/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

Jacob means liar/deceiver

You're right

When I finally got around to reading the OT I was surprised how dodgy some of those "favoured" men were. Like David having an affair then having the husband murdered to cover it up. Judah sleeping with a prostitute. Samson murdering 30 people just to cover a bet he lost and fornicating.

>>778088

>>778095

None of those things are really portrayed as good things when you look at the context. Jacob was forced to flee the country and had to apologize to Esau years later. David's affair with Bathsheba is usually considered "the fall of David" and is looked at as a sort of major falling-out between David and God; he was rebuked hard and had to repent hard. Judah's sleeping with the "prostitute" was sort of a punishment in and of itself, as he should have married off his last son to her in order to lawfully continue his sons' bloodlines, but when he refuses to do so she's left with no recourse other than to trick Judah himself in order to fulfill her wifely duties to her late husbands. And Sampson's sexual immorality, of course, is what led him to tell the pagan woman about his one weakness which is how he got killed.

The histories portrayed in the Bible aren't really about good people, they're about how people do bad things and how God brings what good He can out of it.

>>778119

This and /thread

>>778119

>a sort of major falling-out between David and God; he was rebuked hard and had to repent hard.

This. I always interpreted this story to show how God has always been willing to forgive if the sinner repents. Which is interesting to me because when Christ shows up this is very much his attitude throughout his time here, "Go and sin no more" etc.

Esau married two thots who insulted his parents. That's the main reason his mother turned on him.

>>778208

Esau married two thots who insulted his parents. That's the main reason his mother turned on him.

On top of that, he treated his birthright as nothing when Jacob coerced it from him. So God already had his hand on Jacob at this point.

Esau was a stupid alpha, who didn't value birthright or family, and didn't even care about God because he married two pagan women, and then didn't care about his parents because they caused grief for both of them.

So yeah, Jacob isn't as bad as the OP thinks.

>>778119

>>778217

yeah, Jacob had to do hard labor for a good decade or two, not sure how OP can see that as a great endorsement of the deceptive act

>>778088

Wasn't the idea his mother's?

Also, weakness in such a way is necessary in scripture.