Category Archives: BELIEF

Jacob Gives Up Benjamin (Gen 43)

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Bible Summary:

Jacob’s family finishes all the grain, so he tells his sons to return to Egypt for more. Reuben says Benjamin must go or they will receive no grain. Jacob finally gives in since they are all starving and tells his sons to bring double the money, to repay the returned money from their first trip, and gifts.

Joseph invites his brothers over to his house to eat. They bow to him and present their gifts. Joseph gets emotional over seeing Benjamin and has to leave the room to collect himself. Joseph’s brothers are surprised to realize they are seated in birth order. They are at a separate table, since Egyptians consider Hebrews beneath them. Benjamin is given five times more food than the rest.

My Thoughts:

Needs of the Many: The famine gets so bad that Jacob is willing to risk his beloved son Benjamin to feed everyone. He finally reaches the point where, as Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan said, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” His love for Benjamin, especially after the loss of his wife Rachel and presumably Joseph, is so deep that you can feel his anguish in the full Bible text. A parent’s love holds no bounds!

Joseph’s Brothers Buy Grain (Gen 42)

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Bible Summary:

During the famine, Jacob learns of the grain in Egypt, so sends all his sons except Benjamin to buy some so the family will not starve. Joseph’s half-brothers show up in Egypt to buy the grain and unknowingly bow to Joseph, since he has changed from the teenager they sold into slavery twenty years prior. Joseph says they are spies. Reuben whispers to his brothers that they are being paid back for Joseph’s death (he never knew Joseph was sold). Joseph understands, leaves, cries, composes himself, and returns. He keeps Simeon as a prisoner and sends the others back with grain to get their youngest brother as proof they are not spies.

The brothers are scared when they find their money on top of the full grain sacks Joseph provided. Upon their return to Canaan, they tell Jacob the whole story. He says Simeon and Joseph are already lost and he does not wish to lose any more children, especially Benjamin. Reuben says he will take Benjamin and guard him with his life and offers his two sons as collateral. Jacob says Benjamin is his only son left and would die if something happens to him.

My Thoughts:

Accepting God’s Will: Jacob favors one wife’s sons, Joseph and Benjamin, over the rest because she was his true love. Reuben, the true first born, accepts his father’s will so much that he tried to save Joseph years ago and now offers to guard Benjamin. Accept God’s will and you will gain peace and happiness.  Let Him lead the way.

Mixed Families: Divorce is the norm today. More divorces (33) were requested in Columbus, Ohio yesterday than births (22). Divorce leads to remarriage and in many cases mixed families, children from different families living together. This arrangement is a challenge for parents and kids alike. The most difficult scenario is the lone child shared between two families. Dealing with two parenting styles is hard enough but this child has four. Many cases are shared parenting, so this child does not feel a part of either family, just a burden to both.

If you are this lone child, know that God loves you and wants you to be strong. He put you in this position because He has great things planned for you.

Dream Comes True: Joseph’s dreams about the family bowing to him finally come true. It took twenty years, but his perseverance pays off. Keep at your dreams and they will come true – some day.  Believe!

Joseph’s Dreams (Gen 40-41)

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Bible Summary:

Joseph is in the Egyptian prison for quite some time. The king’s wine steward and chief baker are sent to prison for offending the king. Joseph interprets their dreams and in three days they are released, the wine steward gains his position back, and the chief baker is executed, all as Joseph predicted.

Two years later the king of Egypt has two dreams but no one can interpret them. The wine steward mentions Joseph’s ability. Joseph interprets the king’s dreams to mean there will be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. Joseph tells the king to store a fifth of the country’s grain during the good years for food during the famine. The king appoints Joseph as governor over all of Egypt.

For seven years they store grain in all the cities of Egypt. Then, famine strikes all the countries around Egypt as Joseph predicted, but Egypt has plenty of food. People from all over the world come to buy food from Egypt.

My Thoughts:

Serve and Be Rewarded: Joseph continues to serve others for 13 years after his brothers sold him into slavery and is ultimately rewarded with his freedom and the governorship of Egypt.

Save for Lean Times: Given the current slump in the world economy, this advice may seem a little too late, but should be remembered when good times return. Saving 20% like Joseph did for Egypt may be too much of a burden, but you should work towards at least saving 10% of your income. Consider it tithing to yourself.

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife (Gen 39)

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Bible Summary:

Joseph is a very successful slave to Potiphar, one of the Egyptian king’s guards, and is put in charge of everything in his household. Potiphar’s wife seduces Joseph but he continually declines. She entraps Joseph by snaring his robe and telling her husband he tried to rape her. Joseph is sent to prison, but soon becomes responsible for everything there.

My Thoughts:

Confidence: No matter how bad things get, Joseph keeps his head. I believe his confidence comes from knowing that God has a plan for him.

Service: Joseph serves others and is rewarded with more responsibility each time. He must be a great manager to be put in charge wherever he lands.

Jacob’s Son Judah (Gen 38)

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Bible Summary:

About the time Joseph is sold, his brother Judah leaves, marries, and has three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. Er marries Tamar but is killed before they have children, so Judah tells Onan to sleep with her to fulfill his brotherly obligation. Onan spills his semen on the ground knowing the children will not be his. Onan dies too, so Judah sends Tamar to her father until Shelah grows up.

Years later, Judah’s wife dies and he mourns her. With face covered, Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute on the street and sleeps with Judah. A few months later, Judah is told that Tamar is a pregnant whore. Judah orders her death, but Tamar proves that he is the father. He agrees he has failed in his obligation to give her Shelah to marry.

Tamar gives birth to twins. An arm comes out first, so the midwife ties a red thread around it. Zerah pulls his arm back in and his brother Perez is born first instead.

My Thoughts:

Family Obligations: Once there was a young couple who had a heated battle over where to spend the holidays between their families. They finally agree on a schedule and everything smoothes out between them. A week later, his mother calls crying about Uncle Jim who just passed away. The young couple argues over fitting the funeral, a four hour drive away, in for a great-uncle they barely knew. They decide not to attend.

Thanksgiving comes and goes with little fanfare, then a week before Christmas his mother calls, “I almost forgot to tell you, we won’t be home for Christmas.” He asks, “Why’s that?” She says, “Well, Uncle Jim gave everyone who attended his funeral $50,000 plus a two-week cruise. We’re all leaving Christmas Eve.”

Family obligations can be difficult to deal with – from holidays and weddings to funerals and caring for disabled members. Approach them each with love and you will be surprised how much easier they will pass for all. And, you never know what might happen.

Brothers Sell Joseph (Gen 37)

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Bible Summary:

Joseph, Jacob’s first son by his cherished wife Rachel though twelfth of thirteen overall, turns seventeen. Jacob makes him a special robe, which proves to his brothers he is the favorite. Joseph’s half-brothers hate him even more after he reports bad things to father and later tells them of two dream where the family bows to him.

One day, Jacob sends Joseph after his brothers tending flocks in Shechem. Joseph catches up to them in Dothan, but his brothers see him coming and plot to kill him. Reuben tries to save Joseph and talks the other brothers into throwing him into a dry well instead. Upon seeing some travelers, the brothers decide to profit from Joseph, pull him out of the well, and sell him.

The Midianite traders take Joseph to Egypt and sells him to the king’s captain of the guard while the brothers deceive Jacob with Joseph’s robe soaked in goat’s blood. Jacob thinks Joseph has been killed by a wild animal. He tears his clothes off, puts on a sackcloth, and says he will mourn Joseph until he dies.

My Thoughts:

Fairness: Once there was a family get-together and everyone sat around a table talking. Mother got up, left, and returned with a cake. She asked each person if they would like some. One was watching her sugar and another was pretty full from dinner so they took small pieces. One was on a diet and another did not like the flavor so they declined a piece. One only liked frosting so asked for a corner. One took a large piece. The last two and mother had average size pieces. A third of the cake was wrapped up and stored in the freezer for later.

Most pieces were not the same and some people went without, but all were satisfied.

Esau’s Descendants (Gen 36)

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Bible Summary:

Esau, also called Edom, had three wives: (1) Adah who gave him Eliphaz and six grandsons, (2) Oholibamah who bore him Jeush, Jalam, Korah, and (3) Basemath, daughter of Uncle Ishmael, who gave him Reuel and four grandsons.

All Esau’s sons and daughters were born in Canaan. But, Esau moves his family to Edom when the land can no longer support his family and Jacob’s.

My Thoughts:

Genealogy: In biblical times, a man’s lineage was his most important contribution. Historically, large families were the norm across the world when more hands were needed on the farm. Today, families continue to shrink as the world moves to expensive city life.

Curiously, each person’s family tree branches out towards descendants and also back through ancestors. With so many branches, we all must be related somehow? I could be your cousin, 200 times removed!

Over-Population: At the time of Jacob and Esau, only 20 million people lived around the entire world (see middle of the Wikipedia World Population page), so it was easy to pick up and move when an area got crowded. With 7 billion people on the planet today (actually on 10/31/2011), it is getting much harder to find new ground.

Jacob Loses Two Loved Ones (Gen 35)

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Bible Summary:

God tells Jacob to move south to Bethel and worship Him there. Jacob tells his family to discard their foreign gods before they leave. Even though Jacob’s two sons killed all the men of Shechem, the people near there are too frightened to pursue them.

Later, Jacob leaves Bethel and heads south to visit his father Isaac in Hebron. Jacob’s wife Rachel dies along the way while giving birth to Benjamin. She is buried beside the road in what later becomes Bethlehem. Isaac lives to 180 and is buried by his sons Esau and Jacob.

My Thoughts:

Perseverance: Jacob endures many hardships: 20-years of labor for his uncle, fear of his brother’s 400 man army, his daughter’s rape, and now the loss of his wife Rachel and father. Jacob perseveres through it all with help from God in response to his faith in Him. When times are tough, talk to God. He will help you through. He does love you.

Loss of a Loved One: The hardest thing in life is to lose a loved one, especially unexpectedly. All of a sudden, life moves in slow motion. You are numb and looking for answers. What could I have done? How could I have better spent my time with them? Slowly things become easier as you carry on. In time, you start to feel again, you start to laugh again, and eventually you become you again. Hang in there until you are you again! God bless!

Jacob’s Daughter (Gen 34)

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Bible Summary:

Jacob’s only daughter Dinah is raped by Shechem, the son of chief Hamor. Shechem then tells his father he wants to marry her. Hamor and Shechem bargain with Jacob and his sons for Dinah. Jacob’s sons require Hamor to circumcise all his males. Hamor agrees and gets approval from the townspeople to allow intermarriage by saying the Hivites could gain all the Hebrew wealth.

After all Hamor’s men are circumcised, Jacob’s sons Levi and Simeon avenge their Dinah’s disgrace by killing all the men of the village, including Hamor and Shechem, and taking all their possessions, women and children.

Jacob chastises Levi and Simeon for igniting a potential war with the other people of the area that could destroy his whole family. They reply, “We cannot let our sister be treated like a common whore.”

My Thoughts:

Revenge: Jacob seems more concerned about the repercussions against his family then the fact that his sons just killed all the men in the village. He understands that revenge is circular. Feuds can last for years or centuries.

Decisions: The story illustrates the difference between two decision-making styles. Jacob is more of a chess player, looking at everything at stake and the potential outcomes before acting in comparison to his reactionary sons who put the whole family in danger. It was a lot different back then with no laws, police or courts to settle issues like this and meter punishment.

Rape: After 4000 years, rape is still prevalent today. The United States is 6th in the world with 1 in 6 women having experienced at least an attempt (see Wikipedia Rape Statistics). Rape is never right, but I wonder if rates are higher in the U.S. because of suggestive TV shows, movies, and women’s clothing.

To Women: I am sure you have heard many times the defenses against UNknown attackers (take self-defense classes, carry pepper-spray, travel in groups at night, etc.), but be sure to learn what to do against KNOWN attackers.

Boyfriends are the hardest to deal with since so many other thoughts and emotions will distract you. Don’t be forced, bullied, or humiliated into doing it. If you do not want to have sex, you do not have to have sex. Say “no”, yell or scream “stop”, stand up and leave. If necessary, hit, slap, or kick him or lock yourself in the bathroom and call for help.

You may feel embarrassed, concerned about what your friends will think, or worried about how you are going to handle your relationship with him later. All this pales in comparison to what you will feel if you allow him to have sex with you unwillingly. It will affect the rest of your life. Be strong!

If he won’t listen about your wants and needs then he isn’t the right guy for you anyway. Don’t worry about losing him; you WILL find a nice guy. You are a beautiful person and you deserve better.

To Men: when a woman says “no” she means “no”. Respect her and yourself. Go for a long run, swim, or bike ride. Come back and talk to her. Let her know you will wait until she is ready.  You be strong too – in this way.

Jacob Meets Esau (Gen 33)

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Bible Summary:

As Esau and 400 men approach, Jacob divides his family by the concubines first, then Leah, and finally Rachel and Joseph. To Jacob’s surprise, Esau runs up and hugs and kisses him. They both cry tears of joy.

Esau questions Jacob about the group of servants he met earlier. Jacob admits it was to gain his favor. Esau tells him to keep the animals since he has enough, but Jacob urges Esau to keep them.

Esau urges Jacob to leave for Edom. Jacob tells him to go ahead since they will be slow with the kids and animals. Esau leaves and Jacob goes to Sukkoth instead. Jacob finishes his journey back at Shechem in Canaan, buys a field for his camp for 100 silver pieces, and erects an altar to the God of Israel.

My Thoughts:

Caution: Jacob still shows caution towards Esau even though the warm welcome, likely since Esau arrived with an army, and finds his own place away from Esau’s Edom.

Israel: It is weird that Jacob does not go by Israel after being renamed, except for the reference to God of Israel. It sounds like each tribe had its own god, like Laban’s, so did we just end up with our God because Jacob’s family wrote the stories? I guess we will find more as we continue.