What profit is it?

Genesis 37: 23-28: “And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

This passage begins the story of Judah, his corruption and then his rehabilitation. Judah, which means “praise” is an interesting man. He was born into a time of great strife in Jacob’s family. He was the unloved Leah’s fourth child while the loved Rachel was childless. Reuben means “the Lord has looked on my affliction” showing conflict; Simeon means “the Lord has heard” also showing evidence of struggle and conflict. Levi means “attached” Leah longed to have a connection with her husband and believed that this third son would allow this attachment to develop. However, Judah means “praise” for when Judah was born Rebekah gave up the struggle for a time and praised the Lord that she had another son. However, in this episode we find that Judah, the fourth born son followed in the footsteps of his older brothers. Reuben destroyed his birthright, Simeon and Levi proved to be murderous and treacherous and now Judah loved money enough to sell his brother. However, as the story progresses, Judah, like his older brothers, shows more noble characteristics. It is interesting that many people today say that they don’t want to be Christians because they don’t like the way Christians behave but we don’t have to worry about Christians; the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Person who matters and He will rehabilitate any sinner who is willing to believe in Him.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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I will give it

Genesis 35: 8-13: “But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.”

Rebekah was Jacob’s mother and her nurse or maid died. We don’t read about Rebekah’s death but we do know where she was buried (see Gen 49: 30, 31 “In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.”) This was a time of weeping as Jacob was a mummy’s boy and the loss of this person who had been with Jacob when he was born was quite painful. However, it was time for Jacob to move on and the Lord appeared to him again. God reminded Jacob of his important place in the history of redemption and that God had changed his name from Jacob to Israel. He was not longer a cheat but someone who was willing to persevere so that he could see God’s blessings. Because Jacob was willing to persevere, God reminded him again of the promises and that they applied, personally, to him as well. Anyone who trusts in God and is willing to keep trusting God throughout their lives will know personal blessing. This doesn’t necessarily mean that person will be rich or famous but that they will know the peace of God in their hearts and minds and they will be content. (compare Phil 4: 7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” and Phil 4: 11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Lay no hand upon him

Genesis 37: 21-22: “And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.”

This section is rich in God’s grace. From the beginning of Joseph’s document to the end, at the end of Genesis, we discover a process of sin followed by rehabilitation. Reuben’s sin did not occur in this section, we saw earlier how he lost his respect as the firstborn son by having a sexual affair with one of his father’s concubines. This act was more than just a betrayal of marital trust, it was also symbolic of taking his father’s authority. There are two significant examples of this later in the Bible. In 2 Samuel 16: 22 (“So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.”) we read that Absalom took his father’s concubines in order to show Israel that he had taken his father’s place and was now king. In 1 Kings 2: 22 (“And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”) after Solomon was crowned king of Israel, his older brother, Adnonijah, asked Solomon’s mother if he could marry King David’s last concubine. This act was deliberate to show that Adonijah had taken David’s place as king and he was executed for this act of treason. However, this section shows that Reuben was rehabilitated for he was the one who tried to protect his brother Joseph from death. God always deals with people in grace and there are always opportunities for rehabilitation unless we choose to die in our sins.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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We shall see what will become of his dreams

Genesis 37: 18-20: “And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

The Lord gave Joseph dreams and he was careless enough to tell these dreams to his brothers even though they hated his for being spoilt. When the brothers saw Joseph visiting them they hatched a plan to get rid of him. This way he they wouldn’t have a spoilt younger brother taking all their father’s attention away from them and they would be able to destroy all his dreams. How often do people in Christian service seem to find opposition and arguments blocking their way and preventing them from doing what they believe the Lord has called them to do? This is evidence of the spiritual battle, similar to the one described in the first two chapters of the book of Job. Satan delights to destroy anything that God is doing, this includes destroying the Lord’s people and their work. There is nothing that will destroy a Christian work than arguments among Christians and people demanding that they be shown respect that they haven’t earned. People who have read the rest of this book will know that the Lord gave Joseph the dreams and that the Lord made sure they were fulfilled. If you are facing opposition and arguments remember that it is probably the spiritual battle and you are a victim. God, on the other hand, is in control and His will always happens, whether we like it or not.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Here am I

Genesis 37: 12-17: “And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.”

Even though Joseph was precocious and annoyed his brothers, he wasn’t stupid. He understood that he still had to please his father, even though he was the favourite. He knew that things may not always be the same as they were at that stage and he has to protect his own interests. This was the reason why he was careful to keep his father happy by doing whatever his father asked him to do. It would have been easy for him to come home and tell his father that his brothers weren’t were they were meant to be but he made the extra effort and found out where his brothers had moved on to. Joseph may have been the favourite son but this didn’t protect him from the hard road that the Lord gave him to walk. He survived because he wasn’t stupid; and because God was working for good in his life. God has promised not to forsake those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Heb 13: 5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”) We can always rely on God but we can also expect to live with the consequences of being stupid.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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And they hated him

Genesis 37: 5-11: “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.”

At this stage of his life Joseph was just a precocious young man. He was spoilt by his father and though that he could do whatever he wanted to do. He had some dreams and made sure that he told everyone in the family about the dreams because he knew that the dreams showed that he was much better than all the other sons in the family. We know that, later on, these dreams come true but Joseph wasn’t wise to tell everyone about them at the time because that made his brothers hate him even more. However, we can learn that God uses people who are willing to submit themselves to Him in His service, even if they weren’t always perfect in their behaviour. That should be a great encouragement to a person who is just a normal Christian who thinks they don’t have much to offer. The fact is, that no one has much to offer God but God uses anyone who is willing to be used. After all, it is God’s work no ours, all we have to remember is that the glory belongs to God and not to the individual whom God uses in His service. Much later in his life Joseph had the proper attitude to his brothers. In Gen 50: 15-20 (“And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”) He forgave his brothers because he had trusted God and knew that God had worked for good in his life.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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They could not speak peaceably to him

Genesis 37: 3, 4: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.”

A problem always arises when there is favouritism, real or perceived. This was the beginning of a long difficult period for Joseph, even though he didn’t know it at the time. he was given a special coat, on that meant he couldn’t work out in the fields with the other brothers. As a result of this his brothers hated him. We assume that this didn’t include his full brother Benjamin because he was probably too young to be involved at that stage. His brothers were so angry that they couldn’t even have a decent conversation with Joseph. Sometimes we allow our circumstances to make us so angry that we lose the ability to communicate with anyone at all. This is what happens when people go on a shooting or a bombing spree. They are filled with frustration and anger and feel that they can’t do anything about their situation. When this happens they are overtaken by an irrational urge and end up doing something that shocks everyone who knows them. It is better to turn your mind to prayer for God can make a difference. In Prov 21: 1 (“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”) We learn that the Lord is in control of everything and He can make the impossible happen. He is always working for our good in everything that happens if we love God and have been called according to His purpose (Rom 8: 28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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These are the generations of Jacob

Gen 37: 1, 2: “And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.”

This section brings Jacob’s document to an end. The document belonged to both Jacob and Esau but much more time was given to Esau’s heritage and qualifications to be taken seriously because he didn’t play any more substantive part in the story of Redemption. However, Herod the Great was an Idumean, one of Esau’s descendants and he tried to stop the story of Redemption when he tried to have the Lord Jesus Christ murdered at Bethlehem (see Matt 2: 16 “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.”). Jacob wrote about Isaac’s history after Isaac died and then this history is completed by Joseph. He entered the story as soon as Jacob’s document finished and was responsible for the rest of the history that is described in the book of Genesis. Joseph was the only person who could have completed the document accurately as he later had the authority to question his brothers and discover their part in that history.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Another document

Gensis 36: 1-43: “Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; And Bashemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth. And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel; And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan. And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir: These are the names of Esau’s sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife. And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau’s wife. And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz, Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah. And these are the sons of Reuel Esau’s son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau’s wife. And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau’s wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes. These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran. These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir. And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah. And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead. And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead. And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. And Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.”

This section acknowledges the fact that Esau was one of Isaac’s children and was thus blessed by God. Even though Esau despised his birthright, the Lord still allowed his descendants to be part of the family of nations and play their part in the history of the region. This concludes the document that was prepared by Jacob and Esau, as we shall see later.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Reuben went

Genesis 35: 21-29: “And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram. And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

The major problem between Esau and Jacob began because Isaac thought that he was going to die. He wanted to have a nice meal of venison before he died so he promised Esau that he would bless him before he died. However, he didn’t actually die until more than twenty years after the blessing episode. We must be careful to remember the words of James 4: 13-15 (“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”) Our times are in God’s hands and He works according to His plan rather than ours. This passage also contains a summary of Jacob’s family after Rachel’s death.We see that the conflict between the wives and supported by Jacob led to a battleground mentality between the sons. Reuben tried to demonstrate his superiority as the firstborn by demonstrating that he was better than his father but this act led to him losing his place as the firstborn son. This also helps us to understand the conflict that occurred between Joseph and the other sons that we will soon be reading about.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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A drink offering

Genesis 35: 14-20: “And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.”

Jacob completed his offering of worship by giving a drink offering to the Lord. He gave the Lord oil, that is, he offered the Lord something that was precious to him. He reminded himself that the place where he first met God was called Bethel. This does not represent two different traditions being edited together to try and explain the place name for Bethel. Jacob promised the Lord that if the Lord brought him back then the Lord would be his God (see Gen 28: 19-22 “And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”). After all, Jacob poured the oil on the stone that he had previously called Bethel and poured oil on the same stone. He was keeping the promise that he had made all those years before. After this Rachel had her second son and she died soon after the birth. She was aware that a son was born and called him “son of my sorrow”. When Jacob heard that name he changed it to “son of my strength”. This reminds us that people who deny themselves and follow the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour may easily face hardship rather than a life of pleasant prosperity. The Lord Jesus Christ is the 

author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12: 2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”) If we follow Him we may be called upon to follow His example.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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I will give it

Genesis 35: 8-13: “But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.”

Rebekah was Jacob’s mother and her nurse or maid died. We don’t read about Rebekah’s death but we do know where she was buried (see Gen 49: 30, 31 “In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.”) This was a time of weeping as Jacob was a mummy’s boy and the loss of this person who had been with Jacob when he was born was quite painful. However, it was time for Jacob to move on and the Lord appeared to him again. God reminded Jacob of his important place in the history of redemption and that God had changed his name from Jacob to Israel. He was not longer a cheat but someone who was willing to persevere so that he could see God’s blessings. Because Jacob was willing to persevere, God reminded him again of the promises and that they applied, personally, to him as well. Anyone who trusts in God and is willing to keep trusting God throughout their lives will know personal blessing. This doesn’t necessarily mean that person will be rich or famous but that they will know the peace of God in their hearts and minds and they will be content. (compare Phil 4: 7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” and Phil 4: 11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Hid the under the oak

Genesis 35: 4-7: “And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.”

Jacob collected all the strange gods from his family and then hid them under a large tree. We could assume that his intention was to leave them there and not to return for them. This is the best thing to do with strange gods, hide them away and leave them behind. If Jacob had left them out they may have become a snare to someone else who found them so he put them in a safe place so that they wouldn’t be a stumbling block to anyone else either. Everyone in the region had heard about the vengeance that Simeon and Levi had taken on their sister’s attacker and they were afraid. Jacob was afraid that these people would hate him and attack him for the act of vengeance but we see that the opposite happened. How often do we worry about something and lose a lot of sleep but when the time comes things don’t turn out as we thought and we wasted a lot of time on worry? Finally Jacob’s journey was complete for he came back to the place where he had his first dream on the way to his mother’s homeland. He stopped there to worship and thank the Lord for all that He had done for Jacob along the way. He built an altar to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. He called that pace “Elbethel”, which means the God of Bethel. When Jacob left he went in hope but now that he had come back he knew that God is real and reliable. May we all reach that place, by faith, in our lives.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Put away the strange gods

Genesis 35: 1-3: “And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.”

Jacob’s family had followed in his footsteps and caused themselves considerable problems. They made it very hard for themselves to live in that area so now they had to move away. At God’s command, Jacob went back to the place where he met God just before he went to get a wife from his mother’s homeland. At this stage he realised that he had to put away the gods that his family had collected over many years. There is only enough room for a person to worship one God. The Lord said that He would not give His glory to another (see Is 42: 8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”; 48: 11 “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.”) and that we cannot serve two masters (see Matt 6: 24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”) Even today, we think that it easy to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and His way of self denial (Matt 16: 24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”) and to follow the wisdom of our age and enjoy some self indulgence. However, we can take comfort in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ finished the work of salvation when He died on the cross and we are not relying on our own ability to impress God.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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To make me stink

Genesis 34: 30, 31 “And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”

Jacob was only worried about his own reputation. He didn’t worry about his sons or his daughter or how they might get on after this episode. He had worked so hard for so many years to get the blessings that God offered but every time he faced a crisis he forgot about God and tried to rely on his own resources. The two sons were more worried about their sister than their father was about his daughter. Never the less, it was Jacob’s God that mattered rather than Jacob. There is a recurring phrase throughout the Bible: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...” (See, for example, Mark 12: 26 “And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?”) In the final analysis the only thing that will matter in eternity is the identity of our God. If we believe in the true God of all creation then we will be safe, if we don’t then we won’t be safe.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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When they were sore

Genesis 34: 25-29: “And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.”

This passage shows a good example of anger and revenge. These boys had been brought up in an adversarial environment their mother had to compete for their father’s attention and was not loved. Their older brother, the firstborn, who should have taken revenge, slept with one of his father’s concubines and lost his position. These two men, Simeon and Levi, who had the same mother as Dinah, took the responsibility of revenge. This was their duty in those days, living in a lawless land where might was right. The people of the city had hoped to take control of Jacob’s wealth but they lost everything in their haste to enrich themselves. This is one of the reasons why we can see that the Bible is true. If this were made up later, after the exile, say, they would not have written a story of their ancestors being involved in duplicity, betrayal and revenge. On the other side of the coin, the descendants of this family became God’s chosen people, though whom Christ was born to save the world from sin. If God can use this kind of earthly clay to make a nation that He called the apple of His eye (see Deut 32: 9, 10 “For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” and Zech 2: 8 “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”) If the Lord could take these violent, vengeful people and treat them as precious then He can take anyone who is a sinner and make them into one of His children (see Rom 8: 14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Shall not theirs be ours?

Genesis 34: 14-24: “And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father. And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.”

This section could have happened last week. People behave in exactly the same way now as they did then. We have just lived through a decade of warfare and bloodshed that was based on misinformation. Governments and other organisations around the world saw the evidence they were given and they they heard what they wanted to hear. It is said that if something is too good to be true then it is too good to be true. We still think that we can get something for nothing so we are willing to take the bait and then lose our freedom to act in some way. These people wanted to have access to all of Jacob’s wealth so they were happy to make this agreement with Jacob’s family and put themselves at risk. Are we willing to trust God and His goodness or are we willing to hear what we want to hear and put ourselves at risk? (see Psalm 118: 8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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They answered deceitfully

Genesis 34: 7-13: “And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done. And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:”

Jacob’s family was very proud. We can see that from the competition that occurred between Jacob and his brother, Jacob’s wives and Jacob and his in laws. They felt as though their pride was severely dented by this episode. After all, the young man showed them no respect at all when he took their sister by force. They would have known about the fact that Jacob went to Haran to find a wife because his mother didn’t want him to marry a local woman. This also added further insult. Although, of course, they didn’t think about a husband for their sister at this stage. They were living in the Promised Land and Jacob had agreed with Laban not to go back to Abraham’s homeland. Dinah doesn’t appear anywhere else in the Bible so we cannot say what happened to her after this episode. We have seen how Jacob’s sons were used to deceit, for both their father and their maternal grandfather were deceitful so they followed the patterns that they knew and dealt deceitfully with Shechem and Hamor. We can understand from this that people will tend to do what they see in their own family life. However, every person is ultimately responsible for their own actions, that is, you can’t help what happens to you when you are a child but when you are an adult you choose what you think.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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He loved her

Genesis 34: 3-6: “And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.”

This episode gives a good description of the underlying reason why the Lord wanted to punish the sin of the Amorites (see Gen 15: 16 “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”) They followed a fertility religion and this led to complete self obsession. In this case, Shechem had committed a crime but felt no guilt for the fact that he had violated Dinah. He decided that he loved her and wanted to have her as his wife. Under the Law, which had not yet been given, (compare Ex 22: 16, 17 “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.”) a man was required to pay a penalty for doing something like this. Rape is characteristic behaviour of a lawless society where might is right. In this case Shechem felt no shame but went to his father and told him that he wanted to marry Dinah. Hamor, his father, didn’t reprimand him but supported his actions by trying to arrange a marriage with Jacob. This should really have put the matter to rest because his later behaviour was actually honourable even though his earlier action wasn’t. However, Jacob was used to living by deceit so he continued with his usual manner of behaviour and didn’t do anything until his sons returned home from looking after the cattle.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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