“Faithful Despite Deception” – FBC Morning Light (1/11/2024)

Well a good Thursday morning to you. Today in our Bible reading plan we're continuing our chronological reading and we're in Genesis 32 through 35 with a brief excursus into 1 Chronicles chapter 2, just for a couple of verses there.

Deception in Jacob’s Life and Family

But again, yesterday I pointed out that the theme of deception runs throughout the life of Jacob and the story of Jacob. We saw it yesterday as Jacob is deceived by Laban and ends up with these two wives.

One thing we didn't point out was later on when Jacob wants to leave and go back to the land of Canaan, he deceives Laban, his father-in-law, doesn't let him know his plans and intentions, he leaves under the cloak of darkness, if you will, and takes off.

You see the deception of Rachel as she steals her father's idols, his household idols, and then Laban finally catches up with them, chases after them, catches up with them, and he's angry because not only was he deceived when Jacob and the family left, but that somebody stole his household gods, his idols.

And Jacob says, yeah, nobody did, nobody did. Well, Rachel did, he didn't know it, and so Jacob says, look everywhere you want to and see if you can find those idols, they're not gonna be there, not gonna be here, nobody stole them.

Well, Rachel stole them, and so Laban's checking everywhere. He's checking all the tents, he's checking into everything, except he goes into Rachel's tent, and she's sitting on the pack from the camel, and says, pardon me for not getting up, but, you know, it's my time of the month, and I just, I can't.

And of course, he would understand that whatever she's sitting on would be ritually unclean. Well, that was convenient, it was a lie, but it was a convenient lie, because inside that pack was the idols, the household gods that Laban was looking for.

So all kinds of deception runs through this story, and even today, in our reading, in chapters 32 through 35, again and again, deception plays a significant role in the life of Jacob. And we see it in chapter 33 and verses 15 to 17, where Jacob meets with his brother Esau, and just as a, I mean, this wasn't a deception thing, but it was a manipulation thing.

Jacob sends to Esau, says, I'm coming, Esau says, okay, I'm gonna come and meet you. He comes with a bunch of 400 men, Jacob is scared, so he tries to manipulate the situation by sending a droves of gifts to Esau.

Anyway, they get together, and Esau wants to journey with Jacob back home. Jacob says, no, I got all the animals I got to care for, you know, you go on ahead, and I'll meet up with you later. And eventually Esau agrees to that.

And in chapter 33, verse 15, Esau says, let me leave some of the people who are with me. But Jacob said, what need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my Lord. So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir, and Jacob had agreed that he would go where Esau was.

But verse 17 says, Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. And it seems that, you know, Jacob tricked his brother and didn't end up going to Seir at all.

There may be some controversy about that one, but nevertheless. Then when you come to chapter 34, you have the deception of Shechem, who rapes Jacob's daughter Dinah, and he's enamored of her, and he wants her to be his wife.

So they come to Jacob and say, you know, we'll do anything for, I'll give you any bride price to marry Dinah. And he has a hidden agenda the whole time, though. The hidden agenda is, not only does he want Dinah, but he wants everything that's Jacob's.

That's gonna come out in the deal that is struck. Again, a deal of deception. Jacob's two sons, Jacob's sons say, well, you know, we can't agree to have our sister marry anybody who's not circumcised.

So if all your men will get circumcised, then we'll give Dinah to you. And they say, okay, sounds good, great. And Shechem, his dad, go back to the men of the village and say, this is the deal. If we'll all get circumcised, then we can intermarry with them.

And here's the thing, though, what they really wanted to do was to possess everything that was Jacob's. You see this in verse 23. He says, Shechem says, will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours?

Only let's consent to them. And so they do. Well, they had a deceptive heart toward Jacob. Well, and so did Jacob's sons toward the men of Shechem. Because when all of this was said and done, and they go through the process of circumcision, and they're still recovering from that process, then they get attacked and destroyed.

God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant Promises

Now here's the thing I want us to see in chapter 35. In spite of all of the deception going on between men, and Jacob being a big part of that deception, God, the God of Jacob, remains faithful, absolutely faithful to his word and to the covenant that he made with his chosen ones.

God can always be counted on. You see this in verses 10 through 12. God said to Jacob, your name is Jacob, your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name. So he called his name Israel.

And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. Then he says this, the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you, and to your descendants after you I give this land.

God is keeping his promises. There is no deception with the Lord. Our God is faithful. I thank you, Father, for your faithfulness, that you can always be counted on. In this world that is filled with deceit and lies and manipulation, you never manipulate your people.

Your promises to your people are always yea and amen. We're grateful that we can count on them. We thank you for it. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, listen, have a good rest of your Thursday. I trust the Lord will bless you in it.

Good day.