Insight comes from Genesis 30-31.
The tables are turned on Jacob.
He cheated Esau out of his birthright and blessing. He then had to flee to the household of Laban to escape the wrath of his brother. Here he was cheated by Laban. He was forced to work an extra 7 years to earn the daughter he loved, and in these two chapters, Laban attempted to cheat him out of his wages.
It seems that there’s just a lot of deception going on here.
Yet God was faithful to Jacob and blessed him despite Laban’s tricks. And this is something that we should remember today. Sometimes everything seems so unjust when others get away with their deceitful scheming. Even worse, sometimes we get tempted to resort to our own deceitful scheming to get our bit back. Jacob did not do so though. He followed God’s advice and was duly rewarded.
In a way, this has parallels with the previous story. There Rebekah chose to cheat and God’s plan was fulfilled, but Rebekah was left facing the consequences. Here Jacob chose not to cheat and God’s plan was equally fulfilled, but Jacob left a blessed man. Well in truth he fled. But God protected him from Laban.
It may not be deceitful scheming. It might involve telling a half-truth. Either way, let your conscience judge what deceit is. But if there’s one thing we learn, trusting in God’s faithfulness and persisting in His good and just ways is the surest route to take.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment