Lying Laban: Genesis 29:21-30
Sometimes human nature makes life interesting. We are all different people. We have different values. Our goals are more individual than they are communal. When we get together, human interactions can be interesting to navigate.
Once he completed the seven years, Jacob asked for his wages. Laban tricks him, swaps Leah for Rachel, and Jacob doesn’t seem to notice until morning. By then, it is too late.
We must not get caught up in questions that cannot get answered. Was Leah complicit in the trick? Where was Rachel and why didn’t she step in? If Jacob loved Rachel as much as the Bible seems to indicate, why didn’t he know the difference between Leah and Rachel? These are all legitimate questions. There’s no harm in asking them, we simply cannot expect to get the answers to the questions from God’s Word.
We do know Jacob doesn’t challenge Laban’s claim about marrying off the eldest daughter before the next one can be married. Instead, Jacob offers to work for another seven years for Rachel. Laban’s claim doesn’t seem to be a lie.
Laban should have told Jacob about the custom in the beginning before making the deal with Jacob rather than scheming a way to get both his daughters married into a wealthy family. But then again, Jacob is accustomed to scheming in a play for wealth. Instead of telling the truth to his own father, he behaved dishonestly. Two rights don’t make a wrong, but Jacob certainly gets a taste of his own medicine here.
It is also important to remember that the culture of Jacob and Laban didn’t prioritize values in the same order that we do today. We look down on people who cheat to gain wealth. We also think nothing about families who make excuses for other family members who bring shame upon the family rather than chastising them and correcting them. Jacob and Laban’s culture saw these two examples differently. Lying during business was simply shrewd behavior and they would think nothing of it because the behavior was expected. Yet a family member who brings shame upon the whole family would be dealt with much more harshly than someone who cheats in business.
I’m not trying to justify or excuse Laban’s behavior. However, the trickery was just business from their perspective. After all, Jacob and Laban quickly come to terms. Jacob spent a week with Leah. Then he was given Rachel and was allowed to spend a week with her. After that, Jacob completed the agreement and served Laban for seven more years as a married man.
In the end, everyone gets what they want. Jacob gets his wife, although he also got Leah. Laban gets his daughters married into a wealthy family and no doubt gains communal respect in showing off his shrewd mind for business. God sees His plan advance, even if He is forced to allow the brokenness of humanity to be a part. Sometimes human nature makes life interesting.
