Visitors to Merlion Park in Singapore on June 8 were startled to see Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump enjoying a casual walkabout, hand-in-hand. On closer inspection, however, they would have seen the two men were Howard X, a Kim impersonator, and Dennis Alan, a Trump impersonator, who traveled to Singapore in advance of the June 12 summit meeting between the two real leaders. Janette Warokka of Indonesia was fooled: “It’s so shocking for me. I don’t know why those two famous guys come here,” she told the Associated Press. Airport officials were less amused when Kim’s doppelganger, whose real name is Lee Howard Ho Wun, arrived at Changi Airport. Wun said police officers searched his bags and detained him for two hours before releasing him with stern warnings to stay away from the summit. Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said Wun was interviewed for about 45 minutes. [AP via ABC News, 6/8/2018]
It’s amazing to me just how talented some people are; especially people who have a talent for impersonation. To be able to mimic someone’s look or voice is quite fascinating and for someone to be able to pull off an impersonation with no one being the wiser is even more intriguing. And for the most part impersonation is entertaining, but what happens when an impersonation goes beyond the realm of entertainment?
In Genesis 27, Isaac (Abraham’s son of promise cf. Genesis 17:15ff) has grown old and his eyesight was not what it used to be. He had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Esau being the older of the two was to receive a blessing from his father. That blessing would designate him as the head of the family once his father had died, but Jacob deceived his father by taking advantage of his father’s failing eyesight. With the help of his mother he impersonated his brother thus taking the blessing for himself. Later, as Esau came for his father’s blessing, “On closer inspection,” Isaac realized that he had been tricked, but the damage was done and that one act of deceit would divide the two brothers, just as God had previously prophesied (cf. Genesis 25:23). Sadly, it would be years before the two would ever reconcile (cf. Genesis 33:1ff).
So what’s the lesson? I would say the lesson is this, always be honest about who you are, because dishonesty will cause more trouble than it’s worth! The thing is, you may be able to fool some, but you can’t fool God. God sees us for who we really are because he knows our heart and if we have a heart full of deceit it will cost us more than we might have bargained for.
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them” ~ Proverbs 11:3
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