Genesis 29:1-30 The Danger of Deception

Jacob deceived his brother Esau by tricking his father into giving him the blessing (Gen 27). In chapter 29 Jacob is about to be deceived by his Uncle Laban.

Some people say, “What goes around comes around.” The way in which you treat others will eventually catch up with you. If you mistreat them, sooner or later you will be mistreated too.

That saying has much truth to it. In fact, the Bible teaches the same idea. The Proverbs warn us against trying to roll a stone on someone else. It might roll on us. If we try to dig a pit to trap someone, we may fall in it and trap ourselves.

Jacobs trickery catches up with him when he gets to Haran.

When he reaches Haran he meets his cousin Rachel who runs to tell her father the news. Jacob stays with Laban for a month and then agrees to work for him for seven years in order to marry Rachel.

At the end of the seven-year period Laban tricks Jacob by giving him Rachel’s older sister Leah instead of Rachel. Devastated by the trick, Jacob nevertheless agrees to work an additional seven years in order to marry Rachel.

What a tragedy that people deceive others. You and I have been deceived at one time or another by someone. In addition, you and I have probably deceived others too!

As Christians we must reject deception as part of our lifestyles. It is wrong to trick others to take advantage of them. If some of us find that our current lifestyle includes trickery and deception, we must turn from those behaviors. The Lord is our behavior when we harm others by taking advantage of them.

The good part of this discussion is that God’s power is available to help us deal with this problem. If you struggle in this area, why not ask the Lord to help you overcome it today. He is One we cannot deceive. He knows all about us, so let’s go to Him, confess this sin and ask for help to rid it from our lives.

“For I am sure of this very thing, that the One who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:6