Genesis 38
This story about Judah serves as a transition between Joseph being sold to Egypt and his time in Egypt. In this story, Judah is seen taking a wife from the Canaanites, which seems to initiate the problem. Although it does not explicitly state that Judah was commanded not to take a wife from the Canaanites, his ancestors had been warned of this. She bears him many sons, and his first son becomes an evil man in God’s sight, so much so that the Lord eventually puts him to death. This leaves Er’s (Judah’s son) wife as a widow.
As was customary at that time, if a woman’s husband died, his brother would take her to be his wife. So Judah commanded his second son Onan to take Tamar as his wife. But Onan ends up being much like his brother Er, wicked. Once again we see a bit of jealousy between brothers, a problem that has come all the way from the bitter jealousy of Jacob and Esau, through Jacob’s 12 sons, and now into Judah’s children. Since Onan knew that any children he had with Tamar would not be considered as his but as Er’s, he chose to have no children with Tamar, upsetting Judah and God. As a result, God put him to death as well, which once again left Tamar as a widow.
So Judah once again made a promise to Tamar, this time that his third son, Shelah, would take her as his wife. But after his own wife died, Judah left the place in which he was living and traveled away, leaving Tamar alone with an unfilled promise. Despite the difficulties that had come up in his life, Judah did not even think about how this would affect Tamar. She was still patiently waiting for him to send Shelah to her, but he had completely forgotten about his promises. Tamar then takes matters in her own hands and goes to find him, disguising herself, and making herself a prostitute so that she could be with Judah.
At the moment Judah had no clue who this woman was, and he did not know for several months. At a weak moment in his life, he compromised his morals as he took a prostitute into his home. Granted, he was tricked by Tamar, but at the same time, he was the one who had originally broken his promises to her. The consequences of these actions were seen in his humiliation. When it was revealed that Tamar was pregnant, he was ready to have her killed, chagrining her with not keeping up her end of the deal in waiting for Shelah. But when she brings out his staff and signet, he realizes what had happened. In his moment of weakness, he not only broke his promise with Tamar, but he also fell into her own trap. Now, she was pregnant with his children. Furthermore he had almost had her killed for her immorality, when he was just as guilty as she.
So what can we learn from this side story? Well like many of the stories in Genesis, we must always remember that our actions can have major consequences on our lives as well as the lives of others. Jealousy had extended from Jacob to the sons of Judah. Deception had extended from Jacob to Tamar. For Judah, his choice of marriage revealed some costly consequences as well. But also, Genesis 38 shows us the dangers of judgment. We all tend to rank our mistakes against the mistakes of others to make us feel better about ourselves when in reality we are no better than anyone else. That is what Judah had done to Tamar when he accused her of living an immoral lifestyle. But in reality, he had done the very thing, only he had not yet been caught. We must be careful in pointing out the mistakes of others when we have not yet done a self-check up. Sin is not something that we need to play around with, for as we have seen for 38 chapters now, the consequences can be devastating.
Matt
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Genesis 37:12-36
Genesis 37:12-36
Jacob continued to hold Joseph up higher than the rest of his sons, and one day when they were out with the flocks, Joseph was sent as almost a spy to them. Jacob sent him to Shechem to find them, and in the process Joseph discovered that he had traveled to Dothan instead. As he came closer, his brothers conspired to kill him. This almost seems rushed, but we must remember that there is much of this story that we do not know. Joseph may have had many more dreams that he had shared with them. Jacob might have shown his favoritism in some pretty obvious ways that had really ticked these men off. God has not given us the rest of the story, but we do know that they were extremely jealous of Joseph, and that was their reason for desiring to kill him. However, at least Reuben found it within himself to not want to kill him. But his plan was not much better. In the end, they decided to throw Joseph into a pit to sell him as a slave. They would then lie to their father, saying that he had died. This would rid them of their “problem,” and they thought it would make their lives better.
But notice what jealousy led to for these men. It began with one sin, that of jealousy. But the longer they let that stir in their hearts, it grew and turned into a desire to commit murder. Although all sins are equal, from a human level, we can see how this simple sin of jealousy escalated into something much more. Now although they did not end up killing Joseph, they did stage his death and the turn around and lie to their father about it. Just like these brothers, and even David, we must remember that one sin (although we may not see it as much of anything) can have devastating effects. We may not think that the consequences will be that great, but we also have no idea what that sin might lead to. That is why it is so dangerous to get entrapped in sin, and why we must daily fight to keep free from it.
They do end up selling Joseph to some men who would take him down to Egypt, and for them, they felt like they had gotten rid of Joseph for good. By not killing them, they appeared to feel better about themselves, and yet their goal was completed. No longer would they have to worry about Joseph and his dreams. If that were not enough, they did end up lying to Jacob about it, telling him that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. Once more, their sin had some major consequences, for they sent their father into a state of mourning. They did not think about how this news would affect him. They sacrificed their father’s feelings to satisfy their desires. They did not care who they hurt in the process, Joseph or Jacob. All they were concerned about was what they wanted. So the last element of their initial sin of jealousy is selfishness. Granted they were selfish from the start, but this can really be seen in the way they handle the situation with Jacob. So many people get in their mind that life is all about them, and they do not pay attention to the people that they are hurting in the process. We must learn to put others’ needs first, and not our own.
Matt
Jacob continued to hold Joseph up higher than the rest of his sons, and one day when they were out with the flocks, Joseph was sent as almost a spy to them. Jacob sent him to Shechem to find them, and in the process Joseph discovered that he had traveled to Dothan instead. As he came closer, his brothers conspired to kill him. This almost seems rushed, but we must remember that there is much of this story that we do not know. Joseph may have had many more dreams that he had shared with them. Jacob might have shown his favoritism in some pretty obvious ways that had really ticked these men off. God has not given us the rest of the story, but we do know that they were extremely jealous of Joseph, and that was their reason for desiring to kill him. However, at least Reuben found it within himself to not want to kill him. But his plan was not much better. In the end, they decided to throw Joseph into a pit to sell him as a slave. They would then lie to their father, saying that he had died. This would rid them of their “problem,” and they thought it would make their lives better.
But notice what jealousy led to for these men. It began with one sin, that of jealousy. But the longer they let that stir in their hearts, it grew and turned into a desire to commit murder. Although all sins are equal, from a human level, we can see how this simple sin of jealousy escalated into something much more. Now although they did not end up killing Joseph, they did stage his death and the turn around and lie to their father about it. Just like these brothers, and even David, we must remember that one sin (although we may not see it as much of anything) can have devastating effects. We may not think that the consequences will be that great, but we also have no idea what that sin might lead to. That is why it is so dangerous to get entrapped in sin, and why we must daily fight to keep free from it.
They do end up selling Joseph to some men who would take him down to Egypt, and for them, they felt like they had gotten rid of Joseph for good. By not killing them, they appeared to feel better about themselves, and yet their goal was completed. No longer would they have to worry about Joseph and his dreams. If that were not enough, they did end up lying to Jacob about it, telling him that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. Once more, their sin had some major consequences, for they sent their father into a state of mourning. They did not think about how this news would affect him. They sacrificed their father’s feelings to satisfy their desires. They did not care who they hurt in the process, Joseph or Jacob. All they were concerned about was what they wanted. So the last element of their initial sin of jealousy is selfishness. Granted they were selfish from the start, but this can really be seen in the way they handle the situation with Jacob. So many people get in their mind that life is all about them, and they do not pay attention to the people that they are hurting in the process. We must learn to put others’ needs first, and not our own.
Matt
Snow, More Snow, and a Commons
My last weekend at home was a blast! We received about 7 inches of snow and was able to go sledding and eventually build a snowman. It was the perfect way to end a great (and much needed) break as well as start a new semester. When I arrived on campus Tuesday morning, much of the snow was still down here as well, so I got to see it on campus again. The only problem was that it also made campus quite slick. Now I have noticed that there is a possibility of some of this wintry weather tomorrow night and early next week. In some ways this is really exciting. I love playing out in the snow, and hope we get a lot if it comes. But at the same time, if it is just going to be a mess of ice and a dab of snow, then I want no part of it.
Arriving back on campus Tuesday was great! We officially opened up our new Commons, and it was amazing. For one it is huge, much bigger than what we had with our old dorms. But the things inside amazed me just as much. There is half basketball court, a huge lounge upstairs with several private TV rooms (so that you are not around a bunch of loud people as you watch your shows). There are also game rooms (for games like pool and ping pong as well as gaming systems). One of the neatest additions is the use of sound proof rooms for instrumental practice. There are even classrooms inside for a few classes each semester. It is an amazing building, and it finishes up our 2 year construction project that began just 2 weeks after the February 5th tornado.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of that very event, and I will speak on it more then. But for now I will just say that we are having an anniversary worship service tomorrow night at 7:02pm to mark the event. The neatest part about this event is that it will be in the new Commons. God has been amazing these last 2 years, and it will be a great night of praise for all He has done for our campus and those of us who were here that night.
Matt
Arriving back on campus Tuesday was great! We officially opened up our new Commons, and it was amazing. For one it is huge, much bigger than what we had with our old dorms. But the things inside amazed me just as much. There is half basketball court, a huge lounge upstairs with several private TV rooms (so that you are not around a bunch of loud people as you watch your shows). There are also game rooms (for games like pool and ping pong as well as gaming systems). One of the neatest additions is the use of sound proof rooms for instrumental practice. There are even classrooms inside for a few classes each semester. It is an amazing building, and it finishes up our 2 year construction project that began just 2 weeks after the February 5th tornado.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of that very event, and I will speak on it more then. But for now I will just say that we are having an anniversary worship service tomorrow night at 7:02pm to mark the event. The neatest part about this event is that it will be in the new Commons. God has been amazing these last 2 years, and it will be a great night of praise for all He has done for our campus and those of us who were here that night.
Matt
Genesis 36:1-37:11
Genesis 36:1-37:11
As the story of Jacob and Esau begins to conclude, we get the genealogy of Esau. As verse 1 points out, we must remember that Esau’s descendants are the Edomites (a group of people mentioned later on in the Bible). This is one of those instances where it is important to pay attention to some of the small details, because they contain some of the historical background for future stories. Also notice in verse 2 that Esau took his wives from the Canaanites, which was what God had commanded Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob not to do. Already there is a stark contrast between the lives of Jacob and Esau. Finally, verse 3 tells us that one of his wives was a daughter of Ishmael, which should throw up another red flag. The details are easy to get bogged down in, but I am guessing that many of these names will be mentioned later on, and this chapter will be a great reference for some of the historical books. For instance, I recognize the name Korah, knowing it comes up later, but cannot think of why that name sounds so familiar right now.
After filling in the life of Esau, the text moves on to the life of Joseph in Genesis 37. From the start it is obvious that Joseph is more privileged than the other 11 brothers. One of the main reasons is because Joseph was born to Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel (who is dead at this point). Jacob had always loved Rachel more than Leah, and that love was now extending down to their son Joseph. Jacob finds himself in the same trap as before. When he favored Rachel over Leah and made it quite obvious, he stirred up a lot of problems of jealousy and rivalry between the two women. Now that he is showing his favoritism toward Joseph over the rest of his sons, he is stirring up that same fit of jealousy between them. They are not only beginning to hate Joseph but Jacob as well. This shows how important it is to learn from past mistakes. Not only is it a sin to get caught up in the same sins of our past, never learning or growing from those situations, but it will also cause major consequences. For Jacob, the consequences were going to be the eventual separation from him and his favorite son.
But Jacob was not the only one in the wrong at this point. Obviously his sons were in the wrong for showing hatred toward their brother (even if he was their half-brother). Yet even more so than them, Joseph did not mind letting them know that he was the favorite. He first showed up his coat of many colors, but he later elaborated on the dreams that he was having. Now it was not wrong of him to tell his dreams, but after seeing the anger his brothers showed, it would have been best to not continue to rub it in their faces. But what is interesting is the significance of these dreams. They were in a sense a prophecy of what was to come of their family. Although his brothers and father did not expect to be ruled by Joseph, they would be one day. And if Joseph had never made such a big deal out of his dreams, he would not have been put in the situation to be in a higher political position than they. God used this seemingly bad situation for His ultimate good. At this point in the story it is unclear what these dreams mean or what significance they might play. In fact, Joseph could appear as a very prideful man, but as the story unfolds these first 11 verses of Genesis 37 will prove to be a great foundation for what God was about to do in their lives and in the life of the nation of Israel. God always has a plan, and this is one of those stories that proves it.
Matt
As the story of Jacob and Esau begins to conclude, we get the genealogy of Esau. As verse 1 points out, we must remember that Esau’s descendants are the Edomites (a group of people mentioned later on in the Bible). This is one of those instances where it is important to pay attention to some of the small details, because they contain some of the historical background for future stories. Also notice in verse 2 that Esau took his wives from the Canaanites, which was what God had commanded Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob not to do. Already there is a stark contrast between the lives of Jacob and Esau. Finally, verse 3 tells us that one of his wives was a daughter of Ishmael, which should throw up another red flag. The details are easy to get bogged down in, but I am guessing that many of these names will be mentioned later on, and this chapter will be a great reference for some of the historical books. For instance, I recognize the name Korah, knowing it comes up later, but cannot think of why that name sounds so familiar right now.
After filling in the life of Esau, the text moves on to the life of Joseph in Genesis 37. From the start it is obvious that Joseph is more privileged than the other 11 brothers. One of the main reasons is because Joseph was born to Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel (who is dead at this point). Jacob had always loved Rachel more than Leah, and that love was now extending down to their son Joseph. Jacob finds himself in the same trap as before. When he favored Rachel over Leah and made it quite obvious, he stirred up a lot of problems of jealousy and rivalry between the two women. Now that he is showing his favoritism toward Joseph over the rest of his sons, he is stirring up that same fit of jealousy between them. They are not only beginning to hate Joseph but Jacob as well. This shows how important it is to learn from past mistakes. Not only is it a sin to get caught up in the same sins of our past, never learning or growing from those situations, but it will also cause major consequences. For Jacob, the consequences were going to be the eventual separation from him and his favorite son.
But Jacob was not the only one in the wrong at this point. Obviously his sons were in the wrong for showing hatred toward their brother (even if he was their half-brother). Yet even more so than them, Joseph did not mind letting them know that he was the favorite. He first showed up his coat of many colors, but he later elaborated on the dreams that he was having. Now it was not wrong of him to tell his dreams, but after seeing the anger his brothers showed, it would have been best to not continue to rub it in their faces. But what is interesting is the significance of these dreams. They were in a sense a prophecy of what was to come of their family. Although his brothers and father did not expect to be ruled by Joseph, they would be one day. And if Joseph had never made such a big deal out of his dreams, he would not have been put in the situation to be in a higher political position than they. God used this seemingly bad situation for His ultimate good. At this point in the story it is unclear what these dreams mean or what significance they might play. In fact, Joseph could appear as a very prideful man, but as the story unfolds these first 11 verses of Genesis 37 will prove to be a great foundation for what God was about to do in their lives and in the life of the nation of Israel. God always has a plan, and this is one of those stories that proves it.
Matt
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Genesis 35
Genesis 35
After all the chaos with Laban, Esau, and Dinah, Jacob is finally able to head to Canaan. From the start God had promised that he would eventually make it back to the land of Canaan, but with all of these setbacks, you have to know that Jacob was probably wondering when it was going to happen. That might even be one of the reasons why he doubted God at times or went backwards in his faith. We do the same thing all the time. We know that God is leading us in a certain direction in life, but we do not know any of the details. As a result, we begin to doubt, thinking that all the obstacles along the way are God’s way of punishing us or backing out of His promises. Sometimes these trials are to strengthen us, especially in our faith, so that we will learn to trust Him more. We must realize that there is a purpose for every “setback” that might occur in those times of waiting in our lives, but also know that God will see us through, just as He did for Jacob.
Genesis 35 is a chapter where it finally seems as if Jacob gets it. After speaking with God once more, discovering that he is now headed to Bethel as the final leg in his journey, he commands all those with him to get rid of their foreign gods. This is another sign that Jacob and his family were struggling with trusting God, for they had developed their own gods. But now it was obvious to Jacob (and eventually to the others) that there was only one God worthy of their worship, and that God was the only one that they were going to serve. It was when Jacob finally understood this that God set him up as the next great father of the nation of Israel, for his name was changed to Israel at this time. God promised that his family would dwell in the land of Abraham and Isaac and that from his family would come a great nation, God’s nation. With his 11 sons (at the time), Jacob was seeing the beginnings of the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Not far from Bethel, one last trial entered Jacob’s life. As his 12th son was born, completing what would one day be the 12 tribes of Israel (in a way), his wife Rachel died. Benjamin was the last of these sons, but he came in the death of his mother. Once more, this could have cause Jacob to falter, to turn from God. Thankfully, Jacob had finally grasped the importance of following the Lord, and He did not allow this final trial to challenge his faith. Then, as he finally made it to Bethel, he experienced one more death, the death of his father Isaac. I think it is neat that Esau was there at that time, and that the two of them buried him together. After all the difficulties they had growing up, maybe they had finally gotten over it all (especially with their previous encounter) and were on good terms once more. Life will always throw us hard situations, and we have to learn to deal with it. It may not always be easy, but just like Jacob, we will always have God with us to help us through. Let us never question God’s presence when those difficult times come.
Matt
After all the chaos with Laban, Esau, and Dinah, Jacob is finally able to head to Canaan. From the start God had promised that he would eventually make it back to the land of Canaan, but with all of these setbacks, you have to know that Jacob was probably wondering when it was going to happen. That might even be one of the reasons why he doubted God at times or went backwards in his faith. We do the same thing all the time. We know that God is leading us in a certain direction in life, but we do not know any of the details. As a result, we begin to doubt, thinking that all the obstacles along the way are God’s way of punishing us or backing out of His promises. Sometimes these trials are to strengthen us, especially in our faith, so that we will learn to trust Him more. We must realize that there is a purpose for every “setback” that might occur in those times of waiting in our lives, but also know that God will see us through, just as He did for Jacob.
Genesis 35 is a chapter where it finally seems as if Jacob gets it. After speaking with God once more, discovering that he is now headed to Bethel as the final leg in his journey, he commands all those with him to get rid of their foreign gods. This is another sign that Jacob and his family were struggling with trusting God, for they had developed their own gods. But now it was obvious to Jacob (and eventually to the others) that there was only one God worthy of their worship, and that God was the only one that they were going to serve. It was when Jacob finally understood this that God set him up as the next great father of the nation of Israel, for his name was changed to Israel at this time. God promised that his family would dwell in the land of Abraham and Isaac and that from his family would come a great nation, God’s nation. With his 11 sons (at the time), Jacob was seeing the beginnings of the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Not far from Bethel, one last trial entered Jacob’s life. As his 12th son was born, completing what would one day be the 12 tribes of Israel (in a way), his wife Rachel died. Benjamin was the last of these sons, but he came in the death of his mother. Once more, this could have cause Jacob to falter, to turn from God. Thankfully, Jacob had finally grasped the importance of following the Lord, and He did not allow this final trial to challenge his faith. Then, as he finally made it to Bethel, he experienced one more death, the death of his father Isaac. I think it is neat that Esau was there at that time, and that the two of them buried him together. After all the difficulties they had growing up, maybe they had finally gotten over it all (especially with their previous encounter) and were on good terms once more. Life will always throw us hard situations, and we have to learn to deal with it. It may not always be easy, but just like Jacob, we will always have God with us to help us through. Let us never question God’s presence when those difficult times come.
Matt
Genesis 34
Genesis 34
The defiling of Dinah is a story of revenge mixed with good intentions. Dinah was Jacob’s daughter (through Leah). She, along with her entire family, was living in the land that God had promised them, but with that came their first troubling encounter. Shechem, a prince in the land, chose Dinah to be his wife, but after he had already defiled her. It was not until after the fact that he decided that he wanted her as his wife. This was Shechem’s first mistake. He did not wait and go to her father first. He took it upon himself to take her as his own from the start, not considering her desire or the will of her family. But since this is what he wanted, his father agreed to speak with Jacob about their marriage.
Dinah’s brothers (through Leah) were with Jacob when Shechem’s father, Hamor, came to speak with him. He explained what Shechem wanted, but Dinah’s brothers became furious after hearing what had happened to Dinah. They could think of nothing else but revenge. However, they did not want to go out in revenge and kill everyone so blatantly. Instead, they hid their revenge through what appeared to be peace. Hamor had suggested that they live peaceably together, allowing each other’s families to marry and share the land. The only problem with Hamor’s suggestion was that God had promised the land to Jacob, not Hamor. Furthermore, He had on a number of occasions told Abraham’s family not to marry into the Canaanites. They were to instead marry into their own family, which is why Jacob had lived with Laban for so long.
From the start Hamor’s idea of a peace agreement would not work because of God’s covenant with Abraham. And it also seemed at first that Jacob’s sons were abiding by this law, not appearing to want to make this agreement with Hamor. But in the end they agreed to Hamor’s claims on one condition. They stuck by the commands of their family and told Hamor that the only way they would agree was if all of Hamor’s family would be circumcised. This would be the sign of the covenant that they made with one another much like it was between God and Abraham. However, Jacob’s sons never intended to keep their end of the deal. What appeared to be good intentions, appeared to be a peaceful agreement, and what appeared to be a righteous act was all a set up to seek out revenge on Hamor and Shechem for what had happened to Dinah.
Instead of keeping their end of the deal, Jacob’s sons went into the city after the circumcision had taken place and killed every male. Shechem had definitely been in the wrong, but Jacob’s sons did not handle the matter properly. Jacob stressed this very point when he spoke with Simeon and Levi later. He told them that they had disrupted any chance of peace that their family could have had with the other peoples of the land. It did not matter what they had done, even what they did to Dinah, Simeon and Levi’s actions were uncalled for.
Think about it in today’s society. What Simeon and Levi did can be compared to any conflict we might have today. Every one of us is wronged at some point in our life. We can all think of times when someone has done something to us that infuriated us. Most of those times, deep inside of us, we wanted to seek out revenge so bad (and we may have done so). But thinking of that time, what would have been the best way to respond? We could have responded like Jacob’s sons and sought out revenge, but that would just break all ties with that person. We might never get an opportunity to mend that relationship, and if they were not a Christian, we would have lost a lot of respect in their eyes. It is when we react in a positive way that people take notice. By not seeking revenge and offering forgiveness, people might begin to wonder where we stand. They will notice something different in our lives. This would also provide a great opportunity to show them what God has done in our lives, which is exactly what we have been called to do as Christians. So the next time you are wronged, no matter how great it is, think about how you might respond. It is easy to respond in vengeance, but the best option is to be ready to forgive and move on.
Matt
The defiling of Dinah is a story of revenge mixed with good intentions. Dinah was Jacob’s daughter (through Leah). She, along with her entire family, was living in the land that God had promised them, but with that came their first troubling encounter. Shechem, a prince in the land, chose Dinah to be his wife, but after he had already defiled her. It was not until after the fact that he decided that he wanted her as his wife. This was Shechem’s first mistake. He did not wait and go to her father first. He took it upon himself to take her as his own from the start, not considering her desire or the will of her family. But since this is what he wanted, his father agreed to speak with Jacob about their marriage.
Dinah’s brothers (through Leah) were with Jacob when Shechem’s father, Hamor, came to speak with him. He explained what Shechem wanted, but Dinah’s brothers became furious after hearing what had happened to Dinah. They could think of nothing else but revenge. However, they did not want to go out in revenge and kill everyone so blatantly. Instead, they hid their revenge through what appeared to be peace. Hamor had suggested that they live peaceably together, allowing each other’s families to marry and share the land. The only problem with Hamor’s suggestion was that God had promised the land to Jacob, not Hamor. Furthermore, He had on a number of occasions told Abraham’s family not to marry into the Canaanites. They were to instead marry into their own family, which is why Jacob had lived with Laban for so long.
From the start Hamor’s idea of a peace agreement would not work because of God’s covenant with Abraham. And it also seemed at first that Jacob’s sons were abiding by this law, not appearing to want to make this agreement with Hamor. But in the end they agreed to Hamor’s claims on one condition. They stuck by the commands of their family and told Hamor that the only way they would agree was if all of Hamor’s family would be circumcised. This would be the sign of the covenant that they made with one another much like it was between God and Abraham. However, Jacob’s sons never intended to keep their end of the deal. What appeared to be good intentions, appeared to be a peaceful agreement, and what appeared to be a righteous act was all a set up to seek out revenge on Hamor and Shechem for what had happened to Dinah.
Instead of keeping their end of the deal, Jacob’s sons went into the city after the circumcision had taken place and killed every male. Shechem had definitely been in the wrong, but Jacob’s sons did not handle the matter properly. Jacob stressed this very point when he spoke with Simeon and Levi later. He told them that they had disrupted any chance of peace that their family could have had with the other peoples of the land. It did not matter what they had done, even what they did to Dinah, Simeon and Levi’s actions were uncalled for.
Think about it in today’s society. What Simeon and Levi did can be compared to any conflict we might have today. Every one of us is wronged at some point in our life. We can all think of times when someone has done something to us that infuriated us. Most of those times, deep inside of us, we wanted to seek out revenge so bad (and we may have done so). But thinking of that time, what would have been the best way to respond? We could have responded like Jacob’s sons and sought out revenge, but that would just break all ties with that person. We might never get an opportunity to mend that relationship, and if they were not a Christian, we would have lost a lot of respect in their eyes. It is when we react in a positive way that people take notice. By not seeking revenge and offering forgiveness, people might begin to wonder where we stand. They will notice something different in our lives. This would also provide a great opportunity to show them what God has done in our lives, which is exactly what we have been called to do as Christians. So the next time you are wronged, no matter how great it is, think about how you might respond. It is easy to respond in vengeance, but the best option is to be ready to forgive and move on.
Matt
Monday, February 1, 2010
Genesis 33
Genesis 33
When Jacob finally encounters Esau we see his favoritism play through once again. He puts his family in a line of defense, ordering them in what seems the way he cares about them. He puts the least favorite kids, those of the servants in front. He then puts Leah with her kids next, and Rachel and Joseph in the back. Now Joseph was obviously his favorite son, and even before Joseph’s dreams, a lot of emphasis was being placed on him. Jacob was rightfully scared, fearing that Esau would come at him with a vengeance. So he immediately knelt in submission to Esau from the start, showing his humility in the presence of his brother.
Yet Esau shows that he may have more character than Jacob once he speaks. Jacob is the one who did all the tricking. Even if Esau did not handle the situations correctly, he was never the one trying to harm Jacob. Since their hard days as children, Esau has also left Jacob alone, never trying to find him or harm him. Now that these two brothers have met once again, Esau shows that he has forgotten about their past incidents and is willing to move on. Jacob had sent ahead many groups of servants and gifts for Esau to try to appease him, but Esau wants none of it. It seems that Esau is blessed enough just to be with his brother again.
The next part of the passage shows where both brothers have grown significantly. Jacob is quick to let Esau know that the only reason he has any of these possessions (and even his family) is all because of the Lord. He explains how he has been blessed by the Lord, and also tells Esau that he has been given more than he needs. Therefore, Jacob desires that Esau take the gifts as gifts rather than the bribe that he had initially intended them to be used for. We see a change of heart in Jacob’s actions as their encounter continues. Whereas he was first scared of Esau and tried to soften him before they met, Jacob now sees the love between the two of them and wants to help Esau out with the excess he has in his life. Esau might not have been in great need, but Jacob knew that he had extra that he did not really need, and he was willing to sacrifice it to his brother. So many times we have excess in our lives, and instead of giving it away to those in need, we horde it for ourselves. Now there is nothing wrong with being prepared for unknown circumstances that might come in your future, and it is wise to have money set back for those emergencies. But there are also many times when we could sacrifice something out of our life in order to help those who are less fortunate. We must learn to give out of the excess that God has given us.
This is one of the lessons that Jacob learned in his time away from Canaan, and one of the lessons that he took back with him. After his brief stay with Esau, Jacob continued to travel back to the Promised Land, and he eventually made it to a new city, which he purchased and settled in. It was there that he built an altar, and the beginnings of the nation of Israel can be seen. Remember that his name had just been changed to Israel, and now he had built an altar that was named as “God, the God of Israel.” With Jacob’s 11 sons and 4 wives with him in the Promised Land, God’s promise of Abraham’s descendants being quite numerous was beginning to fall into place.
Matt
When Jacob finally encounters Esau we see his favoritism play through once again. He puts his family in a line of defense, ordering them in what seems the way he cares about them. He puts the least favorite kids, those of the servants in front. He then puts Leah with her kids next, and Rachel and Joseph in the back. Now Joseph was obviously his favorite son, and even before Joseph’s dreams, a lot of emphasis was being placed on him. Jacob was rightfully scared, fearing that Esau would come at him with a vengeance. So he immediately knelt in submission to Esau from the start, showing his humility in the presence of his brother.
Yet Esau shows that he may have more character than Jacob once he speaks. Jacob is the one who did all the tricking. Even if Esau did not handle the situations correctly, he was never the one trying to harm Jacob. Since their hard days as children, Esau has also left Jacob alone, never trying to find him or harm him. Now that these two brothers have met once again, Esau shows that he has forgotten about their past incidents and is willing to move on. Jacob had sent ahead many groups of servants and gifts for Esau to try to appease him, but Esau wants none of it. It seems that Esau is blessed enough just to be with his brother again.
The next part of the passage shows where both brothers have grown significantly. Jacob is quick to let Esau know that the only reason he has any of these possessions (and even his family) is all because of the Lord. He explains how he has been blessed by the Lord, and also tells Esau that he has been given more than he needs. Therefore, Jacob desires that Esau take the gifts as gifts rather than the bribe that he had initially intended them to be used for. We see a change of heart in Jacob’s actions as their encounter continues. Whereas he was first scared of Esau and tried to soften him before they met, Jacob now sees the love between the two of them and wants to help Esau out with the excess he has in his life. Esau might not have been in great need, but Jacob knew that he had extra that he did not really need, and he was willing to sacrifice it to his brother. So many times we have excess in our lives, and instead of giving it away to those in need, we horde it for ourselves. Now there is nothing wrong with being prepared for unknown circumstances that might come in your future, and it is wise to have money set back for those emergencies. But there are also many times when we could sacrifice something out of our life in order to help those who are less fortunate. We must learn to give out of the excess that God has given us.
This is one of the lessons that Jacob learned in his time away from Canaan, and one of the lessons that he took back with him. After his brief stay with Esau, Jacob continued to travel back to the Promised Land, and he eventually made it to a new city, which he purchased and settled in. It was there that he built an altar, and the beginnings of the nation of Israel can be seen. Remember that his name had just been changed to Israel, and now he had built an altar that was named as “God, the God of Israel.” With Jacob’s 11 sons and 4 wives with him in the Promised Land, God’s promise of Abraham’s descendants being quite numerous was beginning to fall into place.
Matt
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