Articles
Sincerely Deceived
The brothers of Joseph plotted to kill him (Gen. 37:18), but when the caravan of Ishmaelites happened by on their way to Egypt to trade, they decided to profit off of their brother instead and sold him. The Ishmaelites then took him down to Egypt (Gen. 37:28), where they sold him to Potiphar as a slave (Gen. 37:36).
After selling him to the Midianite traders, the brothers took the coat of many colors his father had given him and dipped it in goat blood, and took it back to their father, asking, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?” (Gen. 37:32). Upon seeing the coat, Jacob concluded, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces” (Gen. 37:33). The brothers' deception was successful and Jacob believed Joseph was now dead, torn to pieces by a wild beast.
But Jacob was wrong. Sincerely wrong, but wrong nonetheless.
We know Joseph's brothers deceived Jacob, so we know Jacob concluded wrongly that Joseph was dead. But Jacob made a logical conclusion based on the evidence he had been given, not knowing he was being deceived. Jacob believed with all sincerity that Joseph was dead, and had no reason to believe the ones he loved would have deceived him. It would not be until about 20 years later (Gen. 41:46, 53), when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers when they came to Egypt for food (Gen. 42:1-5), that Jacob knew the truth. Though he had been deceived for more than 20 years, now Jacob knew the truth: Joseph was alive!
Does it matter that we are sincere? Of course, it does matter that our religious service and worship is sincere, for Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24); to worship in “truth” means "in reality" [Thayer's], not fake or putting on a mere outward show. But is sincerity enough? Many professing believers and religious leaders today say something along the lines of "It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're sincere," but the story of Jacob and Joseph teaches us that is simply not the case. It is now we must make some important points from this story that are relevant to our religious beliefs, and the particular question about the place and weight of sincerity.
It Doesn't Matter, If I Have Been Deceived. Though Jacob didn't know the truth at the time his sons showed him Joseph's coat, Joseph was actually not dead, though the brothers made it appear that was the case. Jacob innocently believed the show put on by his sons, and came to the conclusion they wanted him to come to. Though he had believed this deception for more than 20 years, his sincere belief that Joseph was dead did not change the truth that Joseph was actually alive.
Today, there is a literal plethora of religious doctrines in existence today, all claiming to be from God, but logic and reason tells us they cannot all be true when they do not agree and, often, contradict. Many people are now following error, sincerely believing that it is truth when, in all reality, it is not. It doesn't matter that they sincerely believe error because it is still error. Those who believe error may be sincere in their beliefs but, like Jacob, they are sincerely deceived. Sincerely believing a lie does not make it truth.
It Doesn't Matter Who Misleads Me. One of the sad facts of the story of Jacob and Joseph is that Jacob's sons — Joseph's brothers — were the ones who perpetrated the hoax and deceived Jacob into believing such a horrible lie. Jacob believed this lie for more than 20 years, but the truth didn't change just because it was a loved one who deceived Jacob. Joseph was still alive, and it did not matter one bit that his brothers were the ones who deceived their father. The belief that Joseph was dead was a lie.
Today, it is quite common for people to hold religious beliefs that have been passed down for generations, and now to them, by ones very dear to them — most often parents and/or grandparents. Sometimes, it is a husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend who causes one to believe some erroneous doctrine, and this fact is hard to overcome for many who simply refuse to believe someone they love so dearly would lead them astray, mislead them, or deceive them. Sometimes, it is not a purposeful deception [such as Joseph's brothers did], but merely passing down the beliefs of one's ancestors without actually checking it against what God's word actually says. It doesn't matter, though, for it is still error — even if sincerely believed for generations of people.
If we are confronted with God's word and we find that what we have believed all our lives is not in agreement, it doesn't matter who taught us or who passed it down to us if it is not the truth. It doesn't matter who leads us astray; if we follow a lie, it is still a lie!
It Doesn't Matter How Long I Sincerely Believe A Lie. Jacob fell for the deception put forth by his sons, and believed his son Joseph was dead for more than 20 years. Twenty years! I can only imagine the daily anguish Jacob felt, wondering what he could have done differently — maybe if he hadn't sent him to check on his brothers, his son would not have been taken from him. Maybe he thought about Joseph every day he was gone. We do know that when his sons told him Joseph was alive and in Egypt, his “heart stood still, because he did not believe them” (Gen. 45:26).
But here's the thing: This time they were telling the truth. The truth was, he had been alive all the time Jacob had believed him dead! It didn't matter that Jacob had sincerely believed that Joseph was dead, because he had sincerely believed the lie of his sons. It didn't matter that Jacob had believed this for more than twenty years, and it wouldn't have mattered if he had kept on believing it for another twenty years, because the truth was something entirely different. The truth was not what Jacob believed, though he thought he did — for twenty years.
Do you believe Jacob would have said, upon hearing that Joseph was alive after all, "No! I refuse to believe that! I have believed this for more than twenty years and I am not going to change now!" If he had, that would have been to his detriment, and he would have missed out on a glorious reunion with the son he so dearly loved. To refuse the truth simply because he had believed a lie for more than twenty years would have made no sense at all! To even think that Jacob would have such a reaction is laughable!
But the sad fact is, all of these things have been the cause for many to continue believing false teachings false teachers, and false religions for many years. Time after time, when we are confronted with the truth, and we find that what we have believed for so long is not actually what God's word teaches, we claim that we are content because we have done so sincerely; time after time, we protest, "Are you telling me my parents were wrong?" and cling to error; time after time we excuse our rejection of the truth by saying, "I have believed [the lie] all my life and I'm not ever going to change."
Friends and brethren, sincerity is certainly demanded of God in our service and worship, but it is not all He demands of us. Paul sincerely believed he was doing God's will, even as he put people to death for their faith in Christ (Acts 23:1; Acts 26:4-11). Sincerity is no guarantee we are right.
Sincerely wrong is still wrong. —— Steven Harper
