The Clear Message
When we notice that Joseph’s tunic is used to deceive Jacob, we are reminded of the same elements—a special garment and a slaughtered animal—that Rebecca and Jacob used to deceive Isaac! Yes, Jacob was torn between his righteousness and honesty on the one hand and, on the other, his mother’s firm conviction that Isaac’s blessings belonged to him. In the end, Jacob did deceive his father Isaac. And when Jacob’s sons dip Joseph’s tunic in goat’s blood, Jacob the deceiver is himself deceived – in other words, what goes around comes around!
The Deception Comes Back
Scripture clarifies that the same principle apply to the deception of Judah and his brothers. After Jacob’s sons deceive him in Genesis 37, we get a seemingly random story in Genesis 38: that of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. In this account, Tamar deceives Judah by dressing up as a prostitute in order to conceive a child by him. After Judah gives Tamar his staff and signet, she brings out his personal items and asks him if he recognizes them. In fact, Tamar uses the exact same expression with Judah that he and his brothers used to deceive Jacob! Tamar asks Judah, “Discern, please” (הַכֶּר־נָ֔א; haker-na). Judah’s deception revisits him in his very own words!
Don’t Miss the Hidden Links
The deceiver will be deceived. This is a spiritual dictum that the Bible wants us to know. To this end, Scripture shows us unmistakable links between the different stories – unfortunately, more often than not, these links get lost in translation.
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