posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I've come to the end of the book of Genesis in the discussion of new beginnings; but there are many, many more stories of reversal and starting afresh. I mean, my goodness, Exodus is all about that new start for Moses, Aaron and the people of Israel.
So, while I'm going to shift my focus now to other things, I may at some time in the future decide to pick it back up again and see how God's people face change...and how faithful God is through those changes.
I'm not sure I'll start another series study for a bit; I may just do a 'what's on my heart this week' for a season. We are in Lent, and for whatever reason I've decided to go back and re read old posts. I'm finding some areas in which I had an insight but...as is typical of me...I haven't fully implemented those insights.
Ouch.
But I have thoroughly enjoyed this little set of character studies; I appreciate the feedback I've gotten on the study -- blog comments,
facebook comments and other responses. It's fun to be surprised that
someone read the post...
My creative has been intrigued and I've got some off-blog writing projects going based on the inspiration I got from looking at all of these folks and considering how they, as real people, experienced and processed those events. So, while I'll be focusing on other areas in the blog for a while, I rather expect to come back to 'All Things New' at some point in the future.
I have a feeling this is going to be something I look at, off and on, for quite some time.
Showing posts with label Blogging Bible Study: All Things New. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging Bible Study: All Things New. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2016
Friday, February 5, 2016
All Things New: Israel, the Ressurection Road, Part 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
It had been years and years since Israel had followed a promise of God. He knew this would be the last, because the promise involved his death. But he was going to see the son he had believed dead for the last twenty years, and he had God's word that his descendants would grow into a mighty nation while in Egypt, then return to the land of Abraham's covenant.
He was content.
Not counting any servants they may have taken with them, or the wives of his sons, but including Joseph and his two sons who had been born in Egypt, there were 70 who were directly descended from Israel, the seeds of the nation,that moved to Egypt.
Judah had gone in advance of the main party, to get directions to just exactly where Joseph intended his family to settle.
So Joseph knew approximately when his family would arrive, and he had his chariot standing by, so that when he received word that they were arriving, he made the short trip over to Goshen to meet them.
Genesis 46:29 states As soon as Joseph appeared before [Israel], he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
Years of grief and longing were washed away by those tears, and I'm sure Israel's tears mingled with his son's.
I rather suspect the eyes of the brothers, who stood around them and watched the reunion, were not dry, either.
How many of them remembered the tears their father shed when they gave him the bloody coat and told him the story of how they'd 'found' it out in the wilderness?
When the weeping had subsided enough for words, Israel looked at his son and stated, 'Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are alive.'
That sounds really morbid and depressing, but his statement really meant that his life was fulfilled; he had nothing more that he felt he needed to do or receive from life. He was content.
But God still had more blessing for Israel.
Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh, and, by diplomatic protocol, Israel and his family was given land to occupy in the region of Goshen, distinct from the population of Egyptians.
They would not be subject to assimilation to the culture there. They may or may not have realized the significance of putting themselves separate from their hosts at the time, but this was actually a crucial bit of the process of turning a family of 70 ish folks into a nation: they had to be able to maintain their customs and cultural identity for what would be four hundred years.
But, sometime later, as Israel was preparing to pronounce the patriarchal blessing over his sons, Joseph came to see him, with two young men.
[Israel] asked, 'Who are these?'
'They are the sons God has given me here, ' Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, 'Bring them to me so I may bless them.'
Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
Israel said to Joseph, 'I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.' (Gen. 48:8-11)
I still remember the day I read that little passage and the full impact hit me...I was in Windsor, Canada on a Teen Mania Leadership training weekend. It was during the morning quiet time...and I happened to be in Genesis. I read that passage, then went back and read it again. I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children, too...
Talk about a resurrection. God fulfilled the desire of Israel's heart...even though he had long given up on it...and then added a blessing on top of it, beyond anything he'd imagined. I was awe-struck at that moment. My concept of who God is and how He deals with people shifted. We may give up on the promise...but God remembers. And God keeps His promises.
What is in my heart that I have given up on? That I have been grieving...even unconsciously...as dead and forever gone? How can I release that to Him and trust Him with it? How will my life change if I truly let it go?
It had been years and years since Israel had followed a promise of God. He knew this would be the last, because the promise involved his death. But he was going to see the son he had believed dead for the last twenty years, and he had God's word that his descendants would grow into a mighty nation while in Egypt, then return to the land of Abraham's covenant.
He was content.
Not counting any servants they may have taken with them, or the wives of his sons, but including Joseph and his two sons who had been born in Egypt, there were 70 who were directly descended from Israel, the seeds of the nation,that moved to Egypt.
Judah had gone in advance of the main party, to get directions to just exactly where Joseph intended his family to settle.
So Joseph knew approximately when his family would arrive, and he had his chariot standing by, so that when he received word that they were arriving, he made the short trip over to Goshen to meet them.
Genesis 46:29 states As soon as Joseph appeared before [Israel], he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
Years of grief and longing were washed away by those tears, and I'm sure Israel's tears mingled with his son's.
I rather suspect the eyes of the brothers, who stood around them and watched the reunion, were not dry, either.
How many of them remembered the tears their father shed when they gave him the bloody coat and told him the story of how they'd 'found' it out in the wilderness?
When the weeping had subsided enough for words, Israel looked at his son and stated, 'Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are alive.'
That sounds really morbid and depressing, but his statement really meant that his life was fulfilled; he had nothing more that he felt he needed to do or receive from life. He was content.
But God still had more blessing for Israel.
Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh, and, by diplomatic protocol, Israel and his family was given land to occupy in the region of Goshen, distinct from the population of Egyptians.
They would not be subject to assimilation to the culture there. They may or may not have realized the significance of putting themselves separate from their hosts at the time, but this was actually a crucial bit of the process of turning a family of 70 ish folks into a nation: they had to be able to maintain their customs and cultural identity for what would be four hundred years.
But, sometime later, as Israel was preparing to pronounce the patriarchal blessing over his sons, Joseph came to see him, with two young men.
[Israel] asked, 'Who are these?'
'They are the sons God has given me here, ' Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, 'Bring them to me so I may bless them.'
Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
Israel said to Joseph, 'I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.' (Gen. 48:8-11)
I still remember the day I read that little passage and the full impact hit me...I was in Windsor, Canada on a Teen Mania Leadership training weekend. It was during the morning quiet time...and I happened to be in Genesis. I read that passage, then went back and read it again. I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children, too...
Talk about a resurrection. God fulfilled the desire of Israel's heart...even though he had long given up on it...and then added a blessing on top of it, beyond anything he'd imagined. I was awe-struck at that moment. My concept of who God is and how He deals with people shifted. We may give up on the promise...but God remembers. And God keeps His promises.
What is in my heart that I have given up on? That I have been grieving...even unconsciously...as dead and forever gone? How can I release that to Him and trust Him with it? How will my life change if I truly let it go?
Friday, January 29, 2016
All Things New: Israel, the Resurrection Road, Part 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi.
Israel had sent all of his sons off to Egypt...and, to be honest, he did not know if he would see them again. Aside from the dangers of thieves and bandits on the journey...and they were carrying a fair amount of money...there was the question of how they would be perceived when they got to Egypt. Would their story be believed? Would they all be released to come home?
He had no way of knowing how the journey went. I'm sure that, by the time the small caravan of donkeys, carts and men arrived he had been anxiously watching the road for them for several days.
He had to have been astonished at the provisions...and puzzled by the empty carts as they rolled into the camp. But he would also have counted the men as they approached, and his relief at seeing all eleven could easily have brought him to tears.
But the news they brought with them was so fantastic, so unexpected, so beyond understanding that they had to repeat it to him , and show him the proof of their news...Joseph was living! And HE was the man they'd been dealing with in Egypt all along! And he wanted them all to come and live close to him! Look...he sent carts and provisions so the whole household could make the trip!
Israel limped up and down the line of carts and goods, accompanied by his exuberant sons, who were all talking at once, pointing out the care that Joseph and Pharaoh had taken to make sure they could make the trip.
Suddenly, Israel stopped. Genesis 45: 27 reports that the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
Imagine. Twenty years of grief, of mourning, of regret for sending Joseph out to a horrible death, all lifted. Joseph...his beloved son Joseph...had NOT been torn apart by animals as a young boy! He was alive! And.. Israel could actually see him again.
Hope was reborn in Israel that day.
'I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."
Israel had been living out his days in endurance...Rachel was gone, Leah was gone, Joseph was gone; he had no idea that God had a whole new road for him to walk. He loaded up all his goods and began the journey.
When they arrived at Beersheba, they stopped for a bit and Israel offered sacrifices to God. And that night, he had a vision. God had not forgotten him all these years; he had another prophecy.
I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes. (Gen 46:3- 4)
Israel was guaranteed that he would not die until he saw his son Joseph again, and he had God's promise that the great nation would come out of Egypt by God's hand.
No wonder his spirit revived; it was truly a resurrection. He would see Joseph again.
Dare I hope that the dreams I have given up on could be revived? Or is it better to reckon them as dead and gone, knowing that God would revive them if it suited His purpose?
Israel had sent all of his sons off to Egypt...and, to be honest, he did not know if he would see them again. Aside from the dangers of thieves and bandits on the journey...and they were carrying a fair amount of money...there was the question of how they would be perceived when they got to Egypt. Would their story be believed? Would they all be released to come home?
He had no way of knowing how the journey went. I'm sure that, by the time the small caravan of donkeys, carts and men arrived he had been anxiously watching the road for them for several days.
He had to have been astonished at the provisions...and puzzled by the empty carts as they rolled into the camp. But he would also have counted the men as they approached, and his relief at seeing all eleven could easily have brought him to tears.
But the news they brought with them was so fantastic, so unexpected, so beyond understanding that they had to repeat it to him , and show him the proof of their news...Joseph was living! And HE was the man they'd been dealing with in Egypt all along! And he wanted them all to come and live close to him! Look...he sent carts and provisions so the whole household could make the trip!
Israel limped up and down the line of carts and goods, accompanied by his exuberant sons, who were all talking at once, pointing out the care that Joseph and Pharaoh had taken to make sure they could make the trip.
Suddenly, Israel stopped. Genesis 45: 27 reports that the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
Imagine. Twenty years of grief, of mourning, of regret for sending Joseph out to a horrible death, all lifted. Joseph...his beloved son Joseph...had NOT been torn apart by animals as a young boy! He was alive! And.. Israel could actually see him again.
Hope was reborn in Israel that day.
'I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."
Israel had been living out his days in endurance...Rachel was gone, Leah was gone, Joseph was gone; he had no idea that God had a whole new road for him to walk. He loaded up all his goods and began the journey.
When they arrived at Beersheba, they stopped for a bit and Israel offered sacrifices to God. And that night, he had a vision. God had not forgotten him all these years; he had another prophecy.
I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes. (Gen 46:3- 4)
Israel was guaranteed that he would not die until he saw his son Joseph again, and he had God's promise that the great nation would come out of Egypt by God's hand.
No wonder his spirit revived; it was truly a resurrection. He would see Joseph again.
Dare I hope that the dreams I have given up on could be revived? Or is it better to reckon them as dead and gone, knowing that God would revive them if it suited His purpose?
Friday, January 22, 2016
All Things New: Judah, the Guilty Road...part 3
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Something like 20 years passed since Judah pulled his brother out of the cistern and traded him off for 20 pieces of silver. I wonder what he did with his two-piece share. Did he spend it right away, just to get it out of sight? Did he put it away somewhere, feeling wrong about even possessing it? How many nights did he lay in bed, awake, wondering what happened to his younger brother?
He had wandered away from his family, from his God, and returned with twin sons.
And then....
Drought. Serious drought. The crops shriveled, the sheep starved. Passing travelers brought word that there was grain to be bought in Egypt. Jacob looked at the starving flocks and his paltry reserves and sent Judah, along with the rest of his sons, save Benjamin, to make the journey to Egypt to buy some grain to hopefully tide them over until the rains came again.
They made the journey, which was at once disastrous and successful. They returned to Jacob with grain but without Simeon, who had been kept as a hostage to prove that they were not spies. And, as it turned out, they had also returned with all the money that they had given to the Egyptians for the grain.
Free grain. But...what had happened? Were they now to be considered thieves as well as spies?
Jacob was distraught...Joseph was dead, Simeon was gone, and now it seemed he would lose Benjamin...his only living son from his beloved Rachel...as well. He refused to let them return with Benjamin, despite Reuben's offer of his two sons as hostage.
But the famine continued. They ate the grain, the livestock ate the grain, and soon they were once again in dire straits. Jacob called them in and told them to go get more.
Judah reminded him of the Egyptian's requirements, and offered to take personal care of Benjamin. Finally, recognizing the futility of refusing, Israel relented, sending a generous gift of local produce as well as twice the purchase price, to repay what they had inadvertently brought home the first time.
The brothers were very anxious when they arrived at Egypt, and doubly so when they were escorted to what appeared to be a palace, fearing they were about to be judged as thieves and all their goods confiscated. But the Egyptian official's servant assured them that he had payment from them before, and that any money they found had to be a gift from their God. Simeon was released to them and they all ate with the Egyptian, who went abruptly from the room several times, no doubt due to his responsibilities. Benjamin was especially well treated, but they all drank well of the wine and likely had headaches when they left the next morning.
They did not get far down the road before they were overtaken and hauled back to town, the Egyptian's special cup mysteriously being found in Benjamin's bag. The official was insistent that Benjamin had to remain behind as his slave for stealing the cup, but the rest could go home.
Judah could not let that happen. He took great care to explain the situation to the Egyptian, offering himself as slave rather than Benjamin, for he could not bear to bring such news back to his father. The Egyptian shocked them all by sending everyone else out of the room and then declaring to them, in Hebrew, 'I am Joseph!'
There was much weeping and embracing as Joseph repeatedly told them that it was God who had sent him ahead of them, that there were still five more years of famine and instructed them to return home and get Jacob and bring him to Egypt so that Joseph could provide for them all.
Judah's guilt was lifted and done away with. Joseph forgave them...forgave him...and even stated that all those events had worked together to save their lives now. Guilt would flicker up once more, briefly when Jacob died, but Joseph would reassure them all again that 'what you meant for evil, God has used for good.' Twenty years of self accusation and shame and guilt were done away with when they saw that God had, indeed, turned it all around for good.
They left to bring Jacob back to see his son.
Judah had come to the place where his father's heart meant more to him than his own future. And at that point, he saw the reversal of all that he had believed ruined and dead. What had happened in the past only mattered in that it had allowed salvation to come to them all. Now he could walk in anticipation of the future, instead of shame and regret for the past. His life, literally, was beginning again.
What areas of shame and regret am I allowing to discredit the future? How can I release those to the Father, so that He can turn what I believed was death into a whole new resurrection?
Something like 20 years passed since Judah pulled his brother out of the cistern and traded him off for 20 pieces of silver. I wonder what he did with his two-piece share. Did he spend it right away, just to get it out of sight? Did he put it away somewhere, feeling wrong about even possessing it? How many nights did he lay in bed, awake, wondering what happened to his younger brother?
He had wandered away from his family, from his God, and returned with twin sons.
And then....
Drought. Serious drought. The crops shriveled, the sheep starved. Passing travelers brought word that there was grain to be bought in Egypt. Jacob looked at the starving flocks and his paltry reserves and sent Judah, along with the rest of his sons, save Benjamin, to make the journey to Egypt to buy some grain to hopefully tide them over until the rains came again.
They made the journey, which was at once disastrous and successful. They returned to Jacob with grain but without Simeon, who had been kept as a hostage to prove that they were not spies. And, as it turned out, they had also returned with all the money that they had given to the Egyptians for the grain.
Free grain. But...what had happened? Were they now to be considered thieves as well as spies?
Jacob was distraught...Joseph was dead, Simeon was gone, and now it seemed he would lose Benjamin...his only living son from his beloved Rachel...as well. He refused to let them return with Benjamin, despite Reuben's offer of his two sons as hostage.
But the famine continued. They ate the grain, the livestock ate the grain, and soon they were once again in dire straits. Jacob called them in and told them to go get more.
Judah reminded him of the Egyptian's requirements, and offered to take personal care of Benjamin. Finally, recognizing the futility of refusing, Israel relented, sending a generous gift of local produce as well as twice the purchase price, to repay what they had inadvertently brought home the first time.
The brothers were very anxious when they arrived at Egypt, and doubly so when they were escorted to what appeared to be a palace, fearing they were about to be judged as thieves and all their goods confiscated. But the Egyptian official's servant assured them that he had payment from them before, and that any money they found had to be a gift from their God. Simeon was released to them and they all ate with the Egyptian, who went abruptly from the room several times, no doubt due to his responsibilities. Benjamin was especially well treated, but they all drank well of the wine and likely had headaches when they left the next morning.
They did not get far down the road before they were overtaken and hauled back to town, the Egyptian's special cup mysteriously being found in Benjamin's bag. The official was insistent that Benjamin had to remain behind as his slave for stealing the cup, but the rest could go home.
Judah could not let that happen. He took great care to explain the situation to the Egyptian, offering himself as slave rather than Benjamin, for he could not bear to bring such news back to his father. The Egyptian shocked them all by sending everyone else out of the room and then declaring to them, in Hebrew, 'I am Joseph!'
There was much weeping and embracing as Joseph repeatedly told them that it was God who had sent him ahead of them, that there were still five more years of famine and instructed them to return home and get Jacob and bring him to Egypt so that Joseph could provide for them all.
Judah's guilt was lifted and done away with. Joseph forgave them...forgave him...and even stated that all those events had worked together to save their lives now. Guilt would flicker up once more, briefly when Jacob died, but Joseph would reassure them all again that 'what you meant for evil, God has used for good.' Twenty years of self accusation and shame and guilt were done away with when they saw that God had, indeed, turned it all around for good.
They left to bring Jacob back to see his son.
Judah had come to the place where his father's heart meant more to him than his own future. And at that point, he saw the reversal of all that he had believed ruined and dead. What had happened in the past only mattered in that it had allowed salvation to come to them all. Now he could walk in anticipation of the future, instead of shame and regret for the past. His life, literally, was beginning again.
What areas of shame and regret am I allowing to discredit the future? How can I release those to the Father, so that He can turn what I believed was death into a whole new resurrection?
Friday, October 9, 2015
All Things New - Joseph, the Road of Transformation
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
While Joseph's brothers dealt with...or endured...the consequences of their actions in Canaan, Joseph had some dealing of his own to do.
Yes, he'd been an aggravation to his brothers, but I wonder how he pondered the events that led up to his captivity as they journeyed on to Egypt. Joseph was not stupid. I suspect that he suddenly had a massive shift in perspective that precipitated a huge change in him on that journey. Seeing his life from his brother's viewpoint may never had occurred to him before, but he had plenty of time to think it over.
There is nothing more humiliating than the realization that other people have seen your actions and heard your words in a whole 'nuther context than you anticipated. By the time Potiphar encountered the merchants, Joseph had reconciled his circumstances with his past actions. He willingly served Potiphar and excelled in everything he did. No more mention of dreams of glory. In fact, he refused to take advantage of his position when given the opportunity. He repeatedly refused, in fact.
And that refusal landed him in prison. Another drop in status. From favored son to slave to prisoner...and this time, there was no foolishness on his part to which he could attribute the misfortune. He had done what was right, with the right attitude, in the most respectful way possible.
But God was still working transformation in Joseph. Forgiving Potiphar's wife was nothing compared to forgiving his brothers. And he had to forgive his brothers, freely and completely, before he could be trusted with the position God had for him.
I will point out that he was not killed for the crime for which he was accused; I think Potiphar did not believe his wife's story, as he could have had Joseph executed. But public accusations had been made and Potiphar had to make a public response. He could not officially believe a slave's story over his wife's. So, he put Joseph into the prison reserved for the king's prisoners...political offenders. And, incidentally, Potiphar was the captain of the guard (Gen. 39:1), and the prison where Joseph was kept was 'the house of the captain of the guard' (Gen 40:3). The keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of everything -- who was it who put the bug in his ear that this was a trustworthy prisoner? Could Potiphar have interceded there, giving his commanding officer a valuable administrator? But it definitely was the captain of the guard, i.e., Potiphar, who put Joseph with the king's servants - the cupbearer and the baker (Gen 40:4) - which gave Joseph the opportunity to tell his story to men who potentially had Pharaoh's ear.
It wasn't long before Joseph had his chance with them...they both had perplexing dreams, which Joseph interpreted. The cupbearer had a favorable interpretation, and Joseph slipped up just a bit...in the only recorded account of him complaining of his circumstances -- For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me in this pit. (Gen. 40:15)
I've often wondered if that bit of self pity is what cost Joseph two more years in the prison, as the cupbearer promptly forgot the whole incident once he was restored to his position. Not as a punishment...but because that was an indication that his heart had not yet come completely around to where it needed to be. Joseph had to come to the position that it was God who was moving in his life...not unfair circumstances...and as long as he felt he was being treated unfairly he could not move in faith.
Which would mean that when God saw Joseph was ready, He started the timetable to pull his people out of Canaan and put them in isolation in Egypt, where they would grow from a tribe to a nation.
God sent Pharaoh a most perplexing dream. And the cupbearer suddenly remembered who had given him and the baker accurate interpretations of their respective perplexing dreams.
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. (Gen 41:14)
Talk about a transformation. An hour or two -- maybe-- and he went from another-day-just-like-the-others-in-prison to an audience with Pharaoh himself.
But wait -- there's more. At the end of that audience,
Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you...See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. -- Gen. 41:39 - 42
Literally, in one day, Joseph had gone from forgotten prisoner to second in rank in the entire country.
It had been thirteen years since he'd left his brothers at Dothan. Thirteen years of service, misjudgement, unfair circumstances. Thirteen years that seemed to be the very opposite of everything he had expected from life. But Joseph did not fight the process; he learned. He served where he was. And it didn't matter where he was once God's timetable started...God was able to pull him out and put him exactly where he needed to be exactly when he needed to be there.
All that Joseph had learned...how to deal with people, how to be Egyptian, how to manage property...were skills that he needed now to mobilize the country for the coming famine. Just like he'd done in Potiphar's house...just like he'd done in the king's prison...Joseph went to work.
How do I need to let my perspective shift from my viewpoint? What differences will that make in my approach to my circumstances? What complaining to I need to get over so that I am ready to go on to the next thing God has? What are my circumstances teaching me that I need to be ready to apply to new scenarios and situations?
While Joseph's brothers dealt with...or endured...the consequences of their actions in Canaan, Joseph had some dealing of his own to do.
Yes, he'd been an aggravation to his brothers, but I wonder how he pondered the events that led up to his captivity as they journeyed on to Egypt. Joseph was not stupid. I suspect that he suddenly had a massive shift in perspective that precipitated a huge change in him on that journey. Seeing his life from his brother's viewpoint may never had occurred to him before, but he had plenty of time to think it over.
There is nothing more humiliating than the realization that other people have seen your actions and heard your words in a whole 'nuther context than you anticipated. By the time Potiphar encountered the merchants, Joseph had reconciled his circumstances with his past actions. He willingly served Potiphar and excelled in everything he did. No more mention of dreams of glory. In fact, he refused to take advantage of his position when given the opportunity. He repeatedly refused, in fact.
And that refusal landed him in prison. Another drop in status. From favored son to slave to prisoner...and this time, there was no foolishness on his part to which he could attribute the misfortune. He had done what was right, with the right attitude, in the most respectful way possible.
But God was still working transformation in Joseph. Forgiving Potiphar's wife was nothing compared to forgiving his brothers. And he had to forgive his brothers, freely and completely, before he could be trusted with the position God had for him.
I will point out that he was not killed for the crime for which he was accused; I think Potiphar did not believe his wife's story, as he could have had Joseph executed. But public accusations had been made and Potiphar had to make a public response. He could not officially believe a slave's story over his wife's. So, he put Joseph into the prison reserved for the king's prisoners...political offenders. And, incidentally, Potiphar was the captain of the guard (Gen. 39:1), and the prison where Joseph was kept was 'the house of the captain of the guard' (Gen 40:3). The keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of everything -- who was it who put the bug in his ear that this was a trustworthy prisoner? Could Potiphar have interceded there, giving his commanding officer a valuable administrator? But it definitely was the captain of the guard, i.e., Potiphar, who put Joseph with the king's servants - the cupbearer and the baker (Gen 40:4) - which gave Joseph the opportunity to tell his story to men who potentially had Pharaoh's ear.
It wasn't long before Joseph had his chance with them...they both had perplexing dreams, which Joseph interpreted. The cupbearer had a favorable interpretation, and Joseph slipped up just a bit...in the only recorded account of him complaining of his circumstances -- For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me in this pit. (Gen. 40:15)
I've often wondered if that bit of self pity is what cost Joseph two more years in the prison, as the cupbearer promptly forgot the whole incident once he was restored to his position. Not as a punishment...but because that was an indication that his heart had not yet come completely around to where it needed to be. Joseph had to come to the position that it was God who was moving in his life...not unfair circumstances...and as long as he felt he was being treated unfairly he could not move in faith.
Which would mean that when God saw Joseph was ready, He started the timetable to pull his people out of Canaan and put them in isolation in Egypt, where they would grow from a tribe to a nation.
God sent Pharaoh a most perplexing dream. And the cupbearer suddenly remembered who had given him and the baker accurate interpretations of their respective perplexing dreams.
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. (Gen 41:14)
Talk about a transformation. An hour or two -- maybe-- and he went from another-day-just-like-the-others-in-prison to an audience with Pharaoh himself.
But wait -- there's more. At the end of that audience,
Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you...See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. -- Gen. 41:39 - 42
Literally, in one day, Joseph had gone from forgotten prisoner to second in rank in the entire country.
It had been thirteen years since he'd left his brothers at Dothan. Thirteen years of service, misjudgement, unfair circumstances. Thirteen years that seemed to be the very opposite of everything he had expected from life. But Joseph did not fight the process; he learned. He served where he was. And it didn't matter where he was once God's timetable started...God was able to pull him out and put him exactly where he needed to be exactly when he needed to be there.
All that Joseph had learned...how to deal with people, how to be Egyptian, how to manage property...were skills that he needed now to mobilize the country for the coming famine. Just like he'd done in Potiphar's house...just like he'd done in the king's prison...Joseph went to work.
How do I need to let my perspective shift from my viewpoint? What differences will that make in my approach to my circumstances? What complaining to I need to get over so that I am ready to go on to the next thing God has? What are my circumstances teaching me that I need to be ready to apply to new scenarios and situations?
Friday, October 2, 2015
All Things New: Judah, the Guilty Road, Part 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Now comes the bit in Judah's story that is not often discussed or taught.
It's a rather awkward chain of events to discuss in a church setting, to be sure. But it brings Judah to his first place of recognizing and confessing an error; perhaps this is the preparation for what comes later?
The story is recorded in Genesis 38; you can go and read the details. Judah got a bride for his firstborn son, Er, named Tamar. We do not know her nationality or ethnic background, but she was a remarkable young woman who was determined to have a place in the family lineage.
Judah, however, does not seem to have raised his boys to honor God. At least his first two had some real issues. Er's error is not recorded...just that he was 'wicked in the LORD's sight'.
I checked the Lexical Aids and found that the word translated 'wicked' is ra, meaning bad, of inferior quality, wicked, evil (thoughts, actions), mischievous, severe, malignant, noxious, injurious, hurtful,unpleasant (giving pain or causing unhappiness) hideous, fierce, wild; a wrong, a moral deficiency, ...a bad thing which someone does... Turns out that is the same word used in Genesis 6:5...The LORD saw how great man's wickedness [ra] on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. God had basically wiped out all of humanity for the ra they were pursuing; how could He allow the lineage of the coming king to be tainted with such? Er died very young, having fathered no children.
Onan, to whom Tamar was given as wife to raise up a son to inherit Er's portion, was little better. He refused...and you can read for yourself the details of his refusal...to engender a child that would be counted as his dead brother's. What he did was wrong in God's sight...and Onan died.
Judah was suspicious that something Tamar did was causing his son's deaths, and feared that Shelah would also die. He stated that Shelah was too young for marriage so Tamar was sent back to her father's house to live until the boy grew up and could fulfill the duty of the brother to give a son to his widowed sister-in-law.
Time passed; Shelah grew up but Tamar was not given to him.
Then Judah's wife also died, and he apparently spent some time mourning her. But when it was time to shear the sheep, he left his mourning and headed out to oversee the shearing with his buddy Hirah.
Somehow, Tamar got word that Judah was headed to Timnah to the sheep-shearing, and she decided to take her future into her own hands. She put away her widow's clothing and disguised herself and sat by the road where Judah would pass by.
In perhaps what is one of the most pathetic accounts of one of God's people, the newly widowed Judah spotted the young lady by the road and, assuming she was a prostitute (probably with reason, owing to her dress and location) immediately went over to avail himself of her services. She bargained with him to receive his staff and seal as a pledge for the young goat that would be her pay, and then fulfilled her side of the deal.
Immediately afterward, Tamar took the staff and seal and left, returning to her widow's attire in her father's house. When Judah's buddy Hirah returned to the place to trade the goat for the items left as pledge, she was gone and no one around knew anything about her, stating that there was no such person in the area.
Judah decided to write off his staff and seal, trying to keep his one-night-stand from becoming discussed by local gossips. And, as he heard no more from anyone, he no doubt thought it was not significant.
But, three months later someone came to him with news. His widowed daughter-in-law was pregnant. She had not maintained her purity in her widowhood; now she was an affront to his family. The rumor was that she had engaged in prostitution. Prostitution! Judah was furious. But...and he may even have thought this...now he had reason to have her killed. It didn't matter if she was guilty of any wrongdoing with his two older sons; he was no longer obligated to risk his third son. She was pregnant and obviously guilty...and she deserved to die. He had her brought from her father's house to his tents, telling his servants to burn her.
Do you suppose what happened next looked anything like this...
As they were building the pyre on which to burn her, one of Tamar's father's servants came to Judah, with a bundle and a message. 'Your daughter-in-law Tamar sends word to you identifying the father of her child. She says it is the man to whom these items belong...do you know whose they are?' He handed Judah the long, linen-wrapped bundle. Judah tore the wrappings off, looking for the other guilty party...and saw his own staff and seal. Suddenly, he knew what she had done. The child was his. Tamar had merely been trying to fulfill her duty to raise up a son to inherit his portion. Feeling nauseous, he picked up his staff and seal and went out to the almost completed judgement pyre.
"Stop!" He bellowed. Stunned, his servants halted in their tracks and looked at him. He turned to the two servants who were holding her closely, where she could see the fire prepared. Tamar simply looked at him, knowing that her life was in his hands. "Don't hurt her." She drew a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes, sagging against her captors.
Judah fumbled for words. "She is more righteous than I....I would not give her what she has taken as her right." He took a breath and looked around him. Most of his household was there...good, he would only have to say this once. "She should have been given to Shelah as wife, so that she could have a son and an inheritance. I withheld that, so she has risked everything to make sure that the son will be born in spite of my actions." He paused, making sure they all heard. This would have to be public, so the child's legitimacy would not be questioned. He held up his staff and seal. "The father of her child is the man to whom these items belong. I acknowledge in front of you all that these items are mine and that the child is my child." A surprised murmur ran through all assembled, and he walked over to Tamar, who had recovered from her momentary swoon and stood with her head bowed, tears dripping slowly into the dust at her feet.
Judah was overwhelmed with her simple courage. He put one hand on her shoulder and, with the other, raised her chin so that she was looking into his face. 'Daughter, ' he said, his voice cracking, 'You have done what is right. I promise you that your child shall be reckoned as firstborn, and inherit Er's portion. You may have your own tent in my household, and no one will harm you.' He nodded at the female servants nearby, and they came and escorted her, one on either side, to the women's tent until her place could be prepared.
He watched as they threaded their way through the compound and had a sudden, surprising thought. 'It's a shame none of my sons were worthy of her.' Well, he could, perhaps, do better with her son.
Maybe it was time to return to his father and his brothers and face his mistakes there, too. Perhaps the youngest of his sons could still grow up to be a person of courage and honor. Like his mother.
Judah's journey to chagrined repentance is also Tamar's journey to historical significance. We tend to think that what happens to us is all about us...forgetting that our lives also impact others. The value Tamar placed on the inheritance may have reminded Judah of his inheritance, that he seems to have left behind. This story is not placed in a chronological flow with the rest of the narrative, but it is apparent that Judah had rejoined his brothers and father by the time the famine in the land reached the point that they felt it necessary to go to Egypt, where there was grain stored and available.
Now comes the bit in Judah's story that is not often discussed or taught.
It's a rather awkward chain of events to discuss in a church setting, to be sure. But it brings Judah to his first place of recognizing and confessing an error; perhaps this is the preparation for what comes later?
The story is recorded in Genesis 38; you can go and read the details. Judah got a bride for his firstborn son, Er, named Tamar. We do not know her nationality or ethnic background, but she was a remarkable young woman who was determined to have a place in the family lineage.
Judah, however, does not seem to have raised his boys to honor God. At least his first two had some real issues. Er's error is not recorded...just that he was 'wicked in the LORD's sight'.
I checked the Lexical Aids and found that the word translated 'wicked' is ra, meaning bad, of inferior quality, wicked, evil (thoughts, actions), mischievous, severe, malignant, noxious, injurious, hurtful,unpleasant (giving pain or causing unhappiness) hideous, fierce, wild; a wrong, a moral deficiency, ...a bad thing which someone does... Turns out that is the same word used in Genesis 6:5...The LORD saw how great man's wickedness [ra] on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. God had basically wiped out all of humanity for the ra they were pursuing; how could He allow the lineage of the coming king to be tainted with such? Er died very young, having fathered no children.
Onan, to whom Tamar was given as wife to raise up a son to inherit Er's portion, was little better. He refused...and you can read for yourself the details of his refusal...to engender a child that would be counted as his dead brother's. What he did was wrong in God's sight...and Onan died.
Judah was suspicious that something Tamar did was causing his son's deaths, and feared that Shelah would also die. He stated that Shelah was too young for marriage so Tamar was sent back to her father's house to live until the boy grew up and could fulfill the duty of the brother to give a son to his widowed sister-in-law.
Time passed; Shelah grew up but Tamar was not given to him.
Then Judah's wife also died, and he apparently spent some time mourning her. But when it was time to shear the sheep, he left his mourning and headed out to oversee the shearing with his buddy Hirah.
Somehow, Tamar got word that Judah was headed to Timnah to the sheep-shearing, and she decided to take her future into her own hands. She put away her widow's clothing and disguised herself and sat by the road where Judah would pass by.
In perhaps what is one of the most pathetic accounts of one of God's people, the newly widowed Judah spotted the young lady by the road and, assuming she was a prostitute (probably with reason, owing to her dress and location) immediately went over to avail himself of her services. She bargained with him to receive his staff and seal as a pledge for the young goat that would be her pay, and then fulfilled her side of the deal.
Immediately afterward, Tamar took the staff and seal and left, returning to her widow's attire in her father's house. When Judah's buddy Hirah returned to the place to trade the goat for the items left as pledge, she was gone and no one around knew anything about her, stating that there was no such person in the area.
Judah decided to write off his staff and seal, trying to keep his one-night-stand from becoming discussed by local gossips. And, as he heard no more from anyone, he no doubt thought it was not significant.
But, three months later someone came to him with news. His widowed daughter-in-law was pregnant. She had not maintained her purity in her widowhood; now she was an affront to his family. The rumor was that she had engaged in prostitution. Prostitution! Judah was furious. But...and he may even have thought this...now he had reason to have her killed. It didn't matter if she was guilty of any wrongdoing with his two older sons; he was no longer obligated to risk his third son. She was pregnant and obviously guilty...and she deserved to die. He had her brought from her father's house to his tents, telling his servants to burn her.
Do you suppose what happened next looked anything like this...
As they were building the pyre on which to burn her, one of Tamar's father's servants came to Judah, with a bundle and a message. 'Your daughter-in-law Tamar sends word to you identifying the father of her child. She says it is the man to whom these items belong...do you know whose they are?' He handed Judah the long, linen-wrapped bundle. Judah tore the wrappings off, looking for the other guilty party...and saw his own staff and seal. Suddenly, he knew what she had done. The child was his. Tamar had merely been trying to fulfill her duty to raise up a son to inherit his portion. Feeling nauseous, he picked up his staff and seal and went out to the almost completed judgement pyre.
"Stop!" He bellowed. Stunned, his servants halted in their tracks and looked at him. He turned to the two servants who were holding her closely, where she could see the fire prepared. Tamar simply looked at him, knowing that her life was in his hands. "Don't hurt her." She drew a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes, sagging against her captors.
Judah fumbled for words. "She is more righteous than I....I would not give her what she has taken as her right." He took a breath and looked around him. Most of his household was there...good, he would only have to say this once. "She should have been given to Shelah as wife, so that she could have a son and an inheritance. I withheld that, so she has risked everything to make sure that the son will be born in spite of my actions." He paused, making sure they all heard. This would have to be public, so the child's legitimacy would not be questioned. He held up his staff and seal. "The father of her child is the man to whom these items belong. I acknowledge in front of you all that these items are mine and that the child is my child." A surprised murmur ran through all assembled, and he walked over to Tamar, who had recovered from her momentary swoon and stood with her head bowed, tears dripping slowly into the dust at her feet.
Judah was overwhelmed with her simple courage. He put one hand on her shoulder and, with the other, raised her chin so that she was looking into his face. 'Daughter, ' he said, his voice cracking, 'You have done what is right. I promise you that your child shall be reckoned as firstborn, and inherit Er's portion. You may have your own tent in my household, and no one will harm you.' He nodded at the female servants nearby, and they came and escorted her, one on either side, to the women's tent until her place could be prepared.
He watched as they threaded their way through the compound and had a sudden, surprising thought. 'It's a shame none of my sons were worthy of her.' Well, he could, perhaps, do better with her son.
Maybe it was time to return to his father and his brothers and face his mistakes there, too. Perhaps the youngest of his sons could still grow up to be a person of courage and honor. Like his mother.
Judah's journey to chagrined repentance is also Tamar's journey to historical significance. We tend to think that what happens to us is all about us...forgetting that our lives also impact others. The value Tamar placed on the inheritance may have reminded Judah of his inheritance, that he seems to have left behind. This story is not placed in a chronological flow with the rest of the narrative, but it is apparent that Judah had rejoined his brothers and father by the time the famine in the land reached the point that they felt it necessary to go to Egypt, where there was grain stored and available.
Friday, September 25, 2015
All Things New: Judah, the Guilty Road, Part 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
There are so many overlapping stories in the last half of the book of Genesis...
Only two brothers are mentioned by name in the narrative of Joseph's abduction in Genesis 37:17-35...and they are Reuben and Judah. Most of the statements and decisions were attributed to 'his brothers', but we know at least two of them were not in agreement with the rest. They may have been in agreement with each other, but they did not have the chance to put their thoughts together and override the hotheaded ones.
Here's what we do know: Joseph had already taken a 'bad report' back to his father about the way four of his half brothers...Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher, who were the sons of the maidservants...had handled the flocks. So those four had a special grudge against Joseph, and now they saw his fancy coat headed their way to check up on them and report back again.
We do not know if the 'bad report' was that they were not properly caring for the flocks, or if it had to do with moral failures while they were in the field, or both, or something else entirely. That 'bad report' may have been the reason all the brothers were together; it's possible that those four were no longer trusted to take the flocks without some sort of supervision. Do you suppose one of those four was the first to call out, 'Here comes that dreamer!' Or that one of the other three was the next to chime in with the idea to kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns?
It really didn't matter...the other brothers were offended with Joseph as well for being a know-it-all, braggart of an obnoxious kid who kept their father from seeing the value of any of his other sons. The mutter was taken up, and, even if it had been originally spoken in bitter jesting, the general offense of them all turned the talk to a serious contemplation. Could they do it? Could they get away with it?
Reuben was not in earshot when it began; he may have been taking care of an urgent matter because, once he got his brothers to agree to just put Joseph in the cistern, he seems to have disappeared for a time, leaving them to eat supper while Joseph hollered from the cistern. He patently was not there when the Ishmaelites and Midianites came by with their trading caravan on the way to Egypt. But Judah came up with an idea. He hadn't picked upon Reuben's intention to rescue the boy...or maybe he had. My heart wants Judah to be acting out of concern for Joseph's life...if not at that moment, then in the future...and jumping at an opportunity to get him away from the murderous elements of the family. But it is possible that he had an eye for a quick buck and was as eager to get the nuisance out of his life as any of the rest.
What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.
At least Judah used the phrase 'our brother'... so much harder agree to bloodshed than when he was just 'that dreamer'. And, when he put it that way, his brothers agreed.
So they hauled him out of the cistern, someone did some negotiating and twenty shekels of silver was traded for the boy, and they saw him hauled away...ignoring, I'm sure, his entreaties to them to not take him away from his father.
Reuben returned to the cistern a bit later, expecting to find Joseph. Joseph, of course, was gone, and Reuben tore his clothes in grief, perhaps concluding that they had killed him anyway. The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now? We assume the other brothers told him what had happened and gave him his two-shekel share of the price before they came up with the plan to ruin the coat and present it as evidence that Joseph died in the wilderness. I wonder if he and Judah had words over his foiled attempt to save Joseph, and Judah's decision to send him away. But no angry words or what-if scenarios prevailed; they could not leave the sheep and go after the caravan to buy their brother back, and perhaps Judah convinced Reuben that Joseph really was safer far away from his adversaries. He may have put forth the possibility that Joseph, preserved alive, could return some day, after everyone had gotten over being angry, and they could all be reunited like their father and his brother Esau.
No one went after the caravan. The coat was torn and bloodied, and they returned home to tell their father a devastating lie.
Even so, I don't think they were prepared for the extreme grief Israel exhibited. He refused to be comforted, insisting he would mourn for Joseph until the day he died. Reuben would've taken it hard...if things had gone his way, there would have been no grief. Were there whispered conversations when no one was around...'If only...' 'If you...' ? Judah could bear it no more. The grief of his father, the oppressive blame shifting that was going around his brothers...he had to get away.
At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hireh. There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. (Gen. 38: 1- 2a)
Judah left his family, met and married a girl from the pagan culture around him and had three sons: Er, Onan and, sometime later, Shelah. To all appearances,in his attempt to cut himself off from the irritation and aggravation of his family and his own guilty conscience,he was falling away from the worship of the God of his fathers.
Running away from guilt never works; somehow, the guilt always comes along and taints everything. Is there anything in my life that has caused me to try to run away? What errors has that introduced into my life? Am I ready to take it all to God in repentance and confession --release it all to Him and receive forgiveness?
There are so many overlapping stories in the last half of the book of Genesis...
Only two brothers are mentioned by name in the narrative of Joseph's abduction in Genesis 37:17-35...and they are Reuben and Judah. Most of the statements and decisions were attributed to 'his brothers', but we know at least two of them were not in agreement with the rest. They may have been in agreement with each other, but they did not have the chance to put their thoughts together and override the hotheaded ones.
Here's what we do know: Joseph had already taken a 'bad report' back to his father about the way four of his half brothers...Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher, who were the sons of the maidservants...had handled the flocks. So those four had a special grudge against Joseph, and now they saw his fancy coat headed their way to check up on them and report back again.
We do not know if the 'bad report' was that they were not properly caring for the flocks, or if it had to do with moral failures while they were in the field, or both, or something else entirely. That 'bad report' may have been the reason all the brothers were together; it's possible that those four were no longer trusted to take the flocks without some sort of supervision. Do you suppose one of those four was the first to call out, 'Here comes that dreamer!' Or that one of the other three was the next to chime in with the idea to kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns?
It really didn't matter...the other brothers were offended with Joseph as well for being a know-it-all, braggart of an obnoxious kid who kept their father from seeing the value of any of his other sons. The mutter was taken up, and, even if it had been originally spoken in bitter jesting, the general offense of them all turned the talk to a serious contemplation. Could they do it? Could they get away with it?
Reuben was not in earshot when it began; he may have been taking care of an urgent matter because, once he got his brothers to agree to just put Joseph in the cistern, he seems to have disappeared for a time, leaving them to eat supper while Joseph hollered from the cistern. He patently was not there when the Ishmaelites and Midianites came by with their trading caravan on the way to Egypt. But Judah came up with an idea. He hadn't picked upon Reuben's intention to rescue the boy...or maybe he had. My heart wants Judah to be acting out of concern for Joseph's life...if not at that moment, then in the future...and jumping at an opportunity to get him away from the murderous elements of the family. But it is possible that he had an eye for a quick buck and was as eager to get the nuisance out of his life as any of the rest.
What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.
At least Judah used the phrase 'our brother'... so much harder agree to bloodshed than when he was just 'that dreamer'. And, when he put it that way, his brothers agreed.
So they hauled him out of the cistern, someone did some negotiating and twenty shekels of silver was traded for the boy, and they saw him hauled away...ignoring, I'm sure, his entreaties to them to not take him away from his father.
Reuben returned to the cistern a bit later, expecting to find Joseph. Joseph, of course, was gone, and Reuben tore his clothes in grief, perhaps concluding that they had killed him anyway. The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now? We assume the other brothers told him what had happened and gave him his two-shekel share of the price before they came up with the plan to ruin the coat and present it as evidence that Joseph died in the wilderness. I wonder if he and Judah had words over his foiled attempt to save Joseph, and Judah's decision to send him away. But no angry words or what-if scenarios prevailed; they could not leave the sheep and go after the caravan to buy their brother back, and perhaps Judah convinced Reuben that Joseph really was safer far away from his adversaries. He may have put forth the possibility that Joseph, preserved alive, could return some day, after everyone had gotten over being angry, and they could all be reunited like their father and his brother Esau.
No one went after the caravan. The coat was torn and bloodied, and they returned home to tell their father a devastating lie.
Even so, I don't think they were prepared for the extreme grief Israel exhibited. He refused to be comforted, insisting he would mourn for Joseph until the day he died. Reuben would've taken it hard...if things had gone his way, there would have been no grief. Were there whispered conversations when no one was around...'If only...' 'If you...' ? Judah could bear it no more. The grief of his father, the oppressive blame shifting that was going around his brothers...he had to get away.
At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hireh. There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. (Gen. 38: 1- 2a)
Judah left his family, met and married a girl from the pagan culture around him and had three sons: Er, Onan and, sometime later, Shelah. To all appearances,in his attempt to cut himself off from the irritation and aggravation of his family and his own guilty conscience,he was falling away from the worship of the God of his fathers.
Running away from guilt never works; somehow, the guilt always comes along and taints everything. Is there anything in my life that has caused me to try to run away? What errors has that introduced into my life? Am I ready to take it all to God in repentance and confession --release it all to Him and receive forgiveness?
Friday, September 18, 2015
All Things New: Israel, Road of Grief
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Years passed. Israel suffered some setbacks and losses before he finally returned to his father, Isaac, who was still living. He'd left Shechem, abandoning the property he had purchased there, after his sons had slaughtered the men and looted the city in retaliation for the ravishment of their sister; he'd had another son but lost his beloved Rachel as they journeyed. Israel's oldest son, Reuben, had disgraced himself with his mother's maid, the mother of his half brothers. But Israel did see Isaac again, although the details of that reunion are not recorded. Isaac died, and Esau came down and they buried him together. Esau returned to the land he called home, and Israel and his family stayed on the inheritance of Abraham and Isaac. His sons tended his flocks and herds. Joseph had already shown signs of inheriting his father's canny eye for management and, being the older son of Rachel, was clearly his father's favorite.
But in his late teens, Joseph had too much mouth and not enough wisdom. His older brothers, none too developed in the 'wisdom' area themselves, took offense at the favor Joseph had and the dreams he shared and, oh, he was something of a tattletale regarding his brothers attention to the flocks when they were in the field. That didn't sit well, either.
The day came when Israel sent Joseph off to check up on his brothers and report back. Joseph packed up some supplies, shrugged himself into his fancy coat, and headed off down the road.
He was gone rather longer than Israel expected, but he probably was not particularly concerned; after all, he had to find the flocks first and they moved around according to the pasturing and how many other flocks were in the area and whether or not there was water.
But when he looked up and saw his older sons returning and he'd still had no word from Joseph, his spirit froze. It was a very subdued group of young men who offered a torn and bloody cloak to him...'Um, we found this out in the wilderness. Look at it closely...is it the one you gave to, um, your son?'
Of course it was. What a horrible death...torn and devoured by wild beasts. Israel tore his clothes, put on mourning and refused to be comforted. In his grief, he never noticed the awkward glances his other sons were giving one another. What was he thinking...to send the boy off without even a companion to help him if he fell into trouble? Now Joseph was gone and there was nothing he could do to bring him back. He declared he would spend the rest of his life grieving for Joseph.
In mourning will I go down to the grave to my son. (Gen. 37:35)
Of course, we know the rest of the story...that Joseph was not dead, had not been torn by animals, but was in fact at that very moment headed toward an Egyptian slave market. But it would be 20ish years before Israel learned the truth.
And the truth was that God was already at work to provide for Israel and his family at a point so far down the road they couldn't begin to see it.
This is one of the most difficult things to truly believe...that God uses ALL things for the ultimate good of His people. Even hard, tragic circumstances have their place in His purpose...not that He causes them, but that He has the ability to use them, to turn them around and make even the attacks and plans of the enemy fit into his timetable and his outcome.
Years passed. Israel suffered some setbacks and losses before he finally returned to his father, Isaac, who was still living. He'd left Shechem, abandoning the property he had purchased there, after his sons had slaughtered the men and looted the city in retaliation for the ravishment of their sister; he'd had another son but lost his beloved Rachel as they journeyed. Israel's oldest son, Reuben, had disgraced himself with his mother's maid, the mother of his half brothers. But Israel did see Isaac again, although the details of that reunion are not recorded. Isaac died, and Esau came down and they buried him together. Esau returned to the land he called home, and Israel and his family stayed on the inheritance of Abraham and Isaac. His sons tended his flocks and herds. Joseph had already shown signs of inheriting his father's canny eye for management and, being the older son of Rachel, was clearly his father's favorite.
But in his late teens, Joseph had too much mouth and not enough wisdom. His older brothers, none too developed in the 'wisdom' area themselves, took offense at the favor Joseph had and the dreams he shared and, oh, he was something of a tattletale regarding his brothers attention to the flocks when they were in the field. That didn't sit well, either.
The day came when Israel sent Joseph off to check up on his brothers and report back. Joseph packed up some supplies, shrugged himself into his fancy coat, and headed off down the road.
He was gone rather longer than Israel expected, but he probably was not particularly concerned; after all, he had to find the flocks first and they moved around according to the pasturing and how many other flocks were in the area and whether or not there was water.
But when he looked up and saw his older sons returning and he'd still had no word from Joseph, his spirit froze. It was a very subdued group of young men who offered a torn and bloody cloak to him...'Um, we found this out in the wilderness. Look at it closely...is it the one you gave to, um, your son?'
Of course it was. What a horrible death...torn and devoured by wild beasts. Israel tore his clothes, put on mourning and refused to be comforted. In his grief, he never noticed the awkward glances his other sons were giving one another. What was he thinking...to send the boy off without even a companion to help him if he fell into trouble? Now Joseph was gone and there was nothing he could do to bring him back. He declared he would spend the rest of his life grieving for Joseph.
In mourning will I go down to the grave to my son. (Gen. 37:35)
Of course, we know the rest of the story...that Joseph was not dead, had not been torn by animals, but was in fact at that very moment headed toward an Egyptian slave market. But it would be 20ish years before Israel learned the truth.
And the truth was that God was already at work to provide for Israel and his family at a point so far down the road they couldn't begin to see it.
This is one of the most difficult things to truly believe...that God uses ALL things for the ultimate good of His people. Even hard, tragic circumstances have their place in His purpose...not that He causes them, but that He has the ability to use them, to turn them around and make even the attacks and plans of the enemy fit into his timetable and his outcome.
Friday, September 4, 2015
All Things New: Israel, the 'Face the Music' Road, part 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
When we last left our hero, he was standing on the shore of the Jabbok, having just sent the last of his family and possessions across.
And then what has always seemed to me to be one of the strangest events recorded in the Bible takes place:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak -- (Gen. 32:24; NIV 84 on hand today).
The narrative in Genesis is extremely abbreviated in places, just conveying the most pertinent information. This is one of those places. There was more to the story...much more, I'm sure...that Jacob never told a soul. Where the man encountered him...what passed between them...why they wrestled. I kinda think it was something Jacob didn't understand himself...something he kept private for the sheer awe of it. But, as that encounter left him limping for the rest of his life, he had to tell something of the story.
So all we have recorded is that a man suddenly was there in the wilderness and they wrestled until daybreak.
Perhaps Jacob had seen him approaching as he sent the last of his goods over the river and remained behind for the purpose of engaging the man to keep him away from his family and belongings. Perhaps he had stayed behind to spend the night in prayer again and suddenly found himself confronted with someone who could not give a credible account of himself...and Jacob was alarmed and wrestled with him rather than run the risk of having him go tell Esau that Jacob was alone on the far side of the Jabbok.
We just do not know what the context of the wrestling match was...but we do know that Jacob was determined to win. Even after having his hip put out of socket, Jacob would not let go of the man and let him go free unless he blessed him...which may have been synonymous with promising to do him no harm. They took those things seriously; if the man pronounced him blessed, Jacob may have reasoned that he would not be likely to act contrary to that blessing and so bring judgement on himself.
Jacob received more than a blessing; he received a new identity. No longer would he be known as 'heel grasper' ...he would now be known as 'He struggles with God'. Jacob didn't really start using that name until it was confirmed to him later, but after he let the man go he stumbled across the brook, limping, exhausted, but strangely exhilarated...I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.
If he had not only survived a meeting with God but had been blessed as well -- what could he possibly fear from his brother's hand? It was a massive paradigm shift, and Jacob/Israel was still processing it once he got across the water and saw Esau and his army approaching.
There was no time now to decide what to do next; he just had to go with his first instincts. Quickly he put the children with their mothers and lined them up...servant and their children first, then Leah and her children and lastly Rachel and Joseph. Then Jacob/Israel turned his face towards his brother and began limping towards him, bowing to the ground a total of seven times as he approached to show his brother honor.
This was it. The watershed moment. Esau would either kill him and his family...or not.
I think he was shocked when Esau ran up to him, threw his arms around him and began to weep. His fear and dread washed away with relief as he realized his brother did not hold the old injury against him and he wept with relief and joy. The 400 men blinked at the array of women and children they'd come against. Esau may have very well assumed that Jacob was coming back with arms to assert his rights to the inheritance and was himself surprised that there was no army, no showdown...only a lot of livestock and ordinary folks.
When the initial flood of relieved tears had subsided, Esau looked up and asked who the women and children were. Jacob/Israel introduced them in turn, and they all came and bowed to their kinsman.
Then Esau asked him about the droves of animals he had met, and tried to convince Jacob that he really didn't need them... I have already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself. (Gen 33: 9).
Jacob/Israel insisted, however, If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you; for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.' (vs. 10 - 11).
Eventually, Esau relented and accepted the gifts his brother had sent ahead. He wanted Jacob/Israel to come to Edom with him, but Jacob declined, reasonably stating that he had herds and flocks and women with children and would not be able to travel fast. Esau wanted to leave some of his men with them, but Jacob also declined that, saying he just wanted Esau's good will.
They agreed that Jacob would eventually come to Seir, and Esau and his posse turned around and headed home.
Now, Jacob/Israel had faced and gone through the second confrontation that he had feared on his journey home, and he was finally his own man with no threat hanging over him. He took his herds and family to Shechem, and bought a plot of ground within sight of the city.
There he built an altar to the Lord and called it El Elohe Israel...'God, the God of Israel'.
It was a new day.
What is the thing I fear most? How can I confront that and move through it to the other side? How will I embrace the changes God will bring about in that process?
When we last left our hero, he was standing on the shore of the Jabbok, having just sent the last of his family and possessions across.
And then what has always seemed to me to be one of the strangest events recorded in the Bible takes place:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak -- (Gen. 32:24; NIV 84 on hand today).
The narrative in Genesis is extremely abbreviated in places, just conveying the most pertinent information. This is one of those places. There was more to the story...much more, I'm sure...that Jacob never told a soul. Where the man encountered him...what passed between them...why they wrestled. I kinda think it was something Jacob didn't understand himself...something he kept private for the sheer awe of it. But, as that encounter left him limping for the rest of his life, he had to tell something of the story.
So all we have recorded is that a man suddenly was there in the wilderness and they wrestled until daybreak.
Perhaps Jacob had seen him approaching as he sent the last of his goods over the river and remained behind for the purpose of engaging the man to keep him away from his family and belongings. Perhaps he had stayed behind to spend the night in prayer again and suddenly found himself confronted with someone who could not give a credible account of himself...and Jacob was alarmed and wrestled with him rather than run the risk of having him go tell Esau that Jacob was alone on the far side of the Jabbok.
We just do not know what the context of the wrestling match was...but we do know that Jacob was determined to win. Even after having his hip put out of socket, Jacob would not let go of the man and let him go free unless he blessed him...which may have been synonymous with promising to do him no harm. They took those things seriously; if the man pronounced him blessed, Jacob may have reasoned that he would not be likely to act contrary to that blessing and so bring judgement on himself.
Jacob received more than a blessing; he received a new identity. No longer would he be known as 'heel grasper' ...he would now be known as 'He struggles with God'. Jacob didn't really start using that name until it was confirmed to him later, but after he let the man go he stumbled across the brook, limping, exhausted, but strangely exhilarated...I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.
If he had not only survived a meeting with God but had been blessed as well -- what could he possibly fear from his brother's hand? It was a massive paradigm shift, and Jacob/Israel was still processing it once he got across the water and saw Esau and his army approaching.
There was no time now to decide what to do next; he just had to go with his first instincts. Quickly he put the children with their mothers and lined them up...servant and their children first, then Leah and her children and lastly Rachel and Joseph. Then Jacob/Israel turned his face towards his brother and began limping towards him, bowing to the ground a total of seven times as he approached to show his brother honor.
This was it. The watershed moment. Esau would either kill him and his family...or not.
I think he was shocked when Esau ran up to him, threw his arms around him and began to weep. His fear and dread washed away with relief as he realized his brother did not hold the old injury against him and he wept with relief and joy. The 400 men blinked at the array of women and children they'd come against. Esau may have very well assumed that Jacob was coming back with arms to assert his rights to the inheritance and was himself surprised that there was no army, no showdown...only a lot of livestock and ordinary folks.
When the initial flood of relieved tears had subsided, Esau looked up and asked who the women and children were. Jacob/Israel introduced them in turn, and they all came and bowed to their kinsman.
Then Esau asked him about the droves of animals he had met, and tried to convince Jacob that he really didn't need them... I have already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself. (Gen 33: 9).
Jacob/Israel insisted, however, If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you; for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.' (vs. 10 - 11).
Eventually, Esau relented and accepted the gifts his brother had sent ahead. He wanted Jacob/Israel to come to Edom with him, but Jacob declined, reasonably stating that he had herds and flocks and women with children and would not be able to travel fast. Esau wanted to leave some of his men with them, but Jacob also declined that, saying he just wanted Esau's good will.
They agreed that Jacob would eventually come to Seir, and Esau and his posse turned around and headed home.
Now, Jacob/Israel had faced and gone through the second confrontation that he had feared on his journey home, and he was finally his own man with no threat hanging over him. He took his herds and family to Shechem, and bought a plot of ground within sight of the city.
There he built an altar to the Lord and called it El Elohe Israel...'God, the God of Israel'.
It was a new day.
What is the thing I fear most? How can I confront that and move through it to the other side? How will I embrace the changes God will bring about in that process?
Friday, August 28, 2015
All Things New: Jacob: the 'Face the Music' Road - Part 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
With Laban's reluctant blessing, or at least his promise not to do anything that would cause him or his family problems, Jacob was now able to quit looking over his shoulder for pursuit.
But now he had to face the very threat from which he fled twentyish years earlier.
Esau.
If he were to return to his inheritance, to the land of his fathers, he was going to have to make peace with Esau.
But he had God's instruction, so he put his camp in motion again and continued moving south.
In Geneses 32 today; my ESV is the translation that's handy....
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp! So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
(Gen 32: 1- 3, ESV)
Jacob has an angelic escort waiting for him as he approached home.
Do you suppose they were there to encourage him? Protect him? Warn him?
Maybe all of the above?
Jacob saw them and, to all appearances, camped there for a while. The atlas I consulted said the exact location of Mahanaim is unknown, but it was definitely to the east of the Jordan and the north of the Jabbok.
Before he crossed any rivers, he wanted to get an idea of what kind of welcome he would get. I don't know how he knew to send his messengers to Seir in order to find his brother; maybe word of Esau's move had come back to the family while he was in Paddan-aram...maybe he just did some asking around in the area after he stopped. But he parked his flocks, herds, servants and family there until he heard back from his messengers.
And the word they brought him was not exactly what he was hoping to hear.
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him." (v. 6)
Apparently Esau had already heard of Jacob's journey home and was headed his way. Four hundred men...that was a small army.
Jacob had flocks and herds and women and children...there was no way to run from his brother, even if he had had anywhere to go.
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed (v.7)
'Greatly afraid and distressed' is probably a gross understatement. Jacob had God's promises, he was acting under God's instruction...and he was terrified. That's not weak faith, that's just being a real human being. There was an army coming to possibly annihilate him and his family. He'd seen the angels earlier..where were they now? He had run from Esau once; he could not run a second time.
So he began to plan. The first thing he did was to split his entire entourage into two parts and sent them to camp well away from each other. If Esau attacked him in the night, Jacob reasoned, he would not expect two camps and might only wipe out one...and at least some of his people and possessions would survive.
Then he stayed at Mahanaim and prayed. There's no time frame on it, but I kinda think he prayed all night. Part of what he prayed is included in the narrative...or maybe he just repeated the same prayer over and over, in various iterations.
O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good.' I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. (vs. 9 - 12)
Jacob reminded God...and, incidentally, himself...that he was here in this threatening place because he had obeyed God. He told God what he was afraid of, asked for deliverance from that threat, and reiterated God's promise.
It was a long night, but when the day dawned Esau had not attacked.
So Jacob came up with another strategy. Now, I don't think the fact that he did this indicates he did not trust God to take care of him...it may have been that God inspired him to deal generously with his brother. Esau had been angry with Jacob for what he took...Jacob decided to counter that by giving.
And he seriously gave. I don't know what percentage of his flocks and herds that all worked out to be, but it was a substantial number of animals that he selected: goats and sheep and camels and cattle and donkeys. And he split them up into droves, with distance between, so that Esau would encounter massive gift after massive gift as his army drew closer to his brother.
Then, Jacob took his wives and their maids and all his children and all the rest of his goods and sent them across the Jabbok. Whether by design or by accident, Jacob was the last one left to cross the stream.
Tomorrow would be the day.
How do I encourage myself in the face of an unknown or fearful situation? Where have I recorded God's promises and instructions and past blessings, so that I can remind myself of them in a critical moment? How ready am I to believe that when I ask God for wisdom in a particular situation, He will give it to me?
With Laban's reluctant blessing, or at least his promise not to do anything that would cause him or his family problems, Jacob was now able to quit looking over his shoulder for pursuit.
But now he had to face the very threat from which he fled twentyish years earlier.
Esau.
If he were to return to his inheritance, to the land of his fathers, he was going to have to make peace with Esau.
But he had God's instruction, so he put his camp in motion again and continued moving south.
In Geneses 32 today; my ESV is the translation that's handy....
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp! So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
(Gen 32: 1- 3, ESV)
Jacob has an angelic escort waiting for him as he approached home.
Do you suppose they were there to encourage him? Protect him? Warn him?
Maybe all of the above?
Jacob saw them and, to all appearances, camped there for a while. The atlas I consulted said the exact location of Mahanaim is unknown, but it was definitely to the east of the Jordan and the north of the Jabbok.
Before he crossed any rivers, he wanted to get an idea of what kind of welcome he would get. I don't know how he knew to send his messengers to Seir in order to find his brother; maybe word of Esau's move had come back to the family while he was in Paddan-aram...maybe he just did some asking around in the area after he stopped. But he parked his flocks, herds, servants and family there until he heard back from his messengers.
And the word they brought him was not exactly what he was hoping to hear.
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him." (v. 6)
Apparently Esau had already heard of Jacob's journey home and was headed his way. Four hundred men...that was a small army.
Jacob had flocks and herds and women and children...there was no way to run from his brother, even if he had had anywhere to go.
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed (v.7)
'Greatly afraid and distressed' is probably a gross understatement. Jacob had God's promises, he was acting under God's instruction...and he was terrified. That's not weak faith, that's just being a real human being. There was an army coming to possibly annihilate him and his family. He'd seen the angels earlier..where were they now? He had run from Esau once; he could not run a second time.
So he began to plan. The first thing he did was to split his entire entourage into two parts and sent them to camp well away from each other. If Esau attacked him in the night, Jacob reasoned, he would not expect two camps and might only wipe out one...and at least some of his people and possessions would survive.
Then he stayed at Mahanaim and prayed. There's no time frame on it, but I kinda think he prayed all night. Part of what he prayed is included in the narrative...or maybe he just repeated the same prayer over and over, in various iterations.
O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good.' I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. (vs. 9 - 12)
Jacob reminded God...and, incidentally, himself...that he was here in this threatening place because he had obeyed God. He told God what he was afraid of, asked for deliverance from that threat, and reiterated God's promise.
It was a long night, but when the day dawned Esau had not attacked.
So Jacob came up with another strategy. Now, I don't think the fact that he did this indicates he did not trust God to take care of him...it may have been that God inspired him to deal generously with his brother. Esau had been angry with Jacob for what he took...Jacob decided to counter that by giving.
And he seriously gave. I don't know what percentage of his flocks and herds that all worked out to be, but it was a substantial number of animals that he selected: goats and sheep and camels and cattle and donkeys. And he split them up into droves, with distance between, so that Esau would encounter massive gift after massive gift as his army drew closer to his brother.
Then, Jacob took his wives and their maids and all his children and all the rest of his goods and sent them across the Jabbok. Whether by design or by accident, Jacob was the last one left to cross the stream.
Tomorrow would be the day.
How do I encourage myself in the face of an unknown or fearful situation? Where have I recorded God's promises and instructions and past blessings, so that I can remind myself of them in a critical moment? How ready am I to believe that when I ask God for wisdom in a particular situation, He will give it to me?
Friday, August 14, 2015
All Things New: Jacob, the 'Run for Your Life Road', part 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Years passed. Jacob worked off his second seven-year obligation as bride-price for Rachel, then brokered a deal with Laban to work in exchange for flocks and herds.
Two schemers were pitted against each other. Jacob attempted to use selective breeding to increase his herds, while Laban kept changing the specifics of precisely which animals and their offspring would belong to Jacob. Jacob's methods don't seem to be terribly scientific; it appears he was operating under the assumption that whatever the animals were looking at as they mated influenced the appearance of the offspring. Or maybe he thought the smell of the peeled branches would encourage the animals to mate. Who knows what his plan was. The plain truth was that God had promised to bless him and God did bless him, regardless of the shenanigans he attempted or the 'renegotiating' that Laban seemed to favor. Whatever animals were designated as Jacob's...those were the ones that flourished.
Needless to say, this led to some stress in the extended family network.
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth." And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. -- Gen 31: 1 -2.
So long as Jacob had served Laban alone, Laban had prospered. But when Jacob began to accumulate his own flocks, his wealth grew at such a rate that the inlaws began to feel he had stolen from them.
Of course, he had not stolen from Laban any more than he had stolen the birthright from Esau all those years earlier, but the warm fuzzy family feeling was gone and replaced by something rather sinister and threatening.
It was threatening enough that Jacob was beginning to feel apprehensive. So when he heard a word...and how he heard it is not explained...instructing him to return to his father's land, he didn't question or hesitate.
He did, however, scheme.
He called his wives and concubines and children all out to the pasture where he was with the flock and rehearsed the whole situation with them...reminding them of how they'd all been cheated. Rachel and Leah actually agreed on this...no doubt they felt they had each been cheated by their father also.
Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do." Gen 31:14 - 16.
So Jacob sent them right away...loaded wives, servants, children and all up on camels and sent them off towards Canaan. He followed with his herdsmen, driving his flocks along as well.
However, it so happened that Rachel had somehow slipped into her father's house and stolen some small idols. I've heard various explanations of this, but the most interesting is that apparently they were something of a signet...that is, the person who possessed them was reckoned as head of the household; the possessor of the inheritance.
They were nearly Jacob's undoing, however, even though he knew nothing of them.
Three days after they left, Laban got the word they had gone. I don't know when he realized the idols were missing, or whether the missing idols really had anything to do with why he called all his kinsmen together and took off after Jacob.
Ten days after Jacob headed south with his flocks and his family, Laban and his posse caught up to them. The jig was up.
And who knows what Jacob's fate would have been had not Laban had a dream that he was convinced was God speaking to him, warning him not to do anything to Jacob. Laban's story became
What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' And now you have gone away because you longed for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?
In my mind I hear a really deep breath following all of that...
Jacob, however, was not impressed by the story; I don't think he bought it. But the last bit made him angry.
Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
That pretty much shows what he thought of the likelihood of being 'sent away with mirth and songs'.
And being called a thief was insult to injury. He thew open his whole entourage to be searched in full view of everyone.
Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours and take it.
So, with Jacob's permission, Laban began to dig through the tents. He looked through Jacob's tent...nothing. Bilhah's tent and Zilphah's tent...nothing. Leah's tent...nothing. They came to Rachel's tent, where she was sitting demurely on her camel's saddle. I'm paraphrasing here, basically she said, 'Oh, please don't be offended that I can't get up to greet you...it's 'that time' of the month' and I can't stand up.'
There was no 'feminine products' aisle at the local Wal-mart in those days. They folded thick pads and sat on them. And they spent the time in the women's tent, away from the men. But, traveling, there was no 'women's tent', so Rachel would have to manage as best she could. It was a huge taboo for men to have any contact with a woman on her period. So they would not have searched anything that could possibly have been contaminated by her flow. So consequently they did not check the saddle of her camel...where she had hidden the idols.
When the search of the camp turned up nothing, Jacob was justified in his indignation.
What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two.
These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.
Laban had been called out and had nothing to show for his defense. I kinda think his bravado withered away and he sullenly replied
The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks all all that you see is mine.
But he also realized that he could not do anything to keep Jacob from taking what he had rightfully earned. So he offered a compromise: they gathered a heap of stones and called on God to witness their covenant not harm each other, and Jacob promised not to oppress Laban's daughters or marry other wives. They called the pile 'Mizpah'.
Jacob made a sacrifice; they all ate together and in the morning Laban rose and actually kissed his daughters and grandchildren and blessed them, as he had lamented that he had not been able to do originally.
Jacob had to heave a huge sigh of relief to see Laban's back. He wasn't out of the woods yet, though...he still had to face Esau.
What am I afraid of that God has already gone before me to protect me? Why do I not believe He will protect what He has given into my responsibility? How can I deliberately make the choice to release those fears to Him?
Years passed. Jacob worked off his second seven-year obligation as bride-price for Rachel, then brokered a deal with Laban to work in exchange for flocks and herds.
Two schemers were pitted against each other. Jacob attempted to use selective breeding to increase his herds, while Laban kept changing the specifics of precisely which animals and their offspring would belong to Jacob. Jacob's methods don't seem to be terribly scientific; it appears he was operating under the assumption that whatever the animals were looking at as they mated influenced the appearance of the offspring. Or maybe he thought the smell of the peeled branches would encourage the animals to mate. Who knows what his plan was. The plain truth was that God had promised to bless him and God did bless him, regardless of the shenanigans he attempted or the 'renegotiating' that Laban seemed to favor. Whatever animals were designated as Jacob's...those were the ones that flourished.
Needless to say, this led to some stress in the extended family network.
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth." And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. -- Gen 31: 1 -2.
So long as Jacob had served Laban alone, Laban had prospered. But when Jacob began to accumulate his own flocks, his wealth grew at such a rate that the inlaws began to feel he had stolen from them.
Of course, he had not stolen from Laban any more than he had stolen the birthright from Esau all those years earlier, but the warm fuzzy family feeling was gone and replaced by something rather sinister and threatening.
It was threatening enough that Jacob was beginning to feel apprehensive. So when he heard a word...and how he heard it is not explained...instructing him to return to his father's land, he didn't question or hesitate.
He did, however, scheme.
He called his wives and concubines and children all out to the pasture where he was with the flock and rehearsed the whole situation with them...reminding them of how they'd all been cheated. Rachel and Leah actually agreed on this...no doubt they felt they had each been cheated by their father also.
Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do." Gen 31:14 - 16.
So Jacob sent them right away...loaded wives, servants, children and all up on camels and sent them off towards Canaan. He followed with his herdsmen, driving his flocks along as well.
However, it so happened that Rachel had somehow slipped into her father's house and stolen some small idols. I've heard various explanations of this, but the most interesting is that apparently they were something of a signet...that is, the person who possessed them was reckoned as head of the household; the possessor of the inheritance.
They were nearly Jacob's undoing, however, even though he knew nothing of them.
Three days after they left, Laban got the word they had gone. I don't know when he realized the idols were missing, or whether the missing idols really had anything to do with why he called all his kinsmen together and took off after Jacob.
Ten days after Jacob headed south with his flocks and his family, Laban and his posse caught up to them. The jig was up.
And who knows what Jacob's fate would have been had not Laban had a dream that he was convinced was God speaking to him, warning him not to do anything to Jacob. Laban's story became
What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' And now you have gone away because you longed for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?
In my mind I hear a really deep breath following all of that...
Jacob, however, was not impressed by the story; I don't think he bought it. But the last bit made him angry.
Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
That pretty much shows what he thought of the likelihood of being 'sent away with mirth and songs'.
And being called a thief was insult to injury. He thew open his whole entourage to be searched in full view of everyone.
Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours and take it.
So, with Jacob's permission, Laban began to dig through the tents. He looked through Jacob's tent...nothing. Bilhah's tent and Zilphah's tent...nothing. Leah's tent...nothing. They came to Rachel's tent, where she was sitting demurely on her camel's saddle. I'm paraphrasing here, basically she said, 'Oh, please don't be offended that I can't get up to greet you...it's 'that time' of the month' and I can't stand up.'
There was no 'feminine products' aisle at the local Wal-mart in those days. They folded thick pads and sat on them. And they spent the time in the women's tent, away from the men. But, traveling, there was no 'women's tent', so Rachel would have to manage as best she could. It was a huge taboo for men to have any contact with a woman on her period. So they would not have searched anything that could possibly have been contaminated by her flow. So consequently they did not check the saddle of her camel...where she had hidden the idols.
When the search of the camp turned up nothing, Jacob was justified in his indignation.
What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two.
These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.
Laban had been called out and had nothing to show for his defense. I kinda think his bravado withered away and he sullenly replied
The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks all all that you see is mine.
But he also realized that he could not do anything to keep Jacob from taking what he had rightfully earned. So he offered a compromise: they gathered a heap of stones and called on God to witness their covenant not harm each other, and Jacob promised not to oppress Laban's daughters or marry other wives. They called the pile 'Mizpah'.
Jacob made a sacrifice; they all ate together and in the morning Laban rose and actually kissed his daughters and grandchildren and blessed them, as he had lamented that he had not been able to do originally.
Jacob had to heave a huge sigh of relief to see Laban's back. He wasn't out of the woods yet, though...he still had to face Esau.
What am I afraid of that God has already gone before me to protect me? Why do I not believe He will protect what He has given into my responsibility? How can I deliberately make the choice to release those fears to Him?
Friday, August 7, 2015
All Things New: Leah, the Overshadowed Road
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. -- Gen. 29:16-17 NIV84
Beauty seemed to run in the family...Sarah, her niece Rebekah, her niece Rachel...but Leah missed the beauty gene. Or maybe she barely missed it; the term translated 'weak eyes' in the NIV can have several connotations. Strong's 739, rak, is defined as tender (lit. or fig.); by impl. weak: - faint [-hearted], soft, tender ([-hearted] one), weak. Leah had something unattractive about her eyes; she may have been nearsighted, so that she squinted continually; or it could even have been a reference to the color of her eyes...her eyes may have been startlingly pale ('faint'), compared to the deep brown common in that ethnic group. We know from what happened on Jacob's first wedding night that she could not have been much different than her sister in her basic physical form.
But, whatever the actual issue was, she was flawed. Her younger sister was most definitely not. When their cousin arrived looking for a bride...Leah was overlooked. Not even considered. Jacob had only been with them one month, enough to demonstrate that he had the ability to manage and organize and bring increase, when Laban decided Jacob should stick around and work for him...and asked him what he would feel would be fair wages.
Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, 'I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.' (Gen 29:18)
Now that was a deal. No dowry needed...and Laban had seven years of willing work. Leah had seven years to watch Jacob, who loved her sister and probably barely noticed her.
Did Leah fall in love with Jacob? Was her heart pained every time he brushed her aside? It's possible.
We do not know whose idea it was to swap brides on the wedding night. But Leah had to be a willing conspirator. Most assuredly, Jacob had been drinking, but I have a hard time believing he would allow himself to get stupid drunk, with Rachel waiting for him. But it was dark in the tent...and the ladies were somewhat similar in build...and Leah said very little. It wasn't until it was full daylight that Jacob saw what had happened. Now, had Leah not been willing to go along with the plan, she could easily have given Jacob a reason to recognize that it was not Rachel in his arms. But she held her peace and maintained the illusion.
And thus, by subterfuge, she won herself a husband...who had nothing but disdain and contempt for her. Oh, she may have put the blame on Laban, who willingly accepted it, but the plain truth was she had deceived Jacob and he was now bound to a woman for whom he felt no affection and had no use. And he had to spend a week with her in the bridal chamber before he could claim the woman he loved.
Those seven days may have seemed longer than the previous seven years to all of them. At the end of it, Jacob married Rachel and did not return to Leah's tent.
But Leah was pregnant. She blossomed with life, while Rachel, who had her husband's, um, full attention, remained thin and barren. Leah had Jacob's approval when she presented him with his firstborn son, Reuben. When it was appropriate...he went to her tent to show his appreciation. And she became pregnant again.
Perhaps Jacob had a use for her, after all. Four sons she gave him in succession, while Rachel seethed with jealousy, blaming Jacob for her barrenness. But Leah was going through a transition. She was learning to find her significance and her worth not in her relationships but in her God. She named her fourth son Judah, saying, 'This time I will praise the LORD.'
My plan...my idea...I'll fix this...this will work...all our human ideas and schemes lead to problems. Leah's acceptance of a plan to make Jacob marry her gave her a lifetime of heartache and rejection. But in the midst of it she recognized, for at least a season, that God was the one who held her, it was God who gave her sons, it was God who would take her mess and make it into something that would ultimately bring Him glory. She had no way of knowing that her praise would begin the lineage of The King.
What am I trying to manipulate into something that achieves my desires? How can I release that to God? What actions of His can I praise Him for today?
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. -- Gen. 29:16-17 NIV84
Beauty seemed to run in the family...Sarah, her niece Rebekah, her niece Rachel...but Leah missed the beauty gene. Or maybe she barely missed it; the term translated 'weak eyes' in the NIV can have several connotations. Strong's 739, rak, is defined as tender (lit. or fig.); by impl. weak: - faint [-hearted], soft, tender ([-hearted] one), weak. Leah had something unattractive about her eyes; she may have been nearsighted, so that she squinted continually; or it could even have been a reference to the color of her eyes...her eyes may have been startlingly pale ('faint'), compared to the deep brown common in that ethnic group. We know from what happened on Jacob's first wedding night that she could not have been much different than her sister in her basic physical form.
But, whatever the actual issue was, she was flawed. Her younger sister was most definitely not. When their cousin arrived looking for a bride...Leah was overlooked. Not even considered. Jacob had only been with them one month, enough to demonstrate that he had the ability to manage and organize and bring increase, when Laban decided Jacob should stick around and work for him...and asked him what he would feel would be fair wages.
Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, 'I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.' (Gen 29:18)
Now that was a deal. No dowry needed...and Laban had seven years of willing work. Leah had seven years to watch Jacob, who loved her sister and probably barely noticed her.
Did Leah fall in love with Jacob? Was her heart pained every time he brushed her aside? It's possible.
We do not know whose idea it was to swap brides on the wedding night. But Leah had to be a willing conspirator. Most assuredly, Jacob had been drinking, but I have a hard time believing he would allow himself to get stupid drunk, with Rachel waiting for him. But it was dark in the tent...and the ladies were somewhat similar in build...and Leah said very little. It wasn't until it was full daylight that Jacob saw what had happened. Now, had Leah not been willing to go along with the plan, she could easily have given Jacob a reason to recognize that it was not Rachel in his arms. But she held her peace and maintained the illusion.
And thus, by subterfuge, she won herself a husband...who had nothing but disdain and contempt for her. Oh, she may have put the blame on Laban, who willingly accepted it, but the plain truth was she had deceived Jacob and he was now bound to a woman for whom he felt no affection and had no use. And he had to spend a week with her in the bridal chamber before he could claim the woman he loved.
Those seven days may have seemed longer than the previous seven years to all of them. At the end of it, Jacob married Rachel and did not return to Leah's tent.
But Leah was pregnant. She blossomed with life, while Rachel, who had her husband's, um, full attention, remained thin and barren. Leah had Jacob's approval when she presented him with his firstborn son, Reuben. When it was appropriate...he went to her tent to show his appreciation. And she became pregnant again.
Perhaps Jacob had a use for her, after all. Four sons she gave him in succession, while Rachel seethed with jealousy, blaming Jacob for her barrenness. But Leah was going through a transition. She was learning to find her significance and her worth not in her relationships but in her God. She named her fourth son Judah, saying, 'This time I will praise the LORD.'
My plan...my idea...I'll fix this...this will work...all our human ideas and schemes lead to problems. Leah's acceptance of a plan to make Jacob marry her gave her a lifetime of heartache and rejection. But in the midst of it she recognized, for at least a season, that God was the one who held her, it was God who gave her sons, it was God who would take her mess and make it into something that would ultimately bring Him glory. She had no way of knowing that her praise would begin the lineage of The King.
What am I trying to manipulate into something that achieves my desires? How can I release that to God? What actions of His can I praise Him for today?
Friday, July 31, 2015
All Things New: Jacob, the 'Run-for-your-life' Road, Part 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Jacob has been painted all kinds of ugly by various folks down through the years...a schemer, a deceiver, a liar...and, while he may have been all those things at some point, I think he was also someone who placed great value on the inheritance God decreed for the family of Abraham. He understood it in a different way than his brother.
As the Bible clearly tells us he was his mother's favored son, I don't think there's any chance that Jacob would have grown to adulthood without hearing the story of her prophecy...that he would be the one who would inherit. He'd grown up with an eye to the day that he would be in the place of heir, and he had taken pains to learn to manage his inheritance. But he had no idea how El Shaddai would bring that reversal to pass.
Rebekah may have also shared that prophecy with Isaac...but I don't think Esau knew. He was entirely too willing to give his birthright over to have been worried that Jacob was manipulating him to fulfill a prophecy. But once his appetite was satisfied, he regretted what he'd done. He even went so far as to alter his memory of the event from his willingness to part with it in exchange for a meal to 'He took away my birthright!' Whatever relationship the brothers had before that fateful bowl of lentils was consumed, it had to have been strained and suspicious thereafter.
What Esau gave away that day was his place as firstborn...and all the rights pertaining to that. It included the lion's share of the inheritance, sure, but part of the right of the firstborn was the patriarchal blessing. Esau separated the two, but the truth is that, being granted the first, Jacob had the right to the second.
And maybe Esau knew that, deep down. The passing of the blessing was a ceremony of sorts, a big deal. This 'big deal,' however, was the object of a scheme to pass it along on the down low, in private, apart from the knowledge of the rest of the household. It was pure chance...or was it?...that Rebekah overheard Isaac's instructions to Esau and hurried to Jacob, forming her own scheme to counteract her husband's.
Jacob rather reluctantly followed his mother's instruction, even to the point of putting on his brother's smelly clothes. Isaac knew his voice, but, convinced by the costume and the smell, he gave the blessing to Jacob. Who therefore, by subterfuge, obtained that which he had been promised.
Now the relationship with his brother had passed beyond strained; Esau told himself he would kill Jacob after his father had gone to his reward. Of course, he couldn't know at that point that Isaac still had years and years of life left...and Rebekah could not know that Isaac would outlive her. But someone reported Esau's words to her and, once again, she came up with a plan to thwart her elder son. Genesis 26:35 states that Esau's Hittite wives 'made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah', so her request that Isaac send Jacob back to get a bride from her brother's household was reasonable. Rebekah simply told Jacob to stay with his uncle until it was safe to return; she would send for him once Esau had gotten over his anger.
She'd hardly finished speaking when Isaac called for Jacob and instructed him to go to Paddan-aram and marry one of Laban's daughters.
Now, Jacob had the blessing and directive of his father to go on the journey, but he apparently took no time to make any preparations. With all of the family's resources at his disposal, he left with little more than the clothes he wore. Which can only be on account of his concern that Esau would hear he was leaving and kill him before he could get down the road. He literally ran for his life, trying to put as much space between him and his brother as he could as fast as he could do it.
The Biblical narrative does not give much time frame for this; it could have all happened in the same day, or it could've been spread out over a few days. Either way, though, Jacob's life had changed in short order...from being the son of the patriarch and living with the relative comfort of his family's prosperity to being a man on the run with a death threat hanging over his head. There's no mention of a camel or other beast...he could easily have been on foot. He traveled until it was dark and he could no longer put one foot in front of the other...and he put his head on a rock and went to sleep.
The dream he had was more vivid than any he had ever had. Angels going up and down a ladder that reached over his head...and at the top stood One he could never describe. The words burned into his consciousness so that he remembered them in detail even after he was awake and alert...I am the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Gen. 28:13a-15, ESV)
Jacob knew his family history; he knew that was the promise that had been given to his grandfather Abraham and to his father Isaac...and now, the birthright was manifesting: God's presence was promised to him.
This was no longer his mother's story...now it was his. God Himself had spoken to Jacob. He had a revelation that would carry him through all the days of his life...surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.
In the morning, he took the stone on which he'd put his head and placed it just so on a distinct spot he could specifically remember as a memorial, and he poured some of the little bit of oil he had on it and made a promise of his own.
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20-22)
Jacob had, overnight, gone from a man running from his brother's murderous threats to a man moving into a promise. His life had changed forever; he would never see his mother again. But he left that place knowing that God was with him and would bring him back.
In what circumstances of my life have I recognized the presence of God only AFTER the fact? How has God demonstrated that He is with me, and that He is the One who is working 'all things together for good'?
Jacob has been painted all kinds of ugly by various folks down through the years...a schemer, a deceiver, a liar...and, while he may have been all those things at some point, I think he was also someone who placed great value on the inheritance God decreed for the family of Abraham. He understood it in a different way than his brother.
As the Bible clearly tells us he was his mother's favored son, I don't think there's any chance that Jacob would have grown to adulthood without hearing the story of her prophecy...that he would be the one who would inherit. He'd grown up with an eye to the day that he would be in the place of heir, and he had taken pains to learn to manage his inheritance. But he had no idea how El Shaddai would bring that reversal to pass.
Rebekah may have also shared that prophecy with Isaac...but I don't think Esau knew. He was entirely too willing to give his birthright over to have been worried that Jacob was manipulating him to fulfill a prophecy. But once his appetite was satisfied, he regretted what he'd done. He even went so far as to alter his memory of the event from his willingness to part with it in exchange for a meal to 'He took away my birthright!' Whatever relationship the brothers had before that fateful bowl of lentils was consumed, it had to have been strained and suspicious thereafter.
What Esau gave away that day was his place as firstborn...and all the rights pertaining to that. It included the lion's share of the inheritance, sure, but part of the right of the firstborn was the patriarchal blessing. Esau separated the two, but the truth is that, being granted the first, Jacob had the right to the second.
And maybe Esau knew that, deep down. The passing of the blessing was a ceremony of sorts, a big deal. This 'big deal,' however, was the object of a scheme to pass it along on the down low, in private, apart from the knowledge of the rest of the household. It was pure chance...or was it?...that Rebekah overheard Isaac's instructions to Esau and hurried to Jacob, forming her own scheme to counteract her husband's.
Jacob rather reluctantly followed his mother's instruction, even to the point of putting on his brother's smelly clothes. Isaac knew his voice, but, convinced by the costume and the smell, he gave the blessing to Jacob. Who therefore, by subterfuge, obtained that which he had been promised.
Now the relationship with his brother had passed beyond strained; Esau told himself he would kill Jacob after his father had gone to his reward. Of course, he couldn't know at that point that Isaac still had years and years of life left...and Rebekah could not know that Isaac would outlive her. But someone reported Esau's words to her and, once again, she came up with a plan to thwart her elder son. Genesis 26:35 states that Esau's Hittite wives 'made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah', so her request that Isaac send Jacob back to get a bride from her brother's household was reasonable. Rebekah simply told Jacob to stay with his uncle until it was safe to return; she would send for him once Esau had gotten over his anger.
She'd hardly finished speaking when Isaac called for Jacob and instructed him to go to Paddan-aram and marry one of Laban's daughters.
Now, Jacob had the blessing and directive of his father to go on the journey, but he apparently took no time to make any preparations. With all of the family's resources at his disposal, he left with little more than the clothes he wore. Which can only be on account of his concern that Esau would hear he was leaving and kill him before he could get down the road. He literally ran for his life, trying to put as much space between him and his brother as he could as fast as he could do it.
The Biblical narrative does not give much time frame for this; it could have all happened in the same day, or it could've been spread out over a few days. Either way, though, Jacob's life had changed in short order...from being the son of the patriarch and living with the relative comfort of his family's prosperity to being a man on the run with a death threat hanging over his head. There's no mention of a camel or other beast...he could easily have been on foot. He traveled until it was dark and he could no longer put one foot in front of the other...and he put his head on a rock and went to sleep.
The dream he had was more vivid than any he had ever had. Angels going up and down a ladder that reached over his head...and at the top stood One he could never describe. The words burned into his consciousness so that he remembered them in detail even after he was awake and alert...I am the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Gen. 28:13a-15, ESV)
Jacob knew his family history; he knew that was the promise that had been given to his grandfather Abraham and to his father Isaac...and now, the birthright was manifesting: God's presence was promised to him.
This was no longer his mother's story...now it was his. God Himself had spoken to Jacob. He had a revelation that would carry him through all the days of his life...surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.
In the morning, he took the stone on which he'd put his head and placed it just so on a distinct spot he could specifically remember as a memorial, and he poured some of the little bit of oil he had on it and made a promise of his own.
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20-22)
Jacob had, overnight, gone from a man running from his brother's murderous threats to a man moving into a promise. His life had changed forever; he would never see his mother again. But he left that place knowing that God was with him and would bring him back.
In what circumstances of my life have I recognized the presence of God only AFTER the fact? How has God demonstrated that He is with me, and that He is the One who is working 'all things together for good'?
Friday, July 24, 2015
All Things New: Esau, the Road out of Regret
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
(All scripture today from the NASB)
Rebekah had had the prophecy that her twins were both fathers of nations, but that the younger would surpass the elder.
We don't know much about the boys as they grew, other than Esau loved being outside and Jacob was content to hang around the tents.
Genesis 25:28 states that Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I wonder, myself, if Jacob was sickly as a child, while Esau grew fast and strong. That would have resulted in Jacob being kept around his mother while Esau hung with Isaac. Not to mention that Esau's skill in hunting kept Isaac's tummy happy. Rebekah, for all that she had left the household of intrigue when she was young, still had old habits and old expectations and old patterns in her life. And she had Jacob's ear...he learned much from his mother. Not the least, apparently, was the prophecy that he would rule over his elder brother.
Esau had no such instruction. He was the firstborn; he had no need of intrigue or even of much thinking. All he saw was his by right and nature, why should he worry about it? He was favored by his father.
So, when he returned from a long and fruitless hunting trek, he let his appetite override his judgement and he swore an unfortunate oath to give Jacob his rights. I have a hard time believing that he actually thought he was on the verge of dying and could not make it the last few paces to the tents where there was food; maybe he thought Jacob was kidding, maybe he thought his words would not cancel what was his by virtue of who he was.
But the oath was sworn, and Jacob and God both heard it. And, although he likely tried earnestly to convince himself that it didn't matter, it didn't change anything, deep in his heart Esau had to know that something had shifted and a line had been crossed. He knew Jacob had to have told their mother.
As the years passed and nothing seemed to change, Esau gradually began to hope that it really didn't matter what he said that day. He married two local women, asserting his choices over his mother's disapproval. Jacob had no bride...and the inheritance would never pass to one who had no offspring.
He may actually have thought he'd gotten out from under the oath the day that Isaac, old and blind with cataracts, called him privately to his side and asked him to go out hunting. Isaac wanted to eat Esau's special wild game dish one last time, 'So I can bless you before I die,' Isaac instructed. Esau grabbed his gear quickly and left without speaking to anyone; his father's blessing would go far to help him lay claim to the inheritance portion due the eldest. He didn't stop to think that that blessing was also included in the rights of the firstborn he had traded away so long ago.
Unlike that fateful day, he had a successful hunt. He took his prize back to the settlement, but he did not go to the cooking tents as he still wanted his actions to go unnoticed by the rest of the household. He stopped just outside the tents and built a fire and prepared his catch as his mother had taught him...exactly how Isaac liked it best.
To all appearances, he had succeeded in his plan to fulfill Isaac's wish and receive the blessing before the rest of the household knew what was going on. He put the game on a platter and went to Isaac's tent. 'Let my father arise and eat of the food your son has prepared! I'm here to receive your blessing!'
But Isaac did not smile and welcome him as he expected. Instead, Isaac turned his sightless eyes toward him. 'Who are you?' he asked.
Esau faltered a bit. 'I am your son...your firstborn...Esau.'
The old man began to tremble. 'Who was it then, who hunted game and brought it to me so that I ate all of it? Before you came? I blessed him...he's the one who will be blessed!'
I'm not sure what Esau did with the platter of food. He may have dropped it in sudden shock, or he may have turned and set it down as the finality of that statement registered with him. Genesis 27:34 states that when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry... all his stealth and care had not changed anything. The blessing due the heir had gone to Jacob.
I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. (Gen 27:40)
Bitter news indeed for Esau. What he had given away in a careless moment had just been confirmed to his brother. The best Isaac could prophesy for him was when you become restless...you will break his yoke from your neck.
Esau took that to heart, and determined that he'd set the terms of that himself by killing Jacob once Isaac had passed away. But, to his consternation, Isaac called Jacob to him, and blessed him and sent him back to Rebekah's family to find a wife.
Jacob was out of reach.
At first, Esau expected his brother to return home soon, with a favored wife from the family, to supplant him. He attempted to head that off by marrying a third wife, one of Ishmael's daughters, to try and please his parents as well.
But first one year passed, and then two, and then several. Esau had sons, acquired livestock. Although he kept an eye on the road to Padan-aram, Jacob did not appear. Rebekah died and was buried, Isaac grew old and feeble. But Isaac's servants cared for him and his property; Esau realized that, as he no longer had the rights of the firstborn, he also did not have the responsibilities. He had wealth, he had sons, he had everything he needed. At some point, Esau decided to move his family to Seir.
No longer was he waiting for his brother to return home so they could have the show-down. He did not need to reclaim the birthright...he had built his own.
He had broken Jacob's yoke from his neck.
The dates in the Biblical narrative are rather imprecise, but we can pretty well approximate that it was at least 20 years before Esau and Jacob saw each other again. Esau heard Jacob was returning home, with what sounded like an army from the rumors he'd heard, so he saddled up and took his servants with him to meet Jacob and find out if he intended to try and take from him what was his.
Instead, he was met with wave after wave of generous gifts. He was not surprised that Jacob declined his offer to escort the nomads to Seir...they had no part in it and no real reason to go. But he had made the offer and met the standards of etiquette. He turned his back to Jacob, and did not fear his retribution. They were reconciled enough to give Isaac proper burial when he died, and they recognized that they could not live close together because God had blessed them both to the point that the land could not sustain both of them. Esau took his leave and settled permanently in the land that later took on his nickname...Edom.
A bad choice can lead to difficult, disappointing and irreversible consequences. But at the point at which we stop blaming others for the consequences of our own actions, God can bless us and begin the process of restoration.
In what area of my life am I refusing to acknowledge my own responsibility for the consequences I am experiencing? How can I confess and repent of my own bad choices/wrong actions so that God can take what I have and turn it around for His glory? What is the first step I need to take to move past blame into reconciliation?
(All scripture today from the NASB)
Rebekah had had the prophecy that her twins were both fathers of nations, but that the younger would surpass the elder.
We don't know much about the boys as they grew, other than Esau loved being outside and Jacob was content to hang around the tents.
Genesis 25:28 states that Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I wonder, myself, if Jacob was sickly as a child, while Esau grew fast and strong. That would have resulted in Jacob being kept around his mother while Esau hung with Isaac. Not to mention that Esau's skill in hunting kept Isaac's tummy happy. Rebekah, for all that she had left the household of intrigue when she was young, still had old habits and old expectations and old patterns in her life. And she had Jacob's ear...he learned much from his mother. Not the least, apparently, was the prophecy that he would rule over his elder brother.
Esau had no such instruction. He was the firstborn; he had no need of intrigue or even of much thinking. All he saw was his by right and nature, why should he worry about it? He was favored by his father.
So, when he returned from a long and fruitless hunting trek, he let his appetite override his judgement and he swore an unfortunate oath to give Jacob his rights. I have a hard time believing that he actually thought he was on the verge of dying and could not make it the last few paces to the tents where there was food; maybe he thought Jacob was kidding, maybe he thought his words would not cancel what was his by virtue of who he was.
But the oath was sworn, and Jacob and God both heard it. And, although he likely tried earnestly to convince himself that it didn't matter, it didn't change anything, deep in his heart Esau had to know that something had shifted and a line had been crossed. He knew Jacob had to have told their mother.
As the years passed and nothing seemed to change, Esau gradually began to hope that it really didn't matter what he said that day. He married two local women, asserting his choices over his mother's disapproval. Jacob had no bride...and the inheritance would never pass to one who had no offspring.
He may actually have thought he'd gotten out from under the oath the day that Isaac, old and blind with cataracts, called him privately to his side and asked him to go out hunting. Isaac wanted to eat Esau's special wild game dish one last time, 'So I can bless you before I die,' Isaac instructed. Esau grabbed his gear quickly and left without speaking to anyone; his father's blessing would go far to help him lay claim to the inheritance portion due the eldest. He didn't stop to think that that blessing was also included in the rights of the firstborn he had traded away so long ago.
Unlike that fateful day, he had a successful hunt. He took his prize back to the settlement, but he did not go to the cooking tents as he still wanted his actions to go unnoticed by the rest of the household. He stopped just outside the tents and built a fire and prepared his catch as his mother had taught him...exactly how Isaac liked it best.
To all appearances, he had succeeded in his plan to fulfill Isaac's wish and receive the blessing before the rest of the household knew what was going on. He put the game on a platter and went to Isaac's tent. 'Let my father arise and eat of the food your son has prepared! I'm here to receive your blessing!'
But Isaac did not smile and welcome him as he expected. Instead, Isaac turned his sightless eyes toward him. 'Who are you?' he asked.
Esau faltered a bit. 'I am your son...your firstborn...Esau.'
The old man began to tremble. 'Who was it then, who hunted game and brought it to me so that I ate all of it? Before you came? I blessed him...he's the one who will be blessed!'
I'm not sure what Esau did with the platter of food. He may have dropped it in sudden shock, or he may have turned and set it down as the finality of that statement registered with him. Genesis 27:34 states that when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry... all his stealth and care had not changed anything. The blessing due the heir had gone to Jacob.
I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. (Gen 27:40)
Bitter news indeed for Esau. What he had given away in a careless moment had just been confirmed to his brother. The best Isaac could prophesy for him was when you become restless...you will break his yoke from your neck.
Esau took that to heart, and determined that he'd set the terms of that himself by killing Jacob once Isaac had passed away. But, to his consternation, Isaac called Jacob to him, and blessed him and sent him back to Rebekah's family to find a wife.
Jacob was out of reach.
At first, Esau expected his brother to return home soon, with a favored wife from the family, to supplant him. He attempted to head that off by marrying a third wife, one of Ishmael's daughters, to try and please his parents as well.
But first one year passed, and then two, and then several. Esau had sons, acquired livestock. Although he kept an eye on the road to Padan-aram, Jacob did not appear. Rebekah died and was buried, Isaac grew old and feeble. But Isaac's servants cared for him and his property; Esau realized that, as he no longer had the rights of the firstborn, he also did not have the responsibilities. He had wealth, he had sons, he had everything he needed. At some point, Esau decided to move his family to Seir.
No longer was he waiting for his brother to return home so they could have the show-down. He did not need to reclaim the birthright...he had built his own.
He had broken Jacob's yoke from his neck.
The dates in the Biblical narrative are rather imprecise, but we can pretty well approximate that it was at least 20 years before Esau and Jacob saw each other again. Esau heard Jacob was returning home, with what sounded like an army from the rumors he'd heard, so he saddled up and took his servants with him to meet Jacob and find out if he intended to try and take from him what was his.
Instead, he was met with wave after wave of generous gifts. He was not surprised that Jacob declined his offer to escort the nomads to Seir...they had no part in it and no real reason to go. But he had made the offer and met the standards of etiquette. He turned his back to Jacob, and did not fear his retribution. They were reconciled enough to give Isaac proper burial when he died, and they recognized that they could not live close together because God had blessed them both to the point that the land could not sustain both of them. Esau took his leave and settled permanently in the land that later took on his nickname...Edom.
A bad choice can lead to difficult, disappointing and irreversible consequences. But at the point at which we stop blaming others for the consequences of our own actions, God can bless us and begin the process of restoration.
In what area of my life am I refusing to acknowledge my own responsibility for the consequences I am experiencing? How can I confess and repent of my own bad choices/wrong actions so that God can take what I have and turn it around for His glory? What is the first step I need to take to move past blame into reconciliation?
Friday, July 17, 2015
All Things New: Rebekah, The 'Leap of Faith' Road
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?"
"I will go," she said. -- Gen 24:57-58, NIV84
Years passed; Isaac grew to manhood, Sarah died and was buried. And Abraham, feeling his age, called his chief servant in with a request. Isaac should not marry any of the women of the nations around them, he said. Isaac should marry a woman of Abraham's clan...someone who would share his heritage and who would not bring strange gods into the household. So Abraham sent his most trusted servant back to the land he left...Haran...to seek out a bride for his son.
We know his side of the story well; how he came to the place and asked God for a specific sign to show him the woman God had chosen for Isaac's wife...and how quickly a beautiful young lady appeared who fulfilled the sign to the letter and turned out to be Abraham's great niece, the daughter of his brother Nahor's son, Bethuel.
We know very little else about this remarkable young lady at this point.
But we know something of her family.
Her grandfather, Abraham's brother, had died. Bethuel was now the head of the clan...at least, in name. But Rebekah's brother Laban was the one who greeted Abraham's servant and gave orders regarding him. It was Rebekah's mother and Laban who attempted to set the terms for Rebekah's journey. This makes me wonder how much actual influence Bethuel had in his own household.
And we know from later dealings with Laban that he was not a man of integrity.
So...what was life like for Rebekah, living in that household? With maidservants of her own, she still went to the spring to draw water. Was that an indication of her servant's heart...or her opportunity to get out of the house and away from an atmosphere that was oppressive to her? Or was it just an unusual set of circumstances that had her making the trip for water that particular night? Or all three in combination?
That night started out no different than any other night when she would draw water...she took her jar down to the spring, with the sun slanting low in the west. She was a little surprised to see a travel-worn man near the spring, with ten camels kneeling nearby with servants attending them. But the man said nothing, and it was not proper for her to ask a stranger about his business, so she continued to the spring and filled her jar, as always. But when she turned and headed back with it, the man stopped her and asked for a drink of water. As she was apparently the first young lady to come and get water that night, that may not have seemed odd to her. He had nothing to use to draw water, and he was thirsty. And there were all those camels...
Again, what prompted Rebekah to offer to water the camels? Her servant's heart? Her interest in a legitimate excuse to stay away from her family? Or maybe her curiosity...perhaps she could learn the stranger's purpose if she watered his camels. He appeared to be a wealthy man. She didn't even hesitate, once the idea occurred to her.
She carried jar after jar to the animal trough to water those camels. Camels can go for weeks without drinking, but when they have water available, they drink...and drink...and drink...and drink...and drink. She kept filling the trough until the last camel turned away.
The man then pulled out a gold nose ring of impressive size and two hefty gold bracelets and offered them to her...and asked whose daughter she was, and if there would be room for him and his attendants to spend the night. She was impressed...if the jewelry was his appreciation for watering the camels, he was a man of honor and significance. She told him she was Nahor's granddaughter, and welcomed him on behalf of her family.
Then the man surprised her...he bowed to the ground and worshiped God, thanking Him for bringing him straight to his intended destination.
God led him here? That was...different. Rebekah hurried to her mother and told her what had happened. Laban, who was standing there, saw the jewelry and the moment he'd heard enough to find the man, took off for the spring. "I have prepared the house and a place for the camels" could hardly have been exactly true...there had been no time...but unexpected guests were the only kind of guests in those days, so there were things that were just always ready.
The camels were bedded down, the travelers all had footbaths, and food was brought for them. But the servant waved it off. "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say."
Now they were down to business. "Then tell us"...every translation I have handy at the moment attributes that statement to Laban, but every one has it marked that that is the implication, as Laban has clearly been playing the role of host up to that moment. But the entire household...including Bethuel, as we see in verse 50...had assembled to learn what had brought this man to their doorstep.
Now, consider. It had been close to sundown when Rebekah went to the well. She watered all the camels, then returned. Laban had gone down to the well, and all the servants and camels were brought back to the compound and were fed and bedded down. Then the men were welcomed and food prepared.
It was getting late in the evening when he began his story.
None of them there would remember Abraham, unless there were very old servants around. Bethuel was not yet born when Abram left Haran, but news had traveled around somewhat. They may or may not have known of Isaac, they may or may not have known about Abraham's wealth. But the servant had come with camels and servants and the gold jewelry that Rebekah was now wearing and it was all proven.
The servant's story was impressive...that he and Abraham agreed that there was one woman he was to seek, and she would have the power to choose to come or not come. He was not obligated to find another if that woman declined the journey. He related how he had asked God to show him that specific woman...and that Rebekah had precisely fulfilled that description.
Laban and Bethuel looked at each other, amazed, and replied,
This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed.'
But notice...no one asked Rebekah. Her father and her brother agreed that if this was God's doing, they had no business having an opinion. I wonder what Rebekah thought as she returned to her place, took off the jewelry and settled down to sleep. I rather suspect it all seemed rather dream-like and unreal. Was she excited? Disappointed that she wasn't going to marry some young man that she'd had her eye on? Or maybe the person who'd made inquiries about marrying her wasn't young and handsome but a local middle-aged landowner who was interested in adding her to his harem in order to make an alliance with her father?
Maybe she was seeing a way out of something that was becoming intolerable.
Or, maybe for the first time in her life, she was seeing herself as significant to God. He had, after all, led the servant straight to her.
The next morning, Abraham's servant got up and asked for permission to leave with Rebekah that very day.
Rebekah's mother and Laban balked. Ten days, they said. 'Let her stay home with us for ten days or so, then we'll let her go.'
But he was insistent. He had obtained his objective; his master was waiting to see if he was successful. There was no reason to delay his return.
Then...Rebekah's family hit upon the idea of asking her. I'm not sure what they expected her to say, but I'm convinced it wasn't what she said. She'd had the night to think...to imagine life differently than it was...to ponder the idea that God had a destiny for her unlike any she had considered. So when they asked her, "Will you go with this man?" she simultaneously took her future into her own hands and released it into God's when she surprised them by saying, "I will go."
The woman that the servant was seeking chose to return with him.
In less than 24 hours, she had changed from the daughter in a house of manipulation and tension to a bride on the way to her husband, whom she'd never met, in a land she did not know. But she did know that God had selected her for that place...and it was her own choice to step into it.
And God, in His ways, put her in the arms of a man who loved her.
Are there areas in my life in which God is calling me to leave what is familar absolutely and without hesitation? Will I go where the Spirit calls, trusting Him? At once? Today?
Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?"
"I will go," she said. -- Gen 24:57-58, NIV84
Years passed; Isaac grew to manhood, Sarah died and was buried. And Abraham, feeling his age, called his chief servant in with a request. Isaac should not marry any of the women of the nations around them, he said. Isaac should marry a woman of Abraham's clan...someone who would share his heritage and who would not bring strange gods into the household. So Abraham sent his most trusted servant back to the land he left...Haran...to seek out a bride for his son.
We know his side of the story well; how he came to the place and asked God for a specific sign to show him the woman God had chosen for Isaac's wife...and how quickly a beautiful young lady appeared who fulfilled the sign to the letter and turned out to be Abraham's great niece, the daughter of his brother Nahor's son, Bethuel.
We know very little else about this remarkable young lady at this point.
But we know something of her family.
Her grandfather, Abraham's brother, had died. Bethuel was now the head of the clan...at least, in name. But Rebekah's brother Laban was the one who greeted Abraham's servant and gave orders regarding him. It was Rebekah's mother and Laban who attempted to set the terms for Rebekah's journey. This makes me wonder how much actual influence Bethuel had in his own household.
And we know from later dealings with Laban that he was not a man of integrity.
So...what was life like for Rebekah, living in that household? With maidservants of her own, she still went to the spring to draw water. Was that an indication of her servant's heart...or her opportunity to get out of the house and away from an atmosphere that was oppressive to her? Or was it just an unusual set of circumstances that had her making the trip for water that particular night? Or all three in combination?
That night started out no different than any other night when she would draw water...she took her jar down to the spring, with the sun slanting low in the west. She was a little surprised to see a travel-worn man near the spring, with ten camels kneeling nearby with servants attending them. But the man said nothing, and it was not proper for her to ask a stranger about his business, so she continued to the spring and filled her jar, as always. But when she turned and headed back with it, the man stopped her and asked for a drink of water. As she was apparently the first young lady to come and get water that night, that may not have seemed odd to her. He had nothing to use to draw water, and he was thirsty. And there were all those camels...
Again, what prompted Rebekah to offer to water the camels? Her servant's heart? Her interest in a legitimate excuse to stay away from her family? Or maybe her curiosity...perhaps she could learn the stranger's purpose if she watered his camels. He appeared to be a wealthy man. She didn't even hesitate, once the idea occurred to her.
She carried jar after jar to the animal trough to water those camels. Camels can go for weeks without drinking, but when they have water available, they drink...and drink...and drink...and drink...and drink. She kept filling the trough until the last camel turned away.
The man then pulled out a gold nose ring of impressive size and two hefty gold bracelets and offered them to her...and asked whose daughter she was, and if there would be room for him and his attendants to spend the night. She was impressed...if the jewelry was his appreciation for watering the camels, he was a man of honor and significance. She told him she was Nahor's granddaughter, and welcomed him on behalf of her family.
Then the man surprised her...he bowed to the ground and worshiped God, thanking Him for bringing him straight to his intended destination.
God led him here? That was...different. Rebekah hurried to her mother and told her what had happened. Laban, who was standing there, saw the jewelry and the moment he'd heard enough to find the man, took off for the spring. "I have prepared the house and a place for the camels" could hardly have been exactly true...there had been no time...but unexpected guests were the only kind of guests in those days, so there were things that were just always ready.
The camels were bedded down, the travelers all had footbaths, and food was brought for them. But the servant waved it off. "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say."
Now they were down to business. "Then tell us"...every translation I have handy at the moment attributes that statement to Laban, but every one has it marked that that is the implication, as Laban has clearly been playing the role of host up to that moment. But the entire household...including Bethuel, as we see in verse 50...had assembled to learn what had brought this man to their doorstep.
Now, consider. It had been close to sundown when Rebekah went to the well. She watered all the camels, then returned. Laban had gone down to the well, and all the servants and camels were brought back to the compound and were fed and bedded down. Then the men were welcomed and food prepared.
It was getting late in the evening when he began his story.
None of them there would remember Abraham, unless there were very old servants around. Bethuel was not yet born when Abram left Haran, but news had traveled around somewhat. They may or may not have known of Isaac, they may or may not have known about Abraham's wealth. But the servant had come with camels and servants and the gold jewelry that Rebekah was now wearing and it was all proven.
The servant's story was impressive...that he and Abraham agreed that there was one woman he was to seek, and she would have the power to choose to come or not come. He was not obligated to find another if that woman declined the journey. He related how he had asked God to show him that specific woman...and that Rebekah had precisely fulfilled that description.
Laban and Bethuel looked at each other, amazed, and replied,
This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed.'
But notice...no one asked Rebekah. Her father and her brother agreed that if this was God's doing, they had no business having an opinion. I wonder what Rebekah thought as she returned to her place, took off the jewelry and settled down to sleep. I rather suspect it all seemed rather dream-like and unreal. Was she excited? Disappointed that she wasn't going to marry some young man that she'd had her eye on? Or maybe the person who'd made inquiries about marrying her wasn't young and handsome but a local middle-aged landowner who was interested in adding her to his harem in order to make an alliance with her father?
Maybe she was seeing a way out of something that was becoming intolerable.
Or, maybe for the first time in her life, she was seeing herself as significant to God. He had, after all, led the servant straight to her.
The next morning, Abraham's servant got up and asked for permission to leave with Rebekah that very day.
Rebekah's mother and Laban balked. Ten days, they said. 'Let her stay home with us for ten days or so, then we'll let her go.'
But he was insistent. He had obtained his objective; his master was waiting to see if he was successful. There was no reason to delay his return.
Then...Rebekah's family hit upon the idea of asking her. I'm not sure what they expected her to say, but I'm convinced it wasn't what she said. She'd had the night to think...to imagine life differently than it was...to ponder the idea that God had a destiny for her unlike any she had considered. So when they asked her, "Will you go with this man?" she simultaneously took her future into her own hands and released it into God's when she surprised them by saying, "I will go."
The woman that the servant was seeking chose to return with him.
In less than 24 hours, she had changed from the daughter in a house of manipulation and tension to a bride on the way to her husband, whom she'd never met, in a land she did not know. But she did know that God had selected her for that place...and it was her own choice to step into it.
And God, in His ways, put her in the arms of a man who loved her.
Are there areas in my life in which God is calling me to leave what is familar absolutely and without hesitation? Will I go where the Spirit calls, trusting Him? At once? Today?
Friday, July 10, 2015
All Things New: Sarah, the Unhoped-for Road, part 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
In my reader's mind, I see Abraham returning from the interaction with God recorded in Genesis 17 differently than any of the others. God had renewed both the covenant and the promise, and he now understood that God was not finished with him yet; God had more in store for Abraham than he had ever imagined. Striding into the compound of tents, he calls for the men to assemble. 'Go find them!' He instructs his household servants to collect the herdsmen from the pastures and the servants from the fields. 'I need every man and boy who belongs to me!' Then he turns to find his wife. He finds her in her place, tending to the business of the household. There is something different in the way he looks at her, and she notices. Something stirs in her spirit that had lain dead for years and years and years, something that brought a glimpse of youth and virility and desire that she had long forgotten. He smiles and takes her face in his hands and says for her ears alone, 'Sarai -- the Lord says you are Sarah, His princess, and you are part of His promise.' In an American telling of the tale, there would be a passionate kiss at that point, but I think Abraham had other things on his mind at the moment and after sharing that tidbit gets to the business at hand. 'I need every knife we have...and I need them to be as sharp as we can get them as quickly as we can get them. I have heard from El-Shaddai!'
Sarah would have heard the declaration before his assembled household...that God had changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai would now be Sarah; the ordeal the men and boys were about to undergo had been declared by God to distinguish Abraham and his descendants from all other people groups from that time on.
Who actually wielded those knives, what kind of pain relief or follow up care they would have had available to them is beyond my knowledge. The women of the household may actually have had very little involvement in the process...or they may have been holding hands, bringing towels, changing water, sharpening knives...who knows. It had to have been a trying day for everyone. But Abraham had God's promise, and he believed that God would do what he said; I rather believe there was a worship service going on the whole time. It was a smaller scaled version of the event that confirmed the covenant for the whole nation hundreds of years later on the west bank of the Jordan River.
The covenant was in effect. The promise was coming. A nation and a people to be God's own.
But at this point, Sarah was cleaning and cleaning and cleaning again. And trying to get used to her new name.
I don't think Abraham had passed along the rest of the word concerning her. For when Abraham's heavenly guests arrived shortly afterward, and Abraham was told once more, this time within Sarah's hearing, that Sarah would have a son within the next year, she thought it ridiculous and laughed to herself...a disillusioned, derisive laugh, I'm sure. After all this time and disappointment and the conflicts they'd endured to see the promise come to pass...no, it couldn't be so.
I think if Abraham had told her what God had said, Sarah would've received that as a confirmation and been amazed, perhaps; I don't think her reaction would've been to have scoffed at the news, even privately. But there, in the tent, out of sight and hearing of Abraham and his guests, Sarah heard that ludicrous statement and laughed.
And was terrified when she was called out on it.
Probably in her mind she didn't laugh...that is, she didn't consider that bitter chuckle to be laughter. Not really. But the Lord not only called her out for laughing, but repeated her thoughts and answered them. 'Is anything too hard for the LORD? ...This time next year, you'll have a son.'
'No,' she insisted, 'I didn't laugh. Really'
And he replied, I would almost say tenderly, because here was a lady who had given up on God ever noticing her, 'Oh, yes, you did.'
Here was the paradigm shift for Sarah. Abraham talked to God. Hagar had a supernatural word. But all Sarah had was Abraham's statement that God changed her name...and that was only recently. But now...God asked for her by name, told her what she thought, answered the questions of her heart, and assured her that, even though she was afraid and disillusioned, her weaknesses were seen and yet did not disqualify her from the promise.
Everything new for Sarah came from that moment, when she could no longer consider herself someone who didn't matter. God saw her. He knew her. And she was part of His plan.
Before God changes circumstances, He changes hearts. The paradigm shift that needs to happen for so many is to believe that 'God sees and has a plan for ME'. We find it's relatively easy to believe God speaks to others, acts on behalf of others, but when it comes to believing He would do the same for each of us, individually and personally...we struggle.. Believe we're invisible to Him, or disqualified in some way.
But He asks for us by name, and will tell what we need to hear, if we will but listen. He'll even deal with unbelief, if we will give Him the chance.
What can I do to put myself in the place where I can hear Him call my name? What question do I need to hear Him answer?
In my reader's mind, I see Abraham returning from the interaction with God recorded in Genesis 17 differently than any of the others. God had renewed both the covenant and the promise, and he now understood that God was not finished with him yet; God had more in store for Abraham than he had ever imagined. Striding into the compound of tents, he calls for the men to assemble. 'Go find them!' He instructs his household servants to collect the herdsmen from the pastures and the servants from the fields. 'I need every man and boy who belongs to me!' Then he turns to find his wife. He finds her in her place, tending to the business of the household. There is something different in the way he looks at her, and she notices. Something stirs in her spirit that had lain dead for years and years and years, something that brought a glimpse of youth and virility and desire that she had long forgotten. He smiles and takes her face in his hands and says for her ears alone, 'Sarai -- the Lord says you are Sarah, His princess, and you are part of His promise.' In an American telling of the tale, there would be a passionate kiss at that point, but I think Abraham had other things on his mind at the moment and after sharing that tidbit gets to the business at hand. 'I need every knife we have...and I need them to be as sharp as we can get them as quickly as we can get them. I have heard from El-Shaddai!'
Sarah would have heard the declaration before his assembled household...that God had changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai would now be Sarah; the ordeal the men and boys were about to undergo had been declared by God to distinguish Abraham and his descendants from all other people groups from that time on.
Who actually wielded those knives, what kind of pain relief or follow up care they would have had available to them is beyond my knowledge. The women of the household may actually have had very little involvement in the process...or they may have been holding hands, bringing towels, changing water, sharpening knives...who knows. It had to have been a trying day for everyone. But Abraham had God's promise, and he believed that God would do what he said; I rather believe there was a worship service going on the whole time. It was a smaller scaled version of the event that confirmed the covenant for the whole nation hundreds of years later on the west bank of the Jordan River.
The covenant was in effect. The promise was coming. A nation and a people to be God's own.
But at this point, Sarah was cleaning and cleaning and cleaning again. And trying to get used to her new name.
I don't think Abraham had passed along the rest of the word concerning her. For when Abraham's heavenly guests arrived shortly afterward, and Abraham was told once more, this time within Sarah's hearing, that Sarah would have a son within the next year, she thought it ridiculous and laughed to herself...a disillusioned, derisive laugh, I'm sure. After all this time and disappointment and the conflicts they'd endured to see the promise come to pass...no, it couldn't be so.
I think if Abraham had told her what God had said, Sarah would've received that as a confirmation and been amazed, perhaps; I don't think her reaction would've been to have scoffed at the news, even privately. But there, in the tent, out of sight and hearing of Abraham and his guests, Sarah heard that ludicrous statement and laughed.
And was terrified when she was called out on it.
Probably in her mind she didn't laugh...that is, she didn't consider that bitter chuckle to be laughter. Not really. But the Lord not only called her out for laughing, but repeated her thoughts and answered them. 'Is anything too hard for the LORD? ...This time next year, you'll have a son.'
'No,' she insisted, 'I didn't laugh. Really'
And he replied, I would almost say tenderly, because here was a lady who had given up on God ever noticing her, 'Oh, yes, you did.'
Here was the paradigm shift for Sarah. Abraham talked to God. Hagar had a supernatural word. But all Sarah had was Abraham's statement that God changed her name...and that was only recently. But now...God asked for her by name, told her what she thought, answered the questions of her heart, and assured her that, even though she was afraid and disillusioned, her weaknesses were seen and yet did not disqualify her from the promise.
Everything new for Sarah came from that moment, when she could no longer consider herself someone who didn't matter. God saw her. He knew her. And she was part of His plan.
Before God changes circumstances, He changes hearts. The paradigm shift that needs to happen for so many is to believe that 'God sees and has a plan for ME'. We find it's relatively easy to believe God speaks to others, acts on behalf of others, but when it comes to believing He would do the same for each of us, individually and personally...we struggle.. Believe we're invisible to Him, or disqualified in some way.
But He asks for us by name, and will tell what we need to hear, if we will but listen. He'll even deal with unbelief, if we will give Him the chance.
What can I do to put myself in the place where I can hear Him call my name? What question do I need to hear Him answer?
Friday, July 3, 2015
All Things New: Sarah, the Unhoped-for Road, Part 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
In all of Abraham's story, Sarai/Sarah is a secondary character.
She left Haran with Abram, traipsed with him through Canaan to Egypt, where she went along with Abram's story that she was just his sister, which, according to Genesis 20:13, was the story they presented regularly. She must have been incredibly beautiful; even as an elderly woman her beauty captured the eyes of foreign kings. But it may have been more than just her beauty that caught their eye; in that time, alliances were often formed via marriage. Kings married into each others' families as a way to reinforce treaties and agreements...blood being thicker than ink and all. So the kings who took Sarai/Sarah into their harems may not have been simply infatuated by her, although her beauty is mentioned as a factor, but they may also have been making an alliance with Abram/Abraham.
By our standards, this is an outrageous situation, a great failure on Abram's/Abraham's part to protect and cover his wife. How could he have trusted God so little here, when he trusted Him with so much elsewhere? But Sarai/Sarah did not betray her husband. God stood guard over her and protected her and turned the situation around so that Abram/Abraham even gained wealth as a result of the whole deal.
She endured much for the sake of her husband.
And then...one day he returned from a prayer retreat, dazzled. He spoke of covenant and visions and smoking pots and God's promise that, even in his mid eighties, God was going to bless him and make him a father of a son.
Sarai, well past the age of childbearing herself, cannot have thought for even a moment that she would be the child's mother. She is not mentioned in Genesis 15. What part did she have in Abram's promise...after all the years of moving around and presenting herself as his sister to make him less of a threat to those around them? Would she have to send her husband to the bed of a second wife or concubine...or die altogether...for Abram to even have an opportunity to be a father?
How long did it take her to come to the conclusion that her only chance of having any part in the promise was to offer her maid Hagar as a surrogate mother? How much did it cost her emotionally to go to her husband and say, 'Since God has prevented me from having children, I have a suggestion....'
Now, in that time, what she suggested was perfectly acceptable. Common. And, you know, Abram may not have agreed right away; the narrative does not include much of a time frame. Eventually, however, he did.
There's no indication that they ever asked God for His direction in their planning.
I think she knew, when she first saw Hagar's smirk of superiority once her pregnancy was confirmed, that they'd made a mistake. There was no joy in the family that the promise was manifesting. Instead, petty jealousies and accusations began to multiply. Hagar, who had to have been Sarai's closest companion and confidante, now despised Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram. Abram refused to act on behalf of his wife. Sarai, no doubt feeling betrayed by her best friend, her husband and even her God, mistreated Hagar. Hagar ran away.
You can tell the root of a thing by its fruit. And this fruit was turning out to be both bitter and sour.
Hagar returned to Sarai, subdued for a time after her supernatural encounter, but the damage was done. Whatever their relationship had been before, the trust was broken. They now were rivals.
You know, in a world of men, it had to be painful to Sarai to lose that relationship with her closest female companion. There is no enmity so bitter as that where true friendship has been broken. And Hagar had both a son...Abram's joy and delight and, so far as they all understood, the promise fulfilled..and a supernatural visit from the angel of God. Sarai...all Sarai had was the responsibility of running Abram's household. She had no word from God, no assurance on any account that she was part of the promise. All her attempts to be included had turned to ashes in her hands. What hope did she have? There was nothing left to hope for.
For thirteen years, Sarai lived with that. Then Abram had another encounter with God.
There is no situation so bleak as the one taken at face value. Even when there is no visible evidence of God's plan, His plan is still in place. The promise is still coming. God will not hold back what He has spoken, even if we give up looking for it.
In all of Abraham's story, Sarai/Sarah is a secondary character.
She left Haran with Abram, traipsed with him through Canaan to Egypt, where she went along with Abram's story that she was just his sister, which, according to Genesis 20:13, was the story they presented regularly. She must have been incredibly beautiful; even as an elderly woman her beauty captured the eyes of foreign kings. But it may have been more than just her beauty that caught their eye; in that time, alliances were often formed via marriage. Kings married into each others' families as a way to reinforce treaties and agreements...blood being thicker than ink and all. So the kings who took Sarai/Sarah into their harems may not have been simply infatuated by her, although her beauty is mentioned as a factor, but they may also have been making an alliance with Abram/Abraham.
By our standards, this is an outrageous situation, a great failure on Abram's/Abraham's part to protect and cover his wife. How could he have trusted God so little here, when he trusted Him with so much elsewhere? But Sarai/Sarah did not betray her husband. God stood guard over her and protected her and turned the situation around so that Abram/Abraham even gained wealth as a result of the whole deal.
She endured much for the sake of her husband.
And then...one day he returned from a prayer retreat, dazzled. He spoke of covenant and visions and smoking pots and God's promise that, even in his mid eighties, God was going to bless him and make him a father of a son.
Sarai, well past the age of childbearing herself, cannot have thought for even a moment that she would be the child's mother. She is not mentioned in Genesis 15. What part did she have in Abram's promise...after all the years of moving around and presenting herself as his sister to make him less of a threat to those around them? Would she have to send her husband to the bed of a second wife or concubine...or die altogether...for Abram to even have an opportunity to be a father?
How long did it take her to come to the conclusion that her only chance of having any part in the promise was to offer her maid Hagar as a surrogate mother? How much did it cost her emotionally to go to her husband and say, 'Since God has prevented me from having children, I have a suggestion....'
Now, in that time, what she suggested was perfectly acceptable. Common. And, you know, Abram may not have agreed right away; the narrative does not include much of a time frame. Eventually, however, he did.
There's no indication that they ever asked God for His direction in their planning.
I think she knew, when she first saw Hagar's smirk of superiority once her pregnancy was confirmed, that they'd made a mistake. There was no joy in the family that the promise was manifesting. Instead, petty jealousies and accusations began to multiply. Hagar, who had to have been Sarai's closest companion and confidante, now despised Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram. Abram refused to act on behalf of his wife. Sarai, no doubt feeling betrayed by her best friend, her husband and even her God, mistreated Hagar. Hagar ran away.
You can tell the root of a thing by its fruit. And this fruit was turning out to be both bitter and sour.
Hagar returned to Sarai, subdued for a time after her supernatural encounter, but the damage was done. Whatever their relationship had been before, the trust was broken. They now were rivals.
You know, in a world of men, it had to be painful to Sarai to lose that relationship with her closest female companion. There is no enmity so bitter as that where true friendship has been broken. And Hagar had both a son...Abram's joy and delight and, so far as they all understood, the promise fulfilled..and a supernatural visit from the angel of God. Sarai...all Sarai had was the responsibility of running Abram's household. She had no word from God, no assurance on any account that she was part of the promise. All her attempts to be included had turned to ashes in her hands. What hope did she have? There was nothing left to hope for.
For thirteen years, Sarai lived with that. Then Abram had another encounter with God.
There is no situation so bleak as the one taken at face value. Even when there is no visible evidence of God's plan, His plan is still in place. The promise is still coming. God will not hold back what He has spoken, even if we give up looking for it.
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