Year 1, Day 31: Genesis 32

Returning Home Is Never Easy

Now we begin to deal with Jacob’s trouble. The past catches up with Jacob.  He went away from Esau and began a positive experience with Laban; yet that quickly turned ugly as Laban and Jacob began to out-maneuver each other for their own benefit.  Jacob has to escape with his tail between his legs and return home, but in doing so he cannot run from Esau anymore.  He must come face to face with his past.

We have already talked about how shrewd Jacob was.  His was a manipulator extraordinaire!  So it should not surprise us too much when Jacob divides up his wealth into two camps so that one might be saved.  It should also not surprise us that Jacob sends envoys ahead to soften his brother’s wrath.  Furthermore, it should not surprise us that he breaks them up into smaller gifts, because we all know that the softening effect of many small gifts is far more than the same amount in one big gift.  Plus, if any of the smaller parties thought that Esau was not pleased with Jacob, they would have plenty of time to return to Jacob and warn him.  Jacob is no fool in the ways of the world!

But in many respects I still find Jacob pathetic.  Jacob puts all these servants between him and his brother.  In all truth, by the time he sends everyone across the Jabbok and he is left alone what it really tells us is that Jacob has put everything between him and his brother.  Shrewd men in this world have no problems letting other people take the brunt of another’s wrath.  But people who are shrewd in God’s ways understand and value the lives of others and thus they stand up and take the brunt of the aggression themselves.  Jacob willingly lets everyone else have to deal with Esau first, showing us the side of Jacob that is pathetic all over again.  Jacob should have led the presentation of gifts himself if he really cared about the lives of his people as a genuine leader should.

Jacob is shrewd.  He is a deceiver.  But he also values his own life more than the lives of anyone underneath him.  While that may make him a survivor, it does not make him a leader.

Jacob Begins to Change Into Israel

We are almost done seeing Jacob’s bad side.  Now we get to the story that we have been anticipating since Jacob was first named “deceiver.”  Here is the story where Jacob is given a new name by God Himself.  Jacob is now to be called Israel, which literally means “one who persists” or “one who perseveres.”  Notice that Jacob’s old name is not removed completely (just like Abram/Abraham is still remembered), but Jacob is given a new name to replace the old name.

Here’s what is really going on here.  The human side of Jacob – the deceiver – will always be remembered as Jacob.  That’s who Jacob is.  Jacob is a person who thinks about himself, who cares more about himself than anyone else, and who places his own agenda before the safety of the group.  But as Jacob gets ready to face his past and he wrestles with God, a new side of Jacob must come out.  This new side is not perfect, of course.  But this new side is a person who is open to wrestling with tough issues, contemplating who he is, contemplating the consequences of his choices, and considering what God would have him do.  In essence, a new person is brought out of this struggle – one that necessarily allows Jacob to confront his past and successfully deal with it.  This new person God calls Israel.

You may be reading this and think that I have set up Jacob as a schizophrenic.  But spiritually speaking, how many of us are any different?  Take me for example.  There is the “PJ who is human and puts himself first.”  But there is also the “PJ who occasionally makes the right decision and actually demonstrates true faith in God and a willingness to put God’s ways first.”  Both of those people dwell within me.  In fact, both of those people will continue to dwell within me until the day I die!

By focusing so heavily on Jacob’s problems over the last few days, I have been trying to make Jacob seem real.  He’s not the “perfect patriarch” that we often think God used to bring about the Hebrew people.  Rather, he’s a human being just like you and me.  When I say that I find certain elements of Jacob pathetic, I’m actually saying the same thing about me.  I find my own humanity pathetic at times.  Ultimately, as flawed as Jacob is in this chapter and the prior chapters, he is a character we can identify with and take comfort knowing that if God loved him, God can love us also.

Jacob wrestles with God, and in so doing he becomes Israel.  I encourage you to do the same.  Wrestle with God.  Wrestle with what God wants you to do with your life.  Wrestle with the parts of your life that God may be calling you to change.  When you do that, you too will become a new creation through the power of God the Father, through the love of Jesus Christ and the counsel of the Holy Spirit.  The love that was shown by God in changing Jacob is the same love that God desperately desires to show you, too. 

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Year 1, Day 30: Genesis 31

Trouble Comes From Human Influence

The trouble begins.  Notice that the trouble starts ultimately out of deception.  Laban’s kids look around and see what Jacob has done to their flock.  Unfortunately, from a reading of the Bible in the prior chapter I have to say that it really seems like they have a legitimate beef against Jacob.  Jacob actively worked so that what was Laban’s wealth would become his own.

For the record, this isn’t a one-sided fight.  Laban is just as guilty as Jacob.  Laban did out-maneuver Jacob in Genesis 30:35-36 by removing the striped and speckled sheep from the flock once the deal was made.  Both Laban and Jacob are guilty of self-centered thinking.

This does not change the fact that Jacob responded with deception of his own.  As I said yesterday, what we see here is a family dysfunction that is growing by leaps and bounds.  Laban has cheated Jacob and out-maneuvered him; now Jacob has done the same to Laban and one-upped his father-in-law.  There is no community or fellowship between them.  They have let their wealth, their pride, and their worldly-focus destroy the community around them.  The world comes between them.  The influence of the world becomes them.

Etching Away at Jacob’s Character

Jacob decides to leave.  There is something that really bothers me about this passage – about the character of Jacob up to this point.  In Genesis 31:3 we clearly hear God say “Return home, and I will be with you.”  Now I understand that the word “will” in English can mean both “In the future I will be with you” as well as “I shall be with you.”  But in no case is God here making a claim on whether or not He is the reason for Jacob’s prospering.  God is saying to Jacob, “If you go home, we will be in relationship.” 

I really think God is trying to get Jacob out of the dysfunction of his relationship with Laban.  God isn’t making a claim that He is responsible for Jacob’s blessing; God is attempting to get Jacob back into a place of proper influence so that He can start working on Jacob’s character!  God is trying to get Jacob alone where He can deal with Jacob because Jacob needs some work.  We will see that over the next few days.  God’s words to Jacob speak about a promise that looks ahead.

However, look at what Jacob claims in Genesis 31:5.  Jacob says “God has been with me.”  Notice the change in verb tense?  Jacob has inherently changed God’s declaration to him.  Jacob the deceiver has come out again.

Don’t get me wrong.  God has been with him.  God has allowed him to prosper regardless of whether Jacob was doing it for the right reasons or for worldly reasons.  God has allowed him to have sons regardless of the fact that he technically has four wives.  Remember the point I made yesterday.  Prosperity is not a sign of God’s favor, it is a sign of God’s generosity whether we deserve it – or more likely – don’t.  Here in Jacob’s words I see deception coming through.  Jacob wants to spin God’s words favorably to his own cause.

Jacob’s Flight

The deception grows.  Jacob leaves without saying goodbye.  I find this in horrible contrast to the shrewdness in which he came.  In Genesis 29 we saw Jacob coming openly, helping out the community, and honestly discussing the true reason he came.  I think Jacob came sincerely and in a manner displaying God’s righteousness.  But Jacob stayed too long.  He came for a wife, and landed four.  He was out-maneuvered by Laban and I honestly think he voluntarily stayed long enough to make sure he could get Laban back.  He was sent for a wife, he stayed for wives and wealth.  Because of this, he is forced to sneak out of town.  He leaves with his tail between his legs, like a fox slipping out the back of a chicken coop.

What’s worse is that Jacob’s deceptive behavior has already taken root in Rachel.  Although, let’s also not forget that Laban has shown himself a good deceiver and Rachel likely learned from him as well.  Rachel has seen her husband steal her father’s flocks, so now Rachel steals her father’s household gods.  Between the missing gods and the sudden disappearance, I think Laban has a right to come out looking for Jacob.

Laban’s Household Gods

Let’s look at these household gods. 

• In one perspective, the household gods are a sign of pagan worship.  So what we see here is Rachel bringing pagan influence into the house the God is trying to establish. 
• From a second perspective, the household gods were thought to be protection of the land.  Therefore, Rachel is attempting to bring the protection Laban experienced with her.  This is a protection from a source other than God, mind you. 
• Third, and perhaps most importantly, the household gods were often a proof of land ownership.  It is likely that when Rachel steals Laban’s household gods she is setting up the possibility for Jacob to return at a later date and have reason to lay claim to Laban’s land.  When Laban cannot find the gods that were stolen from him, he has to participate in erecting a stone monument so that Jacob will not cross back over into Laban’s territory and claim what is rightfully Laban’s.

Laban and Jacob Meet

When they meet, I find Jacob simply pathetic.  God has caught Jacob in his own destructive behavior.  Yes, God did provide for Jacob to come out alive by talking with Laban the night before.  But what does Jacob do?  He arrogantly proclaims there could be no fault.  He denies that the household gods were stolen.  When Laban cannot find the gods, Jacob turns that event into a reason to denounce Laban and bring out the full tally of accusation.  Note that in no way does he even confess his own participation in the dysfunctional family.  Then he is so bold as to take the misconstruing of God’s promise in Genesis 31:3 even further and claim that God saw Jacob’s affliction and rebuked Laban.

Unfortunately for Jacob, I see things the other way around.  God has trapped Jacob in his lies and in his deceit.  God has forced Jacob to come out and publically be the deceiver that he is.  Even as Jacob sets up this big bravado and displays his false wound, God has Jacob right where he needs him.

Do you see what ultimately saves the situation?  Jacob and Laban both know that Laban could take back what was taken from him.  What saves the situation is Laban’s love for his daughters.  Laban finally discovers that his love for his daughters is more important than his love for his stuff.  And so although he has all the power, Laban releases them.  God has provided, but look at the mess Jacob has gotten himself into.  Look at the hole that he has dug for himself.  His character is in desperate need of fixing.

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Year 1, Day 29: Genesis 30

Human Sin, God’s Hand at Work

Genesis 30 is primarily a story about the sins of the generations.  There is really nothing positive to say about this except one very important fact: God is willing to work through our sinfulness to bring about His plan. 

Every positive story about marriage in Genesis up to this point is about monogamy.  The one story of a servant of God who acts in a non-monogamous manner, when Abraham goes to Hagar and conceives Ishmael, is a tragic story that ends in strife.  Given these facts, God certainly cannot be pleased with the situation that Jacob has gotten himself into with respect to Leah and Rachel.  Yet, God does not abandon Jacob and ultimately God does not abandon His plan for Christ. 

I am even more certain that God is less pleased by Jacob’s, Leah’s, and Rachel’s choices to involve Zilpah and Bilhah in the marriage.  Essentially, this implies that we see Jacob as having four wives.  Just look at all the internal struggle that it brings to the family!  Certainly God cannot be pleased with all of the self-centered decision making happening.  Yet, God continues to work through Jacob in spite of the rampant sinfulness in the story.

Ultimately, this is precisely why I define sin as broken relationships.  Sin is our broken relationship with God. Sin is our broken relationship with each other, with creation, or even with ourselves.  Jacob and his family willingly participate in sin quite deeply.  And I cannot believe this made God’s heart beam with pride.  But God continues His work.

God does not abandon them.  God does give six children to Leah – half the tribes of Israel!  He gives two sons each to Zilpah and Bilhah, and eventually to Rachel when Benjamin comes along in Genesis 35. 

How true is this of life?  We abandon God’s ways, but God does not stop blessing us.  We bring pain to God with our actions and our words, but God does not abandon us.  We choose ways that God would not have us do, but God does not remove His blessings.  In psite of our sin, we continue to live.  The sun continues to shine.  We continue to be able to convince ourselves that all things are right between us and God.

In the end, I have come to believe that prosperity is not a sign that we are right with the Lord.  Prosperity is a sign that God is generous whether we deserve it or not.  God loves Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah enough to bless them with what they desire in spite of the fact that they are going about it in a way that is not according to God’s principles.  He is gracious in spite of our sin.

Our Response to God’s Hand at Work

So does that mean we should walk all over God’s grace?  Let it not be so!  It will eventually catch up with us.  If it doesn’t catch up with us in this life, it will catch up with our poor offspring and mentees who will learn our ways and embolden them.  If you don’t believe me, just wait until we get to the story of Jacob’s sons and how they mistreat Joseph!  We either open ourselves to letting God deal with our generational sin or it will be passed along to the next generation.

We should not go about our life ignoring God’s ways and living as though we can get away with everything we want.  It will catch up with us, and one day we will have to stand before God and give an accounting of our life.  God will demand an explanation. 

Thanks be to God that even there He cares more about our honest repentance, admission of guilt, and forgiveness of sins than He cares about true justice!  As I was reminded this week, so long as I am alive and not condemned to Hell, I have not received true justice but rather continue to live in God’s grace.  Thanks be to God!

Jacob and His Wages

Look at this story of Jacob’s wages and listen to it painfully as you read it.  Not only does Jacob honestly work for Laban to earn the privilege of marrying his daughters, but he goes so far as to then cheat him out of his flocks.  Jacob intentionally goes about making the strong of the flock his own and making the weak of the flock to be Laban’s flock. 

There is no evidence that “God increased his wealth” as we hear about God doing with Abraham or Isaac.  No, Jacob increases his own wealth.  No wonder he is remembered as Jacob – a name that means “deceiver.”  Sure, Jacob prospers.  Jacob gets his own way.  But in the next chapter we will see how destructive his behind-the-scenes maneuvering has been to the greater community.  In fact, for the majority of the rest of Genesis we will see how these destructive family patterns continually threaten God’s plan more than they help it.  Yet we will also see that God is bigger than a dysfunctional community.

This pains me because I see it all too often in today’s culture, and especially today’s church.  People are more interested in getting their way and out-maneuvering their opponents.  People can get nasty and evil about it, too. 

There are far too many Jacobs in our church and not near enough Abrahams.  I wonder if this is really why so many churches stay small.  People are so interested in prospering themselves that they end up creating an environment of distrust.  That is exactly what Jacob is up to in this chapter. 

I think we should really take a strong and hard look at how Jacob is pictured in this passage.  Many in the world today might consider Jacob shrewd and wise as he makes his own position strong and increases his wealth.  But I cannot believe that God views Jacob in this manner.  At the end of this chapter, Jacob is about destroying the community that he has built with Laban.  As we will see in the next chapter and the rest of Genesis, it eventually catches up to Jacob again and again.

Consider your relationship with those in your life deeply.  Are you like Abraham in that people look to you with integrity?  Or are you like Jacob in that you seem to prosper but everyone really knows you are a schemer and a manipulator?  I think that is a very important question to ask coming out of Genesis 30.

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Year 1, Day 28: Genesis 29

Mesopotamian Life

Oh boy.  Genesis 29 is a fun passage to be sure.  If we get nothing else, we see Jacob “the deceiver” get a taste of his own medicine.  But we’ll get to that.  Before we go there, let’s spend a little time talking about the meeting of Jacob and his people.

Jacob shows incredible tact about his arrival in Mesopotamia.  When he arrives, he first goes to the well outside of the town.  He knows full well that these people will need to water their flocks and he knows that if he waits there he will have a great opportunity to not only meet people (and gain an introduction into the town) but also show himself useful in watering the flocks.  This approach was common in the Middle East when a stranger was entering a town, but it is still shrewd.

To set the scene of why the order of event happened here, we should remember that this is the Middle East.  This is the land of dry air and shifting sand.  Wells – when they were found – would need to be covered in order to prevent evaporation through the mouth of the well.  Furthermore, they would need to be covered in order to prevent the well from filling up with sand as it blew about.  Usually what would happen is the well would be covered with a flat stone that had a hole in the center.  Over this hole a round stone would be placed – a stone of sufficient size that it would require several men to roll away.  Thus the well could be safely sealed while also providing a reasonably easy means to access the water through the hole in the lowest stone.

Furthermore, it is also common practice in the Middle East to water all the flocks at once in order to minimize the amount of time that the well was exposed to the dry air and thus minimize the evaporation that occurred.  This is why we see Jacob asking the shepherds why they seem to be milling about doing nothing in the middle of the day.  They are waiting for all the flocks to gather around so that the well would be opened as little as possible during the day. 

When the time comes for the well to be opened, notice that Jacob helps open the well.  He is indeed shrewd in his dealing with the people of Mesopotamia.

Leah the Tender

Of course, Jacob then heads of to meet Laban and he sets up the contract for Rachel.  There Jacob meets Leah.  Genesis 29:17 is often translated as “Leah’s eyes were weak,” but a more literal reading would say “Leah’s eyes were tender.”  This is a fairly typical description of a person who had blue eyes – as blue eyes were often considered a blemish among the people of Middle Eastern culture.  However, I find it significant that Leah is described as tender. 

It is Leah who produces Judah, and Judah is eventually the lineage of David and Jesus.  Out of weakness, God brings His strength.  God does not need us to be strong and independent; God needs us to be humble and ready to submit to Him.

Younger Versus Elder

Here is Genesis we find yet another common theme – one that I haven’t spoken of too often.  In Genesis, it is quite common for the younger to replace the older.  Of Adam and Eve’s children, Seth is ultimately the chosen one over Cain.  We have already seen that Jacob is chosen over Esau.  Here Rachel is chosen over Leah.  In the future we will see Joseph (and ultimately Benjamin) chosen over all the older brothers.

It is interesting here to note that in this specific case it works to Jacob’s disadvantage.  Yes, Jacob is the chosen one via birthright.  Yet the fact that the youngest sister is also chosen in Rachel means that the issue of Leah gets thrown in Jacob’s face and he gets outmaneuvered.  I enjoy how God can take our strengths and make them weaknesses as well as take our weaknesses and make them strengths.  God often turns what the world considers right on its head and works through an upside-down divine economy.

Leah’s Children

Finally, let’s talk about Leah and her children.  I got hung up today on the word “hated.” (See Genesis 29:31)  The dictionary of Bible languages gives the following definitions for the Hebrew word used here: “abhor, detest, loathe, be hostile, have a feeling of open hostility and intense dislike.”  Let there be no doubt, this is not a simple word expressing displeasure.  This is a word expressing distaste and extreme dislike.  Jacob didn’t get his way, and Leah paid the price for being the older sister.

How does God respond?  God makes her quite fertile.  God raises her up in Jacob’s community.  Don’t get me wrong, God isn’t paying Jacob back, here.  God isn’t punishing Jacob by making Leah fertile.  Rather, God is coming beside Leah, consoling her in her lot in life, and blessing her.  We can see that in the names that are given to these children.  These children are given names that express a favorable relationship with God.  Leah gives these children names that bring honor to God.  As I said earlier, ultimately it is through Leah’s child that David and Jesus will come.

What are the lessons that we can learn from this reading today?  God is there when we need him.  When dealing with the world, let us take on the servant’s role of being willing to work, being respectful of other people’s customs, and being fully confident that God will take care of those who remain faithful to Him.

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Year 1, Day 27: Genesis 28

Troubled Beginnings

Genesis 28 is a great chapter for spirituality.  And we’ll get there in a moment when we talk about Jacob’s dream of the ladder.  But before we do this, we have to get to Isaac and Esau’s actions in this chapter.  We have to see once more how unrepentant sin continues to rear its ugly head in the lives of people.

Notice something here?  Isaac blesses Jacob and sends him away.  Now ultimately sending Jacob away to Laban is a good thing, and he will find a faithful wife there – although he will meet up with even more deception and sinfulness along the way, and that’s part of the problem.  But do you notice what Isaac never does?  Isaac never corrects Jacob for his role in the prior deception.  Isaac never rebukes Rebekah for her role.  Rather, we go directly from Isaac being deceived to Rebekah complaining about Esau’s wives to Issac blessing Jacob.

Certainly the case could be made that these stories in Genesis may have years between them – and they probably do.  So maybe that conversation happened and isn’t recorded.  But even in that case the fact that we don’t see it happen should be brought out just to make sure people understand the importance of rebuking sin when it is proper for them to rebuke it.  We absolutely see the deceptive side in Jacob in the next few chapters, and I am guessing that it wasn’t dealt with anyway.  But the point that I am trying to make is that Isaac should have sat Jacob down and rebuked both him and Rebekah for what they did to him and nipped the behavior in the bud before it could get out of hand.

Then we have this issue with Esau.  In some respects, it might actually seem as though he deserves a little credit in that he saw what Rebekah and Isaac see as good and he intentionally did something that didn’t make them mad.  He took a wife from Ishmael’s family.  Of course this makes this woman family because it is a descendant of Abraham – even if not Sarah.  Esau goes and takes a wife from family, in some ways mimicking the edict given to Jacob.

But here’s the problem.  In doing so, you will notice a lack of repentance.  Esau doesn’t go to Isaac and Rebekah and talk about the two wives that he already has.  He doesn’t deal with the issue that exists in his existing marriages!  Rather, Esau goes out and adds a third wife! 

Here’s where we again see the problem of unrepentant sin.  Esau doesn’t deal with what sin exists, so the problems that exist are compiled with the problems of moving one more step away from a monogamous marriage as God desires.  The lack of repentance means that there is no true change in Esau.  Rather, Esau wants to keep what he has – hence the lack of repentance – and try to please his parents.  When someone tries to please another without first repenting we typically call that manipulation.  We don’t typically call that good to say the least.

Jacob’s Ladder

Okay, now let’s move on to Jacob’s dream.  Here we get a glimpse of the Jacob that God sees inside.  Here we get a glimpse of the Jacob that God will eventually bring about through direct confrontation with Jacob.  Here we get a glimpse of what God sees as Israel and not Jacob.

Notice Jacob’s response to the dream.  Jacob hears from God and reacts.  He hears a promise from God and says that if God delivers on His promise then he will worship God.  And Jacob also promises to give a tenth – literally a tithe – back to God out of whatever God sees fit to give to him in the first place.* 

Here Jacob takes the first step in dealing with his sin in his life in that he commits to God.  That doesn’t mean that Jacob is done and will sin no more – how many of us can say that we are free from sin after we make a commitment to God?  But we do see Jacob begin to deal with the humanity that wrestles from within.

Lastly, let’s turn to this dream.  First, notice that God gets Jacob out of his comfort zone before giving him the dream.  When we are alone and away from our comfort zone we really have some time to do some serious thinking and some serious evaluation.  It pays to pause and admit that many times the distractions of our beloved comfort zone are actually a significant hindrance to our faith life.  But when Jacob gets out into the world and away from his distractions he can begin to see himself as God sees him rather than how he has conceived of himself.

Now, what about the actual dream?  God makes a solemn promise to Jacob.  “Follow me and I will prosper you.”  That’s the thing to which Jacob begins to respond, and certainly that is good. 

But within this dream and expression I can see the vision of God.  God says to Jacob, “and in you and your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  Here’s the really cool part about that expression.  Far too often it is taken far too literally.  Far too often we hear how through the Jews we get the law and we get the understanding of God’s ways.  And yes, there is no denying that. 

But let’s take it a little less literally, shall we?  It is through the ultimate plan of God’s choosing Abraham – that is the whole point of bringing Jesus Christ to this earth – in which the world is truly blessed!  It is only through Jesus Christ, His teaching, His death, and His bodily resurrection that we find our true blessing! 

So when I read this promise to Jacob what I hear being said is that God is promising to adhere to the plan.  Jesus will come and change the whole dynamic of the divine relationship.  After Jesus comes, God will call on a man named Paul to make sure that this change in the divine relationship includes not just the Jews but Gentiles as well!  In this simple promise to Jacob we can look and see the beginnings of God’s plan.  That is cool.

God’s peace.  God’s blessing.  And this day I hope that you see yourself as a part of the fulfillment of the promise God made to Jacob so many thousands of nights ago. 

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* We can see here that tithing did not originate with the law, but it was a practice occurring within the people well before the law comes around.

Year 1, Day 26: Genesis 27

Confusion About Good and Evil

Genesis 27 is one of those chapters that really puzzles me.  This chapter seems to be all about people acting deceptively and not only getting away with it but also prospering because of it.  But, I do think that it goes to set motive for Jacob – and we’ll get a few chapters here to see that unfold.  So if you read these chapters and feel like the people who are getting blessed don’t really deserve it because their motives are impure, just know that from my opinion you are reading it right and just hold that thought for a little while longer.

Isaac’s Role

So in the spirit of poor choices, let’s start with Isaac.  Now, I know the love of a parent is strong.  I know that a parent loves their children regardless of their choices.  So know that I am not talking about love here – I’m talking about blessing.  Esau has twice now proven to the family that he thinks very little about God’s ways by forfeiting his birthright and by marrying Hittite women.  Yet Isaac chooses to give him the blessing anyway.

I’m sorry, Isaac.  I know all about customs and tradition.  But when we put customs, tradition, and personal feelings above God’s ways it is always the wrong choice.  What is the first commandment?  “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me.”  Isaac could have taken this opportunity to say to Esau, “I love you, and I always will love you.  But until you follow God’s ways before the ways of man I will not give you a blessing.”  It would be a hard thing to do, but it would show Esau how important God’s ways are.

I think this is one of the main problems in America today.  We have such a culture of acceptance and universality!  For the record, neither of which is inherently a bad thing unless pushed too far, as I believe we are headed in America.  That culture of universality and acceptance also means that we don’t stand up for what is important often enough.  So we accept people’s behavior because it might cause problems if we don’t.  That behavior can lead to problems.  When we accept people’s behavior without upholding the ways of God, we are headed down a poor path.

I’m not saying that we should be intolerant, of course.  There is a certain amount of acceptance that has to go on because all of us are human beings.  So we should not take our faith to mean we are intolerant, but neither should we take our faith and have us to be weak minded.  There should be a happy medium in there somewhere.  We should seek to always show love, but also make sure that we live as though God truly is the most important priority in our life.

Rebekah’s Role

So, now let’s move on to Rebekah.  What does Rebekah do here?  Rebekah is the schemer!  Rebekah comes up with the plan to deceive her husband.  Clearly this is not only wrong, but evidence of some unhealthy family leadership role modeling.  I cannot give Rebekah a pass on this one.  I’d really like to because I know that Jacob is the one that God chooses to carry through the line of Jesus, but I cannot. 

At the very least, I think she could have sat down with Isaac and discussed Esau’s choices and expressed concern over blessing Esau.  At the very least there could have been dialogue and possibly consensus.  But when Rebekah schemes, she follows in the pattern of Sarah when she points Abraham in the direction of Hagar.  Again we see evidence of the sins of one generation creeping into the life of the next.

In fact, not only does she scheme but she is the one who prepares the food, she is the one who grabs Esau’s garments to deceive her husband, and she is the one who encourages Jacob!  She is taking matters into her own hands and at the very least showing a lack of faith and trust in God and her husband.  That is unfortunate. It is forgivable, of course, since all things are forgivable with repentance.  But it is certainly unfortunate.

Jacob’s Role

Now we look at Jacob.  Jacob could have said, “No, mom, I don’t want to deceive my father.”  But instead he helps his mom scheme against his father.  He takes Rebekah’s plan and adds to it the thought “What about my brother’s hairiness?”  Jacob helps increase the deception against his father.  In fact, Jacob’s initial participation in the planning phase of the scheming turns into flat out lying before his father when he claims to be Esau!  So in Jacob we see even more sinfulness and poor family dynamics shown.  When sin abounds, people start playing behind the scene, people start having back-door meetings, and trust in God’s will is lost.

Esau’s Role

Then, of course, we turn to Esau.  At first we pity Esau.  At first we think of him as the abused one here.  He does his father’s bidding and is legitimately cheated this time.  Here, he has a cause to be angry.  Yet, let us not forget.  He is still guilty of forsaking God’s ways.  He is still guilty of thinking lightly of the things that he should think heavily about.  While that does not justify what happened to him in the least, we can see that he is not without guilt. 

Furthermore, notice how he reacts when he discovers he has been cheated?  He claims that this is twice that Jacob has cheated him, which is inherently a lie.  Esau sins because he is unwilling to see how his own poor choices have impacted him.  Yes, he was cheated and outmaneuvered this time.  But the issue with his birthright was his own fault in shallowness.  Unfortunately, Esau is not the innocent man that we might like to think if we took this story out of context.

Conclusions

So what can we say about all of this?  Well, little has changed!  We struggle with these same problems today.  Humanity continues to struggle with sin.  So I look around and don’t really believe the world is worse off today than we were 4,000 years ago.  Same struggles, same problems.  I think this is precisely why it is so neat to have a holy book that can remind us of this.

As we look forward, keep this in mind.  Sin that is not dealt with will continue to evidence itself.  Sin that is allowed to go unchecked will continue to haunt those involved.  We’ll see how this family dynamic of deception will continue to haunt Jacob until it is dealt with by God.  So the question that I am left asking today is – what sin am I aware of that is left unchecked and is rearing its ugly head over and over again?  Am I going to continue to allow it to do so or am I finally going to rise up against sinfulness and challenge it?  That is the question we should all ask more often. 

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Year 1, Day 25: Genesis 26

Repetition

Genesis 26 almost reads like a summary of Abraham’s life.  Did not Abraham deal with famine?  Did not Abraham get into a bit of trouble passing off his wife as a sister?  Did not Abraham make a pact with the Philistine kings about land use and being a sojourner? 

I don’t know if this really works the whole way or not, but it definitely reads in a “sins of the father / sins of the son” sort of manner.  I recognize that the only bad thing Isaac does in this chapter is try to pawn off Rebekah as a sister instead of a wife.  But whether for good or bad, I think it is worth contemplating how the decisions of parents affect the decisions of their children.  Good role models often – but not always – produce good products.  Bad role models often – but again, not always – produce bad products.  Here we get reality.  Abraham was a good role model for the most part.  So most of the things Isaac copies him in were likewise good decisions.

I’ve lifted up the negative example of this, so now let me lift up a positive example.  We can look at the blessings.  God told Abraham that he would be blessed, but it was still up to Abraham to respond faithfully.  The same thing is true with respect to Isaac.  God promises blessing to him, but it is up to him to live faithfully with respect to God.  He does so, giving praise to God when things go well.  Isaac learned faith from his father.

The Green-Eye of Envy

I am also led to contemplate the Philistine’s approach in Genesis 26:12-16.  Notice that God prospers Isaac and the Philistines grow envious.  Logic would dictate that if they were smart they would become Isaac’s friends, try to glean off of his success, and hopefully see if they can learn to imitate what makes him successful.  In this case, it would behoove them to imitate his faith. 

However, human history tells us that human nature does not follow logic.  Human nature tells us when a faithful person comes around people run them off, abuse them, accuse them, or just downright kill them.  Think of Jesus.  Jesus was run off in more places than I’d care to count.  Ultimately, Jesus was killed.  Thousands saw miracles and even more ate food from miraculous preparations!  But when push came to shove they ignored Him, abused Him, persecuted Him, chased Him away, or killed Him. 

The world does not want to learn from faithful people because it implies work and it implies change.  The majority of the world would rather perpetuate their bad habits or laziness.  We see that here in the Philistines in that their habits are certainly not causing them to prosper like Isaac did. 

They don’t want to adopt practices that work.  God gives us free will to choose.  Follow the faithful or not, it is always our choice.

Esau Makes Life Bitter

Last but not least, let’s look at this concluding passage about Esau.  We know Isaac loved Esau.  Oh how his heart must have broken when Esau took wives from among the Philistines and not from among his own people as Abraham and Isaac had.  Oh, how Isaac must have grieved the rebellion that his son displayed.  Oh, how the love of parents endures great pain – yet continues to love.

How did Esau fall so fast with such good role models?  Abraham was not perfect – neither was Isaac.  But they were good.  Here again we see Esau showing little value for his “birth-faithfulness.” 

Remember the despising of his birthright yesterday?  He abandons the ways of his people as quickly and with as little thought as he abandoned his birthright.  But notice that he doesn’t just abandon it with respect to the origin of the wife.  Esau also abandons the practice of monogamy.  Esau takes two wives.  Esau takes an intimate bond of which God desires to be the third party and instead Esau makes his own threesome.  It is unfortunate when people undervalue God’s presence so readily.

Of course this doesn’t mean that God abandoned Esau – or even that Isaac does.  We will see in other places of the Bible where Esau is still remembered. Sometimes they will be good remembrances and other times they will be bad.  So God is filled with grace, even when people abandon God.  But it is still time to mourn.  Anytime people abandon God it is a time to feel sorrow, because it is often too easy to follow the thoughtless patterns of behavior that leads people away from God.  And that is sad.

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Year 1, Day 24: Genesis 25

Abraham’s Other Wife

Okay, so now for a completely random thought.  I don’t ever remember being aware that after Sarah dies Abraham takes another wife.  So it makes me wonder – why do some Christians have a problem thinking about a widow (or widower) getting remarried when their spouse dies?  I mean, certainly if the widow or widower doesn’t want to get married again that’s fine and a proper decision.  But why do some people feel it necessary to prohibit the practice?  It doesn’t seem to be negatively looked at here.

Abraham’s Death

For me, I think that today one important phrase that I should focus on is that Abraham was “gathered to his people.”  There is power in this phrase.  For several weeks our youth Sunday School class studied Matthew 10.  I think especially of the idea that Jesus gives us several times in that chapter: Spiritual bonds are the strongest bonds you can form, even stronger than family.  When we bond spiritually to another, that bond can last across great distance and time.  When spiritual people get together and talk they can pick up where they left off regardless of how much time has passed.

Clearly here the comment is not that Abraham went to be with his family – for only Sarah is in the tomb!  Rather, Abraham is said to be gathered to his people.  Who are his people?  Well, Abraham is first and foremost identified with faith in God all throughout Genesis (and the rest of the Bible).  I have no doubt here that this passage is reminding us of a very important point.  When we die, we will be gathered to the people who we are like while we lived.  If we live in faith, we will be gathered with others in faith. 

But if we are going to be gathered in faith after death, why not be gathered in faith while alive, too?

What Happened to Isaac’s Stories?

Genesis 25 gives us an interesting transition.  We would expect to go from Abraham to Isaac in the chapter where Abraham dies.  However, we actually go from Abraham to Jacob!  It should make us stop and ponder “why do we seemingly skip over Isaac?” 

Think about it.  The only story in the Bible in which Isaac is the central character is Genesis 26:19-21.  Rebekah is barren, Isaac prays for Rebekah, and she conceives twins.  That is the predominant story involving Isaac as the main character. 

So what does this story tell us?  Well, it tells us that Isaac was a man of faith who believed in God’s ability to answer promises.  It also tells us that Isaac was a man whose prayers God desired to honor.  But it also tells us that Isaac is only a small cog in a very large intricate divine design for salvation to come to this world.

Birthright

Having spoken a bit of Abraham and Isaac, let’s now turn to Jacob and Esau.  We know of the tension between them and that this tension started from birth.  But one thing I find interesting is the ESV translation of the last verse (and many other translations).  “And Esau despised his birthright.”  (Despised is found in the NIV, NRSV, NASB, and the Holman Bible)

But what does this Hebrew word really mean?  To translate it as despised makes it seem like Esau hated his birthright.  And that has never really made sense to me.  It was his right, why would he despise something like a birthright? 

This Hebrew word for despise - “bazah” – can also mean to think lightly of or to think something has little value.  Now that makes sense.  We don’t see Esau as one who “despises” his birthright but rather as someone who just doesn’t “get” what it is all about.  Esau doesn’t value what it means to be the firstborn child of the descendant of Abraham, whom God promised an incredible lineage in order to eventually bring about Jesus Christ.  Esau doesn’t see the big picture.  Rather, he’s simply focused on getting what he desires right now.

There is a lesson here.  How often do we miss what God is doing?  How often do we let our own agendas get in the way?  How often do we value our own immediate desires and totally miss the boat on what God wants us to be about?  How often do we give up our spiritual birthright?  As Matthew 28 says, we have a birthright to “go and make disciples.”  How often do we trade that birthright for something else … anything else?

Value your birthright.  Go, make disciples. 

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Year 1, Day 23: Genesis 24

Faith of Rebekah

I have a few things to say on Genesis 24 that I think will be worth your time here.  First, let’s start with the incredible faith of Rebekah.  No wonder God blessed her!  I wonder, how many of us would even be willing hear someone come and say “I prayed to God and asked Him to do something and behold he did, so with that as evidence I ask you to follow me and leave your family and everything that makes you safe?”  How many of us would even be willing to hear it – much less follow them? 

How many of us are only willing to follow when God does something that really makes sense to us?  If that is the case, then I can’t help but wonder about another question.  If we only follow God when it makes sense to us, then who is really the disciple?  Can I be a disciple if I only follow when it’s advantageous to me?

Rebekah gives us a shining testimony of what it is like to be a true disciple of God.  She lives by the Spirit.  When she senses the Spirit, she acts.  When she hears a man of God speak words of God and discerns them to be true, she has no regret in following them.  You want to learn from a person of faith?  Learn from Rebekah!  I know I certainly can!

Rebekah’s Hospitality

Now let’s also take a look at her hospitality.  You know what struck me as I read this passage?  She not only draws water for the servant of Abraham, but also for his camels.  Let me say that again with the proper emphasis.  She draws water for his camels.  Do you know what camels are most known for as their prized trait?  Do you know why they were used to travel across the desert?  They could consume huge amounts of water and store it!  Rebekah looks at the camels and doesn’t bat an eyelash.  Genesis 24:10 tells us that the servant of Abraham had 10 camels – and these camels had just made a long journey across some land that wasn’t known for its plentiful water!  I’ve got to believe these beasts were thirsty.  Drawing water for 10 camels until they had their fill couldn’t have been an easy task.

Rebekah’s hospitality here is absolutely amazing.  When she offers to draw water, we’re likely talking about several hours of hard work to satisfy these 10 thirsty camels.  Remember that they don’t have pneumatics and faucets to draw the water up from the well.  But she does it anyway.  She proves herself worthy and hospitable.  She proves herself willing to do the work that was necessary.  She proves herself to be faithful to God’s own demonstration of caring for us.

Rebekah’s Purity

Furthermore, I admire Rebekah for her action when she meets Isaac.  I know cultural norms were different back then, but look at what Rebekah does when Isaac comes out to meet her.  Rebekah covers herself.  Isn’t that unique and special?

How often does our culture focus on women “luring men in” by the way the dress and flaunt their sexuality?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be sexist here and I am certainly not placing the blame at the feet of women.  In truth, if men would stand up and respond more to a mature presentation and less to a sexual presentation I think our culture would gradually stop promoting sexuality as the primary means for men to meet women.  Ultimately, as a man I still come back and lay the blame at the feet on men.  If men didn’t respond more to the woman who dresses seductively and less to the woman who presents herself properly, then our culture would be in a better place!

So again I lift up Rebekah as a model for all of us.  She presents herself well with her modesty, her faith, her hospitality, and her wisdom.  She proves herself to be a good choice for Isaac.  She demonstrates herself to be a servant of the living God – a woman after God’s own heart.  We all can learn something from Rebekah.

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Year 1, Day 22: Genesis 23

A Commentary on Death

I read an interesting commentary on death.  A woman whose husband had recently died was told by a friend “I’m sorry you lost your husband.”  The woman replied to the friend, “When you are confident in the fact that your loved ones are in God’s hands, they are never lost.”

I’ve always liked that story.  Yes, it does take a shallow view of a sincere sentiment first offered up by the friend.  But there is an important aspect of the story as well.  God gave us the ability to cry and the ability to mourn.  Both of those things are signs of our love for a deceased person.  But as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “Do not mourn as those who have no hope.”  We are to mourn in confidence that God is in control and will not only console us who mourn but also restore to eternal life in Him those who are in Christ.

Abraham’s Mourning

I see that very confidence in Abraham here.  Abraham mourns Sarah’s death.  But he does not give us the impression of losing control here.  Rather, Abraham gives us the impression of a person who mourns with genuine faith.  There is sorrow in his life, but he does not allow his sorrow to drive him into inconsolable grief that interrupts his life.

Testimony of the Hittites

Through this, I think we should also look to Abraham’s testimony among the neighbors.  They look to Abraham and call him a “prince of God among them.”  Although God had told Abraham that the land was his, Abraham certainly lived in the company of others.  He could have claimed divine right to the land and made himself an adversary to his neighbors.  Instead, Abraham treats them with respect and honor.  In doing so, Abraham fully lives in faith with God while also being sure to demonstrate his faith to his neighbors.  They see the testimony of God living through him.

This is how it should be with us.  We are nothing more than sojourners in this world, really.  We might like to think we own material possessions and land while belonging to various human organizations.  For a while, that is most certainly true.  But eventually we will die.  Our possessions will become someone else’s possessions.  Our homes will become someone else’s home.  Our church will become someone else’s church.  It is not truly ours.  Possession is only an illusion that we tell ourselves. 

However, if we think of ourselves truly as sojourners in a world that is not truly our home, we can see ourselves in the same shoes as Abraham.  We can go through this world and think of ourselves as relating to the people as Abraham did here.  If we treat them with respect and honor, denying the physical possessions and instead claiming the eternal home, we can show them what God has called us to show them.  Although we may not be of this world, we can still interact meaningfully with the people of this world and demonstrate God’s ways and God’s love to them.

I think this is especially amazing about Abraham considering that all of this takes place in a time of mourning.  Abraham could have been distraught.  Abraham could have acted strangely and out-of-character.  But no, in the midst of his sorrow Abraham is still able to interact with his neighbors in a way that demonstrates his faith in God.  Every stage in life – joy, sorrow, or any other stage – can be a time where our relationship and our faith in God can shine through.  When we are sojourners in a foreign land and awaiting our time to come home, what is a little sorrow along the road?

Tombs

Let’s talk a little bit about the tomb before I end.  Abraham’s testimony is that he deals more than fairly in the purchase of the tomb.  But since I’ve already spoken about Abraham’s testimony to his neighbors in this blog, I’ll spend this space on something else.

Isn’t it neat that this is technically the first piece of land that Abraham has purchased?  Abraham’s first purchase is a tomb.  Yesterday we saw how Abraham finds his identity in God when God provides a sacrifice in place of Isaac.  We were reminded of God providing the sacrifice for us in Christ.  Today we hear of Abraham’s first need for land being a tomb and again we are reminded of Christ’s.  This time, we are reminded of Christ’s burial in a tomb that he did not own at the time of His death. 

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Year 1, Day 21: Genesis 22

Confession

Genesis 22 has never been one of my favorite passages.  I don’t think it is because it is over-done … because certainly some of my favorite passages are the typical ones (John 3:1-21 for example).  I think it because inevitably every time I hear someone speak on this passage they always focus on poor Isaac who had to carry the wood for his own sacrifice.  Of course, never mind that it wasn’t for his sacrifice in the end.

Moriah

So, I will try to go another route – and trust me, there is plenty in this passage to bring out.  First, I did a search for the word Moriah.  {No, this has nothing to do with my love for Tolkein}  And I found out something interesting.  The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land gives us this interesting tidbit, which I think somewhere I knew but couldn’t recall:

Moriah (Or land of Moriah): “The land that was designated to be the place of sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:2). It is also the hill where God appeared to David and where the House of God was to be built by Solomon (2 Chr. 3:1).”

That’s pretty cool.  Here in this passage Abraham takes Isaac up to the future Jerusalem and discovers that God provides an alternate sacrifice.  If this isn’t a foreshadowing of Jesus going up to Jerusalem to be sacrificed and take the punishment that we deserve, then I don’t know what is!  I especially like that Abraham calls Moriah – future Jerusalem – the place where “God will provide.”  God provided a ram for Abraham; God provided Jesus for us.  It’s stories like this that makes scripture very cool.  It’s stories like this that removes any doubt at all that God is at work in this world.  You can’t make this stuff up.

Sacrifice

So I’m also pondering this idea of sacrifice.  Abraham was willing to give up everything he had been promised through Isaac to follow God’s direction.  Yet at the same time, Abraham also had the promise that Isaac would begin God’s chosen line through Abraham.  At the very least, there is plenty of room for confusion within Abraham.  He goes forth trusting God but unsure of what the future will actually look like.

As I ponder this idea of sacrifice, I also must ponder myself.  What am I willing to sacrifice?  What “sacred cows” in my life have I established as off-limits to God?  Will God truly be willing to use me so long as I hold onto those sacred cows?  Does not God demand that He be first?  When God gives the 10 Commandments to Moses doesn’t He say that we are to have no other gods before him?  What do I let get in my way of following God?  Salary?  Property?  Possessions?  Relationships?  Fame?  Renown?

You see, I have a vision for the churches in which I serve.  Wherever I go I have a vision for this congregation to become a disciple-making congregation first and foremost.  Above all else I want the focus to be on making genuine disciples of Christ who are not conformed to this age but transformed through the renewal of their mind. 

At the same time, I also know that in order for that to happen God expects us to put Him first.  God expects us to put all of our trust in Him – He will provide.  Only then will we ever have a chance at becoming a disciple-making congregation.  Sacred cows need to be taken to the altar.

When we put anything before Him, we will not be making disciples for Him.  Instead, we will be making disciples for whatever we put ahead of Him.  I think that’s why Isaac’s sacrifice is so important.  When Abraham places God before Isaac, God knows that He’s got Abraham.  When Abraham clearly demonstrates that nothing comes before God, God knows Abraham understands relationship with God.  Only when I genuinely demonstrate willingness to give up what I have in order to follow God’s direction will I truly say to God, “You have me.”  And only when He truly has me will I be able to make true disciples.

I love the line in Genesis 22:16 where God says, “Because you have not withheld your only son.”  This is such a great theological line.  Because Abraham did not withhold his only Son, God will use Abraham’s lineage to bless the world by not withholding His only Son.  But I think it’s deeper than just a foreshadowing of Jesus.  Because Abraham truly is centered on God, God can use him.  Nothing – not even family – comes between Abraham and God.  Now that’s a close relationship with God.

Closeness to God

So I wonder, what have I used to close the door on God as He asks me if I am willing to follow?  What have I told God I was unwilling to do that is preventing me from truly being His disciple?

Forgive me if this ending of this passage sounds mournful, but I think that is my current state of mind.  I think I am mourning because of all the stuff that I have as an American Christian.  How much of it gets in the way of truly following God?  Like the rich man before Jesus, I think of all the stuff I am unwilling to sacrifice.  I cannot help but think of all the things that I allow to come between God and me and it pains me as I write this.

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