“And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not tell him that he was fleeing.” (Genesis 31:20)
The history recorded in the Old Testament is not always pretty. There are times when even the heroes of the Bible are singled out for their ungodly behavior. Jacob’s life is a mixed bag of faith and failure… which should give us comfort as our own lives are often that same combination.
Jacob lived a life of deception. Trickery, manipulation, and cunning were tools in his tool belt from a very early age, and that lifestyle haunted him because a man who lives by the sword, dies by the sword (see Matthew 26:52). Jacob deceived his father, his brother, and his father-in-law… but he also found himself raising children who deceived him, being deceived by his wives, and being tricked into believing that his son, Joseph, was dead (and mourning his loss for years).
Sin always bears a consequence. Lies always come back to haunt us.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: Genesis 31-38; Psalm 4; Proverbs 4 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision