At Genesis 25:23 Jehovah prophesied to Rebekah that
‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you; and the one nation will be stronger than the other nation, and the older will serve the younger.’
Those nations were to be fathered by her twins Esau, the first to emerge and hence with firstborn rights, and Jacob. When Jehovah makes a promise he is quite capable of manoeuvring events to ensure that it comes to pass as foretold. If human participation is required, he makes that quite clear with specific instructions.
The first notable event in Jacob’s life was when he purchased the birthright from Esau with a bowl of stew. Esau was a man of action, decisive, purposeful, but perhaps not very meditative. Although he willingly sold that birthright for the immediacy of satisfying a need, the account in verses 29-34 do not credit Jacob with sincerity of purpose. Without explaining anything at all about his scheme, it makes Jacob seem rather devious and underhanded. Whether he knew anything about the aforementioned prophecy, the Bible does not elucidate. Was he being strategic, making a wise investment just in case, or was he trying to pre-empt Jehovah? We cannot say; the Bible does not reveal his motive.
The next event was initiated by Jacob’s mother Rebekah. It is found at Genesis chapter 27. In his old age, Isaac wanted to bless Esau. He knew of the prophecy, so was this a deliberate attempt to prevent it coming to pass based on favouritism, or had he simply forgotten? It is worth noting that Isaac lived for several decades after this event so he was not exactly on death’s door. Rebekah felt compelled to act. Her favourite son needed to get that blessing so she hatched a scheme that involved deceit and lies. When Esau realised what his brother had done, he vowed to kill him (v42) and so Jacob was advised by his mother to run away to Haran. This, as far as we can ascertain, was the last time they ever saw each other. By their actions Jehovah’s purpose was fulfilled but did he require their assistance? Is it an account that suggests lies and deceit are acceptable in certain circumstances, that they can be justified by the outcome? Jesus thoroughly condemned the Jews for their lies, informing them that they were from their father the devil who was a liar and the father of the lie. If Satan who told that original lie in Eden is so intimately connected with lying, it seems inconceivable that Jehovah would require any of his people to lie in order to achieve his will in their own fashion. Jehovah is a just and righteous God and did not censure either Jacob or Rebekah for their actions, perhaps realising the good motives behind the episode. But we all reap what we sow and Jacob’s subsequent life was defined by lies and deceit.
* Laban deceived him by replacing Rachel with Leah on the wedding day even though he had worked seven years for Rachel.
* Leah deceived him in bed by pretending to be Rachel on their wedding night. Where was Rachel? Was she party to the deception?
* Leah, the unexpected wife, was fertile; Rachel was barren. This caused Jacob much marital disharmony and personal anguish.
* Rachel stole Laban’s Gods and then cunningly concealed them while Laban searched her tent.
* Laban had been a disingenuous employer. When Jacob finally snapped and all the injustices came pouring out (31:36-42) the fact that he had been cheated so often – ‘you kept changing my wages ten times’ – had clearly been a source of great chagrin to him.
* Dinah was seduced.
* Simeon and Levi deceived the men of Shechem into getting circumcised as a peace pact, when really it was a ploy to slaughter the whole city at the time when the men were defenceless.
* Reuben had sex with Bilhah; whether it was consensual or otherwise we are not advised.
* Joseph was sold to some Ishmaelites. Jacob was deceived into believing he was dead. We ‘found’ this robe; Jacob jumped to an incorrect conclusion.
* Joseph, as Prime Minister in Egypt, for a time concealed his true identity to all his family.
Despite all this, Jehovah loved Jacob, had a personal relationship with him, blessed him through the adversity of his life and reconfirmed the Abrahamic promises that through him a great nation would arise (46:3). Jehovah recognises that we are all imperfect and that, as a consequence, we all do unwise and foolish things. Sometimes they are spur-of-the-moment actions, or well-intentioned schemes that go wrong or have unexpected outcomes. Jehovah never punished his people for these things, but neither did he shield them from the repercussions. Jacob was a living example of this. Jehovah never abandoned Jacob, being there constantly by his side guiding, supporting and blessing his work. What direction Jacob’s life might have taken had they not acted out that scheme baked up in Rebekah’s kitchen we can only guess at. He may never had needed to leave behind his home and family. He might have avoided meeting Laban. His wife Rachel, or some other, may well have been secured by a similar method to which his own mother and father were brought together as a result of the careful planning of Abraham his grandfather and the divine assistance that was clearly manifested. More importantly, he, and by extension all of us, would have seen the way Jehovah intended to fulfil this prophecy. Jehovah always does things in a manner that is far more magnificent than we can ever imagine. His children nation, Israel, was eventually punished for its disobedience and disrespect for its God, provider and benefactor. So what was different? Their sin was wilful, repeated and consistent. Jehovah never overlooked these deliberate acts of rebellion. Even though, he kept sending the prophets, again and again, to restore them to their senses and reconcile them to their God, they simply did not want to listen. They had completely rejected him. Take this passage from 2 Chronicles 36:
And Jehovah the God of their forefathers kept sending against them by means of his messengers, sending again and again, because he felt compassion for his people and for his dwelling. But they were continually making jest at the messengers of their God and despising his words and mocking at his prophets, until the rage of Jehovah came up against his people, until there was no healing.
Even right in the middle of the siege, Jeremiah, as Jehovah’s spokesman, pleaded with Zedekiah to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and go out to him, with the assurance that he and his family would survive. Alas the stubborn resistance to anything and everything that Jehovah spoke to them was total. What does this mean for us today? As Malachi noted, Jehovah never changes (3:6) and it logically follows that the situation is just the same. We are just as imperfect as Jacob. We make mistakes and silly decisions. Nevertheless, there is one significant difference – we have Jesus Christ as our advocate. Like his father, he judges in righteousness and we have nothing to fear. He came to earth, gave his life as a sacrifice, and through this forgave all our sins, once for all time. If we believe this, exercise faith in Christ, get baptised and live a penitent life, we have everlasting life.
However we must not take this for granted. We can, like Jacob’s offspring, reject this awe-inspiring expression of God’s grace. The author of the letter to the Hebrews noted this:
For if we practice sin wilfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but a certain fearful expectation of judgement and a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. Any man that has disregarded the law of Moses dies without compassion, upon the testimony of two or three. Of how much more severe a punishment, do YOU think, will the man be counted worthy who has trampled upon the Son of God and who has esteemed as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt? (10:26-29)
This is a serious situation. Jesus gave up life in heaven, was transferred to Mary’s womb, was born as a vulnerable human baby, grew up in an imperfect world, probably in poverty and certainly in humble circumstances, surrounded by enemies, and eventually betrayed by a close friend and put to death in a humiliating manner by his own brothers. His willingness to accede was entirely voluntary. He could have stepped out of the programme at any time, he had myriad’s of angels at his disposal. But he willingly persevered out of love for me and you. If we treat his blood as of ordinary value by wilful disobedience, then perhaps we deserve to be in fear of his judgement. Like his father, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8).
The positive side is that we can live a guilt-free life. Jesus gives us freedom and that is a precious commodity to relish. We make mistakes, do stupid things, and as long as we confess our sins we have no reason to be laden by our imperfections. We still have to live with any negative consequences but knowing that we have been forgiven; that is so precious.
Jacob was not the only Bible character to get involved in deceit.
* Abraham told both Pharaoh and Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. This was partially true; she was his half-sister yet Abraham’s intention was to deceive.
* Isaac deployed the same strategy with his wife Rebekah. She was the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, so it was a slightly more tenuous link but he still intended to deceive. Both men had received promises from Jehovah that he would make them into a great nation, through Sarah and Jacob, and it seems that it took a while for their faith to develop.
* The midwives Shiphra and Puah lied to Pharaoh about their ‘inability’ to get to the mothers in time to carry out his murderous commands.
* Rahab lied to her countrymen sending them off into the hills when she had personally sent the spies to her rooftop to hide among the drying flax stalks. In her defence, this was a spur of the moment decision in a time of war. James commends her for her great faith even though she was a Canaanite prostitute living outwith God’s moral law amongst a deeply immoral people. Her allegiance to Jehovah’s people, her courage and faith expressed in action is what James highlights. He never says that lying is good.
* Michal lied as to the whereabouts of her husband David when her father Saul was determined to put him to death. She lied again when her scheme was discovered in order to save her own skin. Through her courage David escaped to Samuel at Ramah.
So can we say that lying is justified? No. The Bible never commends the lie. How can it? God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Truth is part of his character. He expects us to worship in spirit and truth. Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’. Nowhere does the Bible suggest that lying is acceptable even if it produces a positive outcome. God never condones lying. But he overlooks it, possibly tolerates it, when it protects innocent lives, if it’s an act of faith in him, when in an emergency or a time of warfare, when the liar has incomplete moral knowledge, or when the motive is pure. God is merciful and just. He sees into our hearts, searches for our motives and judges accordingly. This is why Jesus was so keen on us not judging each other. We always have incomplete information and so we wait for him who judges in righteousness. We must recognise that these examples are in stark contrast to the habitual liar, he who lies for personal gain; he who defrauds and scams to feed his insatiable greed; he who is too lazy to engage in honest work; he who lies to extract himself from self-inflicted woes and embarrassment - the double life and the illicit love affair. How do we reconcile these activities and attitudes with the fruitage of the Holy Spirit? How can any of this be described as good and kind, wrapped up in love?
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