Let's play a little chess...

I know, it has been too long since my last post...  Can you say, "Life!" If you know what I mean. It is not that I haven't been reading. I just haven't been posting. I have been extremely tired and not feeling well at all.

Sorry!!!


Genesis 34:1 - 37:36

About a week ago I read Genesis 34:1-37:36 and reflected on it for several days to see what was in it for me. I am not going to go into alot of detail. I am going to just skim over the high points and land at Chapter 37.

In Genesis 34 Jacob's daughter Dinah gets raped and her brothers get revenge for against the man who raped her. It was an interesting reading. However, I really couldn't get a "deep message" out of it... not a whole lot to write about. In Chapter 35 Jacob returns to Bethel. Also, in this chapter Rachel and Isaac die. Again, good reading; but, not a whole lot to expound on. Chapter 36 goes into the descendants of Esau... who doesn't love the "begats and begots"?

So, now we are at Chapter 37...

Let's begin with just a bit of background information.

Joseph, now seventeen years old, was Jacob's favorite son because he was born in Jacob's old age. Jacob took special care of Joseph, giving him special gifts, like what we have always known as the "coat of many colors".  Now, we all know that when one child is favored over the others it often causes hard feelings, jealousy, even anger, and hatred. That is the case here. And, to make matters worse...

Joseph had a dream...
While in the field, along with his brothers, tending his father's flocks, Joseph had an amazing dream. Just like you and me, when something amazing happens we just have to tell everybody about it! Joseph went to his brothers to tell them about his dream, saying, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." As you can imagine, Joseph's brothers didn't take too well to the dream. They mocked Joseph saying, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" The dream, and the fact that Joseph actually had the nerve to tell them about it, angered the brothers and made them hate Joseph even more. 
 
Now, if the first dream wasn't enough, Joseph had a second one! This time Joseph didn't just tell his brothers, he told his father too, "...the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." HOW RIDICULOUS, even his father rebuked him saying, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"
 
Joseph's brothers had been tending the flocks in the field near another town. Joseph's father, Jacob, told Joseph to go check on his brothers to make sure that they were OK. When the brothers saw Joseph coming their anger and hatred for Joseph rose up and they began to plot against him. They even planned to kill him. Joseph's brother Reuben, wanting to rescue Joseph from death at the hands of his brothers, pleaded with them not to kill Joseph. "Let's not take his life," he said. "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben wanted to save Joseph's life so he could take Joseph back to his father.

When Joseph finally reached his brothers, they attacked him, stripped his "coat of many colors" off of him, and threw him into the pit until they could decide what to do with him. They sat down to eat and noticed a group of Ishmaelites passing by headed to Egypt. One of the brothers, Judah, realizing the logic of Reuben's argument, said, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." The brothers agreed, sparing Joseph from a terrible death. Joseph was then sold to the travelers for twenty shekels of silver.

Not knowing that Joseph had been sold, Reuben went back to the pit and saw that Joseph was gone. He got upset, tearing his clothes. He ran to his other brothers to tell them that Joseph was gone. Realizing that this was the handiwork of his brothers, he didn't know where to turn or what to do... his brother was gone.

Now, In order to explain Joseph's disappearance to their father, the brothers who sold Joseph tore his coat, coated it with blood to make it look like a wild animal had killed him. They then took the coat home to their father. When Jacob saw the coat he knew that it was Joseph's... he knew that surely Joseph had been torn to pieces and killed by a wild animal. Jacob was destroyed by the death of his favored son. He vowed that he would go to his grave mourning the loss of his son and he refused to be comforted.

Meanwhile, Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, captain of the guard.

Let's play a little chess...

• Brothers: Let's kill Joseph... CHECK
• Reuben: Let's not kill him. We can just throw him in the pit and leave him (I will come back and get him later to take him home)... No, that would be CHECK
• Judah: You are right. We won't kill him. We will sell him to the travelers... Now that is CHECK MATE

OR, IS IT?

You will have to keep reading the story of Joseph to find out.

The biggest thing that jumped out at me in this reading was Reuben. I see him as a valued pawn in God's hand, being moved into place to preserve God's plan.

Joseph's brothers, full of anger, jealousy, and hatred, planned to kill Joseph. Reuben was skillfully moved into place to plead for Joseph's life and eventually return him home safely to his father. Had Reuben not been moved into place, the likelihood is that Joseph would have been immediately killed upon his arrival. But instead instead of killing him, his brothers threw him into the pit and eventually decided to sell him.

Reuben's plan was to save Joseph's life and to take Joseph home safely to his father. But when the brothers made another move, this time without Reuben's knowledge, God still used Reuben's idea to "not kill Joseph" and they sold him instead. This ultimately preserved the plan of God for Joseph's future.

The moral of the story is...

God's plan will always come to pass. He may have to use different people, He may have to shift one piece of the puzzle and put another piece into place.

But, God's will and God's plan will ALWAYS come to pass!

Help me to stand....

Genesis 33:1-20

God, help me! Here he comes! And, he is running toward me...
Jacob looked up and saw him... He has 400 men with him! Look, he is running toward us! Quick, divide the children so that at least some will survive! I want the maidservants and their children first. Then I want Leah and her children. Rachel, I want you and Joseph to come last. I will go ahead of all of you to meet Esau. If anything happens to me...

The striking coldness of the fear! Jacob has no more time to figure out a plan, no more time to seek God's protection. The dreaded time is here. All he can do is face the music. He goes ahead of the women and children to meet his brother, bowing to the ground seven times as he approached. (Quick question... The bowing, was it a show of respect... was it humility... was it an act of contrition, asking for forgiveness... or, was it submission, out of fear? What do you think?)

Esau continues running toward him. Jacob stands there... frozen... lost... not knowing what to expect... not knowing what to do. Finally, Esau reaches Jacob. He trows his arms around Jacob, embracing him, and gives him a kiss. Jacob bursts into tears! I can almost feel the shock, the fear, all of the dread, every weight that has bound him for all of those years, falling off as his brother hugs him. The kiss, it says it all... forgiveness! The tears fell from not only Jacob's face, but also Esau's.

Can you believe it? Esau is not angry. He doesn't hate Jacob. In fact, Esau is happy to see him! Welcome home!

Side note... I can only imagine, had Jacob returned with a different spirit, a chip on his shoulder, things would have been quite a bit different. Had Jacob returned home with an "attitude" it may have been a totally different reception.
When you obey the voice of the Lord and walk in humility, God will take care of you.

"Who are all of these people that are with you", Esau asked.
"They are my family... my wives, my maidservants, and my children", replied Jacob.
"What is up with all of the flocks and herds that you are trying to give me?" said Esau
"They are gifts for you. I am giving them to you, hoping that you will let me find favor in your eyes.", Jacob said. (I believe that I heard an "I am sorry" in that. Did you?)

Esau's answer is amazing (verse 9-12)...
"I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.... Let us be on our way...".

Did you see what I saw?
I noticed something when Jacob tried to give the gifts to Esau...
Jacob continued to refer to Esau as "my lord".
Esau referred to Jacob as "my brother".
Jacob refers to his brother with a title of service, of subordinance...
Esau's refers to his brother with love and relationship.
Is it possible that Esau has had more of a heart change than Jacob?
Esau is the one who was wronged. He is the one who was manipulated into giving away his birthright for a bowl of stew. He is the one who had his father's blessings, blessings of God, stolen from him by the deception of his father. And now, he is the one who is welcoming his brother with totally unconditional love and forgiveness.
Esau didn't say "You can come home if...".
He simply ran to his brother, embraced him, gave him a kiss, and said let's go home!

To me, Esau is a perfect picture of how God loves us!

No matter what we have done...
No matter how wrong we have been...
No matter how bad we have done Him...
No matter...
No matter...

God comes running to us with His arms open wide. He hugs us. He gives us a big kiss. And, He says, "I am so glad to see you! Let's go home!
Oh yeah, I don't need all of the stuff that you are trying to give Me. All that I want is YOU! I am just glad that you have come home to Me! I love you! Welcome home!"

Thank You Jesus for Your love!
Thank You for Your forgiveness!
Thank You for the fact that both of them are mine, and they are mine unconditionally.
I know that I DON'T deserve either of them.
But, I know that they are mine because You love me!

Times have been really tough lately, Jesus.
I pray that You will help me to stand...
During times when it is hard to stand, I pray that You will help me to stand...
During the times when I don't want to stand, I pray that You will help me to stand...
Even during the times when I refuse to stand because of hurt, anger, resentment, rebellion, whatever the reason, I pray that You will forgive me and that You will help me to stand!
Jesus, Your word says, "Having done all, ... stand".

Jesus, help me to stand!

In our time of troubles...

Genesis 32:1-32


God has come to Jacob telling him to return back to the land of his father...
Jacob and his family set out on their trip back to Jacob's homeland. In doing this, Jacob knows that what he has dreaded for so many years WILL happen. He will finally come face to face with the person that he had stolen from, his brother Esau. He  has a great fear of what may happen when he sees his brother again, even after being gone for many, many years... rightfully so!

This fear can be seen through many things in this reading.

First, Jacob sent messengers ahead of him with a message for Esau... The message that Jacob sent shows his fear. (Not the fact that he sent it. But, the way that it was sent and even the content of the message itself.)

"This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.'"

Yes, the fact that Jacob sent the message could be looked at in two different ways.

1. The message could have been out of courtesy... letting a family member know that he was "passing through", that he was close by. It could have been a message intending to be cordial.
2.  It could have been a message sent out of fear.

I see the latter of the two. To me, in the very sending of the message I see Jacob's fear.  For example, when giving instructions to the messengers, Jacob refers to Esau as "my master" and to himself as "Your (Esau's) servant". This is directly opposite the spiritual authority "pecking order" that was spoken over Jacob when blessed by his father. According to the blessing, Esau was to serve Jacob. Here, Jacob is indicating the just the opposite. This could be seen as an act of appeasement... You're in charge (let's not stir anything up).

Also, Jacob makes it known in the message that he has been settled somewhere, with Laban... a relative. He has not been wandering... on the run so to speak. He makes it clear that he has established himself. He has "cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants". To me, if Esau saw that Jacob had been scared and running all of those years it could have been like when an animal senses fear, they attack. Jacob may have been sending a "subliminal message"... "I have been OK, so everything is OK" (walk softly... don't stir anything up... it will be OK).

The next indication of Jacob's fear in the message is not just an indication of fear. It could also be seen as an indication of repentance (to me). It is when Jacob says, "I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes". This is the most direct indication of fear yet. But, here Jacob is also asking for favor. This could also be seen as an act of humility, an attempt to defuse anger and hostility. I actually see him in my mind's eye as being bowed down when saying this. It is almost like an "I am sorry" without the "I am sorry". If you know what I mean.

Big picture...
I am going to send messengers to go to my brother, to let him know I am coming home. They are going to tell my brother, "Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes." Hopefully, after hearing the message, he won't be angry anymore.

Shucks! Might not have worked like I thought...
The messengers come back saying, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him".

Having received the news, Jacob sees the worst. His brother is coming after him! IN GREAT FEAR AND DISTRESS Jacob divided the people, flocks, and herds that were with him into two groups in an effort of preservation.

Genesis 32:7-8
In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape."

He then prayed to God... God, you told me it is time to go home. You said that you would make me prosper. I know, if I am to prosper, I have to be here to prosper... he can't kill me. God, I am not worthy of your kindness and faithfulness. I left home with only my staff and I am returning tremendously blessed. God, protect me from my brother's anger! Again, God, I know that you said you would prosper me and my descendants would not be able to be counted.

When all else fails... buy your way out of it...
Even with GOD'S promise, he still remains afraid. He selects a "gift" for his brother...
two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He sent them ahead of himself in three groups, with space between them. Each group was told that when they encounter Esau and he asks to whom they and the animals belong, they are to respond, "They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us."

Surely, after my brother, Esau, has passed all three of the groups of my servants, each one having gifts for him, THERE WILL BE NO WAY THAT HE COULD STILL BE ANGRY AT ME!

Jacob sends the gifts ahead, but he stays behind.

That night Jacob sent his wives, his 11 children, his two maidservants, and all of his possessions across the stream...
Jacob was left alone.

During the night Jacob had a visitor...
Jacob wrestled with a man until daybreak. When the man realized that he was not going to prevail over Jacob, he touched Jacob's hip so that it was wrenched as he wrestled. The man told Jacob to let him go because it was daybreak. Jacob said,"I will not let you go uness you bless me". The man asked Jacob's name. When Jacob responded, the man told Jacob that he would no longer be called Jacob. From that point forward, he would be called Israel, "for you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome".

It is in the time of our fear, the time of our distress, the time when we are left all alone...

It is then that we wrestle with God...

It is then that He touches us...

It is then that He changes who we are!

Honesty is the best policy...

It has been a few days since my last post... SORRY!
I will do better.

Genesis 30:25 - 31:55

It's time to go home...
After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob went to Laban and asked for Laban's permission to take his wives and children and go back to his own homeland. Laban told Jacob that all of his livestock had really done well under Jacob's care and he really wanted Jacob to stay. Jacob even told Laban, "the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been".

Realizing the blessings of God, Laban told Jacob that he would pay whatever price Jacob asked to get Jacob to stay.

Jacob told Laban that the little livestock that Laban had when Jacob arrived had increased greatly under Jacob's care because of God's blessing. Jacob saw this as an opportunity to do something for HIS family. Jacob told Laban "Don't give me anything,"... "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." Laban agreed to Jacob's request.

Laban immediately removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs and sent them away with his sons, without Jacob's knowledge, so that Jacob could not take them. See what has happened here? Laban went right back to his deceiving ways. Even though Jacob had agreed to continue serving Laban, Laban, again, cheated Jacob.

Jacob continued with his agreement tending Laban's flocks. While tending the flocks Jacob took "fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 

God honored Jacob and multiplied his flocks. Jacob became rich with large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

It wasn't too long before Jacob heard that Laban's son's had began to accuse Jacob of taking everything that Laban owned to build wealth for himself. Jacob, noticing that Laban's attitude towards him had changed, quietly sent word for his wives to come meet him in the fields. He told them that their father's attitude toward him had changed, that he had always been honest with their father. Even though Laban had changed his wages ten times, cheating him, Jacob continued serving in honesty and integrity, giving his best. He told them about a dream that God had given him, assuring him that God had seen the way that Laban was treating him, and that God was blessing him in spite of the way that he was being treated. He also told them that God said that it was time for them to go home, back to Jacob's native homeland. Both Rachel and Leah agreed that it was time to leave.

Jacob gathered his family and his belongings and quietly left without Laban knowing it. But, before they left, Rachel snuck into her father's tent and stole his idols and hid them in her things. She did this without Jacob, or anyone else, knowing it.

When Laban realized that they had left he chased them, finally catching them after seven days. After catching them, Laban asked Jacob why he left without telling Laban, why he didn't let him say goodbye, kiss his daughters and his grandchildren, why he left with no notice. He then asked Jacob, "why did you steal my gods?"

Jacob told Laban that he left secretly because he was afraid for his life. He was afraid that Laban would take his daughters away so they could not leave and kill Jacob. Jacob then told Laban, but, I did not steal your gods and no one with me dd either. He told Laban that if Laban found anyone that had stolen his gods, Laban could kill them (REMEMBER... Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken them). Laban searched everyone's tents and belongings. Finally he got to Rachel's tent. Before Laban entered the tent, Rachel put the gods in her camel saddle and sat on it. When her father came in, he searched everywhere but found nothing. Rachel looked at her father and said, "Don't be angry... I can not stand in your presence; I'm having my period". Laban never found the gods.

Jacob was very angry for having been falsely accused (so he thought). He told Laban that he had worked with honor and integrity  for 20 years, giving Laban the best, putting his own needs aside, preferring Laban and his needs.
Laban and Jacob then made a covenant that God would keep watch between them while they were away from each other. They offered a sacrifice and had a meal. The next morning Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren. Then he left and went home.

What I have seen throughout this reading is that if we remain honest, if we do what is right, if we honor those in authority over us, God has our back! God will honor us. He will protect us. And, He will bless our integrity and honesty. He did this with Jacob. In spite of the fact that Laban kept cheating Jacob, Jacob stayed honest. Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah as a bride instead of Rachel... Jacob took her and worked seven more years for Rachel. Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times... Jacob kept on working without complaining. Jacob operated from a place of integrity, and God blessed Jacob and he became a rich man.
 
The hand of man, the hand of manipulation, the hand of deception can never gain anything even close to the blessings of God!
 
If God be for us, who can be against us...

Just Take It... It's Free!

Let me start with an update to my last post.

I originally posted the following: When Jacob woke from his sleep, he knew that surely the Lord was in that place and he did not know it. Jacob then made a vow that if God would keep him safe in his travels he would return to his father's house and give back to God a tenth of everything that God gives him. (This is the beginning of the tithe!!!!)

I received an email the next morning from a very dear friend, David, stating that the beginning of the tithe was actually with Abraham, in Genesis 14:17-19. I remember that. But, I did not make the association at that time. I told him that, in Genesis 14:17-19, Abraham gave 10% to a man, not God. David pointed out that Melchizedek was a man, he was a man of God, he was the "priest of Most High God. OK, I am on board, that was the beginning of the tithe. I will now say that this is the "second recorded instance of the tithe" (hope I got it right this time!).


Now, on to tonight's post!

Genesis 29:1 - 30:25
You don't always get what you pay for!
Running from his brother's wrath, Jacob arrives at a well in the field near the land where his uncle, Laban, lives. There he finds Rachel his cousin. He gives her a kiss and begins to cry. He tells Rachel that he is a relative of her father, a son of Rebekah. Rachel runs to tell her father that Jacob is there. As soon as Laban hears that Jacob is there, Laban runs to meet Jacob and brings him home. Laban tells Jacob that he is "his own flesh and blood" and offers for Jacob to stay with them for as long as he wished.

After Jacob lives with (and works for) Laban for 1 month, Laban tells Jacob that just because Jacob is a relative does not mean that he should work for free. Laban asks Jacob what he feels would be a fair wage. Jacob tells Laban that his youngest daughter Rachel is very beautiful and that he is in love with her. Jacob says that he will work for Laban for 7 years to gain Rachel's hand in marriage. Laban responds, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me."

Jacob's love for Rachel was so great that even seven years seemed as if it were only a few days! Having worked seven years for Laban, Jacob goes to Laban and says, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her."

Laban brings the family together and has a big feast to celebrate the wedding. As evening came, Laban gives his daughter to Jacob and Jacob lay with her.
The next morning Jacob wakes up next to his beautiful bride that he loved so dearly, so he thought! It was Leah, Rachel's older sister... Jacob had been deceived! Jacob  does not love Leah... he loves Rachel! Deceived and disappointed, Jacob goes to Laban. Jacob asks why Laban has deceived him. Because of his deep love for Rachel, Jacob says that he will work another 7 years for Rachel! Laban tells Jacob to finish the bridal week with Leah and then he will give Rachel's hand, in exchange for another seven years of work.

Jacob does as Laban instructed. He completes the bridal week with Leah. Then Laban gives Rachel to Jacob as his wife. Jacob, so in love with Rachel, works another seven years as he promised.


Side Note...
You reap what you sow!
Back home, Jacob had sown deception. He had deceived his father Isaac to gain the blessings, from his father, that belonged to his brother. Now, he is reaping the rewards of that which he has sown... Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah, whom he did not love, instead of the Rachel, the one that he loved so dearly.


Back to the reading...
Tit for tat...
When God saw that Leah was not loved by Jacob he opened her womb. Leah gave birth to four sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Surely, this would be enough to get her husband, Jacob, to love her! Seeing that Leah had given Jacob 4 sons, Rachel became jealous. Rachel was barren and couldn't have children. So she gave her maidservant, Bilhah, to Jacob so that she could give him children. Bilhah gave Jacob 2 sons. Now Leah becomes jealous AGAIN. So, she gives her maidservant, Zilpah, to Jacob, in hopes of giving him more children. Back and forth, back and forth this goes! Jealousy, one trying to out do the other. In fact, at one point, Rachel goes to Leah and asks for some mandrakes that Leah's son had brought from the field and Leah actually respond to Rachel's request by saying, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" WOW! What jealousy.


You gotta earn it...
I do see a pattern forming here. Jealousy is causing the two wives to engage in a competition for their husband's love. This has evolved into a belief system that many of us operate in today. For some of us we may not even realize that we are doing it. But, we do! It is a belief that we have to "earn" the approval, love and acceptance of others by our actions. We are performance driven! We even believe that we have to earn God's love! When really, it is freely given. All we have to do is to accept it and walk in it. This should be the same way in our earthly relationships. We should love UNCONDITIONALLY and be loved UNCONDITIONALLY. But we don't! It is based on performance. I will love you if you do... I will love you if you don't... As long as you don't hurt me, I will love... Stop it! Just accept and love! That is what Jesus does. He doesn't love us as long as we do right, as long as we don't hurt him. He just loves us!

HEART CHECK...

The belief that we must "earn love" is a stronghold in many lives today. Being honest, I know that I have struggled with it myself, and still do in some ways. Do you? Be honest with yourself... Do you feel that you have to act in certain ways or do certain things to be loved? Do you have to earn it? Or, maybe, you might be making others earn your love and acceptance by their actions. What about it? BE HONEST!

A while back I was reading a book entitled "Experiencing Father's Embrace", by Jack Frost. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to move from the stronghold of "having to earn love" into the freedom of "accepting the love that is freely given and walking in it".

Here's a link to Amazon.com if you want to get the book... http://www.amazon.com/Experiencing-Fathers-Embrace-Jack-Frost/dp/0768423481

Blessed through Deception

Genesis 27:1 - 28:22


What we see here is deception at its worst!

Rebekah over hears Isaac telling his oldest son Esau that he will give him his blessing soon because he does not know how much longer that he will live. But, first he wants Esau to go hunt wild game and prepare him a meal the way that he likes it. After eating he will give Esau his blessing.

Having  overheard the conversation, she recalls the word of the Lord while her sons were still in her womb... "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." She feels that if Isaac gives Esau his blessing then Jacob must serve Esau... contrary to the word of the Lord.

Let's pause for just a moment and go back to Monday's post...

I described what I see in Rebekah... "I believe Rebekah to be a woman of faith, which will fit in well with Abraham's family. I see her as a woman of much conviction, a woman with little to no hesitation, a strong willed woman (this can be both good and bad). She is a woman that, if she believes something and desires to have it, will go after it with fervor."

Now let's look at this in light of Isaac blessing his son...

Rebekah, heard the word of the Lord, she believed it and she desired that it come to pass. When she saw something about to thwart "God's plan", as she percieved it, she came up with a plan of her own to make sure that "what God wanted " would happen. (Does this sound familiar at all? Hint... Ishmael)

Rebekah comes up with an elaobrate plan to decieve her husband into thinking that Jacob is really Esau so Isaac will give him the blessing. It worked! Isaac fell for it... You sound like Jacob. However, you feel hairy like Esau and you smell like Esau. Therefore, you must be Esau! Isaac gives Jacob the blessing rightfully belonging to his brother, Esau... "May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed."

Very soon after Isaac gave the blessing to Jacob, Esau returned and went in to his father to receive the blessing. When Isaac realized that he had mistakenly blessed Jacob, he trembled violently and told Esau, Your brother came decietfully and took your blessing...
I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!" Esau became angry and begged for his father to bless him as well. Isaac replied, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" (Doesn't this sound like the "word of the Lord being brought to pass by "the hand of man"? Oh, what a dangerous thing!)
Having heard that there was no more blessing to be given, Esau began to cry. Isaac goes on to tell Esau of his future... "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck."

Esau is so angry that he vows to kill his brother, Jacob, after his father dies. Rebekah hears of Esau's plan to kill Jacob. She quickly goes to him, telling him of the plan and that he must leave. She instructs him to go to her brother Laban's home and stay there until it all blows over.

Rebekah realizes that she must have a reason for Jacob to leave. So, she told Isaac that Jacob needs to find a wife. She says, "If Jacob taskes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, her life will not be worth living".

Isaac Called for Jacob and tells him not to marry a Canaanite woman. He tells Jacob to go to the land of his mother's father and take a wife from the house of Laban, Rebekah's brother. He then blesses Jacob and sends him on his way. When Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan Aram, the house of Laban, to find a wife because Isaac did not like the Canaanite women he married the daughter of Ishmael in addition to the other wives that he already had. (Sounds like rebellion to me!)

While on his journey to Laban's house, Jacob stopped for the night to sleep. During the night he had a dream in which he saw a stairway reaching heaven. Angels were going up and down the stairway. At the top stood the Lord! The Lord told Isaac the promise made to Abraham and his father, Isaac. His descendants will be like the dust of the earth... and all people on the earth will be blessed through him and his offspring.  When Jacob woke from his sleep, he knew that surely the Lord was in that place and he did not know it. Jacob then made a vow that if God would keep him safe in his travels he would return to his father's house and give back to God a tenth of everything that God gives him. (This is the beginning of the tithe!!!!)

(Update: I originally posted that this is the beginning of the tithe (See above). The next morning I received an email from a friend, David, stating that the beginning of the tithe was actually with Abraham, in Genesis 14:17-19. I remember that. But, I did not make the association at the time. I told him that, in Genesis 14:17-19, Abraham gave 10% to a man, not God. David pointed out that Melchizedek was a man, he was a man of God, he was the "priest of Most High God. Ok, I am on board, that was the beginning of the tithe.)

Like Father, Like Son

Genesis 26:1-35


Here We Go Again

There was a great famine in the land so Isaac took his family to Gerar, the land where Abimelech was King. The Lord told Isaac to stay right there in that land and not to go to Egypt. God told Isaac that he would bless his descendants and give them all of this land and confirm the oath that God had made with Abraham, his father. Isaac obeyed the Lord and remained in Gerar.

When Isaac was asked about Rebekah, Isaac replied that she was his sister because he was afraid that the men would kill him (Sound familiar?).

One day while King Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah. He called for Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you tell us she was your sister?" Isaac replied that he was afraid that the men might kill him because of her. Abimelech gave an order that no one was to mess with Isaac or Rebekah, under penalty of death. (I actually wonder if King Abimelech made the association that both father and son, Abraham and Isaac, told the same lie for the same reason to the same King.)

As time went by Isaac became extremely wealthy. In fact, he became so wealthy that Abimelech tld him to move away because he had become too powerful to be near them. Isaac moved to the Valley of Gerar. Isaac moved from place to place God blessed him.

Abimelech seeing that God had blessed Isaac, went to him asking to form a treaty that neither of them would harm the other. Isaac had a feast prepared for them, they swore the oath and Isaac sent them on their way.

The sins of the father do visit future generations. Don't they?