Category Archives: Genesis

Genesis 37:1-4

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.  2 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.  3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Of Interest:
• 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Twelve sons and some daughters too makes the phrase “more than” a pretty important fact.  Joseph is way down in the birth order – second from the last and in the cultural succession of his father’s inheritance.  It’s hard to imagine this mixed up family;  sons by two rival wives, sons by women Jacob wasn’t married to, daughters that barely get a mention, a father, brother and father-in-law who have good reason to suspect Jacob’s motives.  A casebook of family relationships of deceit, dishonor and destructive behavior.  Wait a minute, that sounds like today!

If you go with that image of thread, it’s not hard to imagine those brothers feeling like Joseph is just a pesky piece of lint in their lives to be gotten rid of. God has a different plan.   The brother’s actions and motives are meant to ruin, and possibly destroy, Joseph.  Instead God picks him as the right thread to hold His plan together.  There’s the key…the right thread.

So many families are caught in that same deceit, dishonor and destructive behavior today.  It’s not a NEW thing that we have to overcome because it’s gotten so bad NOW; it’s a STILL thing.  Good News!  God STILL has a different plan.  Remember that scripture about the strong cord in Ecclesiastes 4:12?

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” 

That’s it!  God has given us the first two threads of that strong cord; Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Could it be possible that He has chosen us/me/you to be that third strand?  Are we meant to be the right thread that strengthens and holds His plan together today in our little corner of the world?

Genesis 33:1-10
Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.  4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.  Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.”  6 Then the female servants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down.Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down.  8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”  “To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” he said.  9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”  10 “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. 11 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.

Of Interest:
4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

My Thoughts:
Twenty years is a long time from Jacob’s point of view to wonder about the damage your behavior has done to your brother.   He’s had plenty of time to imagine the possibilities of Esau’s anger and bitterness toward him.  He’s not taking anything for granted in this reunion.  He’s  taken charge and is expecting to have to make substantial sacrifices in this effort to  be reunited with his wronged brother, if he doesn’t get attacked first.

There are tears from both of them as they meet…of relief probably.  The tension of these days of approach had to be intense.  There is something intriguing about this reunion though.  Both men had to do the same thing..but in very different ways.  They had to submit.

Jacob is careful to humble himself repeatedly as he approaches Esau.  He’s made it clear he’s willing to give his wealth, his possessions and possibly his life and family to Esau even though by “rights” he’s the one in authority. That could be what Jacob wants Esau to see; that he’s willing to submit his authority to Esau in the name of reconciliation.

Esau on the other hand is coming to meet Jacob with 400 men.  It looks like an army!  Hands-down he’s got the advantage of strength.  I think Esau wants his brother to see he’s willing to submit that strength to him as he “runs” to meet Jacob and embraces him.

There’s no mention of  the word forgiveness in this story as I would have expected. I sat here thinking about why that was so, when an old saying came to mind, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Wasn’t each brother imitating the other in their willingness to submit?  God used that quirky thought to lead to this thought; maybe… “submission is the sincerest form of forgiveness.”  Something new and intriguing to consider.

Genesis 32 The

9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

Of Interest:NLT
11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, 

My Thoughts:
It’s been 20 years but obviously Jacob has not forgotten how serious was the deceit against his brother and how angry Esau was.  To give him credit, he’s praying and preparing for whatever may happen as he heads home.  This is the first time I’ve realized that the stealing of Esau’s blessing had absolutely no benefit for Jacob immediately as he flees from his family to safety…”When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick…”  His fleeing was the result of his own rebellion and fear.

Laban, Leah, Rachel…and all those twists and turns in those relationships and unfair treatment in those 20 years were certainly God showing Jacob firsthand what it was like to be deceived and lied to.  Now he’s dealing with his own guilt over his treatment of his brother and his fears of facing him again.  Through all these years God has been patiently teaching and preparing Jacob to desire and recognize forgiveness and redemption.

I think that’s exactly what our life on earth really is…God giving us time.  Our lives are our time to grow.  The gift of time to learn to be brave enough to come face-to-face with our flaws, our fears and the reality of God’s promises to us.

Genesis 31    R-Rated – Part 2

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.  19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.

Of Interest:
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.

My Thoughts:
That Rachel is just irritating the daylights out of me…that spoiled, vain, manipulativre, lying and greedy woman is now a thief as well!!!!  Somehow she has become the worst villain of the story to me. Well, isn’t that interesting?   Let’s see how the other characters line up in this chapter though.

• Jacob has carefully manipulated his dealings with Laban for many years to accumulate his wealth in flocks.  Now we has sneaked away.  Although how you could “sneak” with herds, camels, wives, children and supplies for a long journey is curious.
• Leah and Rachel have conspired against their father and justified it as OK because of Jacob’s God and their concern for the wealth that is “theirs.”
• Rachel steals from her dad and adds deceit and lying to her bag of tricks.
• Laban, who is no prince of a guy either, is now after them with revenge in mind.

I’m telling you this could be the  TV series hit of the season…Real Housewives of Mesopotamia. (a title borrowed from Richard Dahlstrom.)

The next time you wonder how in the world God can work in our modern-day world with all it’s corruption and deceit, and the reality of today’s human flaws; reread this book.  With all their flaws these people are in the Bible for a reason.  Remember this is really God’s story of how he can work with the people he’s got and still build a Kingdom.  Amazing when you think of it.  We are the modern-day versions of the characters in this story.  We’ve got more cash and better transportation but there are too many similarities for our own good.  Here’s the grand finale; God has given us his Book, his Son and his Spirit to make it possible for us to risk taking our own long journey, with all our baggage, though what sometimes seems to be the desert of daily life.