Joseph: Standing Up Against Sin (Not Fleeing It) - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 39:6-10,

"Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he refused. 'With me in charge,' he told her, 'my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?' And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her."

After Joseph was sold to slave traders by his brothers, he was taken to Egypt. One of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him. The official, Potiphar, saw that the Lord gave Joseph success in all he did and eventually put Joseph in charge of everything in his household.

We read that Joseph was "well-built and handsome", verse 6, and so caught the eye of Potiphar's wife. I assume, since Potiphar was an important official in Egypt, he had "the pick of the litter" so I'm going to guess she was quite attractive herself. She approached Joseph for a tryst (and approached him "day after day"), and when Joseph refused, she physically grabbed him one day. The story goes on to say he fled out of the house, leaving his cloak in her hands, which provided Potiphar's wife evidence to falsely accuse Joseph in her revenge against him for refusing her. With my assumption that she was probably an attractive woman, she was likewise probably not accustomed to being refused.

Just like you, I have heard all the sermons about how Joseph shows us the way: we need to flee sin! References are made to passages like 2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

While I heartily endorse Paul's admonition to "Flee the evil desires of youth..." (I heartily endorse anything Paul has to say), this account of Joseph isn't that at all. Such a connection of fleeing sin with this account of Joseph distorts this account and is very unfair to Joseph.

Joseph did not flee the temptations of sin here! He stood up against sin "day after day"! What he fled was a woman grabbing him. He was breaking and fleeing her grasp. In this account, what Joseph shows us is how to stand up against sin.

There is a difference between standing up against sin and just merely fleeing it. The one implies mastering our own emancipation over sin that Paul discusses in Romans 6. We flee what we cannot overcome. However, I will say, if I am struggling as a slave to sin, it may be best to flee!

David was a man of integrity who stood his ground against sin and that gets lost in mischaracterizing his actions in Genesis 39. Let's give David his due!  

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Justice or Convenience? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 38:24,

"About three months later Judah was told, 'Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.' Judah said, 'Bring her out and have her burned to death!'"

Judah got a wife, Tamar, for his first born son, Er. Er was "wicked in the Lord's sight" so he put him to death. Judah then had his second son, Onan, take Tamar to raise up offspring for his late brother. However, we read, "But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death also." Verses 9-10. Then we read that Judah deceitfully kept his third son, Shelah, from Tamar for the same purpose because he feared Shelah might encounter the same fate as his two previous brothers. This was a wrong by Judah to Tamar who was innocent of the first two brother's deaths.

Tamar got what was due her by impersonating a temple prostitute by disguising herself and laid a trap for Judah. Judah employed her and she became pregnant by her father-in-law. Then we read the above in verse 24.

Some commentators appear to miss the driving cause of the whole event we read of in this chapter (Judah not doing right by Tamar in keeping his third son, Shelah, from her), and focus entirely on the issue of adultery/prostitution. I'm not quite sure why they miss the point that Judah arrived at, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." Verse 26. Fascination with the titillating?

Nonetheless, as I read the story, I can't help but wonder if Judah's judgment of Tamar in her appearance of engaging in prostitution by condemning her to be put to death had less to do with the supposed prostitution (afterall, was he not engaging temple prostitutes himself?) and more to do with removing her so he would not be publicly condemned for not doing right by Tamar in giving her to Shelah. Was Judah's judgment of Tamar really justice? Or convenience for him?

Just thinking out loud here...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

A Case of Misplaced Blame - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 38:11,

"Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, 'Live as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up.' For he thought, 'He may die too, just like his brothers.' So Tamar went to live in her father's household."

Judah had three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah. After his son Er had married Tamar, the Lord put him to death because he was wicked, verse 7. Following the convention and practice of the day (and later codified in the law of Israel as found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, "the duty of the brother-in-law"), Judah gave Tamar his second son, Onan, to raise up offspring for Er. However, Onan failed to fulfill his duty, "But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother." Genesis 38:9. The Lord found this to be wicked and so he put Onan to death as well.

Down to his last son, Judah deceitfully avoided giving Shelah to Tamar to raise up offspring: he blamed Tamar in his heart for the deaths of his first two sons! Tamar had done nothing wrong and yet she was denied what was due her because of the sins of Er and Onan. Judah thought he would lose Shelah if he gave him to Tamar, not recognizing it was his own son's wickedness that caused their deaths from the Lord and not Tamar.

It causes me to wonder if I have misplaced blame for my own shortcomings...

In the end, Tamar got her due. She tricked Judah into having sex with her by disguising herself as a temple prostitute, which resulted in twin boys! In the end Judah confessed "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." Verse 26.

Another fascinating episode of that dysfunctional family that became the wonderful covenanted people of God!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

One Family's Dysfunction - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 37:1-2,

"Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob's family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them."

I don't know what the "bad report" was that Joseph took to his father about his brothers, but it certainly led to bad blood between Joseph and his brothers. As I read this chapter I am struck with how we might consider this family a dysfunctional one. Keep in mind, these sons of this family comprise the heads of the various tribes of Israel.

In addition to Joseph "squealing" on his brothers (and, who knows? it may have been a very legitimate concern - which would speak badly of the brothers), we read:

Jacob played "favorites" with Joseph over his brothers (not the best of parental approaches to good family life), verse 3-4. The remainder of the chapter might have been filled with much less drama without this driving factor.

Joseph decided to "share" dreams with his brothers and father that God had given him, dreams that pictured them all (including his mother and father) being subordinated to him, furthering the hostility of his brothers against him, verses 5-11.

Joseph's brothers plotted to kill him, verse 18 - 19. The plot included lying to their father about it. They threw him into a cistern as a part of the plot, verse 24.

Human trafficking - Joseph's brothers forcefully sold him to traveling merchants as a slave, verse 28.

Joseph's brothers plotted an artful deception to cover Joseph's disappearance and lied to their father about what had happened, verses 31-32.

Joseph's brothers allowed their father to live in a marked bereavement over the alleged death of Joseph for years, verses 34-35.

The heroes we meet in Scripture are not heroes because they comported themselves in what we might consider a "saintly manner", but because they were people of faith. Obviously, if these accounts were simply made up stories, these patriarchs would be presented to us in an entirely different way. What we discover is that God's people can be as dysfunctional as any... and yet, look at how God used them!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Inscrutable Ways of the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 37:26-27,

"Judah said to his brothers, '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.' His brothers agreed."

Joseph's brothers developed a resentment for him because he was favored by their father, Jacob, (as a son born in his old age), and because the Lord had sent him some prophetic dreams that pointed to a time when the brothers would bow down to him. This would take place years later when a famine would drive the family to seek food in Egypt.

Jacob had sent Joseph out to get a report on his brothers as they grazed the livestock and when they saw him approaching they threw him in a cistern. The brothers intended to kill him but Reuben persuaded them not to take his life. Merchants showed up in the area on their way to Egypt and Judah convinced the others to sell him - what gain would they get if they just killed him? As a result Joseph wound up in Egypt.

Joseph found himself in Egypt due to a series of events orchestrated by God for his own purposes. One of the events was the selling of Joseph by his brothers. What I notice about this is that God exploited the sinful impulses of Joseph's brothers to bring about his own intentions.

I'm not thinking that God created those sinful impulses, but used them nonetheless to bring about his plans, his agenda, his purposes. Kind of like how God used the sinful impulses of people in Jesus' day to bring about his sacrificial death to provide for the redemption of mankind.

The ways of the Lord can be inscrutable at times!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

The Truthful Context of the Scriptures - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 36:40-43,

"These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied. This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites."

Chapter 36 of Genesis is devoted to the lineage of Esau and the rulers of Edom. While material like this might be found to be somewhat tedious at times, I am reminded that all Scripture is inspired. As such, it is all intentional. In other words there is a reason why we are presented with the lineage of Esau and the rulers of Edom.

If nothing else, this kind of material belies the false notion that the Scriptures are fanciful and have no basis in history. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Scriptures go to great length to provide historical context, dating, geography and the like. Here is a prime example of it.

Peter tells us, "We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21. As such, what we read in our bibles is inspired, without any error whatsoever, authoritative, authentic, reliable and intentional.

Passages like Genesis 36 make it very comfortable to feel assured of what Peter has to say.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

A Mother's Disapproval - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 36:2-3,

"Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite—  also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth."

We have already been given an estimation of the wives of Esau, at least some of them, in Genesis 27:46. There, Rebekah (Esau's mother) complained bitterly to Isaac (Esau's father) about the wives of Esau. "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living." That is first-class, grade A disgust. Rebekah says she would rather die than to have to live with Esau's wives - particularly if Jacob married any!

It has always seemed to me that Rebekah's complaint was actually a ruse, a ploy, to get Isaac to allow their son Jacob (and Esau's twin) to flee from Esau. Rebekah and Jacob plotted against Esau by deceitfully getting Isaac to give his blessing (that was due Esau) to Jacob- which was quite consequential. Having done that, Esau was now plotting to murder Jacob.

Rebekah's complaint about the Hittite women provided the pretext for Jacob to go find a wife from her home town where her brother, Laban, lived.

On the other hand, I have to think there must have been truth behind her complaint for it to work. Might it be that God used Esau's selection of wives from the Hittites the very thing that turned her against her own son, Esau?

In any event, somehow Esau earned his mother's disapproval and disfavor while Jacob earned the opposite. Here are a few proverbs that speak to the importance of maintaining a mother's approval as well as what it means when a son does not:

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8.
"My son, keep your father's command and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 6:20.
"A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother." Proverbs 10:1.
"A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him." Proverbs 17:25.
"Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old." Proverbs 23:22.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here:  http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/

God Demonstrating His Choosing - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 35:22b-26,

"Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel's servant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah's servant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram."

Here is a listing of Jacob's sons. All of Jacob's sons (he also had a daughter, Dinah) became the nation of Israel (Jacob's new name).

I make the point of saying that all of Jacob's sons became the nation of Israel: all twelve tribes. However, although Abraham was chosen by God because of the faith he modeled for all succeeding generations of mankind, not all of Abraham's sons figured into the nation God chose as his people for his purposes of the redemption of mankind. Of Abraham's sons, it was Isaac, not Ishmael that was chosen. Of Isaac's sons, it was Jacob, not Esau that was chosen. But when it came to Jacob, all his sons and all the offspring since have become the nation of Israel, God's chosen people.

Since Abraham, the great man of faith, was chosen by God to create a nation for his purposes, why didn't all his offspring become God's chosen nation? Since Isaac was the offspring of Abraham that God chose to carry the line forward for creating the nation, why didn't all his offspring become God's chosen nation? Why wasn't it until the third generation that all offspring would comprise God's chosen nation?

It is an interesting question. I think the answer may be found in what Paul has to say in Romans 9. As Paul carried the gospel message to the other nations of the world, he was followed by "Judaizers" who contradicted him and claimed that anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, needed to follow the law of God to become members of God's family who share in eternal life. As it turns out, as most of us have come to find, all mankind itself is given to the notion that if we want eternal life we are going to have to "earn it". All religions of the world, save the followers of Jesus Christ, have at the core of their beliefs that we all need to be doing "something" to earn our spot in heaven or Nirvana, or whatever.

That is not the gospel at all. Jesus Christ did all that needed to be done for any of mankind to find their way into God's family. He died on the cross to pay for all our sins, and to have his death credited to our account with God, he asks us to set aside anything we may be doing to earn his approval and simply embrace him in faith.

This is God's choice: salvation is by faith, not by works. God's choice! Not ours. We don't have a say in how we get into God's family, God has chosen the way, how it is done. We each have a choice to embrace Jesus Christ in faith for salvation, but we don't have a choice as to how salvation is achieved.

In order to help prove his point of this in the book of Romans (by the way, this is exactly what the book of Romans is all about: faith and not works of our own), Paul uses the history of the patriarchs relative to my question above. He points out that God chose Jacob and not Esau to demonstrate that all things are God's to choose. "For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: 'At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.' Not only that, but Rebekah's children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" Romans 9:6-13.

Paul then goes on with his point, "It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy." Verse 16.

Paul used the very circumstance of God choosing only one son of Isaac as opposed to all (both) to demonstrate it is his to choose.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Nations of Glory - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 35:11-12,

"And God said to him [Jacob], 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.'"

What catches my eye this morning is that God told Jacob that his offspring would become a nation and a community of nations. While many commentaries view the "nation" as the nation of Israel itself, and the community of nations the twelve tribes that comprise the nation of Israel, my mind goes somewhere else. Certainly the singular nation will be his descendants that become the nation of Israel, but I can't help but think of the nations, in the plural, that will gather at the throne of the lamb of God following this age.

All who embrace Jesus Christ in faith become members of his kingdom and his kingdom will be comprised of believers from all nations of the earth. In Revelation 21:22-27 we read, "I did not see a temple in the city [the new Jerusalem following this age], because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

I see this thinking in Romans 4, where Paul quotes something the Lord told Jacob's grandfather, Abraham, in Genesis 17:5, "... I have made you a father of many nations." Paul quotes this verse when he discusses how both circumcised and uncircumcised all become Abraham's descendants - both Jews and Gentiles from all nations of the earth. In Romans 4:16-17, where he quotes Genesis 17:5 he says, "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations.' He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not."

As the father of many nations, the faith Abraham modeled, and particularly his ultimate descendant, Jesus Christ, bring members of all nations into glory - all who embrace Jesus Christ in faith. This was promised to Abraham, and that promise was passed to Isaac and Jacob.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Fit for Duty - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 34:25-29,

"Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses."

Jacob's daughter, Dinah, who was sister to the twelve brothers whose offspring comprised the twelve tribes of Israel, was raped by a man named Shechem. Shechem decided he wanted Dinah as his wife and so he and his father approached Jacob and his sons to get her. Deceitfully, Jacob's sons said the only way they would agree to it would be if Shechem, his family and the whole community (males, obviously) got circumcised.

Shechem and the town agreed (the town was promised a looting of all Jacob had at some later date) and while they were all recovering and still in pain on the third day Simeon and Levi came into town and slaughtered them all. Jacob's sons plundered all the possessions, wives and children of the town.

We are told that the ploy was one in which Jacob's sons acted deceitfully, verse 13. Jacob reproved Simeon and Levi for their actions, pointing out the danger they had created for Jacob and the family in the land of the Canaanites, verse 30. Their response to their father was, "Should he [Shechem] have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

We can certainly understand the outrage Dinah's brothers had when learning of Dinah's rape. Certainly some form of justice needed to be exacted. However, to slaughter and loot an entire town for the crime of one man certainly seems to be over the top. Think of all the innocents in the matter that paid the price for something they had nothing to do with.

However, what comes to my mind this morning is the culprit Levi. Levi was up to his eyeballs in the whole of it: the deception, the slaughter, the looting, the taking of survivors as slaves, etc. This is the very Levi whose offspring would comprise the Levitical priesthood of God's covenanted people! Of all twelve brothers, it would be the tribe of Levi that was chosen by God to serve at his altar, to mediate the offerings and sacrifices of God's people, to organize the worship and maintain the religious calendar of God's people.

This brings to my mind the fact that God can use even the worst of us for his purposes. I'm not saying Levi was the worst, but his resume certainly does not lend itself to the kind of scrutiny and requirements that many are held to when desiring to serve God today. No one who turns to God today should feel that somehow they are excluded from serving him in differing capacities because of things done in their past.

God can use any of us if he chooses to do so in spite of what we may have done in the past. It is unfortunate that some feel excluded from serving in the kingdom of God either because of their own guilt of past things or the disapproval of others who should know better. God cleanses us from all sin and gifts us with special abilities to partner in the building of God's kingdom today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Exploiting the Things of God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 34:13-17,

"Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. They said to them, 'We can't do such a thing; we can't give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one people with you. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we'll take our sister and go.'"

This is one wild story! Dinah, the sister of the twelve brothers that became the twelve tribes of Israel was raped by a local named Shechem. Shechem loved her and sought to get her as his wife and so he and his father approached Jacob and his sons to get her. Her brothers were enraged their sister had been raped and when approached, the above was how they responded.

But it was a rouse. Shechem approached the men of the town and somehow got them to agree to get circumcised with the promise of looting Jacob and all he had at a later date, "Won't their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us." Verse 23.

Consequently, after the men of the town got circumcised and they were still yet in pain, Jacob's sons came into town and slaughtered them all as they were unable to defend themselves! They exploited circumcision, the rite God commanded Abraham and his descendants as a sign and seal of the covenant they had entered into with God.

Although I admire their creativity and craftiness, circumcision was not given by God for that purpose. Jacob was unhappy his sons had done it, but his unhappiness had to do with the trouble it would create for him, "You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." Verse 30.

I wonder how God felt about it... but it does bring to mind how some things of God are used for that which is unintended in our day. I'll bet you can come up with a few observations of how the things of God are exploited...  I know I can.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Jacob's Disposition Versus "Christian" Posturing - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 33:8-11,

"Esau asked, 'What's the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?' 'To find favor in your eyes, my lord,' he said. But Esau said, 'I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.' 'No, please!' said Jacob. 'If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.' And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it."

Twenty years prior to this, Jacob fled Esau because he had tricked Esau out of his birthright and his blessing from their father Isaac. Jacob had gone to his mother's country to find a wife for himself and now he returns with flocks and herds and wives and children and servants: a wealthy man. He also returned with a promise from God, "I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted." Genesis 32:12.

Jacob had also had a series of encounters with God. On his way to find a wife for himself he had the vision, or dream, in a place he would call Bethel, of a stairway that extended from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. Above it God told him, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:13-15.

We also read of Jacob, on his return back home having an encounter with "a man". We are told they wrestled all night, till daybreak and that Jacob would not let go of the "man" until he blessed him. The "man" told him his name would now be changed to Israel "because you have struggled with God and humans and have overcome." Genesis 32:28. Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." Genesis 32:30.

With all we see in Jacob's (now named "Israel") life, I can't help but be impressed with Jacob's disposition toward his brother Esau. Certainly Jacob was in fear for his life as Esau came out to meet him with 400 men. However, God had promised Jacob that he would be with him until he brought him back (see Genesis 28:15). Yet, Jacob approached Esau carefully, sending gifts ahead, and dividing all he had into groups. When he came face to face with Esau he bowed down to him seven times and called Esau "my lord" to seek Esau's favor, 33:3,8. He tells Esau that for him to see his face was like seeing the face of God, verse 10.

What a disposition! What an outlook for a man who had it all!

Today, as I look at the disposition and attitude of many of those "religious leaders" on TV, who claim to have a special connection with God for one reason or another, I see little of what I see in Jacob. What I do see in James 3:17-18 is, "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."

I suspect if we all focused more on the lives of God's people in Scripture we might do much better than if we look around at what passes for "Christian posturing" of the day.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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'Money for Nothing'? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 31:38-42,

"I [Jacob] have been with you [Laban - Jacob's uncle and his wives (Leah's and Rachel's) father] for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you."

Here is Jacob's response to his father-in-law, Laban, as to why he secretly ran off with his wives (Laban's daughters) and children. Jacob had left his parents to go find a wife for himself at his father's [Isaac] direction to go to Laban to get a wife. Now, Jacob wanted to return after having spent 20 years away from home.

Another complaint Jacob surely could have made in his explanation to Laban was that Laban had deceived him by substituting his older daughter, Leah, for Rachel after having promised Rachel to him. Jacob had worked seven years to pay Laban for Rachel and as a result had to work an additional seven years after being swindled by Laban in order to get Rachel.

During this 20 year period, Jacob increased his wealth immensely. He prospered in everything he did. Here we see the importance of Isaac's blessing of Jacob at work. It was consequential in that it brought God's assistance in all he did.

However, what this passage reveals is that although Isaac's blessing of Jacob resulted in God prospering him greatly, it did not come easy. Look at the hard work, the years of labor and of difficulty that Jacob endured as he reaped God's blessing upon him!

I am reminded that God's blessing does not always come without hard work, effort, and maybe even some suffering. We live in day where these kinds of lessons seem to be lost. In the church today too many people measure God's blessings by how much money, how much stuff, how much success comes a person's way with no effort. It seems to be that if no effort is exerted, and yet a person receives much, that is how we measure a blessing. That is not what is always reflected in the Scriptures.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Earning God's Contempt - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 27:36,

"Isn't he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!"

Here is Esau's complaint to his father, Isaac, upon learning the blessing he was expecting from him was stolen through trickery. I note that Esau claims Jacob had taken advantage of him a "second time", the first was his birthright and now his blessing from his father (which was quite consequential).

I'm sure Esau felt the way he expressed himself, but here is what really happened when Jacob took Esau's birthright (which was quite consequential as well):

"Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!' (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look, I am about to die,' Esau said. 'What good is the birthright to me?' But Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.' So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright." Genesis 25:29-34.

Esau "despised" his birthright by giving it to Jacob for a pot of lentil stew! Now, when he lost his blessing from Isaac (through real trickery where both Jacob, and Esau's own mother, Rebekah, conspired to do so), looking back he claims Jacob "took" it from him by taking advantage of him.

It really is amazing how foolish choices will often tend to be "reinterpreted" after the fact and certainly when repercussions follow. Esau's choices earned God's contempt of him as Paul notes in Romans 9:13 (in a quote from Malachi 1:2-3), "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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