With What Measure you Mete

In last week’s reading, we saw Jacob scheming and deceiving. First, he schemes Esau into giving him his birthright. Second, he deceives his father into giving him the blessing Isaac intended for Esau.

In the New Testament, Jesus tells us we should be cautious in our judgments and actions against others:

Matthew 7:2 KJV
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in terms of Jacob’s sons. In this week’s reading, we find his sons scheming to kill their brother, Joseph. Angered by their father’s favoritism of Joseph, the brothers desire to take their younger brother’s life. Reuben concocted a plan to spare his brother’s life by talking the others into abandoning him in an empty well, but the other brothers soon find a better deal. They sell Joseph to their distant relatives, the Midianites, who then take Joseph to be sold as a slave in Egypt.
To conceal their bad dealings from their father, the brothers bring Joseph’s robe back to their father, soaked in goat’s blood. The image of the blood-stained coat deceives Jacob into thinking Joseph is dead.

Not only was Jacob deceived as he deceived others: the same animal was used in both deceptions. First, Jacob’s mom, Rebekah, puts goat's fur on his arms and neck to make him hairy like Esau to deceive Isaac. Then, Jacob’s sons kill a goat and use its blood to fool him into thinking Joseph is dead.

We should be cautious about how we treat others. We need to put every effort into following the golden rule, so we don’t end up like Jacob:

Matthew 7:12 KJV
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.