Deception Personified

I think most people who have learned the story of Jacob know his name means “he deceives.” But when you read the entire story, the deception did not begin or end with Jacob. Genesis 25 tells the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of lentils, and chapter 27 tells of Jacob’s mother, Rebecca, putting a plan of deception into play; Jacob goes along with it, successfully deceiving his father and receiving the blessing.

Esau is not happy, and Jacob has to flee.

When Jacob arrives at his uncle’s home in Paddan-aram, Laban immediately recognizes possibilities. He stops treating Jacob as a relative but rather as hired help when he sees how eager Jacob is to marry Rachel. After seven years of labor, the deceiver is deceived—Jacob finds he has married Leah rather than Rachel.

After seven more years of work, and as son after son and wife after wife follow, he continues to work for Laban until he has had enough.

He complains that Laban has cheated (deceived) him ten times. So Jacob comes up with a plan. Chapter 30 tells of Jacob’s scheme of putting fresh-cut poplar, almond, and plane trees cut in stripes before the water troughs.

Commentaries suggest that Jacob knew enough of animal husbandry that he did not believe this would make the goats bear striped or spotted—he deceived Laban, making him believe it could work for him too. Finally the Lord told Jacob to return to the land that had been promised to Abraham and Isaac. When Laban discovers they have fled, he accuses Jacob of deceiving him (see Genesis 31:26). Rachel steals her father’s gods, and when Laban searches her tent, she says, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period” (Genesis 31:35, NIV). The idols are in the camel saddle on which she is sitting. Deception personified. The deception continued when Jacob’s sons deceived him, showing him Joseph’s coat and claiming Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

When did the deception end? Perhaps with Jacob’s wrestling with the angel or in the honest life of Joseph. But regardless, it never paid.

Nor does it now. Revelation 22:15 tells us that those who practice deception/lies/falsehoods will not be in the New Jerusalem.

Ardis Dick Stenbakken