Deceptions in The Hebrew Scriptures.
Xinyu Yao
In general, deception is considered as an evil deed. Early at the beginning of the Genesis 4, when Cain and his brother Abel both bring their offering to the Lord, the Lord only notices Abel and Abel’s offerings while has no regard for Cain and Cain’s offering. Out of jealous, Cain not only tricks Abel to the field and kills Abel, but also lies to the Lord God. The Lord is very angry and cursed Cain, who becomes a fugitive wandering on the earth. The anger of God and the curse towards Cain leaves an impression that deception should be forbidden at the start. However, there are more deceptions that are positive in the Hebrew Scripture, which are frequently used to test patriarchs’ loyalty and ability to take correct action when facing the crisis such as death or threat. In this paper, I will argue that deception is valorized in the Hebrew Scripture because it is used as a tool to test patriarchs. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the several pieces of evidence that support this statement. Abraham, for instance, by using deception to pass Egypt safely proves his loyalty to the Lord and the ability of …show more content…
Due to Jacob’s special favor to Joseph and those dreams of dominating the land that Joseph has, Joseph’s brothers kidnapped him. They sell Joseph to Ishmaelites, who later sell Jacob to Egyptians, and lie to their father about Joseph’s death by showing Joseph’s robe with blood. Once Jacob saw the blood, he cried out, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” (Genesis 37) This insidious deception, however, gives Joseph a chance to prove himself to the Lord. It is Joseph who wittily interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and gains Pharaoh’s favor. By following the Lord’s command about famine faithfully, Joseph manages to save millions of
Xinyu Yao
In general, deception is considered as an evil deed. Early at the beginning of the Genesis 4, when Cain and his brother Abel both bring their offering to the Lord, the Lord only notices Abel and Abel’s offerings while has no regard for Cain and Cain’s offering. Out of jealous, Cain not only tricks Abel to the field and kills Abel, but also lies to the Lord God. The Lord is very angry and cursed Cain, who becomes a fugitive wandering on the earth. The anger of God and the curse towards Cain leaves an impression that deception should be forbidden at the start. However, there are more deceptions that are positive in the Hebrew Scripture, which are frequently used to test patriarchs’ loyalty and ability to take correct action when facing the crisis such as death or threat. In this paper, I will argue that deception is valorized in the Hebrew Scripture because it is used as a tool to test patriarchs. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the several pieces of evidence that support this statement. Abraham, for instance, by using deception to pass Egypt safely proves his loyalty to the Lord and the ability of …show more content…
Due to Jacob’s special favor to Joseph and those dreams of dominating the land that Joseph has, Joseph’s brothers kidnapped him. They sell Joseph to Ishmaelites, who later sell Jacob to Egyptians, and lie to their father about Joseph’s death by showing Joseph’s robe with blood. Once Jacob saw the blood, he cried out, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” (Genesis 37) This insidious deception, however, gives Joseph a chance to prove himself to the Lord. It is Joseph who wittily interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and gains Pharaoh’s favor. By following the Lord’s command about famine faithfully, Joseph manages to save millions of