Short-cuts lead us nowhere

We often look down on Jacob (whose name means 'deceiver') and look up to men like Abraham, Joseph and Daniel, all along assuming in our sub-conscious mind that we are somewhere in between Jacob and the other greater men in the Bible. We do not realize that if we can readily identify with someone in the Bible, it is Jacob.

Jacob was a man of short-cuts. He wanted to quickly grow up in life, without the attendant effort and hard-work. My 6-year son who fondly watches stories on Kids' channels, and is greatly amused by the magical powers of the whiz-kids that star in them, once remarked that he would love to have those powers as he can get great grades without having to study !! Grown-ups too are often like that -- only not so naive but very sophisticated and subtle.

Let us focus on Jacob for a while. Two of his infamous short-cuts readily come to our mind. His elder brother Esau by way of birthright probably was poised to inherit twice as much property (sheep, cattle, men-servants & maid-servants) from his father as Jacob himself will. Certainly, over time Jacob can get wealthier than Esau -- it could only require patience, hard-work and perseverance. Jacob figured an easy way out. He took advantage of his brother's despairing moment. When Esau once returned from the open country, without success in hunting and famished, and desired to have the stew that his brother was cooking, Jacob demanded that he sells his birthright and got it for the bread and lentil stew that he let him have (Gen 25:29-34).

Do we not do the same? We try to inherit the result of someone else's hardwork. At the workplace, when something good comes out of collective work, or worse still, out of the efforts of all the rest in the team, have we not tried to be the first to announce it to the Company and together with it be the beneficiary of all the accolades and rewards. If we have, we have been a Jacob. In Lev.19;11,13, we are commanded "Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not defraud your neighbour or rob him".

There are those who may not stake claim of others' deeds, but decry and belittle anything that others did. Such people use different yardsticks for themselves and for others. When they do something, it is heculean; when others do the same, it is just extra-mile. When they commit a blunder, it is just a mole-hill; while others commit the same, it is himalayan. The Bible warns us of using different yardsticks: "Do not have two differing weights in your bag -- one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house -- one large, one small" (Deu. 25:13,14).

Jacob attempted short-cuts not just with men but even with God. Having deceitfully got the birthright, he did not hesitate to have heaven's blessings too - that his father would pronounce on his favourite son Esau - through deceit. Teaming up with his mother, he set out to decieve his father who was going blind with age. He put on his brother's clothes that carried scent of the open country he goes hunting into, covered his hands and neck with goatskin to impersonate his hairy brother, took the meat that his mother cooked from the choice young goats in his father's flock, and decieved his father that it was Esau who has come back with his wild game as his father had wished (Gen 27:6-29).

Is this not very common with us? We think we can decieve God with our praises, our offerings and tithes. We think that it does not matter who we are internally, as long as we present ourselves in the right way to God. We are often the Jacob deep within, presenting ourselves as Esau who deserves the heavenly father's blessings. We do not forgive others but presume ourselves to be broken-hearted pleading for God's mercies. One who attempts to deceive God is in effect deceiving himself. The Bible clearly admonishes us, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (I Sam 16:7).

Jacob had to learn his lesson the hard way. He had to run away from his home, to an uncle at Paddan Aram he has never seen, for fear that his wronged brother would kill him. The man who thought he had won wealth and God's blessings is reduced to a desperate state. He pleads with God at Luz (which he renamed Bethel) on his way to Paddan Aram, "if you will be with me and watch over me on this journey and give me food to eat and clothes to wear, and bring me safely to my fathers house . . . (Gen 28:20)"

Jacob ultimately realized that one's smartness (read it as conniving) does not bring prosperity. The twenty years of hardship and toil tending his uncle Laban's flocks ( 14 years for having Rachel's hand in marriage and another 6 years for flocks as wages during which time he got his wages changed unfavouably ten times) taught him the lesson of his life: "If God had not been with me, I would have been sent away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands (Gen 31:42)".

We all need not have to learn this lesson the hard way - by commiting the mistake in our lives and receiving correction at God's hands. We can rather learn it from Jacob's life. Let us trust God for our growth and lean not on deceit. In due time, he will lift us up.