SWITCH A ROO

Proverbs 24:28b Do not deceive with your lips. (NASB)

      It was a cool October afternoon in Pupperville and Martha Peterson was out shopping As she finished piling her shopping cart full of candy to hand out for Halloween, she headed over to the costume aisle to see if she could find something for Harold and Stella to wear to the school costume party.

     As Martha rounded the corner of the costume aisle she walked right into a girl trying on a pirate costume and tipped her shopping cart over. “I know you, don’t I” Martha said as stood her shopping cart back up. “You’re one of the Miller twins.” “Yep!” the girl replied, “I’m Mindy” “Mindy?” Martha said a bit puzzled, “I thought I just talked to Mindy in the candy aisle.”

     “You must have us mixed up,” the girl said, “People do that all the time” “Than why does your shirt have the name ‘Cindy’ on it?” Martha replied. “I..I..I..” Cindy stuttered, “I borrowed her clothes.”

     “You know,” Martha smiled, “A couple of weeks ago Harold tried to be some one he wasn’t.” “I was there,” Cindy reminded her, “And he failed miserably. Well, I can do a better job than he can any time.” she continued, “ Beside I look just like Min.......dy.” she went on to say and than ended with a “Oops” as she realized she had just given herself away.

     “Okay CINDY!” Martha said, “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? Have you been around Harold too much.” Actually,” Cindy sheepishly replied, “It’s not his idea, it’s Mindy’s” “Does that mean Mindy’s been hanging around Harold too much?” Martha asked, sure that her son had to have had something to do with it.

     “It’s like this.” Cindy fessed up, “Mindy wants to go to the school costume party with some one named Greg, and she wants to go bowling with Peter, and since we’re identical twins she thought I could pretend I was her so as to keep her friendship going with Greg.” “The Ole Switch A Roo.” Martha said as she shook her head.

     “You’re not going to tell, are you?” Cindy nervously asked. “Don’t you think your parents will be able to tell?” Martha asked. “Well,” Cindy started to answer but Martha went on “God will know too.” “But,” Cindy started in again, “If I don’t I’ll be in big trouble with my sister.” “And if you do you’ll be in trouble with your parents.” Martha tacked on.

     After a few minutes of thinking Martha piped up,“Why don’t you just go as Cindy?” “You mean, pretend that I am Mindy pretending to be me.?” Cindy replied. “No.” Martha answered, “I mean simply be yourself. No pretending at all.” “I’ll think about it” Cindy told her and than put the costume she was trying on back and left.

     In Proverbs 24:28 we read these words Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips. (NASB) Mindy and Cindy are plotting or at least Mindy is plotting, plotting to deceive, or at least have her sister deceive one of her boyfriends. But deception is something the Bible speaks against.

     In the middle of Genesis we read about a gal named Rebekah who's having a problem, baby problems. Apparently she was not able to have children and than she was.... Genesis 25:21-23 Isaac’s wife could not have children, so Isaac prayed to the LORD for her. The LORD heard Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant. While she was pregnant, the babies struggled inside her. She asked, “Why is this happening to me?“ Then she went to get an answer from the LORD. The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your body, and two groups of people will be taken from you. One group will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. (NCV) These words were remembered and when the time came, deception reared its dangerous head and someone had to run for his life..

      When Isaac was old, his eyesight was poor, so he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, “Son.“ Esau answered, “Here I am. Isaac said, “I am old and don’t know when I might die. So take your bow and arrows and go hunting in the field for an animal for me to eat. When you prepare the tasty food that I love, bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die. So Esau went out in the field to hunt. Rebekah was listening as Isaac said this to his son Esau. She said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I heard your father saying to your brother Esau, Kill an animal and prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I will bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die. So obey me, my son, and do what I tell you. Go out to our goats and bring me two of the best young ones. I will prepare them just the way your father likes them. Then you will take the food to your father, and he will bless you before he dies. But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am smooth! If my father touches me, he will know I am not Esau. Then he will not bless me but will place a curse on me because I tried to trick him. So Rebekah said to him, “If your father puts a curse on you, I will accept the blame. Just do what I said and go, get the goats for me.” So Jacob went out and got two goats and brought them to his mother, and she cooked them in the special way Isaac enjoyed. She took the best clothes of her older son Esau that were in the house and put them on the younger son Jacob. She also took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and neck. Then she gave Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. Jacob went in to his father and said, “Father.“ And his father said, “Yes, my son. Who are you?“ Jacob said to him, “I am Esau, your first son. I have done what you told me. Now sit up and eat some meat of the animal I hunted for you. Then bless me. But Isaac asked his son, “How did you find and kill the animal so quickly?“ Jacob answered, “Because the LORD your God helped me to find it.“ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son. Then I will know if you are really my son Esau.“ So Jacob came near to Isaac his father. Isaac touched him and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob’s voice, but your hands are hairy like the hands of Esau.“ Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his hands were hairy like.... Esau hated Jacob because he had stolen his blessing, and he said to himself, "My father will soon be dead and gone. Then I will kill Jacob." But someone got wind of what Esau was planning and reported it to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him, "Esau is threatening to kill you. This is what you should do. Flee to your uncle Laban in Haran. Esau’s hands, so Isaac blessed him.

Genesis 27:1-23,41-43

• Sometimes doing wrong seems great but wait - Proverbs 20:17 - Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. (ESV)
• How mad would one want to be - Proverbs 26:18-19 - Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!" (NIV)
• Should we not abhor what the Lord abhors - Psalm 5:6 - You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. (NIV)
• Don't deceive yourself -Psalms 101:7 I will not allow deceivers to serve me, and liars will not be allowed to enter my presence. (NLT)

      Here's Something To Ponder

• How do you respond when you know you've been deceived?
• Do you ever try to justify deception?