’s off to work we go! Jacob set out on a mission to earn the right to marry Laban’s daughter, Rachel.

Seven years later this is what Jacob said…

“’Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.’” Genesis 29:21 NIV

Now, who said that scripture wasn’t humorous…and honest! Jacob had saved himself for the woman of his dreams long enough and now it was time!

So, a party was given to celebrate the union of Jacob and Laban’s daughter, Rachel. But they were not united…at least not now!

“But when evening came, he took his daughter LEAH (you know, the one with the weak eyes) and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.” Genesis 29:23 NIV

Now wait a minute! Jacob had worked hard for Rachel…not Leah! How could Jacob have mistaken Leah for Rachel? Wouldn’t he have known? Not necessarily so. Three things fall into play here…darkness, drinking and sex. It was nighttime, they probably had been drinking a bit and Jacob had waited long enough for sex. A recipe for disaster.  

I can imagine at the celebration that was given that Jacob had danced capturing Rachel within his view throughout the evening. It is now his “love shack” moment. Climbing into his tent, he waits in anticipation.

In the meantime, Laban does the ole switcheroo trading one daughter for the other. I can imagine the look on Rachels face when this happens.  She gets pushed aside knowing that her father is about to perform an act that will infuriate Jacob.  Her dad gave her man away to her own sister. Leah enters the tent to make love to a man that she knows does not want her. Jacob wakes up to a wife he didn’t choose. This is a mess!

Why? Why did Laban do this? His reason…custom! He refused to break the custom that the older daughter married first. Couldn’t he have told that to Jacob to begin with? Did Jacob really think that he would get by without following custom? Jacob obviously had no regard for custom.  He stole his brothers blessing going against custom and he asked to marry out of custom.

But Laban was all about custom. Yet instead of just speaking truth to Jacob, he lied and used deceit to trick Jacob into marrying both of his daughters. Later in the story, Jacob worked seven more years to also take Rachel as his wife.

Seriously Jacob, are you shocked at this trickery? I would have loved to have a momma talk with Jacob.

“Son, have you never heard of the scripture that you reap what you sow?”

Jacob had sowed lies and deceit when he tricked his own father, Isaac in the dark. Do you see the parallels here? Deception and lies beget deception and lies. Jacob lied to get what he wanted, and Laban lied to get rid of what he wanted. These two men were steeped in their deceit.

A want or desire can put blinders on us causing us to do anything we can to receive what we want. Jacob and Laban could write a book on it. They used lies and deceit to achieve their goals. We may not be as far out on the ledge as these guys, but each of us can pinpoint a time when the prize became much more important than the people around us. We have moved and manipulated situations in the “name of Jesus” until we convince ourselves that this is truth. We pay no attention to the collateral damage that happens around us.  We don’t calculate the destruction of relationship. We plow through to obtain what we desire until we can sit pretty on the front row of our churches while the people behind us lick their wounds from the damage we have caused.

Momma was right…honesty IS the best policy! Don’t fool yourself into thinking something is truth just to get what you desire! Because in the end, it is all lies and deceit no matter how you slice it.