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?
Friday, October 9, 2015
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.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
SSMT Verse 18 - 2 Cor. 4:17-18
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
It always amazes me that the Apostle Paul, who would list out his sufferings later in this very book this way:
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one [note: this was a prescribed punishment, so dictated because 40 lashes was deemed a fatal beating]. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea [note: this was written BEFORE Paul was sent to Rome and was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta]. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. -- 2 Cor 10:24 - 27.
would have a perspective on the hardships of life that challenges me today.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -- 2 Cor 4:17-18, NIV84
If that was what Paul considered 'light and momentary troubles', then I am embarrassed by my petty whining and complaining.
And I need to remember that a little more often.
Beth has a great devo today on frustration...particularly regarding getting frustrated w/trying to commit scripture to memory; it's like she's been eavesdropping on my mental conversations with myself. If you've got time, go have a listen. :-)
It always amazes me that the Apostle Paul, who would list out his sufferings later in this very book this way:
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one [note: this was a prescribed punishment, so dictated because 40 lashes was deemed a fatal beating]. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea [note: this was written BEFORE Paul was sent to Rome and was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta]. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. -- 2 Cor 10:24 - 27.
would have a perspective on the hardships of life that challenges me today.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -- 2 Cor 4:17-18, NIV84
If that was what Paul considered 'light and momentary troubles', then I am embarrassed by my petty whining and complaining.
And I need to remember that a little more often.
Beth has a great devo today on frustration...particularly regarding getting frustrated w/trying to commit scripture to memory; it's like she's been eavesdropping on my mental conversations with myself. If you've got time, go have a listen. :-)
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?
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Ten Years Down the Road...
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Changing up the family room/sun porch was one of our prime projects when we bought the house.
Unfortunately, before we could do that we had to 1) re-roof the house and replace the skylights. 2)Repair water damage to the porch...which ended up being a complete rebuild. 3) save up enough to tackle the wall/door.
But, with My Sweet Babboo's severance package from the layoff at the start of the year, we were able to pay off the debt from the rebuild and proceed with Phase 2 of the sun room renovation.
So, 3 1/2 years after our contractor packed up and moved on with the porch stable and dry, we are seeing the work pick up again.
This is what that wall looked like Saturday.
From the family room side...
...from the sunroom side.
Yesterday...the wall came down, the support beam was installed and the new door was framed in.
After we saw how amazing the space felt opened up, it was a real temptation to just get two more doors to flank the center one, but we decided to be practical and stick with the original plan. The new wall was framed out today.
And...for my sewing buddy friends who came over from Sew Random, here's a unique use for a Really Big Zipper...lol. The door from the dinette into the construction zone.
That barrier is kitty proof; she tried to come through it last night but couldn't. Which is a good thing; we don't need her crawling around on the fiberglass insulation..
It's so incredible to see this happening after we've dreamed about it for so long. It's going to be almost like having a brand new house...
Changing up the family room/sun porch was one of our prime projects when we bought the house.
Unfortunately, before we could do that we had to 1) re-roof the house and replace the skylights. 2)Repair water damage to the porch...which ended up being a complete rebuild. 3) save up enough to tackle the wall/door.
But, with My Sweet Babboo's severance package from the layoff at the start of the year, we were able to pay off the debt from the rebuild and proceed with Phase 2 of the sun room renovation.
So, 3 1/2 years after our contractor packed up and moved on with the porch stable and dry, we are seeing the work pick up again.
This is what that wall looked like Saturday.
From the family room side...
...from the sunroom side.
That barrier is kitty proof; she tried to come through it last night but couldn't. Which is a good thing; we don't need her crawling around on the fiberglass insulation..
It's so incredible to see this happening after we've dreamed about it for so long. It's going to be almost like having a brand new house...
Saturday, September 19, 2015
'With Brave Wings, She Flies'
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
The first night of the women's conference, I was given a little appreciation gift. It was a bracelet, with a charm that reads, 'With Brave Wings, She Flies'.
That was a God-kiss on several levels...but here's one that made a difference to me today:
Last summer, when I was going to the sanctuary every day and writing in my journal, just trying to keep myself together for the girls and wondering what on earth I would do when that assignment was over, I heard something in my spirit and wrote it down:
You will be out of your comfort zone, but you will be flying in Mine.
When I left the DIVE school last fall, I knew there was a songwriter's conference coming this fall. I made myself a deal: If I could write one song a month in 2015, I would go to the conference.
Not finished out songs, mind you. Just completed thoughts. Seeds of songs, more like.
I wasn't sure I could do it.
But I have a notebook with a song for each month of the year in it. One or two actually have some potential, I think.
But...it's a chunk of money. The Rocket City has the dubious distinction of being the MOST EXPENSIVE airport to fly in and out of in the country. And we're about to embark on Part Two of the porch upgrade...the one that we started when we found rotting structures in it back in 2011, and has been sitting half finished waiting on funding since it was stabilized in 2012.
I waffled when I was on the websites to register and then to book my flights. I didn't have frequent flyer miles available this time.
I got cold feet.
But I had met my requirement. My hubby gave his blessing. Why was I hesitant?
It's outside of my comfort zone.
I don't think it's a coincidence that I just got the message, 'With brave wings, she flies.'
I gulped and booked the conference and the flights.
Here we go.
The first night of the women's conference, I was given a little appreciation gift. It was a bracelet, with a charm that reads, 'With Brave Wings, She Flies'.
That was a God-kiss on several levels...but here's one that made a difference to me today:
Last summer, when I was going to the sanctuary every day and writing in my journal, just trying to keep myself together for the girls and wondering what on earth I would do when that assignment was over, I heard something in my spirit and wrote it down:
You will be out of your comfort zone, but you will be flying in Mine.
When I left the DIVE school last fall, I knew there was a songwriter's conference coming this fall. I made myself a deal: If I could write one song a month in 2015, I would go to the conference.
Not finished out songs, mind you. Just completed thoughts. Seeds of songs, more like.
I wasn't sure I could do it.
But I have a notebook with a song for each month of the year in it. One or two actually have some potential, I think.
But...it's a chunk of money. The Rocket City has the dubious distinction of being the MOST EXPENSIVE airport to fly in and out of in the country. And we're about to embark on Part Two of the porch upgrade...the one that we started when we found rotting structures in it back in 2011, and has been sitting half finished waiting on funding since it was stabilized in 2012.
I waffled when I was on the websites to register and then to book my flights. I didn't have frequent flyer miles available this time.
I got cold feet.
But I had met my requirement. My hubby gave his blessing. Why was I hesitant?
It's outside of my comfort zone.
I don't think it's a coincidence that I just got the message, 'With brave wings, she flies.'
I gulped and booked the conference and the flights.
Here we go.
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.
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