Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Jacob Deceived—and Deceived

When the day of delivery came, it was indeed twins!The first to be born was a baby that was red and hairy, as if wrapped in leather, so they named him Esau, which means "furry".Then came Esau's brother, whose hand held Esau's heel, so they named him Jacob, which means "to hold"... The two children gradually grew up: Esau was good at hunting and was always in the field; Jacob was quiet and often stayed in the tent. Isaac loved Esau because he often ate his game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. One day, while Jacob was cooking soup, Esau just came back from the field, very tired.

Esau said to Jacob, "Give me some of this red bean soup, please, I am exhausted!" Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright today." Esau said, "I am half dead of hunger; what use is this birthright?" Jacob said, "Then swear here and now!" He swore an oath and sold his birthright to Jacob.So Jacob gave Esau the bread and lentil soup; and after eating, he got up and went away.This is how Esau neglected his birthright. "Genesis" Chapter Twenty-Five Verses 24-34 Isaac was old, his eyes were dim, and he could not see. He called to Esau, his firstborn son, and said to him, "My son!" Esau replied, "Here I am."

Isaac said: "Now I am old, and I do not know when I will die. Now take your equipment, which is the quiver and bow, and hunt some wild game back from the field. Make delicious food as I like, and send it to I eat so that I may bless you before I die." Rebekah heard all that Isaac said to his son Esau.Then Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "I heard your father say to your brother Esau...Now, my son, do as I command you and obey my voice. Go to the flock , bring me two fat lambs, and I will make delicious food for your father as he loves. Take it to your father and feed it to him, so that he will bless you before he dies."

Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "My brother Esau has hair all over his body, and I am naked. If my father touches me, he will think that I have lied to him, and I will be cursed by him. Where is the blessing! " His mother said to him, "Let me bear the curse, my son! Just do as I tell you, and go and bring me the lamb." So Jacob went out and brought the lamb to his mother, and his mother prepared it for delicious food as his father liked.Rebekah put the best clothes of her eldest son Esau that she had in her house on her younger son Jacob, and wrapped the smooth parts of Jacob's hands and neck with lamb's skins, and gave the delicious food and bread to him. in the hand of her son Jacob.

Jacob went to his father and said, "Father!" Isaac said, "Here I am. My son, who are you?" Jacob said to my father, "Esau, your firstborn son; I have done as you commanded me; sit up and eat my game, and bless me." Isaac said to his son, "My son, how did you catch something so quickly?" He said, "Because the LORD your God, let me meet the prey." Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near, my son, and let me touch you, so that I may know that you are really Esau my son." Jacob drew near to his father Isaac. Isaac touched him and said, "The voice belongs to Jacob, but the hand is Esau."

But he didn't recognize Jacob because his hands were hairy like Esau's, so he blessed him and said, "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob replied, "I yes." "Genesis" Chapter 27 Verses 1-24 Laban had two daughters, the elder's name was Leah, and the younger's name was Rachel.Leah's eyes were dim, but Rachel was beautiful and handsome. Jacob fell in love with Rachel.He said: "I will serve you seven years for your little daughter..." Jacob served seven years for Rachel; because he loved Rachel deeply... In the evening, Laban brought his eldest daughter Leah to Jacob, and Jacob slept with her.Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.

In the morning, when Jacob saw that it was Leah, he said to Laban, "Why do you treat me like this! I serve you for Rachel's sake! Why are you lying to me?" Laban said, "Give away the younger daughter before giving the elder daughter. There is no such custom in our land. If you have spent seven days for this, I will give you that too, and you will serve her again." It's been seven years for me." Jacob did just that.After Leah's seven days had passed, Laban gave Jacob his daughter Rachel as his wife.And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.

Jacob also slept with Rachel, and loved Rachel more than Elijah, so he served Laban for another seven years. Rachel later gave birth to Joseph, and Jacob gave him the colorful coat. "Genesis" Chapter 29 Verses 16-30 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his coat, which is the colorful coat he was wearing, and threw him into the pit... Some Midianite merchants passed by, and the brothers pulled Joseph up from the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver.They took Joseph to Egypt. They slaughtered a he goat, stained Joseph's coat with blood, and sent it to their father, saying, "We have found this; please confirm if it is your son's coat?"

He recognized it and said, "It is my son's clothes! A beast has eaten him! Joseph has been torn to pieces! Torn to pieces!" "Genesis" Chapter 37 Verses 23-33 Jacob is one of the most complex and interesting patriarchs in the book of Genesis. He lived a life full of great deeds and served God wholeheartedly, but he also cheated all his life. His children seem to be It is also quite capable of defeating Jiqiu.But God blessed him again and again, bestowing upon his son the honored position of patriarch.Why is such an act of mixed reputation and reputation received such a generous reward?

Looking briefly at Jacob's past, we discover that the man cheated on his twin brother Esau twice.For the first time, young Jacob forced Esau to "sell" his birthright to his weak and fainting brother by denying him food.The second time, adult Jacob, at the instigation of his scheming mother, tricked his blind and dying father into bestowing on him the blessing that was meant to be reserved for his older brother.According to a passage in the Midrash, Jacob tried to be born early even in the womb, grabbing his brother Esau's foot.This chapter provides an explanation for the legitimacy of the actions of the future patriarch, claiming that "Jacob was the first to be conceived" and such a speculative theory is more metaphorical than scientific. Jacob: If you put two diamonds into a test tube, wouldn't the first come out last? "

Some commentators have gone to great lengths to justify Jacob's cunning, arguing that he was therefore better suited to be a leader, and that Jacob's Each is merely carrying out the will of God.Those in charge in the church, such as the rabbis, also forgive such deception.Call it a laudable lie, and justify Jacob's deception.Some commentators have argued that Isaac was not actually deceived because he had suspected that Jacob had received the blessing.However, even if all of these are correct, Jacob did use methods such as misleading and deceit that are not allowed in a modern society ruled by law.So what can we learn from Jacob's deception? Let me offer you an interpretation from the point of view of a law professor.The entire "Genesis" is the history of the development of the judicial system in early human society. The era of Jacob's birth did not have any laws to regulate deception, so there were many conflicting cases.Jacob's father and grandfather, that is, Isaac and Abraham, lied about their wives as sisters in order to save their own lives.Besides, God’s threats and promises to himself may not always be fulfilled. What is presented is a violent and lawless world.Don't forget that in the world of Genesis there is no idea of ​​an afterlife so that good on earth is rewarded in heaven and evil on earth is punished in hell.In the world of "Genesis", all rewards and punishments, whether they come from heaven or the world, are settled in this life, so that everyone can see the operation of justice and justice in this life.But the inhabitants of Jacob's day often saw good deeds punished and evil deeds rewarded—at least in the short run. Until Jacob came along, and his life proved that, in the long run, good and evil pay off: whoever cheats will end up being cheated.Biblical narratives often feature Jacob's deceit again and again, only to end up hurting himself.Moreover, the same deceit was imposed upon Jacob as that which Jacob imposed upon his father and his brothers. First, he was deceived by his father-in-law Laban.Laban first lures Jacob into the bait, and then transfers the daughter who promised to marry him.Jacob worked for Laban for seven years for the young and beautiful Rachel. When he woke up after the wedding night, he found Laban's eldest daughter, Rachel's older sister Leah, lying beside him.Laban's explanation of his deceitful behavior is showing the spirit of tit for tat: "Give away the younger daughter before giving the elder daughter. There is no such rule in our place." Each of the previous scams described his son-in-law as "my own flesh and blood." Some people think this sentence is a liar's sympathy for each other.Jacob learned a painful lesson from this incident, that is, he reversed the natural seniority between the brothers by deception, so he was deceived to take Rachel's sister first, so that the seniority was reversed; The father was deceived by his poor eyesight, and he himself was deceived in the dim bridal tent. There is a passage in the Midrash that develops the unhappiness of retribution in Jacob's story.The morning after the wedding night, when Jacob woke up and saw Leah lying next to him, he scolded her: "You liar, daughter of a liar, why do you promise me that I call Rachel's name? Leah replied that like a teacher, there must be a disciple.I learned it from you.When your father called you Esau, did you not also answer that I am here?So you called me Rachel, and I naturally agreed. " Jacob married Laban's two daughters and their handmaidens, and had children with them.Later Jacob sneaked away with his family and herd while Laban was cutting the wool.Jacob persuaded the two wives to join him with "skillful words."Rachel, Jacob's wife, also stole her father's idol and concealed her theft. (There is also a chapter in "Midash" that Rachel stole her father's idol in order to "prevent her father from turning to these evil spirits" and learned that their family had fled. This shows that Rachel really believed in these Idols have psychic abilities! Jacob was later deceived by his own children.Considering their pedigrees and experiences, it should come as no surprise that they are deceitful by nature.In the story of Dinah (more on that in the next chapter) "the sons of Jacob conspired to deceive Shechem and Hamor their father" Jacob's sons deceived all the male members of Hamor's family into circumcision , and then Dinah's elder brothers Simeon and Levi killed Hamor and the others while their wounds were not healed. Jacob was also deceived by his sons into thinking that his younger son Joseph had been devoured by wild beasts.How they deceived Jacob is like how Jacob deceived Isaac.Jacob made a false appearance out of sheep's skin, and Jacob's sons killed a "hairy goat" and took its blood to dye Joseph's colorful coat red. The consequences of deception can be observed over and over again in the cases I teach and receive.There is a notable case about the experience of a restaurant owner whose restaurant was burnt to the ground unfortunately. However, after investigation, it was found that the insurance coverage of the restaurant was too high, and its value far exceeded the meager revenue. Based on this The owner was charged with fraud and arson.In the end, the restaurant owner had to confess to his lawyer that he had been making false accounts to lower the revenue figures in order to evade taxes. In fact, the restaurant was very profitable, and most of the income was cash, so the insurance coverage was actually quite low!Because of this, the boss's rival set fire to his shop after knowing that he had this unspeakable secret.The case ended with a plea agreement, in which the boss pleaded guilty to a lesser punishment.In this case, as the British novelist Sir Walter Scott said: "If you tell a lie, you are caught in the net!" If we regard Jacob's story as a cautionary tale, warning the world of the price of deceit, then why is Jacob so richly favored by God?Why did God choose him to be the leader of his chosen people?To understand why God seems to favor their father and son too much, we must appreciate that they did these things in a world without laws.In such a state, deceit and deceit become a valuable trait, especially as a substitute for violence.In the world of "Genesis", there are no legal resources to use, no complaints, no injunctions, and no sanctions.People have to resort to violence or deceit in order to succeed and avoid being victimized.Ambitious men who felt that they were more qualified than their elder brothers to inherit their father's business were likely to kill their rival siblings. There are many examples of this kind of fratricide in history and literature.When Jacob outwitted Esau, he only followed the family tradition established by his father and grandfather. Both of them relied on their cleverness to deceive the king, unlike their ancestor Cain, who took the method of killing brothers and feet.Like the Odyssey in Greek literature, Jacob has a reputation for being resourceful, skilled at trickery and deceit to navigate life's perilous waters safely.In his interactions with others, Jacob avoided violence against his stronger twin brother, Esau, and resorted to outsmarting. In the competition of disparity in size, trickery is a more useful weapon.Jacob knew that if he fought with his brother who was stronger than him, he would never be an opponent.And his people were no more numerous or fierce than any other tribe, so he had to use tact.It is quite intriguing that men and women in the Bible have a common characteristic, that is, cunning and scheming.Although women are physically, mentally, and financially weaker than their male counterparts, they are just as adept at using subterfuge to turn things around.Eve, Lot's daughter, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Tamar, Potiphar's wives, all depended on their feminine cunning.Jacob's use of trickery rather than the brute force of his stronger brother shows a Jewish side of Rebekah's twin sons, that is, a feminine side.Both the Jews and the women of Genesis have a need to resort to cunning to compensate for their innate inadequacy in strength. Jacob's behavior towards his tribe was often more about the use of means than the observance of principles.In the story of Dinah's humiliation in the next chapter, we see that Jacob condemned the atrocities committed by his sons Simeon and Levi, not because he thought it was wrong, but because it tarnished the image of Jacob's family in the eyes of the neighboring tribes. And possibly retaliation.It is worth noting that Jacob does not condemn the sons for using circumcision to carry out a murderous plan, but only for violence.For Jacob, a noble purpose justifies base conduct, as long as the good outweighs the bad.Since his tribe is small in number but has high intelligence, Jacob would rather use intelligence as a weapon than wield swords and guns. He chooses the battlefield where he has a chance of winning.In a world without laws, what better condition is there to be a leader? Jacob cheated and usurped his brother's birthright because he knew he was better suited to be the leader.Jacob was right, not only his mother thought so, but his blind father felt it too, and God knew he was right.Perhaps Jacob was born after his stronger siblings to test his leadership skills: would the second son be able to unseat the eldest son from his "naturally determined" leadership position?It turned out that Jacob passed the test with ease, although he paid a heavy moral and psychological price. Despite Jacob's scheming, he never attempted to deceive God.He bargained with God and even got into a stalemate with him, but he was always honest with God, and as a result God gave him the position of leader, but God also let him understand that the price of cheating is being cheated, and cheaters Will eventually be deceived by fraud.In a world where deceit has short-term benefits, Jacob's life allows us to see "what we do and what we get" Looking back at Jacob's life, just as we look back at a period of history, we see Jacob's position as the patriarch in a lawless world. Leadership traits, but at the same time paid a heavy price.Jacob told Pharaoh: "Fear and evil have been with me every day of my life." It is clear that although James was a great and accomplished leader, years of deception took a heavy personal toll on him.Such exchange of conditions has been repeated in history, especially in the lives of great leaders. A modern-day interpreter reads a stronger lesson in James' account: "God's memory is just, not unreported, but not in time. Sooner or later we will reap the consequences." For proof He cited a rabbi's interpretation of Jacob's story. If anyone thinks that there are omissions in the justice net of heaven, then he is very wrong.God may hold back, but he will figure it out eventually.Jacob made Esau weep once, but... Jacob's descendants were to be punished for it. "This is true both in the short run and throughout Jewish history. Sometimes we see similar examples of retribution, as we saw with Jacob.Every time an event like this, where the law of heaven is upheld and will eventually be reported, will always hit the headlines of the newspaper.Take the case of Lamija Jaha, an Albanian Muslim whose parents sheltered Jews during the Holocaust and whose family was rescued by the Israelis some sixty years later.Life more often bears witness to the sad insights in Ecclesiastes: I have seen the wicked buried and brought into the grave; and I have seen the upright depart from the holy place and be forgotten in the city.This is also vanity. Because no one is convicted and punished immediately, so the world is full of evil.Though a sinner commits a hundred evils, he thinks of long days; yet surely I know that he who fears God, even before him, will be happy in the end.But the wicked hath no happiness, nor long days; but his days are like a shadow, because he has no fear of God. There is a vanity in the world, that what happens to the righteous is mirrored by the deeds of the wicked, and what happens to the wicked is mirrored by the deeds of the righteous.I said, this is also emptiness. If the original intention of Jacob's story is to convey the idea that self-destruction will eventually be self-destruction, then it is false and quite dangerous.The retribution of evil is often glory, wealth and happiness. This is all because justice and axiom are not inherent conditions of human beings, or God's inevitable actions. Therefore, we must actively pursue them and cannot take them for granted.As later ordered in Deuteronomy: justice and axioms, you have to "actively" pursue them.At the same time, justice cannot be obtained simply. Just as Abraham taught us, in order to prevent innocent people from being unjustly imprisoned, we must allow some guilty people to be acquitted.For those who believe that there is an afterlife, those sinners will eventually get what they deserve; for those who believe that justice and axioms must be achieved in the world, it is the operation of any fair judicial process to exonerate the guilty occasionally. There is a price to be paid.And the freed sinners may or may not suffer the same moral and psychological torture as Jacob suffered for the rest of their lives. What Jacob's story conveys is the idea that justice and justice will eventually be upheld without a strict legal system.However, even in today's real world with a complete legal system, there is no guarantee that justice and axioms will be fully implemented.However, if there is no rule of law in the world, it will often lead to out-of-control scale of revenge and excessive lynching, as shown in the next story.

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