The Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Superbowl again this year! Yea! I can’t wait to watch the game! Now, almost as fun as watching the game is watching the commercials. They are usually some of the best commercials all year.
And one of my all-time favorites was a Volkswagen Passat commercial aired ten year ago (2011). It featured a child dressed in a Darth Vader costume, attempting to use "the force" around the house. Take a look (show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n6hf3adNqk).
With the familiar Star Wars music associated with Darth Vader playing in the background, the boy marches down the hallway and then raises his hands dramatically toward a dryer in the utility room—nothing happens.
Next the young Darth points his hands at the family dog lying on the floor. The dog looks up quizzically—but again nothing happens.
Darth does not give up. Now in the bedroom, he raises his hands forcefully toward a doll seated on the bed. The doll stares back blankly without budging an inch. Darth's arms drop to his sides in frustration, and he slumps in discouragement.
In the kitchen, still in costume, he now stands dejectedly at the counter with his black-helmeted head on his hand. Then his father pulls into the driveway, and Darth runs out to the car as his father walks into the house. He hasn't given up! One more time he raises his hands and points them dramatically at the auto. He waits, hands upraised. Suddenly the car's yellow turn signals light up and the engine starts!
The startled child stumbles backward. We see that the playful father had started the car from the kitchen using a push-button ignition. The amazed child whirls to look toward the house, then back again toward the car (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n6hf3adNqk).
That little guy thought he had the power when it was his dad who made it happen. In the commercial it’s funny, but in real life it can be tragic.
We saw this in Jacob’s life last week. He depended on a silly mating scheme to get rich, when all along it was God who prospered him. The only thing he got from his scheme was frustration and pain.
Well, this week, we’re going to see Jacob at it again. Only this time, instead of searching for success and prosperity, he is looking for security and protection for himself and his family.
Now, that’s a worthy goal. Every husband and father wants to protect his family. The question is: How? How do you find that protection? How do you find real security for yourself and those you love? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 31, Genesis 31, where we see Jacob trying to protect his family.
Genesis 31:1-2 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. (ESV)
Laban had become hostile to Jacob, jealous of his success.
Genesis 31:3-9 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. (ESV)
Jacob finally recognizes the source of his success. It was GOD who prospered him, not his elaborate mating scheme. He continues…
Genesis 31:10-13 In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” (ESV)
Jacob tells his wives, “I’ve met with God. He’s the one who helped me succeed. Now, he wants me to leave,” which they agree to do.
Genesis 31:14-16 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.” (ESV)
There is no love lost between Laban’s daughters and him. They feel like he’s sold them like slaves and squandered all the money he received for them, so they’re ready to go too.
Genesis 31:17-21 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. (ESV)
Even though God had told them to go, Rachel and Jacob feel like they need additional security for their trip. Rachel steals her father’s idols, just in case Jacob’s God is not strong enough to protect them, and Jacob resorts to deceit again. Literally, the Hebrew says, “He stole Laban’s heart,” which in the Old Testament is the seat of understanding. In other words, by not telling Laban what he was doing, Jacob stole valuable information from Laban, which would have helped him better understand the situation. Well, what does it get them? Nothing but trouble.
Genesis 31:22-23 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. (ESV)
Laban is in hot pursuit ready to kill! That’s why he takes all his relatives with him. It’s an army, designed to kill Jacob and take everything back. Jacob’s lie didn’t protect his family. It only made things worse! As a result, God Himself has to intervene.
Genesis 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” (ESV)
God warned Laban not to harm Jacob in any way, not even with his words. It’s the only way Jacob got away from Laban alive! Derek Kidner, in his commentary on Genesis says, “It was only by divine prospering and protection that Jacob brought anything, even his life, back from exile.”
Genesis 31:25-30 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” (ESV)
Laban is mad, because Jacob deceived him, but also because his idols are gone.
Genesis 31:31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. (ESV)
Jacob lied because he was afraid. He was looking for security in dishonesty. Now, this is probably the first honest thing Jacob said to Laban in 20 years. He continues…
Genesis 31:32 Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. (ESV)
You see, Rachel deceived her husband. As he withheld information from Laban, she withheld information from Jacob, and it just might get her killed. But that’s the way lies work. They don’t protect us; they endanger us.
Jacob’s lie didn’t protect him or his family, and your lies don’t protect you either. On the contrary, they only make matters worse. A lie always comes back to bite you, even if it’s not an out-and-out lie, but just the withholding of certain information like Jacob and Rachel did here.
In the cold war days, there was an old joke about the United States and the Soviet Union who were the only two participants in a race. In the race, the United States came in first and the Soviet Union came in last. But when the Soviet press reported it, they declared, “The Soviet Union achieved a 2nd place finish with the United States coming in second to last.”
The words themselves were accurate, but misleading because important information was withheld. The Soviet press did not report that there were only 2 participants in the race.
My friends, a lie is a lie is a lie even if our words are accurate. If we withhold information with the intent to mislead, then we have lied and it will get us into trouble. So…
DON’T TRUST IN A LIE for protection, even if it is a little white lie.
Don’t defend yourself with any kind of a deception. Don’t rely on any falsehood as a foundation for your security.
Now, very few people actually start their day with the intention of telling a big, bold lie. Usually, they find themselves slipping into a lie out of convenience. Maybe they feel a little white lie will serve them better than the truth, or they’re afraid that the truth just might hurt a little.
Louis Upkins, in his book Treat Me Like a Customer, talked about a company that conducted 3.8 million background checks on people applying for jobs. They found that more than half of them lied on their resumes. These were people that thought a little, white lie was necessary to get a good job, especially in this tough economy. They were looking for financial security, depending on a lie to get it.
Last spring (2020), David T. Hines applied for the federal Paycheck Protection Program under the coronavirus stimulus law. He claimed to operate four businesses with 70 employees and four million dollars of monthly expenses. Once Hines received his first three payments that totaled approximately three million dollars, he continued applying for more. In total, he received over 13 million dollars in relief funds.
However, instead of paying any of his supposed employees, Hines spent the funds in a variety of frivolous ways: luxury jewelry, expensive clothing, visits to Miami resorts, expenses on dating websites, even a blue Lamborghini for $318,497.
In fact, further investigation revealed that none of his purported business had evidence of any online presence, and two of them received an F rating with the Better Business Bureau for “bait-and-switch practices and other deceitful activities.”
He was arrested and charged with three felonies. According to prosecutors in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, he could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all charges. (Azi Paybarah, “Florida Man Took Coronavirus Aid and Bought a Lamborghini,” New York Times, 7-27-20; www. PreachingToday.com)
This is an extreme example, but it makes the point! Deception may bring temporary profit, but it always ends in ruin. So why not try honesty instead.
Bob Welch talks about the time when his son Jason was in the seventh grade. That summer, he joined a 7th/8th grade baseball league and was the smallest player on his team.
During one game, a fire-armed pitcher – more than a foot taller than Bob’s 4-foot-9 son – blazed a fastball right down the pike. Bob says, “I'm not sure Jason even saw the ball.” Strike one. The second pitch scorched across the plate for a called strike two. The third pitch came right at Jason. He turned to avoid being hit and fell to the ground. His bat went flying. His helmet bounced off. The ball seemed to have skimmed his shoulder.
“Take your base,” said the umpire.
Standing in the third-base coach's box, Bob was happy just seeing his son alive, much less getting a free base. But now he was saying something to the umpire. What was going on?
“It didn't hit me,” Jason said to the ump.
“Take your base, son,” said the ump.
“But honest,” Jason pleaded, “it didn't hit me.”
The umpire looked at Jason and out to the infield ump, who just shrugged.
“OK,” said the ump, “the count is one-and-two.”
The towering pitcher then rocked and fired. A bullet right down the middle – the kind of pitch that would send the kid to the dugout. Instead, Jason ripped the ball into left-center for a stand-up double. The crowd roared. The manager of the team in the field just spit out his sunflower seeds and slowly shook his head.
“Man,” he said, “you gotta love that.” (Bob Welch, A Father for All Seasons; www.PreachingToday.com)
Yes, you do! You gotta love that young man’s integrity even if it didn’t result in a stand-up double. Even if your integrity doesn’t pay in the short-run, in the long-run you become a better person for it, and you earn the trust of others. So, if you want real security for yourself and your family, don’t trust in a lie. More than that…
DON’T TRUST IN AN IDOL, either.
Don’t depend on a false god to protect you. Don’t rely on any lifeless deity to keep you safe.
That’s what Rachel did, and it didn’t work for her. Remember, back in verse 19, she stole her father’s household gods just in case Jacob’s God was unable to protect her. In addition, these gods also gave her the right to claim her father’s inheritance. They would at least bring her some financial security if nothing else, but they only brought her trouble. They were worthless deities as becomes very clear in the story.
Genesis 31:33-35 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods. (ESV)
Rachel in menstruating all over these idols, rendering them unfit and unclean (Leviticus 15:20), good only for the burn barrel or the garbage dump. They didn’t bring her any protection at all. They only brought her trouble, bringing the wrath of her father down upon her. And now they are shown to be absolutely worthless.
And the same thing happens to anyone who depends on anything but God for their security. They find that that thing is at best worthless, and often harmful to their well-being.
Craig Larson suggests it’s like having a toxic asset... Toxic assets are loans in which the collateral used to secure the loan is worth less than the amount of the loan. Normally, banks want people to owe them money and pay off the loan with interest. Most banks consider loans an asset, but when the housing market fell in 2008, and people owed more on their houses than the house was worth, those assets became liabilities. Banks called them “toxic assets,” because the so-called asset was harmful to their bottom line.
The same kind of thing can happen in life. Anything we consider an asset can become toxic if it hurts us in life.
Sins of the flesh obviously fall in that category. Some people view pornography or take illegal drugs because they find it pleasurable. They think they’re assets, but the opposite is true. Such pleasures destroy people and their families.
Now, those things are easy to identify as “toxic,” but a house or a car can be a toxic asset if it takes over your life and pushes God to the side. A job can be a toxic asset. Money, education, family and friends, physical beauty – all these things can be great assets to you unless you allow them to take God's place in your life. But when you live for them, or when you put your trust in them for your sense of security, they become toxic assets. They destroy you spiritually, mentally and emotionally, and they never provide the security you are looking for anyway.
I love the story Bernie May, Wycliffe missionary since 1954, tells of the years he spent in Peru flying over the Amazon jungle in a single engine airplane. At the urging of a friend, he always carried a gun for protection.
He says, “I kept the pistol for ten years. Whenever I had to spend the night in the jungle, I would unwrap it and keep it in my hammock. I never needed it. In fact, I never fired it. But it gave me a great sense of security. I knew if I were attacked by a savage jungle cat, or if a huge anaconda or boa constrictor tried to squeeze me to death, I was protected.”
Then, after ten years, he was assigned to the United States where later he became Wycliffe’s USA director. But before leaving Peru, Bernie resolved to shoot the pistol just once.
He placed a tin can on a stump outside his house, backed away a few feet, took aim and squeezed the trigger, but all he heard was a “click” as the hammer fell on a dead shell. He tried it again – another “click.” A third time – a third “click.” In fact, every shell in the magazine was bad.
“Disgusted,” he says, “I went back into the house and got the extra box of bullets. One by one, I loaded them into the chamber. All I got was clicks. Fifty clicks… Every shell was a dud. For ten years I had put my trust in a gun that wouldn’t shoot.” (Bernie May, In Other Words, March 1990, p.8)
That’s the way it is when you put your trust in anything other than God, whether it’s a gun, your money, or even your relationships. At best, they prove to be useless sources of security just like any other idol. At worst, they can bring serious harm to you and your family if they take the place of God in your life. So if you’re looking for real security, don’t trust in a lie, and don’t trust in an idol. Instead…
TRUST IN THE LORD.
Rely solely and completely upon God. Look to Him and Him alone for your security. That’s a lesson Jacob is beginning to learn. Look at him as he finally levels with Laban.
Genesis 31:36-41 Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. (ESV)
This is the first time in 20 years Jacob has told the truth to Laban. Before this, all Jacob did was resort to deceit and manipulation to get what he thought he deserved. Now, he is finally being honest; and now, he finally acknowledges the true source of his success and security.
Genesis 31:42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.” (ESV)
Jacob now knows that it was God who protected and provided for him all those years, and he begins to look to God to protect him in the future.
Genesis 31:43-47 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. (ESV)
Both of those words mean “witness heap.” In other words, they are calling on God to witness the covenant they are about to make, and they are depending on Him to protect them from each other.
Genesis 31:48-49 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, and Mizpah [which means watchtower], for he said, “The LORD watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. (ESV)
I’ve seen this on greeting cards, but this is no greeting you want to receive. In its context, Laban is saying, “I don’t trust you, so I’m going to ask God to keep an eye on you when I can’t.”
Genesis 31:50-54 If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. (ESV)
Jacob is beginning to fear God more than people. He worships God, and then he eats with his relatives. This meal seals the covenant between Jacob and Laban, because those who eat together in this Middle Eastern culture are bound never to bring harm to one another.
Genesis 31:55 Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. (ESV)
Laban went home with a kiss and a blessing, and Jacob learned that true security comes from God, not from deceptive schemes.
It’s a lesson we need to learn, as well. Our true security comes from God and God alone, so we must learn to trust Him.
Don’t trust in a lie, and don’t trust in an idol. Trust in the Lord. Then you will be truly secure.
Five-year-old Jessica became a bit frightened as lightning flashed and thunder cracked just as she was stepping out of the bath tub before going to bed. The lights began to flicker as she was getting into her pajamas. She remembered other times when they had to light candles after the electricity had gone out. This time, she asked if she could “please slip in mommy’s room.”
Then, before kissing her mom good-night, she prayed: “Dear God, I hope it doesn’t thunder and I hope the light don’t go out.” She paused briefly, then she continued, “But I thought it over, and you can do what you want. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
That’s what it means to trust God. It’s letting Him do whatever He wants with your life, your family, and your business. Do that and you will find real peace.
