| CON MAN IN GOD'S FAMILY? |
| The Bible doesn't cover up Jacob's scheming. |
| "He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" 27:36 |
| Ask people why they don't go to church, and you'll often hear this answer: "There are too many hypocrites." It may be an excuse, but there's troubling reality behind it. How can a religion with such high standards include so many people with such low standards? Jacob's life poses the same question. The Bible does not mince words in describing his grasping, con-man character. He took advantage of his twin brother's impetuousness to switch places with him in the family will (25:29-34). Later, seeing that his father still favored Esau, Jacob (with his mother) tricked the old man into blessing him in place of his brother. (A father's blessing was not merely symbolic. It had a permanent signifance, like a swearing-in ceremony.) The Tricks Backfire Dressed up in Esau's clothes and some fresh goat skins, Jacob flatly lied to his father and took the Lord's name in vain. Isaac, trusing his nose over his ears, fell for it (27:1-40). Yet the trick backfired. Jacob had to run for his life, and he spend 20 years in exile with his uncle. Uncle Laban gave Jacob a dose of his own medicine, planting an unwanted sister in his wedding bed and repeatedly changing his wages as head shepherd. You might think Jacob would learn that tricks aren't nice. Yet Jacob didn't noticeably improve his ways. He made a poor husband, neglecting one of his wives and creating rivalry. He favored two sons, so that the neglected ones grew jealous to the point of murder. He certainly doesn't seem like choice material for a religious leader. God Makes the Choice But God chose Jacob. He was always making those kinds of |
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