Myspace Genesis Bible Journal Blogs

Myspace Genesis Bible Journal Blogs The Complete Collection PERRY ‘CURTIS’ MCCLUSKY http://www.myspace.com/biblejournal

I've created this Myspace “Bible Journal” site as an incentive for me to do some personal Bible study and to clarify my thoughts by putting them into words. A few of my acquaintances imagine that I have some rather uncommon views about God, life, the universe and everything. If that is so, then maybe I have something a little different to contribute. You may not agree with the substance of all of the blogs but hopefully they will be interesting. My goal is to approach the Bible from as simple and fresh perspective as possible, so while working on this project I will try not to refer to other religious literary sources. I am using the New International Version of the Bible because for me it is an easy to read translation. The King James Version and the Revised Standard Version are two other Bible translations I enjoy referring to. In the spirit of taking a personal (and possibly casual) look at the Bible, I plan to comment on texts that catch my interest and skip those that done.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-08-07 A Plural God and A Plural Mankind. Genesis 1:1, 2, 26, 27 “…God created the heavens and the earth…and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters…Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, …So God created man in his own image, …male and female he created them.” (NIV) It is interesting that the first account in the first book of the Bible, the creation of the world, would suggest that the God of the Bible is not just an individual but a union of individuals. What adds to this fascination is the fact that humankind was created in the image of this plural God. They were divided into male and female beings. This could be quite a mystery and should give us something to ponder. What aspects of humankind physically, mentally and spiritually reflect who and what God is? For God to make us somehow similar to Himself, shows that in as least someway He is unafraid the share His Godlikeness with us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-09-07 Animal Caretakers. Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (NIV) It would seem that originally mankind’s relationship to the animal life on this planet was a reflection of God’s relationship with mankind. Humanity was to rule and be caretakers of their world. This was the first responsibility given to the

human race. We were to care for our animal subjects, as God cares for us. How different our life and the world around us would be today, if all of mankind took seriously their God-given responsibly to be guardians to the animals around us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-10-07 Creative God and Creative Mankind. Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” (NIV) The world that God created for mankind was unfinished and unpopulated with human beings. God created couples to have intimate sexual relationships (sex) in His perfect sinless world, at least until the world was full. One could assume that with all the planets in our universe, which may be unpopulated, couples would probably have a good chance to continue having sex. Apart from the Garden of Eden, the rest of the world was unfinished or should I say unfurnished. This was really a gift from God. Humanity could landscape it how they personally wished, not unlike what people enjoy today. We enjoy making a house a home. Interior decoration, furnishing, rebuilding, landscaping are just a handful of things most people prefer to have creative control over on their property. In these two ways we are much like our God, we were given the ability to create life and take part in the creation of this world. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-11-07 The Original Diet. Genesis 1:29 “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (NIV) The original diet for mankind was vegetarian. This makes sense considering that the animals were under the guardianship of man. So far everything that God has expected from mankind has made sense. He expected His children to rule over the animals, the have children, to take control of their environment and to eat what He had designated for them to eat. Even in a perfect world we find “rules,” or should I say “laws.” In a perfect environment everything works together smoothly and in “order.” In an environment where there are no rules there is “chaos.” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09- 12-07 The End of Creation Holiday. Genesis 2:3 “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested form all the work of creating that he had done.” (NIV) Our calendar is full of days that have been set-aside for a special purpose. Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veteran’s Day are a few examples of holidays we find on our calendars. God set aside the seventh day for a particular purpose. God made this day holy because He had accomplished something special, the creation of our world. Our calendars are divided up into months and years based on the rotation of the Earth the Moon and the Sun, but our calendar’s seven day weekly cycle is based only on the creation week. This day had such a special meaning to God that long after Eden, the fall of man and the flood it was recorded in the Ten

Commandments. The descendents of Jacob need re-educating after their long captivity in pagan Egypt and the fourth command, the Sabbath, was important enough to God for Him to include it in the tables of stone. Of all the commandments, it is the only one that God asks us to remember and the only commandment most of Christianity has forgotten. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-13-07 Dust, Breath and Life. Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” (NIV) Whether one prefers “living soul” (KJV) or “living being” (RSV & NIV), man became alive. The two basic ingredients necessary for life to exist are dirt and God’s breath. Without one or the other there is no “living being.” Mankind has obtained quite a bit of knowledge on all the elements that make up our world but we know very little about “the breath of life.” A father and a mother can pass on that “breath of life” to their children but as far as medical science is concerned, scientists can play with the building blocks of life but they can’t create it…yet. I use the word “yet” because I don’t know to what extent we were created in the image of God. So far, it would seem, man has been able to accomplish whatever he has put his mind to, but on this point I believe that we may be limited to just procreation. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-14-07 Mankind’s Original Employment. Genesis 2: 8, 9 “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” (NIV) Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (NIV) A few times in my life I’ve had the opportunity to visit large landscaped areas that were beautifully maintained. I always remember these beautiful gardens when I think of the Garden of Eden. Considering the fact that it was God who had created this place for man to live in, it must have really been “pleasing to the eye.” Man was given the opportunity to maintain his new home. The work that man was involved in must have been a pleasure to do, on par with the activities that a person looks forward to when they take a vacation. His attitude towards his work in Eden could have been similar to the joy that many of us experience when we are involved in hobbies we enjoy. I can’t envision the work done in the Garden of Eden being anything close to drudgery. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-15-07 Temptation in the Garden. Genesis 2:16 “And the Lord God commanded the man, “Your are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it your will surely die.” (NIV) At first glance one could believe that God was being unfair and setting His newly

created innocent children up for a fall by placing temptation before them. Unfortunately there is a larger conflict going on, war! “And there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they last their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:7-9 (NIV) In this conflict, who is right? Our salvation is dependant upon God not only being just but also being fair. Therefore as I see it God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden out of fairness to Satan. To be reasonable an all-powerful God had to let Satan have an apparatus to prove his point. You may feel that it stinks that our world was created at the wrong time and place, but that’s the breaks. Do we blame God, do we blame Eve, do we blame Adam or do we blame Satan? At least in part, our salvation rests on our own individual answer. My stand is, if God can be fair with Satan who started this sin mess than I can rest easier knowing that God will be fair with me when I die. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-16-07 The Bonding of Marriage. Genesis 2:18, 24 “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone…For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (NIV) I suspect the bonding that is experienced in marriage may be a miracle of God but it could be a gift that God has given us genetically. It would seem that people start experiencing this bonding as soon as they start dating, which is why breaking up, ending the relationship, is so painful. Even people who are living together and not married develop this bonding. I imagine that people, who drift in and out of a multitude of intimate relationships, can become callused to it and the process of bonding looses its effect, if this is true, what a tragic loss. This uniting and bonding experience was intended by God to be between a man and a woman. There is no indication here to include the marriage of men to men and women to women, which is becoming more common today. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-17-07 Naming the Animals. Genesis 2:19 “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” (NIV) I had always thought that Adam gave each category of animal its name, for example, dogs, cats, horses, monkeys, turtles, etc. Recently I’ve changed my mind because of the way the text is worded, “each living creature.” I believe he gave them names as we would give names to pets. For example I once had a dog that was named Shari. This would tend to support my perspective that God had intended mankind to be friends with the animals, much like God’s relationship with mankind. I’m not really sure that God had intended that relationship with animals to change that much through the years. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-18-07

Mankind’s Emotional Connections. Genesis 2:20-23 “So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and …made a woman from the rib…and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.” (NIV) It was while Adam was being introduced to all of the animals that it finally dawned on him that they were all paired off, male and female, and that there wasn’t another being similar to him to be his companion. He probably felt lonely and in need of companionship. God could have been putting off creating Eve for this very purpose. He may have wished Adam to develop a natural emotional need for Eve even before Adam met her. Adam would appreciate her presence from the very start. From what Adam exclaimed when he first met Eve is revealing. It would seem that Adam’s emotional relationship with Eve is similar to that of a mother’s love and attachment to her new born child because Eve was physically created from a part of Adam’s body. Eve became a part of him both physically and emotionally. Eve’s experience of being created was similar to Adam’s. She woke up and realized that all of creation including Adam was created for her. One big difference was that where Adam was created from the ground she was created from Adam. My point is that Earth’s first human couple started life feeling both a connection to the Earth and a connection to each other. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-19-07. Lies and Half-Truths. Genesis 3:1-4 “…He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The Woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die,’” You will not surely die, “ the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (NIV) For all practical purposes the serpent’s message is, “God is lying to you. God is selfish and does not wish you to be as wise and knowledgeable as He is. God is “holding out” on you. Take what is rightfully yours! Do Not Trust God. He doesn’t really love you!” Eve was lied to, the truth is Adam and Eve did die and the human race has been experiencing death since then. On the question of whether of not God wants us to be like Him, He does. We were originally made in the image of God and since our fall into rebellion and sin, He has been attempting to recreate that image of Himself in humanity. On the other hand it is true that God didn’t want the human race to know evil. We couldn’t handle it and it has only caused us great misery throughout the ages. Apparently God did not originally create mankind with the ability to know evil and survive it. As we all have experienced, evil is destructive and it is selfdestructive. And yet, at the end of time, those who God rescues will have first

hand knowledge of evil. The saved will eventually become more that what God had created them for. They will be ‘like God, knowing good and evil’. They rebelled, they don’t deserve it but because of God’s love and care they survive it. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-20-07. Naked and Exposed. Genesis 3: 8-11 “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (NIV) Most of the human race feels at least some degree of embarrassment when they are undressed in the company of other people. I have heard many explanations for why we feel that way and although they may be correct, some of them just don’t make sense to me. My perspective may not cover the phenomenon in its entirety but I believe that it’s got to be partially correct. When it finally dawned on Adam and Eve to what they had done, they felt exposed. They had rebelled against the most unbelievably powerful being in the universe and there was nothing to protect them from what He might do to them. They felt naked. Sewing fig leaves together for clothing didn’t seem to help them much because they still ran away and hid from the presence of God. The fig leaves were much like the blankets on my bed when I was a child. You see as a child I was afraid of the dark and when I’d hear an unfamiliar or frightening noise, I’d hid under the blankets. Those blankets wouldn’t protect me from some murdering fiend bent on killing me but I hid under them all the same. Adam and Eve ran away from God, yet He was the only one who could really help them. It is amazing that we tend to run away from God also. Each one of us is exposed unprotected to the world around us and it is only God who can really protect us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-21-07 Blame and Ignorance. Genesis 3: 11-13 “…Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (NIV) Adam not only blamed the woman for his decision to eat the forbidden fruit but also partially blamed God for it. Even today we blame God for a lot of bad things that happen. Storms are known as “Acts of God.” When a young person dies in an automobile accident, people exclaim, “Why did God takes his life when he was so young?” Is God to blame for all the bad things that happen in our lives? No. If we answer that question with yes then we fall into Satan’s line of thinking. To what degree does ignorance play in our bad decisions and poor relationship with God? Here is my perspective. Disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit was Adam and Eve’s fault, yet they hadn’t lived very long. The first couple had not even

had lived long enough to have children yet. It is possible that had more time of passed by before they were tempted, they would have gotten to know God better and not have disobeyed. I believe mankind’s ignorance of God’s true character played a part in their fall and it’s partially the reason why God did not snuff out their lives right then and there. To some degree God’s patience and mercy with mankind is based on His understanding that we are all ignorant and that many of the decisions we make are based upon inadequate or even faulty information. Whatever part ignorance plays in our decision-making will not save us from suffering the day-to-day consequences of our actions. It probably does play a factor in Gods ability to be able to offer us salvation and therefore we can sidestep the ultimate consequence of our rebellion, complete separation from God and death. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-22-07 The Reason why Bullies are Present. Genesis 3:14, 15 “So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this…I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (NIV) Who are the offspring of the serpent or of Satan? Three answers come to mind. Either we are talking about the angels that were cast out of heaven with Satan (Rev. 12: 7-9), or any person who “does not do what is right.” (1 John 3:9, 10), or we are talking about a combination of both groups. Personally I think in this case the text is talking about people. There is antagonism between followers of God and those who don’t. I believe we first really experience this as school children on the playground. The bullies always seem to pick on the nice children. It is possible that Christians today have learned as youth that it is far easier to get along in life if you can blend in with the unbelievers and I believe that this is a spiritually unhealthy thing to do. I would like to make this clear. There are two sides to this conflict, on one side is Eve’s offspring (the human race) and on the other side are those who desert and follow Satan. The text implies that God is siding with the human race. The simplest reading of this prophesy shows that in the conflict (no matter which translation you read) the children of Satan do not fair as well as the children of Eve. So no matter how dim the future may look to the Christian, he or she may rest assured that they are on the winning side. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-23-07 Desire, Pain and Power. Genesis 3:16 “To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (NIV) Let me make this perfectly clear, I’m a guy. From my observation, I see this whole pregnancy experience and having children being uncomfortable at best. I told my wife when we got married, “If you don’t want any kids, I’d understand because if our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t want to go through it.” This text looks like God is saying to Eve, “You’re going to desire sex (for whatever reason) and the end result is going to be painful.” The latter part of the text looks interesting also. Although both men and women are equally selfish and power hungry in their own way, historically men generally

end up with the most power in the marriage. Again from observation, young women seem to be looking for a strong capable man to love and protect her and her children. After she marries him, she finally realizes that she has given up more power in the relationship than she had first dreamed. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-24-07 Providing for the Family. Genesis 3:17 “…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” (NIV) Throughout history, generally it has been the husband’s responsibility to provide for the family. In primitive cultures if the husband isn’t farming than he is hunting (which is also not without it’s pain and suffering). You may not see gardening as being “painful toil” until you have to do it on a large scale, then it’s called farming. My father was raised on an Iowa farm and will assure you that it’s hard and dangerious labor. Today, modern man has only traded working the soil for other forms of difficult employment. Now he braves the dangers of industrial accidents, chemical exposures and more all for the sake of supporting the family. Whether by choice or by circumstances, more and more women are filling the role as the ‘bread winner’ of the family. Today, many women suffer under the double burden of being the “homemaker” and the “breadwinner” of the family. When we look at Adam and Eve’s curses together, we do see a “silver lining.” If Eve is too busy taking caring for the children and Adam is too busy providing for the family, then they are both too busy to sin. Remember the old saying, “Idol hands are the devil’s workshop.” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-25-07 Garments of Skin. Genesis 3:21 “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” (NIV) I wonder where the skins came to make it possible for God to make clothes for Adam and Eve? The simplest and most obvious answer is that God killed an animal for it’s skin. I wonder how God felt? The odds are pretty good that this was the first thing that God ever killed. In my adult life I’ve had one dog and two cats as pets. When they died I was grief-stricken and I’m a callous sinner. I wonder how painful it was for God, a perfect being, to destroy a living thing that He had created? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-26-07. The Tree of Life. Genesis 3:22, 23 “And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” (NIV)

Here again God refers to Himself in the plural, indicating that God is more than just one individual. When Adam would meet with God in the Garden, it would have been similar to a child meeting one of his or her parents. Apparently there were two interesting unique trees in the Garden of Eden. Not only was there the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but there was also the tree of life. It would seem that physically mankind needed to supplement his diet with the fruit of this tree in order to not grow old and die. God, in His wisdom, separated mankind from this fruit so that he would not be able to perpetually live tainted with sin. Personally I am relieved that God is going to eventually end this cycle of human insanity. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-27-07 Banished from the Garden. Genesis 3:23, 24 “So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim with a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (NIV) After removing Adam and Eve from their home, God place heavenly beings outside Eden. It looks as though as least one was armed, so that the human race couldn’t return to eat from the tree of life. Eden stood there rooted in our world as a monument to how wonderful it was before there was rebellion against God. Although Eden was a real reminder to what the human race had lost and what God stood for, humanity still spiraled down into sin. Any one of Eve’s children who doubted the consequences of rebellion against God could return to the boarders of Eden for proof. Past experiences don’t always protect us from straying away from God. Things finally got so bad on Earth that God had to destroy most everything and start over with Noah and his family. Keeping one’s relationship with God current is important. Ongoing prayer, Bible study and relationships with other likeminded believers will help us from straying away from God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-28-07 Sacrifices before the Time of Moses. Genesis 4:3-7 “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?” If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (NIV) Although it is not spelled out clearly to us, the world’s first family did have knowledge of what God’s will was. There were rules to live by even way back then. Like the seventh-day Sabbath, here we find the ritual of sacrifice, which would be later reintroduced by God to Moses and the Children of Israel after they fled Egypt. My point is that there were laws given to Moses were not unique only to the Jewish nation. Here is something interesting, although God has given us rules to live by; He is

more concerned with the condition of the human heart. God was concerned and approached Cain because of his attitude. Although God did encourage Cain to present the correct offering, He was more concerned about what was going on in Cain’s mind or I could say in Cain’s heart. One can be tempted to see the God of the Old Testament as one who is only concerned with obedience of the Law and the God of the New Testament as one who is only concerned with what is going on in the human “heart.” The way I see it, that is not the case. Here we find God more concerned over the motives of the heart and the consequences of those motives than Cain’s misguided act of presenting an incorrect offering. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 09-30-07 Murder and Mercy. Genesis 4:10-15 “The Lord said, “…Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from you presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” But the Lord said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” (NIV) Cain’s curse must have had something to do with Cain’s passion for the ground and growing things. First, Cain’s occupation was growing crops and in his arrogance he offered a potion of his crops as a sacrifice to God in place of what he was suppose to. Second, after killing Abel, he buried him in the ground similar to sowing a seed in the field. Since the first was connected with the reason Cain got angry and the second had to do with the murder, God basically said to Cain, “Your farming days are over.” So Cain became a “gatherer” of food growing in the wild. Two other things concerned Adam’s family on a regular going to cease. Also Cain that someone would revenge at that time Cain’s future

Cain. It is possible God still personally met with basis as He had done in Eden and for Cain that was deduced that the natural reaction to Abel’s murder was his brother’s death and in turn kill him. All in all look pretty bleak.

God’s treatment of Cain is an early example of God’s mercy towards all sinners. Although there was consequences for his murder God did not destroy Cain immediately for his crime instead he was given a certain amount of protection from being murdered. God did not kill the killer! This example of God’s mercy should challenge the Christian. How forgiving and merciful are we to those around us? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-01-07 The City of a Wanderer. Genesis 4: 10, 12, 17 “The Lord said…”Your will be a restless wanderer on the earth”…Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.” (NIV) The stories in the Bible are condensed. They have to be or we’d have a Bible as large as an encyclopedia set. A chapter or two can cover the life of a person,

where as in today’s libraries, we have whole books dedicated to a person’s life and even those don’t cover a person’s life in detail. Here for example we find most all we know about the life of Cain located in one chapter in the Bible. With so little written about Cain, we will naturally be left with questions. They may not be important questions but questions nevertheless. For instance, if Cain was cursed to become a wanderer, why did he or how could he have built a city? Just for the fun of it, let’s try to answer the question. There are several possible answers. Cain could have been repentant enough so that God released him for his wanderer’s curse. Maybe Cain’s intentions were to have the city be as a home base to him. Even wanderers need a place to call home. It could be that he started the city but after a few decades he got restless and had to move on, I mean they did live an awfully long time back then! Cain could have settled long enough to raise a family and when he finally felt he had to leave, his grown children turned the settlement into a city. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-02-07 Cain, the Roll Model. Genesis 4:23, 24 “Lamech said to his wives…I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventyseven times.” (NIV) From the Cain’s story, it looks like Cain’s crime was a crime of passion. I would suspect (or hope) that Cain never killed again. Lamech seems to be bragging to his wives about his ability to injure and kill, “If someone hurts me, he’s a dead man!” His attitude is, “I am more dangerous than Cain, therefore God is going to have to protect me a whole lot more, ha, ha, ah!” In some sick way, Cain was Lamech’s roll model and his goal was to be meaner and more dreadful than Cain. In my opinion, I would advise a person not to accidentally step upon Lamech’s toes. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-03-07 In His Own Likeness. Genesis 5:1-3 “…When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God…When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” (NIV) The writer of Genesis connects the creation of man and his likeness to his Creator to Adam having his third son born in his likeness. The point has got to be that the human race is very similar to God somehow. Not only can we create human life, we are creative. In general, given a historical perspective, if the human race can imagine it, with enough time and resources the human race can accomplish it. Unfortunately, humans imagine a lot of good and evil. For God, having the sin problem solved on Earth will be a lot like the Christmas holiday. Like a parent, God will get to sit back and thoroughly enjoy watching how much fun we have with the gifts He has given us. Our resources for creativity will be unlimited. If what we are now interested in is not inherently sinful, then we will be able to pursue that same interest in the world make new.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-04-07 Why am I settling for Less? Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (NIV) What kind of intimate relationship did Enoch and God have? It had to have been such a close and valued connection that God didn’t want be separated from him, not by death and not until the Second Coming of Christ. Each Christian should ask themselves these questions. Do I wish to have a relationship with God like the one Enoch had? What would my life be like if I did? Why am I settling for so much less? What can I do today to have that kind of relationship? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-05-07 Labor and Painful Toil before the Flood. Genesis 5:28, 29 “When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” (NIV) These two verses give us a couple of insights into what life was like before the flood. Number one, life was not perfect or easy. It looks as though that making a living and putting food on the table was a challenge. This family was hoping that in some way their son would help make their life easier to bear. I wonder if Lamech and his wife found the comfort that they were searching for in their son Noah? If you have children, do you find comfort in them? Number two; the population still had knowledge of God. I mention this because a lot of knowledge can be lost through several generations. How far back can you track the religious beliefs of your family? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-06-07 Be Content with Your Life Today. Genesis 5:28, 29 “When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” (NIV) Lamech and his wife were hoping that their son would bring them comfort. They found their lives difficult as most of us do today. In some way they saw hope in their child, Noah. I wonder if they, like parents now, wished for their children to have a better life then the one that they were experiencing? Life was difficult for those living before the Flood because of God’s curse making it a challenge to grow food. Yet in many ways the world was still left unspoiled, as God had created it. Making a living had to have been more demanding after the Flood. Not only had the whole surface of the world been affected but the weather also. Who knows, shelter may not have been a necessity before the Flood. Lamech and his wife may have been looking for comfort from Noah, but in the end Noah’s life had to have been a much harder one to live. He and his family had to settle in a land that was in ruins. I guess the lesson we can learn from the lives of Lamech and his son, Noah, is that maybe we should be content with the lives that we now live because when

tomorrow arrives we may find that our lives today were really pretty good. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-07-07 Marrying Unbelievers. Genesis 6:1-3 “When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (NIV) Apparently the men who followed God were indiscriminately marrying daughters from unbelieving families. Most likely the reason why God was unhappy with this situation was because these men were eventually falling away and becoming unbelievers like the women they were marrying, plus other problem that general crops up is that the unbelieving mother influences the children not to care about adopting a Godly life. These same two dilemmas exist today. Apparently God considered the influence of the nonbeliever so great that He had to shorten the life of mankind to lessen its continual influence. If God was so concerned about the influence of the ungodly that He had to shorten mankind’s life to protect him from it, then it is serious enough for men and women today to take the time and soberly consider who they are about to marry. The basic message is, “Don’t marry an unbeliever!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-08-07 A Grieving God. Genesis 6:5, 6 “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” (NIV) At this point in mankind’s history, the human population was evil. Maybe it would be clearer to say that the human race turn into a collection of criminals. They were nasty spiteful unpleasant people who not only ‘did’ wicked things but also ‘were’ wicked through and through. “Every inclination” was evil. Evil sinful actions are like an addicting drug and can change the human body at the molecular level. At first we are people who are unpleasant from time to time, but in time we mutate into unpleasant people. Sin changes us. God is like a parent who suffers anguish over a wayward child. God is neither an uncaring remote God nor is He a hardhearted God. Our Creator is a sensitive being. He feels grief and emotional pain. God’s character is perfect. Unlike us, His doesn’t become emotionally callus to the suffering around Him. God feels pure undulated grief and pain. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-09-07 Destroying the Animals. Genesis 6:7 “So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the

face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” (NIV) Conditions on earth had to have been pretty grave for God to wish to destroy all the living creatures that lived above ground. It is possible that all the other creatures that were going to be destroyed along with mankind were just as innocent victims, collateral damage. On the other hand it is also possible that mankind’s sinful influence had had a negative affect on his earthly companions and made their simple natures evil. Today we find examples of man’s influence affecting the animals that he associates with. Many people have the habit of making pets out of some of the wildest animals. Some of the animals that have been made tame and semi-safe to be around are lions, wolves and large alligators. We can also find man’s influence making the animals meaner and more dangerious to be around. A good example of this is the dog. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-10-07 A Good Christian and a Good Neighbor. Genesis 6: 6-9 “The Lord was grieved that he had made man…So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth…But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (NIV) The world had to be a pretty appalling place, if God could only find one man worth saving. I wonder if Noah represented the spiritual condition of his family or if the rest of his family were saved only because of their close relationship with Noah. Maybe it was a little bit of both. No matter how you look at it, we are all related to Noah and his wife. Noah is described as a “righteous man.” Here was a man who basically always did the right thing. Not only did he was he able to live a Godly life, but he was also able to live without conflict with his fellowman. Noah was a well-rounded child of God. A lot of times Christians are tempted to sacrifice their relationship with God so that they can fit in and be accepted by their friends. Other times I’ve seen Christians who make unbearable neighbors and coworkers. Its as if they believe that they have to be obnoxious to be a Christian. Noah was a person who loved God and loved others in a Godly manner. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-11-07 A World of Fear. Genesis 6:11 “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” (NIV) Practically every human being on the Earth was deceitful, insincere, unfair, twofaced, etc. If that wasn’t bad enough they were also physically brutal, sadistic, destructive and pitiless towards each other. The world was a place where you couldn’t trust anyone and life was cheap. The conditions in our society today may be questionable at best, but you can still find citizens, coworkers, family and friends who are basically honest and peaceful. Can you imagine a world where

‘everybody’ is bent on corruption and violence? This had to have been very disturbing to God. He had to have felt like a parent, whose children have all turned criminal. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-12-07 An Act of Mercy. Genesis 6:12, 13 “God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on the earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (NIV) Not all destructive acts that happen to mankind are God’s fault but God surely caused the flood. There were at best only a handful of people on the earth who followed God’s desires and lived peacefully with their neighbors. There had to be a Flood because if things went on as they were, after Noah and his relatives died there would be no more Godly people left within the world’s population. There would be no living examples for future generations to compare their evil, violent lives with. The knowledge of God and His ways would be gone and forgotten. People would not know of any other choice other than to live corrupt and violent lives. The destructive flood was an act of protection. God was protecting our freedom of choice, our chance to survive this sinful mess. The flood was an act of mercy for future generations. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-13-07 A Life-Changing Project. Genesis 6: 14-22 “So make your self an ark of cypress wood…The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high…you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you…You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you…You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” Noah did everything just as God commanded.” (NIV) What a huge life-changing project God gave Noah to do. Not only did he have to build his ship, but also he had to procure materials and tools for it. Building the ark was only part of the project. Let us not forget the effort it took to collect all those animals and the food to feed them during their stay on the high seas. Noah was a shipbuilder and a zookeeper. I’ve tried to imagine myself taking on this project today and I’m not sure how I’d get it all done. How would I finance it? If I was persuasive, I could probably get enough people who would be curious enough to see how it could be completed and what the end result would look like. It would be a full-time job. If I couldn’t find people to finance the project, then I would have to work at another job to support my family and myself and then in my free time build the ark. That would take forever! Either choice I made would surely take commitment. “Noah did everything just as God commanded.” What a simple short sentence to describe what had to have been decades of hard work. I doubt that Noah was able to attract funding for the ark. Maybe Noah had his son’s support and fund him so he could work on the ark full-time, if not the project was completed after he got home from work. It was a good thing that Noah lived 950 years and 600 hundred of those years was before the flood.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-14-07 Righteousness and Perseverance. Genesis 7:1 “The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.” Once again I’d like to point out that although a Godly standard of conduct is not recorded in the Bible before the flood, it did exist. There had to of existed guidelines along which God judged the people of the Flood. Another point I’d like to touch on with this verse is that Noah persevered to the end. He did go into the ark. This may at first sound like a mute point but it isn’t for us living today. Experts say that the majority of us give up on our goals and dreams when we have almost reached them. We have a habit of putting most of the work in on a goal and then “throw up our hands” and giving up when we are 95% there. Just like you and I, Noah was human too. He had to have had he fair share of problems and temptations with doubt. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-15-07 A Distinction between the Animals in the Ark. Genesis 7:2, 3 “Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. (NIV) Here is another example that a portion of God’s Law, His standard of conduct, was known before the time of Moses, the Children of Israel, and their Jewish relatives. Here we find that there was knowledge of the differences between clean and unclean animals. Apparently this division existed before Noah was given permission to eat them. This is an interesting note. The New International Version suggests an alternate translation of the phrase “seven of every kind.” It suggests that it could be translated “seven pair of every kind.” If that is the case, then it was a lot more crowded in the ark. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-16-07 Noah, the Animals and Moving Day. Genesis 7: 7-10, 15 “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah…Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.” (NIV) The New neither account Revised

International Version suggests that the animals “came to Noah” and that his sons nor he had to round them up. The King James Version of this can be understood the same way. On the other hand the translation in the Standard Version is vague on this point.

Compared to the miraculous event of the Flood, the animals coming to Noah on their own could seem rather commonplace. Whether or not the animals came of their own freewill may not have saved Noah all that much work. If the animals casually wandered in over the preceding days and months, as with people who take in stray cats or dogs, Noah could still have had to undertake the vast effort of housing and feeding all of them until the day they all entered the ark. I tend to imagine that all the animals arrived the same day that they moved into the ark. It seems to go with the flow of the miraculous event of the Flood. Plus I can’t see how Noah and his family could find any time to finish the ark if they were spending all of their time caring for a multitude of animals. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-17-07 A Declaration of Fairness? Genesis 7:9-10 “Pairs…of all creatures that move along the ground…came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters come on the earth.” (NIV) I’ve heard it speculated that the seven days that Noah and his family had to wait in the ark before the flood actually came was to test their faith and that view may well be true. Yet one could presume that after all the time and effort preparing for the flood, Noah and his family had no faith issues. If God knew Noah was truly committed and faithful, then why did God put off the flood for seven days? The time between Noah entering the ark and the Lord shutting him in could have been that seven-day period. If that is the case, then none of Noah’s neighbors could complain that God didn’t give them one final chance. God didn’t shut the door right after the last animal entered the ark and not give anyone a chance to follow. Those looking back on the event (you and I) can’t accuse God of not being fair. Another explanation could be that it was a declaration of Noah’s faith by God to the generations to come. God could be saying to us today, “Look, Noah was not tricked into going into the ark. He and his family were not forced against their will to stay in the ark. They had plenty of time to reconsider their situation and they knew exactly what they were doing. They all had faith in my word and I had the right to save them!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-18-07 Going along with the Crowd. Genesis 7:23 “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; …Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.” (NIV) The majority is not always correct. Just because everyone seems be in agreement doesn’t mean that it is safe to join in with them. Every person in the world perished in the Flood except for Noah and his family. That’s a sobering fact. We must examine our friends and ourselves. “Whom am I ‘hanging out’ with? Why am I associating with them? Am I becoming like them? Would God approve? Will they be saved?”

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-19-07 Noah’s Curiosity. Genesis 8:6-13 “After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see it the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark…He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf. Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him…Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.” (NIV) This story shows the human side of Noah. He was curious to see if the flood was over and what it looked like outside. Apparently the window of the ark was faced skyward because when it was opened Noah couldn’t see the ground. He decided that he would be able to determine if there was dry ground by releasing a bird from the ark. It appears that Noah didn’t know his birds very well and his first choice didn’t work out as he had intended. The second bird used, a dove, was successful. By using doves he was finally able to determine over time when it was reasonable to open up the main door and take a look at what was left of the world. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-20-07 Faithful and Patient. Genesis 8: 13-16 “By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. “By the twentyseventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark…” (NIV) Noah opened up the ark to see what was outside on the first day of the year and apparently it was still pretty wet nearby. It was nearly two months later that God gave him permission to leave the ark. Noah must have been a pretty faithful and patient fellow. I would have probably jumped out of the ark on that new years day and took a look around. Afterwards I would have gotten in trouble with God and also my wife for tracking mud around the ark when I returned. Do you think Noah recovered the opening of the ark after taking a look outside so that he wouldn’t be tempted to leave before God gave him permission to? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-21-07 Noah’s Sacrifice. Genesis 8:20 “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. (NIV) Here we have the first sacrifice to God recorded in the Bible. Since it is not written here that God requested this specific sacrifice from Noah, then we could assume that sacrifices of thankfulness to God was a part of Noah’s life and background. One would take for granted that sacrificing to God was known before

the Flood and long before the time of Moses, the Children of Israel or the Jewish nation. Again the difference between clean and unclean animals is referred to. Only clean animals were offered to God in sacrifice. Why do I make this observation about Noah’s sacrifice? Many seem to connect sacrifices and the difference between clean and unclean animals ‘only’ with the Children of Israel and later with the Jewish nation. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-22-07 No Worries. Genesis 8:21 “…Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood…” (NIV) “Will God curse the ground again?” This question could have been a legitimate concern for mankind, if God had not made this promise. God had already cursed the ground when Adam and Eve rebelled. Now the damage done by the Flood to the environment has made it even more difficult to grow food and to survive. Because of this promise, mankind will not have to worry that his ability to grow food will be made more difficult ‘by God.’ This verse is talking about you and me today. Every inclination of ‘our’ hearts is evil. Still, God has not abandoned us just because things are still not going His way. It is not His way. What a great attribute of God’s character for us to attempt to strive for and emulate in our own lives. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-23-07 Mankind’s New Diet after the Flood. Genesis 9:2-4 “The fear earth...Everything that the green plants, now I its life-blood still in

and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has it.” (NIV)

The change in the relationship between mankind and the animals seems to have happened because of the change in mankind’s eating habits. Either the animals naturally became fearful because they were being hunted and killed or God changed their nature so that many breeds would have a better chance of surviving and not be hunted into extinction. I tend to think that it could be a little bit of both. It seems obvious that God condoned eating the animals because there was nothing else to eat right after the flood. The question is, “Why was this emergency measure never lifted?” Did this change in diet help shorten mankind’s life span and make it easer for God to deal with sinners? Could it be that once people got a taste for animals, they wouldn’t want to give it up and God had bigger problems to deal with than trying to stop it? Maybe the emergency measure was lifted but it was never recorded and forgotten. Verse four mentions an eating restriction not to consume animal blood. It is very likely that this wasn’t the only one. Considering that back in chapter seven there is a distinction between clean and unclean animals and then in chapter eight we find Noah only sacrificing clean animals to God, one could surmise that these two examples mirrored the instructions later given to Moses and the Children of Israel. If this is so, it is reasonable to believe that Noah’s new diet after the

Flood was similar to the dietary instructions given to Moses for the Children of Israel and that mankind was only to eat the “clean” animals. Also remember that there was more of each kind of clean animal that entered the ark than unclean ones. Think about it, if there were only two (unclean) pigs on the ark and Noah butchered one after he got off the ark then there wouldn’t be any pigs today. On the other hand, maybe the unclean animals were healthy enough (back then) to safely consume considering the dire circumstances? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-24-07 Blood, Life and Violence. Genesis 9: 4, 5 “But flesh with the life shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of every beast will I require it, and at man’s brother will I require the life of

thereof, which is the blood thereof, of your lives will I require; at the hand the hand of man; at the hand of every man.” (KJV)

It is forbidden by God for us to eat meat without all the blood drained from it. Apparently God doesn’t want us to consume blood because it represents the essences of life, that special thing that God, the Creator, supplies us. Another way of putting it is that we are then starting to tread upon God’s territory. It’s amazing. If you kill an animal and consume it’s blood, then in turn you will be killed by either another animal or by your fellow man, even your sibling. There seems to be the suggestion that consuming the blood of the animal you eat also places a you too closely to the violent act of taking it’s life and therefore eventually your life will be taken. It’s almost like you’ve become so intimate with violence that your life will naturally end in violence. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-25-07 Murder and the Image of God. Genesis 9: 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” (NIV) Offhand I’d say that this is not a hard fast rule for God because God didn’t kill Cain for murdering his brother Able. In fact God gave Cain a measure of protection to safeguard him from in turn being murdered. My take on this is that God is making an observation on the consequences of sinful behavior. Violence produces violence and God is not generally going to stand in the way of this happening to a person who murders. Why, because to a certain extent man is holy. Mankind is made in the image of God and to harm that image is a personally affront to God. There is one other point I’d like to make. Once a person dies there is no more opportunity for that person to repent to God for their evil ways. When you kill a person, their spiritual fate is sealed and God may frown upon that. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-26-07 Should Christians take up Shipbuilding as a Hobby? Genesis 9: 11-13 “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the

earth. And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (NIV) This is the first covenant recorded in the Bible. In the Bible there are recorded more than one covenant that God has made with mankind. I hear arguments that we now live under a new covenant and that the old covenant(s) is now null and void. I must confess that I am not well versed on this topic, but if it is true then that’s a scary thought! If one believes that God voided this covenant, then maybe all Christians should take up shipbuilding in their backyards. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-29-07 Drunkenness and the Curse. Genesis 9: 20-24 “Noah…proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tend. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” (NIV) Being caught naked could have been culturally extremely embarrassing at this time. How Ham ‘possibly’ wronged his father is found in Noah’s curse, Ham and his descendants would end up serving his brothers and their descendants. Ham should have “served” his father by covering him quietly and respectfully and not have made what he had seen public. With a little imagination, one could see Ham coming out of Noah’s dwelling, after seeing the head of the family in such an exposed position, roaring with laughter and making fun of his father in front of his brothers and any of their family that happened to be around at that time. However the event unfolded, Ham must have had a chronic character flaw and this event was the “last straw” that set Noah off. As a result, Noah cursed Ham and apparently with God’s blessing. One must note that Noah’s drunkenness contributed to this unfolding event. Noah’s action directly placed temptation in the path of his son Ham. May we as parents not do the same and place temptation in front of our children. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-28-07 Provider and Protector. Genesis 10: 8, 9 “Crush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” (NIV) Was Nimrod both a mighty warrior and a mighty hunter as suggested in the NIV? Both the KJV and the RSV translates warrior in verse eight as hunter. I just don’t see much evidence that there could have been wars going on between Noah’s offspring at this time. There were just too few people and way too much land to expand into if you were upset with your neighbor. If the term ”warrior” did apply, it could be that Nimrod was well known for being the local keeper of the peace. If a number of people got out of line then he’d just “knock a few heads together” to straighten them out and get them to calm down.

Personally I think that warrior applies to the fact that he fought animals. It says in verse nine that he was well known for being a “mighty hunter before the Lord.” Why would a well-known man of God be well known for hunting? The only explanations that make sense to me is that he was known either for providing meat to the community in times of food shortages or that he was known for killing off the dangerious predators that threatened his neighbors. I’d like to think that he was well loved for both. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-29-07 The Division of the Earth. Genesis 10:25 “Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.” (NIV) The name “Peleg” means “division,” and apparently “the earth was divided” in some way around the time he was born and named. I wonder what had happened. The division that took place could have been political. Some kind of conflict could have broken out and divided the newly settled communities of mankind. Maybe a war took placed that isn’t recorded. I’d like to believe that this text is referring to the separation of the continents of the world. What if it didn’t take place during the Flood but sometime after the Flood? Now that would have been something to experience, the continents breaking apart from each other! I could imagine a huge earthquake taking place or a series of giant ones. That would have caught the world’s attention. I can see an expedition being formed and the amazing story they came back with. Most likely the division refers to territorial disputes and for the first time after the Flood, maps were drawn up and boundaries were formed, so that precious resources could be protected or controlled. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-30-07 A Big City and Big Plans. Genesis 11:4-6 “Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (NIV) The reason why the people started building the city with its tower was to stop people from migrating away. The communities up until this point must have been small, towns compared to what we call cities today. Apparently, they had big plans, ultimately detrimental ones from God’s perspective, and needed an abundance of talented people to do it. This planned city with its awesome tower must have been a vehicle to appeal to the people’s pride. It symbolized the statement, “Look at us and how great we are. Stay and join us!” I wonder if part of their ad campaign was, “Together we can rival God!”

On the other hand the tower might have appealed to the peoples fears. A “tower that reaches to the heavens” would be nice to stay close to just incase God reneges on His promise not to let another flood happen. If that was the case, than the planners and builders of the tower could be pride fully suggesting, “Stay, join us and we’ll protect you from the wrath of God!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 10-31-07 The Blessing of having a World with different Languages. Genesis 11:6- 8 “The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.” Why did God confuse the people’s languages at Babel? From the text it looks like it was to protect them from self-reliance. If a group of sinful people come to believe that nothing is “impossible” for them then eventually they will stop relying upon God. Reliance upon God is the only prescription for the condition we call sin. God confused the languages to protect mankind. If the people at Babel continued upon their course, mankind would have probably fallen back into a preflood like relationship with God, a situation where God would have had to find a way to destroy the world again. For our sake God couldn’t let that happen. Even today our differences in language do a pretty good job protecting one nation or culture from transferring their bad habits to another. At least the language barrier seems to slow it down. I’d also like to draw your attention to another interesting point. The plural concept of God is used to describe God coming down to confuse the languages. God says in verse seven, “…let us go down…” Here’s one more observation I’d like to make. It seems that the writer of Genesis got half way through listing the descendents of Noah, starting at chapter ten, when he realized that an explanation need to be given about how these descendents acquired different languages. After explaining the story of the “Tower of Babel,” he continued and finished listing Noah’s descendents. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-01-07 With Greatness comes Responsibility. Genesis 12:1-3 “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” When God asked Abram to uproot himself from his family, friends and home and go to another country, God promised him four things. First of God promised Abram that if he trusted Him that his descendents would become a great nation. One could imagine that Abram figured that great meant that his nation would be large, well known and have many accomplishments. Secondly God promised that Abram himself would be great.

Today most great people

have celebrity status. I wonder if people in Abram’s time ever saw him as we think of famous celebrities today? Next God promised that the accomplishments in Abram’s life would bring a blessing to others. Not all people today have made a name for themselves by making the world around them a better place. Many celebrities have become very well known for their character flaws and the appalling things that they do. God also promised that generally their relationship would be one of cooperation and agreement. I believe that we all have access to that kind of relationship with God. The question is, “How badly do we want it?” I’d like to finish with this point. In this promise is found the principle, “with greatness comes responsibility.” It seems that the purpose for God blessing Abram is so that others would be blessed because of it, in fact the whole world was going to be blessed. Is our basic motivation in life to bless others when we are struggling “to get ahead”? Let us ask this question of ourselves, “Will I be a blessing to anyone today?” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-02-07 Is Packing Up Hard To Do? Genesis 12:4 “So Abram left, as the Lord had told Him; and Lot went with him.” (NIV) Abram’s blessing required a response and that response was for him to take action and leave. It is said that, next to a death in the family, moving is the most stressful experience in a person’s life. Whether you agree with that or not, Abram must have experienced some struggle with making the decision to follow God’s directions and uproot his life. With no political or social upheaval mentioned in the area, there was only the promise to motivate him. Even though the promise was an awesome one, the decision to abandon the life that he had made for himself had to have been made with some difficulty. God asks us all to make changes that will improve our characters and lifestyles and yet we find it hard to set these changes in motion. It must have been the same for Abram too. Here are some interesting questions. Why did Lot go with Abram? Was Abram Lot’s guardian after his nephew’s father died? Was Abram Lot’s mentor in business and Lot didn’t want his training to end yet so he went with him? Did Lot leave with Abram because they shared a close relationship? Was Lot impressed with his uncle and followed him because he believed that God had actually talked to him? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-03-07 The Sightseer. Genesis 12: 1-9 “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country…and go to the land I will show you…Abram was seventy-five years old…He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they and accumulated…and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem…the Lord appeared to Abram and Said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”…From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tend, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east… Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. (NIV)

It looks like God was giving Abram a guided tour of the land that He promised to Abram’s descendants. I bring this observation up because it seems like such a personal thing to do. It reminds me of someone who is eager for a friend to open a present that they had given him or her. After the gift is opened, the person excitedly points out his friend all the special features of the gift. You’ve probably experienced this yourself on a birthday or other such gift-giving occasion. We were created a lot like our God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-04-07 Unfavorable Conditions. Genesis 12:10 “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” (NIV) God leads Abram to the land promised to his descendants. Then a famine comes and Abram has to leave it. Just because God favored Abram that didn’t mean that everyday life was going to be easy for him. The famine didn’t mean that God had stopped watching over him. Bad things happen to good people. It could be acts of nature, it could be Satan, it could be God testing them or it could be that they were just in the wrong place ant the wrong time. My point is, a difficult challenge in life doesn’t indicate that God stopped caring for us. I would also like to note that this is the first bad weather noted in the Bible record. I would suspect that the flood messed up the world’s environment so badly that it lost its ability to maintain stable weather. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-05-07 A Choice of Life or Death. Genesis 12:11-13 “…he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is he wife.’ Then they will kill me…Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake…” (NIV) The fear of being put to death has a tendency to test our faith in God. Despite God’s promise to make Abram the father of a great nation, Abram lied to the Egyptians so he might live. He couldn’t have children if he is dead. Did he simply forget God’s promise or was he trying to help God protect his life? Considering Abram’s fear, it must have been well known that Pharaoh had a passion for beautiful women and collected them at their husband’s expense. Basically Abram’s plan was to exchange his wife for his life. Not a very nice thing to do, at least from Sarai’s point of view. Although I don’t agree with it, I do understand Abrams decision. Either Pharaoh takes Sarai and Abram dies or Pharaoh takes Sarai and he lives. Either way Pharaoh takes his wife, so he might as well live. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-06-07 Pharaoh takes a Wife.

Genesis 12:14-20 “When Abram came to Egypt…Pharaoh’s officials…praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake…But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram…he said, “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife…Take her and go!”…” (NIV) I wonder how Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife. I’m sure the timing of the diseases inflicting his household helped. Did God tell Pharaoh? Did gossip from Abram’s camp finally get back to Pharaoh? My bet is that once the diseases became apparent, that was the final straw for Sarai and wanting out of there as fast as possible she told Pharaoh. I believe Abram’s fear of Pharaoh being a violent man was legitimate. I think the reason why Pharaoh didn’t go ahead and kill Abram when he found out that Abram was the root of his family’s health problems was because Pharaoh was afraid that Abram’s God would let whatever disease it was get worse. The odds are that this event didn’t help Abram’s marriage any. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-07-07 A Businessman and a Family Man. Genesis 13:1-13”…Abram had become very wealthy in Livestock and in silver and gold…Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together…And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsman and the herdsmen of Lot. So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers…Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord…So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan…” (NIV) Apparently Abram was not only rich but also generous. I don’t believe that most businessmen would be so generous to their competition. Although Abram’s faith in God wasn’t perfect, his confidence in business most likely came from the assurance that God “had his back.” It is easy to get caught up in the conflicts about us. Whenever our co-workers, our neighbors or our family members start fighting among themselves, it is difficult for us to keep ourselves clear headed and above the emotional storm. Although Abram’s herdsmen were quarreling with Lot’s herdsmen, Abram was able to stay emotionally calm and out of the fight. Because of this he was able to clearly see a solution to solve the problem. Another thing that I’d like to note is that Abram treated Lot well. I’ve noticed that it is common for people to treat members of their family harsher than they do their neighbors or coworkers. I’ve seen children and adults act as nice and polite as one can imagine in public, but as soon as they are safely home they become disrespectful and down right mean. It appears that Abram was a pretty nice fellow to be around when he was at home or away from home. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-08-07 Christian Generosity and Sacrifice.

Genesis 13:14-16 “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth…” (NIV) After Abram’s generous offer to Lot over grazing rights and land, God repeats His promise to Abram. It is as if God is saying, “Even though you have given the best land away, the land is still belongs to you and your descendants. You haven’t really sacrificed anything, so don’t worry about it.” God asks all His children to live lives of sacrifice. If we give of ourselves with the correct motivation and God truly ‘has our back’, do we really loose anything? I believe that answer to that question can be clearly seen after living a long time with God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-09-07 A Less than Perfect Move. Genesis 14:1-4 “At this time Amraphel…Arioch…Kedorlaomer…and Tidal…went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab…Shemeber… and Bela…All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.” (NIV) When Lot moved near Sodom, there was a conflict going on. By this time in the story the king of Sodom had been under the control of another king for twelve years. This war was started because Sodom and its four surrounding neighbors wanted their freedom back. Why Sodom and its neighbors were ‘under the thumb’ of another king is unknown. Either it was to control the resources of such a luxuriant land or because the citizens of the area were so troublesome. Either reason could well apply. Lot’s situation is not unlike circumstances that people find themselves in today. People move into an area because of job opportunities or to be near family and are totally unaware of the economic or social problems that are brewing. Once you have resettled your family then later find that it is not the Eden you expected, it is very difficult to move again. It’s happened to me. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-10-07 The Benefit of Having Good Relatives. Genesis 14: 11-16 “The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions….When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit...During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them…He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.” (NIV) Abram had to have been wealthy to be able to support so many employees and their families. Even though Abram had a great number of men, he still had to have been out numbered by the armies of four kings, so dividing up his men and ordering a

surprise attack at night was a wise move and a successful one. God was involved in this risky operation.

No doubt faith in

Abram’s actions suggests that he really didn’t have any bad feeling towards Lot after they separated and Lot chose the best grazing land for his flocks. Although it is not uncommon for people to risk ‘life and limb’ for close relatives, it is less common for relatives to risk anything for a relation that they are on the outs with. Many would say, “Let them boil in their own stew, considering what they’ve done to me!” May we all be blessed with relatives like Abram. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-11-07 Priest and Tithe. Genesis 14: 17-20 “After Abram returning from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh… Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram…Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” (NIV) Melchizedek was both a king and a priest of God. The wording tends to suggest that this king was not just a priest of God but that he was possibility the leading priest. No matter what, he was a priest and that is interesting. Here is another reference to a religious system that is similar to the one given to Moses and predates it. It is very likely that most of the instruction that God gave to Moses for the Children of Israel was not anything new but just forgotten by the people during their years of slavery in Egypt. Even the concept of tithing, giving a tenth of one’s increase to God, was not new to Moses and the Children of Israel. But what did Abram tithe on? He did not keep anything that belonged to the king of Sodom. I’m pretty sure that he kept any items that belonged to the kings that he routed and tithed on that. Maybe he even kept the items that belonged to the allies to Sodom, if they didn’t come back to claim them. Since he had returned home, it would be natural to assume that he also gave a tithe off of the family business profits. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-12-07 A Generous Ambassador. Genesis 14: 21-24 “The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who when with me -- to Aner, Eschol and Mamer. Let them have their share.” (NIV) Apparently there was a tradition that when you rescue someone, you receive a certain portion of his or her belongings. The king, being very grateful at the moment, offered that Abram keep all the belongings that were rescued. Already prosperous, Abram was wise not to accept the king’s offer. The reason being, people during and after an emotional event have a tendency to make agreements that they will later regret and feel bitter about. This is common right after an automobile accident or at the beginning of a dissolving marriage, where the guilt person’s initial offering is very generous then later they renege.

Since Abram was representing God in the region, being generous with the king made God look good. Even Christians today should keep in mind that they are ambassadors of God. If we kept that in mind, I wonder how much our relationships with the people around us would change? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-13-07 Friends and Allies. Genesis 14: 24 “I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who when with me -- to Aner, Eschol and Mamer. Let them have their share.” (NIV) Abram was not alone in his efforts to free Lot and battle his captors. The three men who were allied with him were his neighbors (see verse 13). Although there must have been some social and political advantages to go into battle with Abram, I am sure that Abram was also on good terms with them, if not friends. Here is an interesting point. Although Abram did not accept from the king of Sodom any of his goods recaptured after the battle, Abram did not hold his allies to the same standard. Apparently his allies didn’t understand his motives and Abram didn’t put undue pressure on them to follow his example. Do we force those around us to follow our way of life by aggression or guilt? It would seem that although Abram was a Godly man, he did not isolate himself from the world around him. He was a good neighbor. Do our neighbors know us well enough and like us well enough to risk ‘life and limb’ for a cause we believe in? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-14-07 Fear, Shelter and Reward. Genesis 15:1-3 “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, thou has given me no offspring: and a slave born in my house will be my heir.” (RSV) Many of us live our lives in fear. We are afraid we will loose what little possessions we have. We are afraid of loosing our social status with our family, friends and co-workers. We are afraid of loosing our loved ones, our friends, lovers, and spouses through circumstances, conflict, sickness or divorce. We are afraid of loosing our lives. Fear stops us from getting the most out of life. It stops us from living. With it our lives became stagnant. We play it safe and pretty much don’t do anything because of fear. God wants us to live of our lives when we reassured Abram that doing. There was no reassurance from God

fearlessly! We have the greatest chance feel safe and are confident that we will he was shielded and he would be rewarded reason for Abram to fear the future. We also.

of making something succeed. God for what he was have that same

Success and advancement in life generally When we get older and closer to death, we this?” It is comfort in knowing that our success when we are dead and gone. Abram disturbed by this same question.

makes up feel good when we are younger. ask ourselves, “Why are we doing all of children will reap the harvest of our was human like you and I and was

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-15-07 Faith and Credit. Genesis 15: 2-6 “But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall you offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (NIV) I wonder if Abram’s choice for his servant Eliezer to become his heir was based on the fact that Eliezer was a close friend to Abram. It could be that Eliezer was Abram’s ‘right hand man’ and was the logical choice to take over the business. It could have been the tradition of the time for a servant to become the heir if there were no children. Personally, I suspect Abram is being a little sarcastic because later Abram accuses God that it is His fault that he remains childless. It looks to me that Abram was starting to doubt that he was ever going to have a son. When Abram believed God, he believed not only that he’d eventually have a son, but also he believed that he would have the promised descendants that he would never see. Although Abram’s relationship with God may have started to suffer from doubt, after this conversation he was ‘right’ with God again. Today credit is money that either doesn’t exist or isn’t immediately available. As I see it, Abram’s righteousness was being credited to him because God had yet to fulfill His side of the bargain and because Abram’s life wasn’t over yet and he still had the freewill to change his mind and doubt God. The past is over and the future hasn’t happened yet, so the present is the only time we really have. Right now let us re-evaluate our relationship with God and may God grant us with righteous credit. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-16-07 Past, Present and Future. Genesis 15:7 “He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” (NIV) This is God speaking to Abram. He is saying to him, “I am the God who has lead you, who is leading you and who will lead you. I was in your past, I am in your present and I will be in your future.” God is a God of interaction. We experience God as we have experiences with our friends and family. Even though sin has separated us from God, He still desires a relationship with us. Much of what we call faith is developed in our relationship

with God. As we look back on our positive experiences with God our faith and trust in Him becomes stronger. In fact, a major element in God’s big plan is to restore mankind’s relationship with Him to back where it was originally in Eden before the fall. What was our experience with God in our past? What is the quality of relationship we have with God today? Can we trust Him with our future? I wonder does God ‘seem’ less distant as we break through the barriers of sin, becoming less rebellious and building up a history of experience with Him? One last point, we can’t control time and are stuck with the present. On the other hand, God doesn’t seem to have our restrictions when it come to time, which is another good reason to partner up with Him in life. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-17-07 God knows the Future and God plays fair. Genesis 15:13-16 “Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (NIV) It is amazing how God knows the future. He knows what we are going to do and also knows the result of action. Why He intervenes in some lives and not in others is a mystery to us because of our ignorance. I am sure that our freedom of choice has a lot to do with it. I also suspect that God works with restrictions out of fairness to Satan so that His opponent will not overwhelmed and have a fair chance to prove his point in the conflict between them. God is a God of fairness. He is fair with us, He plays fair with Satan and he treated the Amorites fairly. Even though God had promised Abram and his descendants the Amorites’ land, He wasn’t going to kick them off of their land for any old lame reason. The Amorites apparently were not a nice group of people, but they weren’t wicked enough yet to justify God evicting them yet. This situation indicates that there is a standard for living that God has set for all people. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-18-07 God’s Patience. Genesis 15: 16-21 “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure…To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” (NIV) It looks like all the nations of the land promised to Abram were sinful enough to be evicted from the land except the Amorites. It would be years and years before Abram’s descendents would be able to receive the land of their promise. This shows the great patience of God. Are we as patience with those around us as God was with the Amorites?

God knew

that eventually that He would have to send them packing and yet He was able to wait. We don’t have the luxury to knowing the spiritual future of those around us. Those wicked people who irritate and try our patience may yet repent and turn or return to God. Let us follow God’s example and be long-suffering. These texts can also be reassuring to us. It shows patience God can be with us. Yes, we are all rebellious and prone to sin. We are quite capable of distressing those around us and embarrassing God. Yet we need not give up and fear that at the first sign of trouble God is going to suddenly abandon us. If he is that long-suffering with the Amorites, He will be same for you and I. Myspace Bible Blog: 11-19-07 Its God’s fault so what are We going to do about it? Genesis 16:1-4 “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said…He slept with Hagar, and she conceived…” (NIV) The first problem is that Sarai believes that not having a child is God’s fault. Why is it that everything bad that happens to us is blamed on God? Even Adam and Eve, in a round about way, blamed God for their decision to eat the forbidden fruit. From what I understand, what Sarai suggested to Abram was a common practice. Whether it was or not, it wasn’t what God had in mind when He promised Abram a son. Even though Sarai was feeling the personal and social pressure to have a child, any child, I suspect that Abram agreed to do it more for the chance to have sex with another woman then to help God out. Sarai decision may have been partially based on ignorance (communications between wives and husbands being what it is) but Abram knew better. God and he had talked about this very problem more than once. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-20-07 Who is to Blame? Genesis 16: 4-6 “He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” “Your servant is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” (NIV) I don’t know how much status Hagar had, as a servant in Abram’s family, was she a slave or more like an employee? Sarai and Hagar had to have had a pretty friendly and close relationship for Sarai to suggest that Hagar have Abram’s child. On the other hand, Hagar should have known better. She had to have known something of the God that Abram’s family followed and she should have refused. But worse yet after she found that she was pregnant, she should have maintained a supportive attitude, which she didn’t. It’s amazing how quickly friendship can pass when two women are involved with the same man. Here is Hagar, a servant, carrying a rich man’s baby. She probably

felt that she now deserved a higher status other than just a servant. I can imagine her thinking, “If only Sarai were ‘out of the picture’ I could be the rich man’s wife!” It is sad that when we are suffering the consequences of something we have done wrong, we want to blame someone else. Sarai came up with the idea and put pressure on Abram to have sex with Hagar. Now that things weren’t working out as she had imagined, she placed all the blame on Abram. Abram couldn’t really defend himself because he was stupid enough to agree with his wife’s plan and do it. Most likely Abram had, at the very least, become fond of Hagar. He had to have felt some emotional connection with the woman he had slept with and is now carrying ‘his’ child. Instead of being a man and refereeing between the two women, he takes the easy way out and lets Hagar suffer under the harsh hand of his wife. Abram only made things worse for the three of them. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-21-2007 Running Away from a Problem. Genesis 16: 7-10 “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert… And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.” (NIV) God still watches over us and does not abandon us when we make mistakes. Hagar’s bad attitude had gotten her into trouble. When Sarai, her mistress, finally responded harshly with her, she ran away. She was probably thinking that Abram would shield her from the consequences of her actions, which didn’t materialize. It would seem from the story, other than this incident, that Hagar had been a pretty polite person and on good terms with Abram’s family. It looks to me that God told Hagar to go back and try to patch things up with Sarai (and Abram). God’s promise that she would have a lot of descendants was probably an incentive for her. Sometimes we run away from difficult situations too soon. Many times there is a good chance that we can patch up a relationship but we just recognize the chance from our prospective. Still if we find ourselves in a loosing position, staying with it a little while longer can even be a benefit to us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-22-07 Encounter with God. Genesis 16:11-13 “And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “Thou art a God of seeing”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” (RSV) Hagar was so impress that God had prophesied about the child she was carrying that

she gave God a name. “Thou art a God of seeing.” What a personal intimate thing she did. The closest one English word I could come up with is “seer.” Its definition being, “One who predicts future events.” I wonder if she normally referred to God with her own personal name after that. I can see her returning home and exclaiming, “Guess what the Seer disclosed to me? The Seer prophesied that I would have a son and….” Being in the presence of God or one of His angels must be an amazing and somewhat freighting experience for a sinner. Adam and Eve were the first to experience it after they rebelled. They ran and hid from God’s presence. Here we find Hagar amazed to be alive after experiencing God’s attention even through a heavenly gobetween. Maybe it is for our own good that God keeps His distance from us rebellious sinners. Yet, we ‘will’ all meet God one day, the saved and the lost. It would be wise to ponder on what it would be like to come face to face with the God Almighty, creator of the universe. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-23-07 A Bittersweet Day. Genesis 16:15-16 “So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram game the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.” (NIV) For Abram receiving his first son must have been a bittersweet event. The child was not born into a happy household. His wife, Sarai blamed him for having a child with her servant. Of course Sarai and her servant, Hagar, were not getting along. As a result of Abram not wanting to referee between the two women, Hagar had run away for a while because of abuse from Sarai. On the other hand, this was his first son and he had waited a long time for a child, he must have felt some joy. People who have a difficult time producing children value a child when it finally comes along, no matter how. Also Abram must have believed Hagar’s story of her encounter with God and his prediction about the child because Abram named his son Ishmael, the name God had told Hagar to name the child. Today we have surrogate mothers and sperm donors to help couples have children, so in some way the idea that Sarai had for a substitute wife was very similar. I must note that in today’s world there are problems with these solutions also. It is common for the surrogate mother to change her mind which results in a long and drawn out custody battle in the court system over the baby. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-24-2007 God Comes to Abram to Confirm His Covenant. Genesis 17: 1, 2 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (NIV) Quite a bit of time had passed by the time God confirmed his promise with Abram. Ishmael was now thirteen years old and had enjoyed the privilege of being the only child. I wonder if Abram had gotten use to his uneasy living arrangement, there

was Abram the head of the household, next there was Sarai his wife, after that was his son Ishmael and last but not least Ishmael’s mother Hagar. The delicate balance that kept the household together was about to change. God was confirming His promise of a son through Sarai to Abram. Abram was asked by God to “walk before” Him. To walk before someone else, an individual must be constantly within their sight and headed in the same direction. Basically, Abram was being asked to be an earthly companion with God and share common life goals. God asked Abram to be “blameless.” All friendships on earth have spoken and unspoken rules for the friendship to function under. The same situation exists to have a relationship with God. Although up till now these guidelines have not been recorded in the book of Genesis, the book does give us a good idea that they did exist. The request to be blameless is not restricted to just Abram’s interactions with God, so I assume that the request was for Abram to live a blameless life with his fellowman also. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-25-2007 With a New Child came a New Name. Genesis 17:5 “No longer will you be called Abram, your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” (NIV) When God confirmed His covenant with Abram, He changed his name to Abraham. There had to have been several reasons for this and here is one that could apply. Since Abram was now going to be a father, not only of a son but also of a nation, the change in his name would help him remember his new responsibility. How Abraham brought up his child was important. He was not only influencing a son, he was influencing a nation. I wonder what were going to child? Would would they be their parents

it would be like today if every adult changed their name when they have their first child. Would they be more careful raising the their new name help give them personally a new start and as a result careful not to pass on bad family habits down to their children as did to them?

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-26-07 The Reminder of God’s Promise to Abraham. Genesis 17:10-12 “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you. The covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised…” (NIV) Since God’s promise to give Abraham was to make it possible to have a lot of descendants, circumcision made sense as a reminder of that promise. Every time a male descendant of Abraham’s had sex with his wife, he would recall that he personally was a part of God’s promise. Not only was he special to God, but also every child that was born to him would be part of God’s promise.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-27-07 Doubt and Love. Genesis 17: 15-18 “God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife…I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her…Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” (NIV) Abraham truly understood that Sarah, his wife, and he were too old to produce children. It would take a miracle to produce a son and apparently Abraham didn’t believe God was capable of such a feat. We should hesitate to berate Abraham for such ignorance or lack of faith. Today’s Christian understands God’s mighty power and still doubts that God can impact their life in magnificent ways. We settle for such little God given personal improvements. Here we also see Abraham’s affection for his son Ishmael. Remember, by this time Ishmael was 13 years old and no doubt the love that bonds a father and son had taken place. Abraham loved Ishmael and he was more than willing to have God bestow the covenant blessing onto him. I’m not claiming that their relationship with perfect, I’m sure it had its difficulties just like any relationship between a father and his 13-year-old son. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-28-2007 A Reminder and a Reassurance. Genesis 17:19-21 “Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” (NIV)

will bear you’re a son, with him…And as for make him fruitful…and I establish with Isaac

It is interesting that in the footnotes of the New International Version the name “Isaac” means “he laughs.” Not only whenever Abraham sees his son but also even when he hears his name, Abraham will be reminded of his doubt and the fact that God can be depended on. Despite Abraham’s and his wife’s efforts to have Ishmael as their heir and despite their old age, God’s will would not be derailed. Earlier, before Ishmael was born, God promised Hagar that her son would become a great nation. Now before Isaac is born, we find God restating that promise to Abraham. Most likely Hagar had told Abraham of God’s promise about their son, but now Abraham was hearing it from God with his own ears. Since Abraham was so concerned with Ishmael’s fate, God wanted Abraham to rest assured that both of his sons would become great nations. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-29-07 God Comes for a Visit. Genesis 18:1-8 “The Lord appeared to Abraham…while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my

lord, do not pass your servant by…Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then you on your way…” “Very well,”they answered, “do as you say.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, “Quick,” he said, “…Bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and sat these before them…” (NIV) The New International Version tends to suggest that Abraham didn’t know right away that God was visiting him because “lord” is not capitalized. If that were the case, then one would imagine that Abraham reaction to the visitors was due to the possibility of meeting some new friends on a hot dull afternoon. The KJV and the RSV translations capitalize the word “Lord” suggesting that all of Abraham’s excitement and running around was due to the presence of God at his home. I wonder how we’d respond to God today, if He were to visit our homes unannounced. Would we be excited or embarrassed? Would we even recognize God if He were loitering outside our house? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 11-30-07 Lying to God. Genesis 18:10-15 “Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him…So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh…” Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” (NIV) Let’s not be too hard on Sarah because not long before this her husband, Abraham, laughed at God also on this same issue. The only difference is that Abraham didn’t deny his laughter to God. Just for the record, considering that God is an all-seeing being, it is fruitless to think we can hide anything from Him. There is no reason not to be honest with God. There is also the chance that Sarah did not realize that one of the visiting strangers in her home was God. In that case, she may have thought she could ‘save face’ with her denial. Remember, the New International Version’s translation of “lord” in verse three suggests that Abraham did not at first recognize that one of his guests was God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-01-07 The Openness of God. Genesis 18:16-19 “When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just…” (NIV) I wonder if Abraham’s decision to see God and his visitors on their way was motivated by a desire to be in God’s presence as long a possible and not just being polite. If so then it is possible that our desire to be in the presence of

God, let’s say by prayer, will lead to an opportunity for God to be able to reveal a little bit more of Himself to us. Truly all the nations on the earth have the opportunity to be blessed because of Abraham’s relationship with God. Abraham passed down his experiences with God by telling them to his friends and family until today his story is printed for all to read in the Bible. There is so much we can learn about God’s character through the life of Abraham. In Abraham’s interaction with God we find examples of God’s patience, love, sense of fairness, openness, and power to name a few. Personally I am encouraged by the life of Abraham because it shows that God is more than willing to work with people who are capable of making pretty big blunders in their lives. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-02-07 The Need for Ten Righteous People. Genesis 18: 20-32 “Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”…Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked…Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it…?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”…Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (NIV) There were at least two reasons why Abraham was concerned for the city’s safety. First his nephew Lot and Lot’s family lived in the city. Abraham and Sarah must have felt especially close to Abraham’s dead brother’s son because in Lot’s early years he needed a father and childless Abraham and Sarah needed a son. I’m sure that Abraham felt like Lot was nearly a son to him. Secondly Abraham must have had business associates in Sodom that he was quite fond of also. We probably all know ungodly individuals that we’d hate to see die in a fiery death. Most of the time when two people come together to haggle of the selling price of an item, they have a final price in mind. Abraham may have started out asking God to save the city of Sodom if there were perhaps fifty people in it but most likely his final goal was ten. One would think that Abraham was sure there were at least ten people worth saving in Sodom. Abraham probably thought that it was a safe bet that there would be at least ten righteous people living in Sodom. He probably counted on Lot and his wife as being righteous. It would have been reasonable to include Lot’s two unwed daughters who were still living at home. There were the two young men that Lot’s daughters were engaged to. Then if he included those young men’s parents, he would have his ten people he needed to save the city. It is possible that the reason Lot’s life is that he may have was now evil himself. Abraham righteous people living in the

Abraham didn’t come right out and ask God to spare been afraid that his nephew, living in an evil city may have been hoping that there were ten other city and that they would be enough to save Lot.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-03-07

Food and Shelter. Genesis 19:1-3 “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. “My lords, “he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and them go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them…” (NIV) One could assume that these two angels were the two guests who Abraham entertained earlier that day along with God. If that was the case then they were both entertained by men of the same family on the same day. Abraham gave them shelter and lunch and Lot gave them shelter and dinner. Both Abraham and Lot saw a need a met it. Abraham wanted to ease the men’s journey in the heat of the day and apparently Lot knew that they would not be safe staying the night in the city’s square. I wonder if it was Lot’s custom to arrive at the city gate in the evening and invite travelers at risk of sexually assault to stay safely in his home over night. If this was the case, then it looks like he had gotten away with it up until this point and possibly the men of the city may have been getting tired of Lot’s activity. I wonder how much risk we would put our families and ourselves in for the safety of others? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-04-07 Sex, Death and Sodom. Genesis 19:4, 5 “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house. They called to Lot. “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” (NIV) Back when Abraham rescued Lot in Genesis chapter fourteen, Abraham brought with him 318 trained men born in his household. Sodom had to have had a population that was a great deal greater than Abraham’s camp. Considering that ‘all’ the men of the city came out to sexually assault Lot’s two guests, it had to have been a massive horde of men. Without going into detail, what was about to happen was going to be barbaric and extremely evil. No victim would survive this mob. This couldn’t have been the first time this had happened. I can’t see how any sane person could condemn or question God’s decision to destroy this city and it’s people. Lot’s living example (imperfect as it probably was) showed the citizens of Sodom that there was another way to live. By this night it was clear that Sodom was not going stop it’s lifestyle of rape and murder and that it was only going to get worse, so extermination was God’s ‘only’ option. The neighboring communities had to be protected from this debase violent city. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-05-07 Doing what is Right in the Face of Danger. Genesis 19:6-11 “Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do

what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” “Get out of our way,” they replied. And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.” (NIV) Lot addressed these men as “friends” and it was most likely partially true. On one hand Lot was attempting to play the diplomat and trying to be polite, yet on the other hand Lot must have known many of the men in the crowd. Many of these men were Lot’s neighbors and now they were threatening to do harm to Lot if he didn’t agree to let them have their way. It is our friends and the people we know who put the most pressure on us not to do what is correct and not our enemies. I am unsure why Lot offered his daughters to the crowd to be sexually assaulted and almost certainly murdered. My first impression is that Lot was sure that the offer would be refused, but it could be possible that by this time in human history women were already becoming second-class citizens. I certainly wouldn’t have been happy with father if I were one of Lot’s daughters that evening. When the crowd stopped negotiating and started to act upon their threats, Lot’s two visitors pulled him back into the safety of the house, then caused the crowd to go blind. It’s amazing how sudden blindness would change one’s plans for the evening. It was probably about now that Lot started to realize that these men were angels sent from God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-06-07 “You Must be Joking!” Genesis 19:12-14 “The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here…who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place… So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.” (NIV) The Christian has a responsibility for the physical and spiritual safety of those around them, but there is no guarantee that a loved one is going to see things your way just because you care for them. At present are many issues in life that the Christian is concerned with yet the non-Christian believes is foolish. The Christian is not expected to succeed in every endeavor that he or she gets involved with. As we play our part in the salvation of others, we are to do our best and then let God take over from there. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-07-07 A Willingness to be Lead by God. Genesis 19:15-17 “With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them

said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” (NIV) This part of the story of Lot shows the patience and God’s understanding of His human creation. The destruction of Sodom was going to take place at dawn and Lot’s family was running swiftly out of time. Lot had all night to flee the city and yet he was still there. There are several reasons why Lot probably took so long to leave the city. Fear, stress and just plain not knowing what to do or where to go doubtless played a part. No matter what Lot’s mental condition was, he was willing to be led by God’s angels and that saved him. God was willing to ‘physically’ lead Lot and his family out of the city and may I mention, a city that was in turmoil because almost every man in the city suddenly went blind the evening before. There are situations in our lives when in our ignorance we don’t know whether to turn left or right. It is in those ‘gray’ areas of life when we can’t distinguish ‘black or white’ that we must rely on God’s guidance, whether that guidance is miraculous or through our personal Bible study. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-08-07 An Early Morning Rain of Death. Genesis 19: 17-23 “…“Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” But Lot said to them, “No my lords, please…But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.”…By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah… (NIV) Living in the city must have left Lot physically out of shape. He feared that he couldn’t make it all the way to the mountains in time, so he asked if the small town of Zoar could be spared then he would flee to it. I wonder if the evil people of Zoar ever realized why their town was spared. I bet you the flames that burnt up everything in the plain came uncomfortably close that small community, if so the event must have been freighting. Lot’s hesitation and slowness slightly threw off God’s timetable for the disaster. Most likely God wanted to destroy the two cities at night while everyone was in bed asleep. Once the sun came up, many of the people would be leaving the cities to travel elsewhere, therefore some of the one’s marked for destruction would be missed. I wonder if any early risers traveled far enough away to escape death. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-09-07 Burning Sulfur and a Pillar of Salt. Genesis 19: 23-26 “By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah – from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities – and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt.” (NIV)

The destruction was great, not only were two cities plain. If God had destroyed ‘only’ the two cities, that an army came through and destroyed the cities, so widespread all who passed through the area would

destroyed but the entire a passerby may have supposed but since the devastation was know that man did not do this.

I am unsure why the angels warned Lot and his family not to look back (verse 17) while they were fleeing the destruction. Maybe it was that they were supposed to escape the city not only physically but in their hearts also. Whatever the case, Lot’s wife didn’t heed the warning and lost her life. If Lot would have fled the city early enough, I wonder if his wife wouldn’t have been so tempted to turn around and take a look to see what was happening behind her. Prompt action on Lot’s part might have saved his wife’s life. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-10-07 A Case for Intercessory Prayer. Genesis 19: 27-28 “Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot lived” (NIV) Out of concern for the people of the cities, Abraham went back to the same spot where he negotiated saving Sodom and Gomorrah with God. Apparently where the two talked was elevated enough to overlook the plain where Sodom and Gomorrah use to exist. It was obvious by all of the smoke to Abraham that his negotiations had failed and that there were not a total of ten people worth saving in both cities. This must have been a devastating moment for Abraham. The text says that God “remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out.” Was it Abraham’s relationship with God that saved Lot or was it his intersession with God to save the cities that saved Lot? Were Lot and his two daughters righteous enough to be saved without Abraham’s influence with God? If Abraham had asked God to save the cities if there were only three righteous people living there, would the cities have been saved? I have more questions than I have answers, but one thing is for sure, this story does reassure today’s Christian that God will take intercessory prayer into consideration as He deals with mankind. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-11-07 Lot Suffers the Consequences of His Decisions. Genesis 19:30-38 “Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, ”Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. Let’s get our father to drink wine and then lie with Him and preserve our family line through our father.”…So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father…” (NIV) Life didn’t go very well for Lot after the consequences of living in the evil city of Sodom started to become apparent. When God destroyed the wicked city, he lost all he had including his wife. Next Lot ended up feeling safer in a desolate cave

than in the town that he originally perverted sexual practices of Sodom that they could have sex with him. both of his daughters were pregnant

sought shelter in. Last but not least, the influenced his daughters to get him drunk so I’m sure he was very pleased when he found out and that he was the father.

What influences and dangers are we subjecting our families to? I might be wise to sit down and try to match our decisions with some of their probable consequences. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-12-07 Moving Again and Lying Again. Genesis 20:1, 2 “Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.” (NIV) One could envision what the environment was like, near the plain where Sodom and Gomorrah use to be, after God destroyed the cities and the surrounding countryside. If all of the smoke in the air didn’t cause Abraham to move his camp, I’m sure that the smell from the burnt sulfur residue did. Even at her current age during this period of Sarah’s life, she was beautiful and desirable. Because of this Abraham was still afraid of the negative consequences of publicly claiming her as his wife. The local king could decide to murder him then take Sarah for himself, so he fell into the old habit of openly claiming that she was his sister. He had done this once before in Egypt (chapter 12) and no good came of it. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-13-07 Adultery, Coveting and Stealing. Genesis 20:3 “But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.” (NIV) Depending on how you look at it, God is concern with Abimelech doing three things that breaks three of the Ten Commandments, Adultery, Coveting and Stealing. Sure, Abimelech mistakenly thought Sarah was Abraham’s sister, but God was still going to put an end to the king’s actions. Most likely Abimelech was married and if he had sex with Sarah he would be committing adultery. Even if he wasn’t married, he is putting Sarah in a position to commit adultery. Next, he was coveting and stealing. Coveting had caused him to take something that wasn’t his, and in this case it ended up that he was coveting his neighbor’s wife. God seems pretty sever with Abimelech when it comes to adultery, coveting and stealing. The question is, “Are we engaged in anyone of the three and if so is it worth it to us to stop?” Once again we find evidence that the Law of God was in effect at this time even though it wasn’t recorded in the Bible record yet. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-14-07

God Deals Clearly and Firmly. Genesis 20:4-7 “Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.” The God said to him in the dream, “Yes I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.” (NIV) First of all I doubt that king Abimelech was that nice of a fellow or Abraham wouldn’t have been afraid of him. Sure Abimelech hadn’t done anything yet to Sarah but most likely Abimelech had a reputation for violence and taking whatever women he wanted. I would suspect that God dealt very clearly and firmly with the king so that the king wouldn’t be tempted to go ahead and do whatever he pleased. The threat of death to the king and his family (even his nation) was probably a sobering one and the only one that would have been successful. Have king Abimelech request Abraham to pray for him was probably meant to be a humbling experience for the king and make sure that the king was aware of the importance of Abraham to God. On the other hand, it was probably a sobering experience for Abraham. Here Abraham would have to pray for the king whose actions was partially a result of Abraham’s lie. In the end both Abimelech and Abraham were well aware that God was ‘looking over their shoulders.’ It would do each one of us well to keep in mind that God is very aware of our dealings with each other. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-15-07 Half-Truths are Half-Lies. Genesis 20:10-15 “And Abimelech asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?” Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father through not of my mother”…and he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” (NIV) This story is a good example of why we shouldn’t tell ‘half-truths’ because they are also ‘half-lies’. Abraham’s excuse to lie was because of the fear that something ‘may’ happen. If that action was truly justifiable than today we couldn’t trust to believe what anybody would say, who knows what another person ‘may’ be afraid of. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-16-07 Sarah’s Vindication and the Healing of Abimelech’s Household. Genesis 20:16-18 “To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, for the Lord his closed up every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.” (NIV)

The payment given to Abraham by Abimelech was given as a testimony to all in Sarah’s camp the she was guiltless and had done no wrong, as far as Abimelech and Sarah’s relationship was concerned. It was to say that Sarah had committed no sexual discretion. This payment is similar in spirit to Old Testament Law found later in Bible history. Abimelech had a lot of incentive to turn over Sarah unharmed to Abraham because having descendants would mean a lot to any king. The death that God threaten the king with earlier was the death of his family line, no more children. All that he worked for (personal wealth and nation building) would have been useless if he had no descendant to pass it down to. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-17-07 Laughter. Genesis 21:1-7 “…the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age…Abraham game the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him…Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children.” Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (NIV) It was God who (in chapter 16) told Abraham to name his son Isaac. God must have a sense of humor because the name “Isaac” means “he laughs.” Both Abraham and Sarah had a one time laughed in disbelief that God could fulfill His promise and now we find Sarah in as sense ‘laughing with delight” so Isaac was the perfect name for Abraham and Sarah’s child. God, if we let Him and give Him time, has a way of turning our impossibilities into reality and our disbelief into delight. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-18-07 Sarah and Ishmael Vent Their Frustration. Genesis 21:8-10 “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. For that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (NIV) By the time Isaac was born, Ishmael, Abraham’s first son was 14 years old. He most likely was starting to go through those rebellious teen years that most teenagers go through. As the first-born son of Abraham, he no doubt was upset and refused to understand why Isaac was now the favored son, so he started venting his discontent in public. Sarah, having had bitter feelings towards Hagar and Ishmael in the past, now probably felt that Isaac’s position as the favored son was going to be threatened when she saw Ishmael mocking Isaac’s feast. She had waited a long time for a son and was not in the mood to have her son share his inheritance with the son of an Egyptian slave. She was jealous and not only protecting her son’s position in the family but hers also. Both Sarah and Ishmael were not handling the situation as well as they could have. The two of them had 14 years to develop and nurture the poor attitude that they

were displaying on this day and neither was faultless. I would like to note that the story does not single out Hagar as being the problem this time. It is likely, that after Hagar’s meeting with an angel of God many years ago, she adjusted her attitude about her position in Abraham’s family and was a lot easier to live with. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-19-07 Not All Bad Situations can have Happy Endings. Genesis 21: 11-14 “The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” (NIV) What a sad situation for Abraham. God is basically telling Abraham that the situation between Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael is not resolvable and removing them from the camp is the only practical solution. Sending away his firstborn son, whom he loved, and also Hagar, whom he had to have been very fond of, must have been heart breaking for him, but it had to be done. Because of the hardiness of people’s hearts some situations cannot be solved. As much as we would desire ‘happy endings’, not every problem has a perfect answer. This whole sad situation was the result of a regretful choice. The people around us do suffer because of our poor choices. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-20-07 God Hears Us Cry. Genesis 21:15-20 “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.”…the angel of God...said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” The God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up…” (NIV) Ishmael was crying. He must have been aware that in some way he had brought this state of affairs upon his mother and himself. He had caused so much trouble in the camp that even his father couldn’t protect him and now as a result he was homeless. He also desperately needed water and his mother couldn’t provide him anymore. His world was falling apart. No one could help him and he couldn’t help himself. He felt hopeless. Ishmael was unaware that the God of his father had not abandoned him or his mother. God was as close to him as the water that he thirsted for. He just didn’t realize it. Do we realize that God is keenly aware of the problems we make for ourselves? Are we blind to the fact that despite those problems God still cares for us? Whether we are living or whether we are dying, we as Christians

need not despair. God hears us cry. We are not all alone and we will always have a home with God, in this world and in the next. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-21-07 The Importance of Trust Between Two People. Genesis 21:22-24 “At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you.” Abraham said, “I swear it.” (NIV) King Abimelech must have still been worried about the incident where he had taken Sarah away from Abraham believing she was only Abraham’s sister and now was worrying about the possibility of Abraham extracting some sort of revenge in the future. Many people with character flaws have the tendency to mistakenly see those same flaws in others around them. Abimelech had at one time taken what he wanted from Abraham and now he feared that Abraham would one day do the same thing to him or worse. Although did deal sister. with him

I believe Abraham was basically a truthful person, it is a fact that he falsely with the king once when he told Abimelech that Sarah was his This gave Abimelech enough evidence to fear that Abraham may deal falsely again, maybe in some other way.

Let us deal fairly and truthfully with each other because once the trust between two people has been broken it is at times very difficult to restore. In our marriages and in our business let’s keep that bond of trust protected and intact. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-22-07 Resolving an Issue Early and Dealing Clearly. Genesis 21:25-31 “Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized. But Abimelech said, “…I heard about it only today.” So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty…and Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?” He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.” So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there. (NIV) King Abimelech had come to Abraham to make sure that Abraham was a friend and not a foe. After reassuring Abimelech that he was no threat, Abraham brought up a problem over a well of water with some of the local residents. Abraham had dug a well and now he was being denied access to it. Abraham took a risk. Abimelech was already concerned as to whether or not Abraham was safe to have as a neighbor; this complaint could have started a fight between them. It was better for Abraham to resolve the issue now than later, because if the conflict over the well escalated with the locals and word of it later got back to the King Abimelech, the king may once again start having doubts again over his friendship with Abraham and Abraham wouldn’t be around to explain his side of the conflict. Abraham dealt as clearly as possible with the Abimelech so that there would be no

misunderstandings later. Abraham made it clear that the seven lambs were not part of the gift of sheep and cattle that he gave to Abimelech. The seven lambs were given to Abimelech so that later the king would remember that Abraham had bought and paid for the well, if ever the conflict should arise over the well again. Apparently the word “Beersheba” can mean either ‘well of seven’ or ‘well of the oath’, so even the name of the area became a testament that Abraham had a right to the water in the well. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-23-07 Following God’s Instructions. Genesis 22:1, 2 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” (NIV) Although not every challenge we face in our lives is a test from God, this story is evidence that God can test an individual. Abraham had shown in the past that he could not always follow God’s instructions. For example, God’s plan for Abraham to have a son was pretty clear. God said that his wife and he were going to have a son, yet Abraham went ahead and had his first-born son with his wife’s servant, Hagar. I guess God’s thinking might have been, “If Abraham can’t experience following My instructions that he can easily understand, then I’ll have him experience following instructions that is not clearly understood. Maybe he’ll learn something from it, like maybe trust!” Most of us would probably not try to pass off our spouses as our brother or our sister. At least a lot of us would only have children with our spouses, but I am not sure that many of us would pass this test…sacrificing our first or only child.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-24-07 A Sudden Trip to go and Worship God. Genesis 22:3-6 “Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (NIV) Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son and instead of putting off what must have been an emotionally difficult trip, he left the next morning. Normally when we put something difficult off, getting around to do it later only gets harder. Even though Abraham started the trip as soon as he did, he still had a three-day trip to take. There was plenty of time for him to reevaluate his decision and back out of sacrificing his son. Nobody could accuse Abraham of not thinking this event through or making a rash decision. Abraham had time to understand what he was about to do and when the time came, he was committed to follow through with what God had requested him to do.

Abraham let his two servants know that his son and he were going off a distance to worship so that they would have some idea of what was going on and how long they were going to have to wait. Apparently the connection between burnt offerings and the worship of God was common knowledge, at least in the household of Abraham. Here again is a similarity with the worship of God that we find later recorded during the time of Moses. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-25-07 Abraham’s Fear of God and Isaac’s Salvation. Genesis 22:7-13 “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb”…He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar…Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “…Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” (NIV) What God had told Abraham didn’t add up. God promised Abraham that Isaac would have descendants, yet He asked Abraham to kill him. Also Abraham must have known God’s character well enough to know that He was against murder. Although Abraham was committed to go through with the sacrifice, he still had hope that God would provide a way out of the situation, which God did in the end. The angel stated that now it was for certain that Abraham ‘feared’ God. In this case one could assume that the fear that is being talked about here is the fear that if Abraham didn’t follow God’s wise directions that life would become more miserable for him. As I see it, Abraham had already made a mess of his family life because he did not fear the consequences of disobeying God’s directive. By the way, God did not punish Abraham for having a son with Hagar. The results of that action were punishment enough. We have a lot in common with Isaac because there is a definite parallel between this story and our salvation. God provided a way out from our destiny with eternal death. Jesus, God the Son, the Lamb of God, was in a sense ‘sacrificed’ in our place on the cross so that that we might have eternal life. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-26-07 I wonder what Sarah felt about her the life that She had lived. Genesis 23:1-4 “Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to morn for Sarah and to weep over her. Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” (NIV) Sarah was ninety years old when Isaac was born (Gen. 17:17) so that would make Isaac 37 years old when Sarah died. I wonder how Sarah died. Was it a sudden death or was it a lingering one? If it was a lingering death, I wonder what Sarah thought and felt about her son Isaac before she died. She must have felted secure in the fact that he had survived childhood and grown up into a young man. On the other hand, she must have felt sadness because she would not be able to see him

build a home, marry and have children. Like you and I, Sarah had happiness and sadness in her life. I doubt that her life was like she would have wanted it to be and I am sure Sarah felt that she had died too soon. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-27-07 The Decision to get a Wife for Isaac. Genesis 24:1-4 “Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “…I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, they you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” I find it interesting that Isaac was over 37 years old before it was time for Isaac to marry. I would think that the death had a lot to do with the decision. Abraham was getting older the determination as to where his son’s wife came from before

his father decided of Isaac’s mother and wanted to make he died.

Apparently Abraham thought the quality of young women was much better back in his native homeland and that it was worth the trip to send his chief servant back and search for one. Abraham must have had a lot of faith in this servant’s judgment. Even thought a person may have good organizational and management skills, it doesn’t mean that they are good at judging character. Apparently Abraham’s chief servant had skills in both areas. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-28-07 Deal Breakers. Genesis 24:5-8 “The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’ – he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” (NIV) Abraham’s servant is clarifying what his next option would be, should she turn him down, for maybe one of two possible reasons. The first reason would be that he would be able to ask the woman not to make a final decision until she has seen her potential husband in person. The second reason the servant may want to know what his next step might be is just in case Abraham dies before his quest is finished. Abraham is unwilling for his son, Isaac, to travel back to the country where Abraham came from. It would seem that Abraham is not taking any chances with his deal with God. Abraham seems to be saying to his servant, “God promised that if I left my native land He would give to my descendents and me the land where we are now. I will not risk breaking that deal by having my son or I go back there.”

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-29-07 Asking for a Sign. Genesis 24: 12-14 “Then he prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (NIV) Abraham was not the only believer of God in his camp. His chief servant was a believer also. His task to find a wife for Isaac was a serious one and he had the sense enough to ask God for help. The servant’s request to God was neither a ridiculous nor an unwise. The girl who would volunteer to water the servant’s ten camels would be a person with a generous kind spirit. Here’s another interesting point that I am sure Abraham’s chief servant did not overlook. He was actually also choosing the next mistress whom he would serve, so it would be in his best interest to choose a good-natured girl, one who would show kindness to servants. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-30-07 God’s Quick Answer to Prayer. Genesis 24:15, 16 “Before he had finished on her shoulder. She was the daughter of of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was ever lain with her. She went down to the again.” (NIV)

praying, Rebekah came out with her jar Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife very beautiful, a virgin; no man had spring, filled her jar and came up

Before Abraham’s chief servant had finished clarifying with God what he wished to future wife of Isaac to do as a sign, she was on her way. This sudden answer to pray by God had to have been for the purpose to reassure Abraham’s servant that Rebekah was the woman God had chosen. I believe it was also to reassure Abraham and Isaac that God had chosen Rebekah when they’d hear the story later. Abraham wanted Isaac to be married to a woman who was a relative. He couldn’t have asked for a closer one. Rebekah was the daughter of Abraham’s nephew. Another way of putting it would be to say that Isaac married his cousin’s daughter. How reassuring to Abraham that this woman would be the first woman this chief servant would meet. The text makes clear that Rebekah was a woman of good character. It states that she was a virgin, which means that she had a certain degree of self-control. Self-control is always a good quality to have in one’s mate. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 12-31-07 The Man Watched Her Closely. Genesis 24:17-21 “The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said,

“I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.”…Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. (NIV) The sign from God was to be that the girl would volunteer to water the servant’s ten camels. Rebekah not only offered to give them some water but also offered to give them all the water they could drink. A lot of people have the tendency to inflate their standing in the eyes of others by volunteering to ‘go above and beyond the call of duty’. Often they never fulfill their promises once they are out of eyesight. Apparently Abraham’s chief servant was well aware of this trait in people and watched her closely to see if she was true to her word, which she was. In our lives we never know who is watching us or why there are watching us. I wonder how many opportunities people miss because they are discovered to be false to others when they believe they are not being watched? A person has a tendency to show who they really are when they believe no one is watching. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-01-07 A Pleasant Surprise. Genesis 24:22-25 “When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.” And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” (NIV) Abraham’s chief servant had decided that this young woman was the answer to his prayer, so after watering his ten camels he brought out three gifts of gold to give her. I am sure that these gifts were given with the intention to motivate her to at least consider his proposition, to leave her family to marry somebody whom she had never met. Having just arrived in the area and not wanting to waste any time, he asked if her father would lodge his camels and he. I am sure he was anxious to meet her parents and get right to the business of negotiating the marriage. The servant also had to have been pleasantly surprised, if not shocked, to find out that after making his selection, the young woman was so closely related to Abraham’s brother. She was Abraham’s niece. It is even surprising for us today how God answers our prayers better than we can imagine. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-02-07 Surprised by a Prayer. Genesis 24: 26-28 “Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praised be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.” (NIV) What an amazing experience Rebekah must have up to this point. She meets a stranger and after watering his camels, he gives her three pieces of gold jewelry.

After finding out who she is and what family she is from, the man breaks out in public prayer. In the stranger’s prayer she finds out that he is the servant of her father’s long lost uncle, so in her excitement she runs off, abandoning the servant, to inform her mother and in the process tells everybody along the way. The whole event must have been very exciting. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-03-07 Greed, Joy or Suspicion? Genesis 24: 29-31 “Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,” he said, “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” (NIV) I wonder what Laban’s motivation was for running out to see the stranger that his sister Rebekah had met. Was it the gold jewelry that could indicate that the servant’s master was rich or was it the story told by his sister indicating that this servant was from his long lost uncle Abram (Abraham)? Whether it was greed, joy or a little bit of both, Laban wasted no time in being extra polite to the stranger and welcoming him to the house. Personally I would have been suspicious of some stranger, wealthy or not, telling my sister a tall tale out by the well and most likely Laban was probably a little suspicious too. Whether the misgiving would turn out justified or not, Laban probably had the good sense to be polite until he could evaluate the stranger for himself. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-04-07 Taking Care of Business. Genesis 24:32, 33 “So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.” “Then tell us, “ Laban, said. The story indicates that there were more men who took the journey from Abraham’s camp then just the chief servant. It is possible that if ten camels took the trip then nine other men could have accompanied Abraham’s servant on his mission to find a wife for Isaac. There could have been more or there could have been less. Personally I envision five riders leading five other camels, each carrying large packs of supplies for the trip, in tow behind them. Why did the chief servant not eat until he had told his story? One reason could be that he was just plain too excited to eat. Here is a man who had taken a long journey and immediately upon arriving at his destination he prays for a sign and immediately the sign is answered and the answer was ‘down right’ better than he could imagine. The young lady was a niece of his master’s! Another reason why the chief servant didn’t wish to eat until he told his story to his hosts was because of the type of man he was. He wasn’t Abraham’s chief

servant for just any reason. He was probably a “business before pleasure” kind of guy and in this case the “business” was ‘very’ important to his boss! The man was probably able to stay focused and not easily get distracted from the job at hand. Most likely any businessman today would love to have for this fellow work for them. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-05-08 Rebekah’s Marriage is Decided. Genesis 24:49-54 “Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.” Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”…Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.”... (NIV) As soon as Abraham’s chief servant had told his story to Rebekah’s brother and father, he immediately requests what their decision is as to whether Rebekah will become Isaac’s wife. Their answer is basically, “If God has decided that Rebekah is to be the wife of Isaac, then the decision is made.” It is only after Abraham’s chief servant had passed out gifts to Rebekah, her mother and her brother that he and those with him finally ate their meal. He definitely wanted to make sure the deal was made before anything else took place. I wonder, would he have left without eating and started on his journey back to Abraham if Rebekah’s brother and father had refused to let her be married? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-06-08 Rebekah Concedes to Leave Home Right Away. Genesis 24:54-61 "...When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way so I may go to my master." But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go." But he said to them, "Do not detain me...” Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?" "I will go," she said...Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left." (NIV) Abraham's chief servant wasted no time returning back to his master. Again, he must have been very efficient running Abraham's household and business. He wasn’t the type of person who wasted a lot of time. I wonder what each on of us would be able to accomplish in life if we were more like this man. I thought it was important that the story recorded the desire of Rebekah’s brother and her mother for her to remain another ten days before she left. I showed their fondness for her as a person and that she was not just another item around the house to be bartered away. To Rebekah’s credit, she must have felt Abraham’s servant’s urgent need to not tarry and start the trip back. Since technically he was only a servant, she could have made him wait and left when it was comfortable for her, but she placed the needs of the servant over her desires to linger at home and say her goodbyes.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-07-08 Love at First Sight? Genesis 24: 62-67 “Now Isaac …went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up. He saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (NIV) This story has always left me with the impression or at least the hope that it was love at first sight for Rebekah and Isaac. It just seems to me that, when Rebekah saw Isaac in the distance, she was thinking, “I really hope that this ‘hunk’ is Isaac!” Hoping against hope, she dismounts quickly to find out from the chief servant if her intuition is true. Although Isaac is still mourning over the loss of his mother and may have been subconsciously looking for someone to replace her in his life, it may be a good thing for Rebekah. Even though Rebekah may have been tempted to feel like only a replacement, she was probably lucky. Here was a man really desiring an actual relationship and looking for a woman he could connect with. He may not have been the perfect catch for many women, but let’s confess, he wasn’t all that bad of one either. One last observation, apparently the use of veils by women were common by this time in early human history, but the story doesn’t give us a lot of insight as to the reason for the veils. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-08-08 The Other Children of Abraham. Genesis 25:1-6 “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah…Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” (NIV) It is possible that Abraham didn’t obtain another wife until after Sarah’s death. Following the incident of Sarah’s jealous over Hagar’s son Ishmael, it is likely that Abraham didn’t dare have any other children from anybody else until after Sarah wasn’t around to complain. It is recorded that he sent all of the sons from his concubines away but not the six sons from his second wife. Apparently he felt comfortable that the son’s of Keturah would follow Isaac’s leadership and not vie for power and attempt to take over. Therefore when Abraham died there would be an easy transition to power in the family business for Isaac and a less likely chance for chaos. Personally I believe that if Sarah was still alive at this time that she would have insisted that the second wife and her offspring and all the concubines and their offspring would be banished from the camp. Plus I doubt that any gifts would have been handed out to those leaving due to the fact that these gifts would

have reduced Isaac’s inheritance. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-09-08 Both Isaac and Ishmael attend their Father’s Burial. Genesis 25:7-10 “Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. (NIV) How was it that Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury their father? Through the years did Abraham and Ishmael eventually try to stay in touch with each other or did a casual relationship develop between Isaac and Ishmael? When the two sons of Abraham met for the funeral was there bitterness felt between them or were they pleased to see each other under the circumstances? Whatever the case I am sure that Abraham was well known in the area and the news of his death traveled far, at least far enough for Ishmael to hear of it and participate in his father’s burial. A death in the family is always difficult, but it is generally far more difficult on members of the family who were estranged from the family when the loved one dies. Either they have to deal with not being able to say their goodbyes or they were not able to makeup and settle their differences before the death. I wonder how Ishmael felt at his father’s burial. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-10-08 Rebekah had Difficulties Getting Pregnant. Genesis 25:19-21 “…Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah …Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” (NIV) Abraham married his half-sister and his son married his second cousin. Both father and son married women who were close relatives and both women had problems getting pregnant. I wonder if there was a genetic problem in this family. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-11-08 Troubled Pregnancy. Genesis 25: 22, 23 “The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, “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.” (NIV) My wife had twins and they were not delivered early. To me she seemed extremely uncomfortable. She said she felt she was a big as a house and I said that she was a big as a duplex. She was young and in good shape, yet it still medically taxed her health. The doctor put her on ‘bed rest’ the last several weeks for her safety.

Fortunately for my wife, the babies were not very active while she carried them and later our daughters turned out to be pretty quite kids. I can’t imagine how Rebekah felt carrying two very active babies. Considering it was her first pregnancy, it must have been painful and frightening or at the very least uncomfortable and disturbing. Rebekah was concerned and prayed to God. God’s answer gives us an insight as to what Rebekah’s concern was. It looks to be that she was concerned for her babies’ health and not her own. God’s answer reassured her that both babies would survive the pregnancy, grow into health adults and have children of their own. Personally I would have been worried as to whether or not I would survive childbirth in her situation, yet I’m just a guy. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-12-08 Having Twins. Genesis 25: 24-26 “When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah game birth to them” (NIV) Isaac and Rebekah were married twenty years before they had children, so you can imagine why Isaac prayed to God on the matter of having children. I am sure that being unable to have children back then was just as distressing as it is today… maybe more so. Although the text has reasons to describe how the babies looked, because one was uncommonly hairy, there could have been a second minor reason the describe them. Since being the first born was important, it is also important in the story to reassure the reader that Isaac and Rebekah didn’t get the babies mixed up. Having been the father of twin daughters, I understand the problem. Even though my daughters were not identical twin, they looked exceptionally similar…even still today. After their birth I kept extremely careful track of them until the nurse placed their nametags on them. The nurse actually got them mixed up and I had to correct her. Although having their names mixed up may not have been a big deal, my daughters were two different weights. The hospital may have thought something was wrong if suddenly one baby appeared to loose weight and the other appeared to gain weight. When we got them home, we painted one’s toenail red before we removed their nametags. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-13-08 Playing Favorites. Genesis 25: 27, 28 “The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (NIV) Children have the ability of being keenly aware of whether or not their parents and relatives have favorites. They are aware of who has to go to bed first, who received the largest piece of pie and who spent the most time with mom or dad. In my experience, twins are even more sensitive over these issues. In fact, no matter how hard my wife and I tried to treat our daughters equally, our fairness

was still questioned to some degree. It is possible that both young men had too much time on their hands. No doubt Isaac did not squander this father’s wealth, so each of his sons had the freedom to do what they wanted and not what they had to do to survive. There were plenty of servants around to accomplish to necessary day to day tasks. Because of this lifestyle Esau was able to finely hone his hunting skills and Jacob had the luxury of being able to stay in camp. This situation no doubt helped set up the atmosphere where Isaac and Rebekah would end up having favorite sons. To state it simply, Esau (dad’s favorite) was a ‘man’s man’ and Jacob (mom’s favorite) was probably a ‘mama’s boy.’ No doubt this was a ‘bone of contention’ between the two brothers and also between the two parents. Conflict without resolution will drive a wedge between two people. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-14-08 The Beginning of the End of a Family Relationship. Genesis 25:29-34 “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!”…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…” (NIV) First of all Esau must have been exaggerating. I can’t believe that he would have died if Jacob hadn’t given him something to eat right then and there. Besides his father must have still been very wealthy and ran a very large camp, so if he were actually starving he could have begged something to eat from one of his father’s many servants. Second, I doubt Esau was being very sincere, even though he did eventually swear that the birthright was now Jacob’s. Both brothers were at fault. Esau should not have treated his birthright so casually and Jacob should never have asked for it. I’ve been told that since something was exchanged for the birthright, in this case food, it was a legal contract. This story brings to my memory several sly and deceitful salespeople I have dealt with and also this saying, “A fool and his money are easily parted.” The really sad thing about this story is that it was the incident that eventually destroyed the relationship between Jacob and his brother and also actually Jacob and his parents. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-15-08 A Famine, a Move and a Reassurance. Genesis 26:1-6 “Now there was a famine in the land…and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. “The Lord appeared to Isaac and said…”Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands”…So Isaac stayed in Gerar.” (NIV)

Another famine came and Isaac moved his camp (as his father did in the past) to Gerar where King Abimelech reigned. These were not good times for Isaac and his camp. Basically they were refuges fleeing famine and their future at least to some degree was uncertain. It was during this time of uncertainty that God appears to Isaac to reassure him. Isaac is told that he has fled to the correct place. God also reaffirms His promise to make Isaac’s descendants a great nation, which had to have been bolstering to his sagging confidence. It is interesting to note that immediately after God appeared to Isaac, his problems did not all disappear and his life did not suddenly become easy. The famine did not go away and he and all the people he was responsible for were still dislocated.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-16-08 A Parent’s Example. Genesis 26:7 “When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful” (NIV) Here we find Isaac doing the same thing that his wife is his sister. Isaac did not think father and mother used this story often (see was used on this same king and it didn’t end

his father Abraham did, claiming that this story up all by his self. His Genesis 20:13). Also this very story well.

Children pick up habits from their parents. example that we are setting for our children my children live or act like this?” Another “Are there unsavory habits that we’ve picked change?”

We as parents should consider the and ask ourselves the question, “Do I consideration for us to ponder is, up from our parents that we should

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-17-08 Not Again. Genesis 26:8-11 “…Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” The Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” So Abimelech gave orders to all the people; “Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” (NIV) King Abimelech had to have been pretty upset with Isaac when he found that Rebekah was not really his sister but his wife. He had learned his lesson with his encounter with Abraham and Sarah. The last time, when he mistakenly took Sarah, Isaac’s mother, into his household, God cursed all the women in his household with not being able to have children until the king gave her back to Abraham, her husband. I am sure that King Abimelech was afraid that the curse could happen

again if anyone molested Isaac’s wife by mistake, so he made it public that nobody was to lay a hand upon Rebekah. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-18-08 Other’s Wealth and Our Happiness. Genesis 26:12-16 “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” (NIV) We are all tempted to believe that all our troubles would go away if we became wealthy. It is possible that the wealth Isaac inherited from his father Abraham may have dwindled some by the time he was forced to relocate near King Abimelech due to the famine. Whatever Isaac’s net worth was before the move, he wealth increased noticeable after the move and so did his troubles. Isaac’s Philistine neighbors became jealous of his wealth and tried to cut off his water supply either to ruin him or to run him off. Eventually King Abimelech became so alarmed by Isaac’s wealth and power that he asked him to move. I wonder, how we feel our other family members, friends and acquaintances advancing in wealth? Is there a bit of resentment towards them that we hid from ourselves and don’t wish to acknowledge? Do we covertly in word or deed try to discourage them or hold them back? Are we really that happy for them? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-19-08 Resolving to Keep the Peace. Genesis 26:17-22 “So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there…Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” (NIV) The first well that Isaac had dug and then abandoned was named ‘Esek’ which means ‘dispute.’ The second well he dug and also abandoned was named ‘Sitnah’ which means ‘opposition.’ The last he dug, which he was able to keep, was name ‘Rehoboth’ which means ‘room.’ This story shows Isaac’s patience and his resolve to keep the peace with his neighbors. These local herdsmen were pretty lucky that Isaac did not resort to violence in order to keep the wells that he dug. Just before this story King Abimelech had sent Isaac away because Isaac had become too wealthy and powerful. Then after this story the king returns to Isaac to make a peace treaty with him. If Isaac really wanted to he could have easily kept the wells by force, but he was trying to be gracious.

We all have some power over others. We may not know it but we do. We can use that power to get what we want or just plain make other people miserable. Hopefully we will have the resolve to be patience and keep the peace with those around us. Let us be gracious with our family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-20-08 Patching Things Up. Genesis 26:26-29 “Meanwhile Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the Lord.” (NIV) King Abimelech realized that he had run off Isaac while they were not on ‘good terms’, so he looked up Isaac and attempted to ‘patched up’ their relationship. This was a prudent move on the king’s part because it wouldn’t have been wise to have an enemy as wealthy and as powerful as Isaac wondering about on the edges of his kingdom. It is always advisable to part with others on good terms because you don’t when you may have to rely upon their good graces in the future. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-21-08 Poor Judgment. Genesis 26:34, 35 “When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” (NIV) Your basic parent wants the best for their children and worries about them, so it is understandable that they will be concerned about whom their children marry, considering the fact that whom we marry has a major impact upon our lives. In fact they are concerned about their children’s marriages long after the marriage vows have been taken. Your average parent has a pretty good idea whether the person that their dating is a good match or not. Yes, they can be wrong but that is why I they have a “pretty good idea.” On the other hand, considering the high rate in the United States, perhaps children should pay more attention to parents.

child is said that divorce their

With all that being said, I would conceder that Isaac and Rebekah’s son, Esau, did a poor job in selecting his two wives. It could be possible that his poor judgment in marriage reflects his overall ability to make good choices in his life. Maybe that should give us all something to think about. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-22-08 A Loving Relationship and Growing Old.

Genesis 27:1-4 “When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered. Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” (NIV) This is the first time that a father’s blessing to his son is mentioned in the book of Genesis. From the text we are given no indication if this is the first time a father’s blessing had ever taken place, if it was a common practice or if God commanded it at some time. This is a touching moment between Isaac, who is failing health, and his oldest son Esau, who is a grown man and married. At times during their lives I am sure that Esau had done this before, had gone out hunting and then returned successfully to prepare one of his father’s favorite meals. Isaac is probably figuring that there will be very few more opportunities like this in his future, so he requests this of his son one more time before he blesses him. One last point, even though God favored Isaac, it did not prevent him from eventually growing old, loosing his eyesight and dying. Sometimes I think we expect too much from God on this point. All of us will experience failing health and death. It is not God’s will or fault. It is the result of sin. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-23-08 The Decision to Deceive. Genesis 27:5-10 “Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” (NIV) It is obvious that Jacob had told his mother, Rebekah, that Esau had sold his birthright to him many years ago. It is also obvious that his mother felt just as strongly about it as Jacob did, maybe more so. One must acknowledge the ‘possibility’ that if Rebekah felt so strongly about Jacob receiving the birthright than she most likely approached her husband and discussed the issue with him. If this was the case, the controversy over the birthright could have been an openly sore issue within the family for years. Whatever the case, the fact is that Rebekah and Jacob banded together to deceive Isaac in order for Jacob to secure this birthright blessing. I find it interesting that Rebekah is trying to secure by her own efforts a promise that was made to her by God before her sons were born, “…the older will serve the younger.” No doubt Jacob knew of this prophecy also. No matter what situation was, both Jacob and Rebekah should have been patient and not deceptive. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-24-08 Jacob’s Objection.

Genesis 27: 11-13 “Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is hairy man, and I’m a man with smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than blessing.” His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just what I say; go and get them for me.” (NIV)

a would a do

Here in this part of the story Jacob points out to his mother the problem that Esau is hairy and he is not. I find it interesting that although Jacob desired the birthright blessing, he probably would not have figured out how to deceive his father on his own. So far in this story, it looks like Rebekah was the driving force in this plot to deceive Isaac. When Jacob is afraid that his father will curse him if the plot is discovered, Rebekah rashly volunteers, “…let the cures fall on me.” Basically she is reassuring her son that she will take the blame. If Jacob had given it some more though, he would have realized that although his mother could probably protect him from his aging father, she probably couldn’t protect him from his furious brother. When we are tempted to take a possibly dangerous course of action, it would be advisable to solicit the advice of an unbiased observer. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-25-08 Unresolved Differences and Deception. Genesis 27: 15-19 “Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my games so that you may give me your blessing.” (NIV) When Jacob’s disguise was complete, he went in to deceive his father and gain Esau’s firstborn blessing. It is hard to believe that Jacob would do such a thing to his ailing disabled father. This just goes to show how far unresolved differences can go in a family if left unsolved. We may not have personally sold our birthrights or played favorites with our children, but most likely we have unresolved differences either with our parents, our spouses or our children. Let us resolve to resolve those wrongs and misunderstandings before they can do anymore harm. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-26-08 How Many Sons did Rebekah Have? Genesis 27:27-29 “…”Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. 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 you 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.” Listed above is the blessing that Isaac gave to his son Jacob that was really meant for Esau. In it is an interesting piece of information. The blessing

suggests that Isaac and Rebekah had other children besides Esau and Jacob. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-27-08 Trying to Circumvent God’s Will. Genesis 27:27-29 “…”Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. 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 you 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.” Here we find Isaac’s blessing originally meant for Esau stating that Esau was to “lord over” his other brothers and this includes Jacob. Why would he add this to Esau’s blessing? Isaac had to have known God’s prophecy on this issue, that “the older will serve the younger.” Isaac did it because Esau was his favorite son and wished to circumvent God’s will. In this big mess over the birthright and the firstborn’s blessing everyone was at fault. Isaac was at fault for insisting on blessing Esau as the lording son. Rebekah was at fault for planning the plot to deceive Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing. Esau was a fault for selling his birthright in the first place, which was connected with the firstborn’s blessing. Jacob was at fault for taking what was not his to take. All four players were not dealing with each other fairly and/or openly. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-28-08 Isaac and Esau Realize Jacob’s Deceit. Genesis 27: 30-36 “After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting…His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” Esau said, ”…He has deceived me these two time; He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing…” (NIV) What an emotional scene when both Isaac and his son Esau find out that they have been deceived. Both were vividly shaken. Whether this blessing was an age-old tradition or a religious directive from God, apparently once the blessing was given, it could not be undone. I wonder if Esau would have killed his brother Jacob had Esau ran into him, dressed in his disguise, departing from his father’s presence. If that had happened, it would have been interesting to hear how Jacob would have tried to explain himself that is if he was given a chance. Once again I would like to point out that it ‘seems’ that Isaac was aware of the fact that Esau had years earlier sold his birthright to his younger brother when Esau exclaims to his father that now he has been deceived twice. To some degree it seems that the birthright and the blessing are connected. If so, I wonder if Isaac was trying to keep this event secret so that he could bless Esau without Jacob (and possibly Rebekah) objecting.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-29-08 Esau’s Blessing. Genesis 27: 39, 40 “…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.” (NIV) The above blessing is the blessing that Isaac finally gave Esau, but it was only after Esau’s desperate pleading. I would guess that the first part of the blessing was pretty much tailored to match Esau’s personality. Personally if I were Esau I would have rather skipped this rather harsh blessing than to have one at all. The bright side of Esau’s blessing is Isaac’s prediction that Esau would eventually break the bonds of serving his little brother. In this prediction we find Isaac still trying to circumvent God’s prophecy that the older brother would serve the younger one. Isaac is still playing favorites. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-30-08 Waiting to Murder. Genesis 27: 41 “Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of morning for my father are near, then I will kill my brother Jacob.” (NIV) Apparently Isaac believed that he was going to die soon, so that is why he had planned to bless Esau at this time. Esau must have thought that his father was close to death also. I am sure that even though Isaac was upset with Jacob’s deception, he did not wish physical harm to befall him. Esau loved his father and did not want to cause him any more emotional pain, so Esau planned to kill Jacob after his father died. Little did anyone know that Isaac would continue to live quit awhile longer. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 01-31-08 Jacob is Warned about Esau’s Plans to Kill him. Genesis 27: 42-46 “When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you…Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran… When your brother is no longer angry with you…I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “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” (NIV) Rebekah was probably told by one of her servants that Esau was planning to kill Jacob after her husband, Isaac, died. Fearing that both Isaac and Jacob would die on the same day, Rebekah asked Jacob to leave home for a while, at least until Esau’s anger ‘blew over.’

It had been stated earlier in chapter 26 that both of Esau’s parents were very unhappy with the two Hittite women that he chose to marry. Apparently Rebekah was still upset, so she sent Jacob to live with her brother Laban in hopes that, while Jacob was hiding out, he would marry within her side of the family. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-01-08 Isaac Finally Acknowledges Jacob as the Heir to God’s Promise. Genesis 28: 1-5 “So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you became a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing of Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham. Then Isaac sent Jacob on this way…” (NIV) After Isaac and Rebekah discussed the issue, Isaac called Jacob in and made it clear that while he was away that he should marry someone closely related to him on his mother’s side. At least that was something that both Isaac and Rebekah agreed on. Isaac finally decided to stop fighting against God’s prophecy and reassured Jacob that the blessing he meant to give Esau was truly Jacob’s. Jacob was blessed and acknowledged to be the heir to land and nation that God promised to Abraham. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-02-08 Esau Finally Realizes How Much His Father Dislikes His Two Wives. Genesis 28: 6-9 “Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” (NIV) Esau was his father’s favorite son. When Esau heard that his father had told his brother not to marry any Canaanite women, it finally dawned on him just how much his wives displeased his father. I am sure that Esau knew that his father was not happy with his two Canaanite wives, but he didn’t know to what extent. Esau probably figured that although his father was not wild about the local Canaanite women, they would be acceptable for Jacob, since he was just the second born son and not daddy’s favorite. Esau saw his error when he understood that Canaanite women were not even acceptable for even Jacob to marry. I guess Esau figured that if he married a descendant of Uncle Ishmael’s then at least his father would like at least one of his wives. I wonder if Esau’s father did. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-03-08 Stairway to Heaven.

Genesis 28: 10-15 “Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran…he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord…I will give you and your descendants the land on which your are lying…All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you to, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (NIV) Jacob’s dream not only shows God’s active interest in Jacob and his life but also for all mankind. God is active in our lives. He does care for us. We are not a distraction to God but we have His complete attention. Probably today if Jacob had the dream instead of a stairway connecting Heaven to Earth maybe God would replace it with a freeway. God reassures Jacob that he is the chosen on to carry on God’s promise to Abraham, but He adds more. God also comforts Jacob and lets him know that He will watch over him and bring him back home. God promises that He will not leave him. It is interesting that God tells Jacob all of this after he had really made a mess of his life. This story is encouraging to us. God will continue to watch over us and not leave us even if we make a mess of our own lives. There is a connection between Heaven and Earth and God will not deserted us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-04-08 Jacob Commits His Life to God. Genesis 28: 18-22 “Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and pored oil on top of it…The Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God. This stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” (NIV) When Jacob woke up after experiencing his dream of the stairway to Heaven and God’s promise to be with him, he used his stone pillow to make a memorial of the event. Why? It may have been a turning point in his life. If I understand the text clearly, it looks as though up to this point in Jacob’s life he never fully committed his life to God. In a sense he made his own covenant with God, “If you ‘watch my back’ then I’ll worship You!” In this covenant of Jacob’s to God he vows to tithe. We know that Abraham was familiar with the concept of giving a tenth to God (Gen. 14:20), so either Jacob picked the tradition up from his father Isaac or tithing was already an established religious act. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-05-08 Jacob Visits His Uncle. Genesis 29: 2-14 “There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep

lying near it…Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Haran,” they replied. He said to him, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered. Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” The said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”…Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, He hurried to meet him…and brought him to his home…then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” (NIV) It is amazing how isolated people were by distance back then. Today, modern man has automobiles, planes, trains, telephones, E-mail and regular mail at his disposal to keep in touch with his relatives, if he wants. This story of Jacob reminds me of a story told to me by my father. Around the late 1930’s when my father was 17 years old (maybe younger), he ‘hopped a frigate train’ in California to go visit his uncle up in Montana. When he arrived he had to ask the local people if they knew his uncle and directions to his ranch. The trip was not an easy one and dangerous, but it was an adventure for my father. He ended up working for his uncle for a few years until he was drafted during the Second World War. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-06-08 The Value of a Spouse. Genesis 29: 14-19 “…After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel…Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It’s better to give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” (NIV) Apparently some sort of dowry was expected by this time in this culture. Even Abraham sent a wealth of gifts with his chief servant to procure a wife for Isaac. Since Jacob had nothing but ‘the clothes on his back’, he had nothing to exchange for Laban’s daughter. Jacob’s offer, to work seven years for Rachel, was probably a very good deal for Laban and showed how much Jacob valued Rachel. This story reminds me of how much most of us valued our own spouses when we married them. I wonder how many years we would have been willing to work for them. How much do we value our spouses today? Shouldn’t years of marriage make our spouses more valuable to us and not less? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-07-08 Deception at the Wedding. Genesis 29: 20-30 “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed”… so Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her…When morning came there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me...?” Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older

one. Finish out this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” And Jacob did so….Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah…” (NIV) Jacob must have felt that he was ‘on top of the world’ those first seven years working for his uncle. To feel the way he did must have been a testament that Rachel felt the same love for him, but after the seven years the ‘good times’ came to an end, when Laban switched daughters at the wedding. Jacob who deceived his father ends up being deceived himself. I wonder if he learned anything from the experience. I am told by an elderly woman who lived in that part of the world when she was a child that the weddings probably haven’t changed too much since Bible times. During the wedding the men and the women party in separate areas, the women wear veils and it is common for the men to get very drunk. If that is the case then it is reasonable to understand how Jacob could have been tricked into marring the wrong daughter. Jacob was tricked into ended up loving Rachel wedding or it was just Leah knew what she was did not love his wives

having multiple wives and it is understandable that he more than her sister. Whether Jacob got drunk at the too dark in the bedroom to tell who he was having sex with, doing. Whatever the case Jacob felt cheated, he therefore equally and this is a recipe for trouble in the household.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-08-08 God Desires for Us to Love our Spouses. Genesis 29: 31-35 “When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She name him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” She conceived again…So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived…So he was named Levi. She conceived again…So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.” (NIV) Apparently Jacob was still held a grudge against Leah for her part in deceiving him during his wedding. He had not wished to marry her and therefore was still treating her with less respect than Rachel. It appears that God was not pleased with Jacob’s relationship with Leah and blessed her with sons. Having sons was important to Jacob and the idea was that he would surely value her more for having done so. It looks like Leah was not being an especially bad wife at this time and God was expecting Jacob to treat her with love and respect. Not all of us have gotten married under the best circumstances or made the best choice (in our view) in selecting a marriage partner. On the other hand sometimes poor choices or circumstances cause a couple to ‘grow apart’ and the marriage becomes strained. It looks as if God expects us to love and respect our spouses, even if they don’t meet with our expectations. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-09-08 Jealousy and Anger Results in a Third Wife. Genesis 30: 1-8, “When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has

kept your from having children?” The she said, “Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family.” So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant…she named him Dan. Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again…she named him Naphtali.” (NIV) I’ve known on couple who had difficulties have children and they finally had to adopt a child. To be in the position of wanting children and not being able to have them is very stressful. Rachel was in the situation, in fact she was so stressed that she wanted to die. Normally when one spouse is upset the other is also and Jacob, who loved Rachel dearly, was disturbed about Rachel’s plight also. When she unloaded her frustrations on him, he responded with his own frustrations which possibility could be reworded to say, “I can’t fix your problem, and if I could I would!” Most guys feel responsible to fix problems and are frustrated when they are unable to. Rachel’s solution to the problem was for raise the servant’s children as her own. finding a surrogate mother to have their third wife for Jacob and two more sons. third wife into the marriage is going to

Jacob to marry her maidservant and then This is similar to a couple today child. This solution brought about a Personally I don’t see how bringing a solve all of the jealousy and anger.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-10-08 How Much is Really Enough? Genesis 30: 9-13 “When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad. Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Lea said. “How happy I am! The women will com me happy.” So she named him Asher.” (NIV) Leah gave birth to four sons for Jacob. One would think that she would be satisfied, but when Rachel convinced Jacob to marry her servant and that servant had two sons, Leah wasn’t satisfied anymore. So Leah persuaded Jacob to marry her maidservant and through her had two more sons. The jealousy between Leah and Rachel and the competition for Jacob’s affection was the major motivation for having all these children. The question one must ask is, “What does it take to be truly satisfied?” There is always someone who is better off than oneself, at least in some aspect of their life. How many toys, shoes, tools, clothes, cars, houses and how much money does it take to be truly satisfied? How much love does a person need to be satisfied? For the Christian if they place God first in their lives, everything else should fall into place and their satisfaction shouldn’t be much of a problem. Is God proficient in taking care of all of our needs or not?” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-11-08 Competition and Marriage. Genesis 30: 14, 15 “During Wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” But she said to her, “Wasn’t

it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” (NIV) Considering all in all, I can’t believe that Rachel would let Leah sleep with Jacob over a handful of plants. This fight between the sisters had gotten ridiculous. Apparently Rachel had restricted Leah’s access to Jacob. Since Rachel couldn’t compete with Leah and was upset that Leah was having too many sons, she wouldn’t let Leah sleep or have sex with Jacob. Obviously Leah was feeling left out of the marriage and complained. It is interesting that Leah’s complaint was that Rachel had “took away” her husband, when it was Leah who had married Jacob deceitfully. The competition between the two sisters had turned ugly. Whenever there is competition there is a winner and a looser. Hardly anyone likes to lose and that is one reason why so many fights break out at sports events. Even nations compete, so it isn’t any wonder that we find wars breaking out around the world. If it feels “so good” to win then you can’t expect the looser not to feel “so badly.” If that is the case than maybe friendly competitions are a rare thing. Since the competition between Leah and Rachel was tarring their multiple marriage apart, I just can’t believe that, in today’s marriages, competition between married partners is a safe thing to engage in either. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-12-08 The Competition Ends Between Leah and Rachel. Genesis 30: 16-21 “So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son…So she named him Issachar. Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said,”…This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.” (NIV) Even though it is difficult to believe that Rachel would let Leah have sex with Jacob for some plants, it is also hard to understand Jacob’s position in this part of the story. If he is still truly angry with Leah then his decision to have sex with her because Rachel and Leah made a deal seems a little ridiculous. One answer could be that because Jacob had gotten so tired of the fight between Rachel and Leah that he would do anything to try to make Rachel, his favorite wife, happy. If she said don’t have sex with Leah, he wouldn’t and if she said have sex with Leah, he would. I think that God gave Leah a daughter to let her know that He had blessed her with enough sons. I wonder if Leah thought that God was saying to her, “Enough is enough! Please be happy with the six sons that I have blessed you with because with this daughter I am telling you that your competition with Rachel is over, so stop it!” Note: How about this perspective on the marriages of Jacob and his brother Esau? Had Isaac and Rebecca not played favorites with their sons and had Esau and Jacob been good boys, I personally believe their marriages would have turned out ‘much’ different. I would guess that if Esau had been closer to his mother, he would not

have married the Canaanite women and his mother would have sent him to Laban and Esau would have actually ended up marrying Leah instead of Jacob. Then later Jacob would not have had any trouble marrying Rachel because Leah would have already been married and Jacob would have brought gifts from home to give to Laban (and not worked all those years). Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-13-08 Jacob Requests to Return Home. Genesis 30: 22-26 “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” She named his Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.” After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.” (NIV) Considering all of the children that have been born to Jacob’s family so far, the seven extra years he had to work for Rachel had probably passed or was soon approaching and Jacob asked Laban if he could leave. Jacob had been away from home around 14 years not and I am sure wished to see his mother and father again. I am not so sure that he was looking forward to settling his unresolved issues with his brother, who wanted to kill him when he originally left home. It could be that Jacob was asking Laban’s permission to leave because he was taking Laban’s daughters and grandchildren finally away from home and was being polite. It could also be that Laban had come to a point where he was heavily relying on Jacob to get all the work done in the family business and it would place Laban in a difficult if Jacob were to leave. Although Jacob probably was just been being polite in his request to go home, he may not have completed the extra seven years quite yet. Personally, I don’t really think Jacob was ready to go home yet and was just trying to negotiate some wages out of Laban. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-14-08 Negotiations Over Wages. Genesis 30:25-34 “…Jacob said to Laban, ”Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland…” But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay…the Lord has blessed me because of you.” He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them…” “Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied…Let me go through all you flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every darkcolored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. “They will be my wages...” “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” (NIV) Apparently Laban didn’t have many speckled or spotted animals in his flocks, so he thought he was getting a very good deal. It appears that he didn’t know much about breeding and what the outcome of his deal would cost him. It is possible that Laban tricked Jacob, by exchanging Rachel with Leah at Jacob’s wedding, so that Jacob would be forced to work another seven years for Rachel. Probably seven years earlier Laban knew how much he had prospered under Jacob’s management. Pretty much up to this point in the two men’s lives Jacob had worked for free. Now that that was over, one could expect in the future to see business problems between them because both have been known to be deceitful.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-15-08 Discontented Sons. Genesis 31: 1, 2 “Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father. And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.” (NIV) Jacob’s breeding strategy was paying off and he was becoming wealthy. Laban’s sons saw Jacob becoming rich and they became jealous and envious. Laban’s generous attitude towards Jacob faded as Jacob because more prosperous too. Becoming envious over an acquaintance’s success is an easy temptation to fall into. We ask ourselves the question, “Why them and not me?” and exclaim, “It’s not fair!” The fact is that we all come from different economic and educational backgrounds. No matter where you go you will eventually find someone somewhere who is smarter or luckier then you. I think in the end you will find that a poor contented person is far better off that a rich discontented person. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-16-08 Time to Go Home. Genesis 31: 3-7 “Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me.” (NIV) I wonder if Jacob was not only afraid that Laban was trying to financially harm him but I wonder is Jacob was afraid that Laban was getting upset enough to cause him physical harm. It is possible that Jacob ‘stuck it out’ with Laban as long as he did because he feared that he had nowhere else to go. Pretty much he was between ‘a rock and a hard place’. If he stayed, his relationship with Laban would continue to degrade and if he went home he risked being murdered by the hands of his brother Esau. It looks like God had to intervene and reassure Jacob that it was alright to go home. It also looks like Jacob was afraid that his two wives would put up a fuss and not want to leave. That is probably the reason why he ‘spelled out’ his situation to his wives. It is nice, when it comes to making a big decision that everybody is in agreement and ‘onboard’. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-17-08 Alienated Children. Genesis 31: 14-16 “Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not

only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.” (NIV) At some time during their marriage to Jacob, both Rachel and Leah lost respect for their father. By this time in the story they saw Laban for the man he really was and their relationship to him. They were no more part of his family. He treated them not like family but like foreigners. They now realize that he sold them in marriage for gain. They also realized that whatever Laban was doing to Jacob he was also doing to their own children, so they were willing to leave as God said. We as parents need to treat our children with love and respect. Someday we will have to live with how we treated them. What we do now, will affect our relationship with them as we grow older. Do we wish to die with our children alienated from us? Let us reconcile our differences with our children while we still that the time. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-18-08 Stealth and Theft. Genesis 31: 17-20 “Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 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. When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.” (NIV) One question I have is, “Why did Jacob leave so suddenly?” There are several things that Jacob could have been thinking that motivated him to leave in such a hurry. “God told me to leave, so I’m going to obey immediately.” “Laban may talk me out of leaving.” “I’m nervous that my wives might change their minds and wish to stay.” “Laban may forcibly take away all of my flocks or my wives and children, if he knows I’m going to leave.” “By sneaking away Laban will feel unhappiness and regret which will be a little revenge for the misery he has caused me.” “If I stick around any longer, physical harm may come to me.” From what I have seen, sheep shearing is a big time consuming project, so would have been a great time for Jacob to sneak away. Apparently it was also a good opportunity for Rachel to steal the statues of her father’s gods. This action is a little disturbing because it suggests that after all these years married to Jacob that she still hadn’t completely committed herself the God of her husband. Laban, Be Careful What You Say. Genesis 31: 22-24 “On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” (NIV) Personally I believe that what really angered Laban was that his ‘meal ticket’ was gone. Laban understood that he prospered while Jacob worked for him and now that Jacob was gone that loss infuriated him. Also I am sure that Laban held a similar belief as his sons that Jacob’s wealth actually belonged to him. If you add the theft of his gods, not being able to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren and the personal disrespect of Jacob sneaking away, I believe that

Laban was ‘out for blood’.

Jacob was a dead man.

Another interesting thing is that God warned Laban not to say anything to Jacob that was “either good or bad.” It is understandable that Laban would want to say ‘bad’ things to Jacob, but may be not so obvious why God would not want Laban to say ‘good’ things to Jacob. Personally I believe that God was warning Laban not to offer Jacob a proposition so good as to tempt Jacob to return home with Laban. Most likely any offer that good would only be a deception to get Jacob back under his authority. As Laban had attempted to manipulate Jacob by changing his wages ten times, I am sure we can read into Gods warning to Laban that we should also not attempt to manipulate people either by tempting them with good things or with bad things (threats). Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-20-08 The Power to Harm. Genesis 31: 26-30 “Then Laban said to Jacob. “…Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you way with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by…I have the power to harm you; but last night the god of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s house. But why did you steal my gods?” (NIV) In most conflicts between people, both parties are not totally blameless. Laban had some legitimate reasons for being upset with Jacob. He didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to his daughters and their children or throw farewell parity for them. Laban was also upset because when Jacob disappeared, the statues of his gods disappeared at the same time. I find it interesting that even while Laban is trying to play the innocent victim he still lets Jacob know that he could still do Jacob harm. Basically Laban is saying, “I don’t know why you are afraid of me, but you do know that I could hurt you if I wish?” which proves by Laban’s own words why Jacob feared him. We all have some power over those around us. How do we use it? We may not have the strength to physically hurt them but we can use our words and actions to make them emotionally miserable. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-21-08 Theft and a Death Sentence. Genesis 31: 31-34 “Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live…see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so take it.”…So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban search through everything in the tent but found nothing.” (NIV) I believe Jacob was being diplomatic with Laban when he claimed that he was only concern about losing daughters. Jacob’s claim was a half-truth. I am sure

Jacob’s great number of flocks was on each man’s mind. If Jacob had known that his beloved wife Rachel had stolen his father-in-law’s statues, I doubt that he would have mentioned killing the thief as punishment. I personally believe that Laban was extremely angry and am not sure what he would have done if he were to have found that Rachel was the thief. He might have killed her killed her, if only to ‘save face’ in front of all his relatives he had brought along. I figure that when Rachel stole her father’s household gods, she never figured to see her father again. I wonder how she felt, sitting there on top of the statues, in the presence of her angry father with a possible death sentence over her head. I am sure at that point in her life she realized how foolish stealing really is. It is a foolish action that we all would do well to ponder. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-22-08 An Angry Mob or Sympathetic Jury. Genesis 31: 36-42 “Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “What sin have I committed that you hunt me down? Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us…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…” (NIV) I believe Laban’s plan to bring along all his relatives backfired on him. I am sure that he brought them along for support and as a show of force, but in front of all these witnesses Jacob was found innocent. What probably started out as an angry mob ended up turning into a sympathetic jury for Jacob. They all were well aware of Laban’s character and knew if Laban had been given a chance he would have sent Jacob away with nothing. Because of Jacob’s poor decisions at home, he was forced to take shelter with such a selfish relative. Let us live our lives in such a way that we too don’t make the same type of foolish decisions that will place us in a similar situation. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-23-08 May the Lord Keep Watch Between You and Me. Genesis 31:43-50 “Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I and let it serve as a witness between us” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar…Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today…May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives beside my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.” (NIV) I find it interesting that Laban confesses that he can’t control his daughters although they are his, yet he doesn’t confess that there is nothing he can do about all of his flocks that Jacob has. His veiled threat is, “If it weren’t for

my daughters and all their children, I would kill you and take all my flocks back with me!” The beautiful friendship saying, ‘May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other’ which is commonly found on commercially produced pins, cards, bookmarks, etc. was actually said with controlled anger with a threat connected to it, “If I could, I’d kill you if you ever mistreat my daughters or take any other wives, but I can’t so just remember that the Lord is watching you in my place!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-24-08 Swear You Won’t Kill Me. Genesis 31: 51-55 “Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. This heap is a witness and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.” (NIV) Laban asked Jacob to agree that neither one of them would cross over into each other’s territory just in case one of them should be tempted to kill the other. We suspected that Jacob was afraid that Laban would do him harm but now we find that Laban must have had some fear that Jacob might do the same to him. Maybe Laban was afraid that Jacob would seek revenge because of their past dealings. On the other hand Laban could have worried that if Jacob feared for his life, he might just sneak over and murder Laban first. I am sure that in those days, when an adult child moved a great distance away that was very little chance of seeing them again, if at all. In Laban’s situation, he knew he would never see his daughters and grandchildren again and when he kissed them goodbye, it was forever. It must have been a sad farewell. Once again I would like to note that here we find again evidence of some sort of sacrificial system in place before the time of Moses. Therefore sacrificing was not reserved only for the Jewish nation by God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-25-08 Reassurance in the Face of Uncertainty. Genesis 32: 1, 2 “Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.” (NIV)

When

When Jacob fled from his home, fearing death by the hand of his brother Esau, he was given a dream. In his dream God gave him words of reassurance and also in it he saw angels coming and going from Earth to Heaven. Now Jacob is returning home and sure to meet his brother, God gives him reassurance again. Jacob returns home and does not return alone. God is with him.

I would suspect that most of us from time to time feel insecure as we approach certain junctions in our lives. Yes, some of us feel a lot more insecure than others. How would our outlook on the future be if we could maintain this text’s perspective that God and all of His resources are at our disposal in our time of need? How would our lives change? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-26-08 Holding a Grudge. Genesis 32: 3-8 “Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau..He instructed them: “…say to my master Esau: “Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now…Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’” When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 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.” (NIV) Jacob had been away from home for around twenty years and Esau was still angry enough at him to wish to murder him. The four hundred men accompanying Esau were with him to help kill Jacob, his family, his servants and assist carrying off the plunder and flocks. In all fairness to Esau, he company of men could have been with him to protect him in case Jacob actually planned to kill Esau as he came out to welcome Jacob home, but I highly doubt that. Holding a grudge isn’t worth it. I suggest dealing with your unresolved issues right away and don’t hold on to them. If possible deal with the offender, forgive them and get on with your life. Forgiveness frees us from the offender so that he or she has no more hold over us. I know of a man who held a grudge for nearly 40 years. Both men were in their old age when they finally met again. The man with the grudge hostilely cussed the man out for all of his offenses, but it did no good. The offender was so old, that when he was confronted with his offenses, he honestly could not remember any of them. He had actually thought he had come to visit a friend. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-27-08 Understanding Our Worth. Genesis 32:9-12 “Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” (NIV) I doubt that this prayer was a formal pray. Jacob was truly afraid of death, death for himself and his family. He also saw that he really wasn’t worth saving when he stated, “I am unworthy…” It was his own fault that his brother wanted to kill him and he was powerless to protect himself, so he pleaded with God and reminded God of his promise because that was his only hope.

We are all in Jacob’s shoes. We all deserve to die. We are all rebellious with God and miserable to live with. Our only salvation out of this miss is in God’s promise to save us. As we get older, it becomes all too clear that death is just around the corner. We will all die and become nothing. My only question is, “Why do we talk so little to the only Being in our life that has the ability to see us through to the other side of nothingness?” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-28-08 Generous Gifts. Genesis 32: 13-21 “…he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 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 put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.” He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’…For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.” So Jacob’s gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.” (NIV) Esau was angry over losing his birthright and his blessing to Jacob. Since the birthright and the blessing had to do a lot with wealth and prosperity, Jacob hoped that these valuable gifts would pacify his brother’s anger. Plus splitting up the herds was a good idea. The presentation of each individual herd separately would have been impressive. To Esau the gifts would have just seemed to keep coming and coming and coming. Another wise decision Jacob made was to give theses herds a day’s head start. Esau would have had time to contemplate the value of his gifts and also have time to settle into a temperate mood. It was basically greed that was the motive for Jacob’s decision to con Esau out of his birthright and his blessing. Hopefully these gifts would help to show Esau that Jacob had changed. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-29-08 Struggling with God. Genesis 23: 22-31 “That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possession. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socked of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob”, he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome…So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.” (NIV) Who was Jacob wrestling with?

Was it an angel in human form or was it God in

human form? The next question would be, was the being only using their only their human strength or was the fight just a sham to prove a point to Jacob? No matter who Jacob was struggling with and under what circumstances, Jacob was not the ‘mama’s boy’ he was when he left home. After twenty years of working for Laban, Jacob was both strong physically and mentally. Even after his unknown foe injured his hip, he still fought on! Of course the fear of death may have played a big part in Jacob’s ability to defend himself. Definitely Jacob was not the same man that he was when he left home twenty years before. Not only did this fight prove it but also the prayer that he prayed a short time earlier. I believe that this encounter was an attempt to show Jacob just how much he has changed. Because of that change God gave him a new name. God named him “Israel” which means “he struggles with God.” When Jacob left home he was a man who took what he thought he deserved. Now we see, after his prayer in verse 10 that he understands just how ‘unworthy’ he is to God. One point I’d just like to add, is the fact that Jacob was amazed that he had come face to face with God and came away alive. My point being is that humans who do not have a healthy relationship with God will not fair so well. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-01-08 Who was Expendable. Genesis 33: 1-3 “Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.” (NIV) Since the gift of animals that Jacob and sent to Esau had a day’s head start, Jacob didn’t know how the gift had been received. Considering that Esau was still approaching with his four hundred men had to have been unsettling for Jacob. The way Jacob divided up his family as they approached Esau and his men said a lot about who he valued the most. Jacob walked ahead of his family for possibly two reasons. First, he had to be in the front to greet his brother (that was only proper). Second, if Esau was still angry, he would possibly murder Jacob and let the rest of Jacob’s family live. If Esau was still angry then the Maidservants and their children would be murdered next. Then if Esau’s bloodlust continued, Leah and her children would be killed next. Jacob hoped that, if the worst happened, maybe his beloved Rachel and her son Joseph would be saved from Esau’s wrath. If I was part of Jacob’s family (other than Rachel and her son), I’d be a little upset that Jacob considered me expendable. Yet at that moment I am sure that they were all worried that in moments they were all going to die. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-02-08 Negotiating a Renewed Friendship. Genesis 33: 4-11 “…Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept…Esau asked, “What do you mean by all these droves 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.” (NIV) Esau was wealth. He had stayed at home that had his father’s great wealth of resources behind him, so most likely at this point Esau was a lot richer that Jacob. Esau could comfortably turn down all of his brother’s gifts. Jacob was honest with Esau when Esau inquired about the gift of animals, pretty much said, “You were angry with me because of what I swindled from you and now I’m paying you back and in an effort to receive your forgiveness.” Jacob continues, still possibly the manipulator by implying, “If you accept these animals, then I don’t owe you anything more. The whole exchange seemed more like a business contract to me. Although Jacob was pleased to see Esau because he missed him and was happy to see him friendly, I think Jacob ‘laid it on a little thick’ by comparing Esau’s image to God’s. Jacob was probably really trying to appeal to his brother’s pride.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 02-03-08 Polite Distrust. Genesis 33: 12-17 “Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I'll accompany you." But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir." Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you." "But why do that?" Jacob asked. "Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord." So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth.” (NIV) Was Esau’s offer to accompany Jacob because he desired the companionship of his brother’s company or was it to keep an eye on Jacob? Was Esau still planning to harm his brother? Was he going to wait until night and kill Jacob, family and his servants in their sleep, and then easily take all of Jacob’s possessions? Was Jacob being polite by turning Esau’s offer down or was he suspicious of his brother’s offer? Why did Jacob tell Esau that he would meet him in Seir but then go to Succoth instead? Did Jacob expect Esau to set up a trap for him in Seir? Did Jacob want to put some safe distance between he and his brother? Although both brothers claimed to make up and be friends, I still don’t believe that they trusted each other very much at all. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-04-08 Deciding to Live Close to the City.

Genesis 33: 18-20 “After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.” (NIV) This is the first time in Jacob’s life, he was completely on his own. At first he lived with his parents, until he had to flee for his life. Then for the past 20 years, he lived with or lived very near to his uncle Laban, who he worked for. Living close to the city of Shechem probably seemed convenient and a bit comforting. Living close to people had its price. The land ‘within sight of the city’ cost him 100 silver pieces, which to me seems pretty expensive. Once again we find Jacob setting up an altar to God. He named the altar “El Elohe Israel.” The footnote in the NIV Bible translates it “Mighty is the God of Israel.” If we add the translation of ‘Israel’, the new name that God had given Jacob, which means “He struggles with God”, you get something that reads like, “Mighty is the God of he who struggles with God.” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-05-08 The Abduction and Rape of Dinah. Genesis 34: 1-7 “Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her. His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife." When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home. Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter--a thing that should not be done.” (NIV) It looks as if Shechem, the son of the ruler, saw Dinah in town, lusted for her, kidnapped her and then raped her. After he had sexually forced himself upon her, he realized that he was either quite fond of her or just plain wanted to keep her. He then approached his father to negotiate with Jacob about the matter so he could marry her. Before Shechem’s father could approach Jacob for ‘the hand of his daughter’, account of the rape got back to Jacob. Probably how it ‘went down’ was that one of the servants of the city told the tale to one of the servants of Jacob, who then in turn reported it to him. Jacob held off telling his sons about their sister’s rape probably because he wanted time to think of a proper solution before his sons were tempted to take the matter into their own hands. Unfortunately for Jacob, Shechem’s father approached Jacob in the presence of his sons and the story angered them. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-06-08 Diplomacy or Sincerity.

Genesis 34: 8-12 “But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it." Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife." (NIV)

Shechem, who had kidnapped and raped Jacob’s daughter Dinah, had accompanied his father Hamor to negotiate with Jacob. Hamor’s approach to the marriage negotiation was, “I approve of your daughter as a wife for my son, but I also approve of your whole family being my relatives.” Although Hamor may have been being diplomatic, I personally believe that he was sincere in his offer. Shechem may have also been being diplomatic when he said he’d pay whatever it took to have Dinah as his wife, but I suspect that his offer was sincere. Mixed in with his lust and his sexual aggression towards Dinah must have been quite a bit of fondness for her (or infatuation). Probably for many of us when we are young, the line between lust and love is blurred. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-07-08 Circumcision and Deceit. Genesis 34: 13-23 “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 give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. We will give our consent to 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…" Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem... So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to their fellow townsmen."These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land and trade in it... We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. But the men will consent to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. Won't their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us give our consent to them, and they will settle among us." (NIV) Hamor must have had some influence with town and may have also been wealthy. It was from one of Hamor’s sons that Jacob bought all of his land. Although Hamor’s son wished to negotiate with Jacob to possess Jacob’s daughter Dinah, how he kidnapped and raped, Hamor had to have been partially looking at this situation from a business point of view. He was possibly thinking, “Let’s integrate this wealthy man, his family, all his servants and all his possessions into our society and eventually his prosperity will increase our standard of living (or at least ‘my’ standard of living).” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-08-08 Revenge, Murder, Kidnapping and Looting.

Genesis 34: 24-29 “All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised. 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.” (NIV) Simeon and Levi took things into their own hands and did not wait for their father to find a solution to their sister’s kidnapping and rape. They took their swords and murdered all the men in the city. For two men to murder every man in the city it either had to have been a very small settlement or God had to have been with them. It is hard for me to believe that God made it possible for them to kill all those men, unless it was to make for certain that there was no reprisals after they rescued their sister from her kidnappers. The story could imply that the two brothers had the help of their servants in this endeavor. It is difficult to see only two individuals looting the whole city and carrying off all the women and children, but not impossible. By threatening all the women with death, they could have been intimidated, rounded up and made to carry off all the valuables back to camp. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-09-08 Move or be Destroyed. Genesis 34:30-35:1 “The Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench 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.” But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?” The God said to Jacob, “Go up to bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” (NIV) What a mess, the surrounding communities now will be tempted to retaliate for the events that took place in the city of Shechem and in turn murder Jacob and his household. I wonder what Jacob’s solution would have been if his sons would have given him time to come to a decision? I doubt that for the kidnapping and rape of his daughter Dinah, he would have murdered all the men, taken all their women and children and collected all their valuables as his two sons did. God solved the Jacob’s dilemma and told him to move out of the area. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-10-08 God, Foreign Gods and Earrings. Genesis 35:1-5 “Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an alter there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to this household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an alter to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who have been with me wherever I

have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.” (NIV) There were members of Jacob’s family and household who did not worship God and because of the murders that two of his sons committed; Jacob was relying on God’s guidance and protection to save himself and everyone. When God told Jacob to move to Bethel and build an altar, his whole camp left the statues of their foreign gods and their earrings behind. They even washed and changed into clean clothes. Before Jacob’s camp left, he was signifying to God and his whole household that he was committing his future (and theirs) into God’s hands. Apparently they left their earrings behind due to some negative religious issue. Either their earrings had some connection with idol worship or in some way this jewelry was recognized as being irreverent to God. The surrounding towns would have come after Jacob and his household, had God not supernaturally placed terror in their hearts. Jacob’s fear of reprisal from the other towns was real. The rash action of his two sons could have killed them all. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-11-08 Promises, Promises, Promises. Genesis 35:9-12 “…God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; you name will be Israel.”…And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants and you.” (NIV) This is the second time that God informed Jacob that his name had been changed. Either God was reassuring Jacob that yes his name had been changed or God was reminding him that he was suppose to go by the name of Israel ‘now’ because he hadn’t done it earlier when God had asked him to. Abraham, Isaac and now Jacob (Israel) were promised things, by God, which they were never going to see in their lifetime. There are probably several reasons for it, but I am certain that God wanted them to be examples of faith for the generations that came after them. God has promised us today many things also; eternal life is one of them. Are we going to trust in Him as did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Myspace Bible Journal Blob: 03-12-08 House of God. Genesis 35:14, 15 “Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob named the place where God had talked with him Bethel.” (NIV) The footnote in the NIV Bible states that the name ‘Bethel’ means ‘House of God’. Jacob could have just been naming the stone pillar that he had set up, but I suspect that there was more to it. This is the second time he met God in this place and he could have thought that God frequented the area.

Up to this point, it seems like that whenever Jacob moves there is a good chance that he is fleeing for his life. When Jacob first stopped here and he encountered God, he was fleeing from his brother Esau. This time he was fleeing due to the murders two of his sons committed, which he would be blamed for. Considering that Jacob had concerns for his physical safety when he tiptoed away from his fatherin-law, Jacob’s life hasn’t been without its stress. Life as a child of God does not guarantee that life will be dull and boring. Once again we find here an example of another offering taking place before the time of Moses and the laws that God gave to him. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-13-08 Birth, Marriage and Death. Genesis 36:16-18 “Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have another son.” As she breathed her last—for she was dying— she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.” (NIV) Even today with the benefits of modern medical technology in many countries, childbirth can be difficult for women. I told my wife, when we got married, that if she didn’t want children, that was alright with me because if our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t want to go through childbirth. Personally if I were a woman, I’d practice celebrity and not have any babies! I wonder what Rachel was afraid of? Was she afraid that if she died delivering a daughter that her death would be in vain, was she still competing with her sister or was she afraid that she would loose the life of her child also? In the footnotes of the NIV Bible the name “Ben-Oni” means “Son of my trouble” and the name “Benjamin” means “Son of my right hand.” I can understand why Jacob (Israel) wanted to change his son’s name. I wouldn’t want to constantly be reminded that this is the son that at childbirth killed my wife. I would like to think that the name change signified the close loving relationship that Jacob had with Rachel. She was his ‘right hand’. She was always with him, a constant companion. Are we satisfied with our relationships with our spouses? Do we wish to be considered by our spouses their ‘right hand?’ Do we try? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-14-08 Grave Marker. Genesis 35:19, 20 “So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.” (NIV) Generally we mark the graves of our deceased loved ones for two reasons. We either mark the grave so that we can find it when we return on occasion and/or we mark the spot so that nobody else will accidentally dig in the same area and disturb the remains. Jacob (Israel) was traveling when Rachel died and marked her grave with a pillar, I’d guess a pillar of stones, maybe even carved stones. At the time this story

was recorded, Rachel’s grave could still be found because of the pillar that Jacob erected. Basically the writer of the book of Genesis is saying, “If you’re interesting in this story, you can still go there and still find the grave.” Or the writer could be defending the validity of the story and is saying, “ If you don’t believe me, go there as see for yourself!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-15-08 Sex with Father’s Concubine. Genesis 35:21, 22 “Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.” (NIV) Although the original intent (Genesis 30:4) was for Bilhah to be another wife, apparently she only ended up ‘playing second fiddle’ to Rachel and Leah and was only considered a concubine. The story records that Israel (Jacob) found out that his oldest son Reuben and Bilhah had sex together, but the story did not say what he did about, if anything. I bet you that if Bilhah and had sex with Rachel, the punishment would have been severe I wonder just how willing Bilhah was? I wonder if Reuben would have slept with what was once Rachel’s maidservant, if Rachel had still been alive? Considering how possessive most men are, I’m certain that Israel (Jacob) was none too happy about the event and none too happy with Reuben or Bilhah. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-16-08 Isaac Dies and You do the Math. Genesis 35: 27-29 “Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” (NIV) These are just a few interesting facts. First off, Isaac never got to meet his daughter-in-law, Rachel because she died during childbirth on Jacob’s way home. Considering that Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau was born (Gen. 25:20) then that would make Jacob 120 years old when Isaac died. Isaac was 100 years old when Esau got married (Gen. 26:34). Sometime after that Jacob spent 20 years living with his uncle Laban (Gen. 31:38). That would give Jacob roughly about 40 – 50 years to reconcile with his father and brother after he returned home. I would like to think that after all those years they finally forgave each other and got along as a family again. One more thing to think about. Jacob was 130 years old when he arrived in Egypt (Gen. 47:9) and that was after 2 years of famine (Gen. 45:6), so that would mean that Isaac died about 7-8 years before the devastating drought. That would also mean that Isaac has alive when his grandson, Joseph, was sold into Egyptian slavery. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-17-08

Family Separation. Genesis 36: 6-8 “Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.” (NIV) Eventually after Jacob (Israel) returned Esau left home because there was not enough grazing land to support both of their large herds so Esau left. The text would seem to indicate that the brothers separated after the death of their father. That would mean that the brothers were able to spend a many years together before they separated again. I would like to believe that their separation was a friendly one, similar to that of Abraham and Lot. Esau eventually became known as ‘Edom’. I wonder if this came about naturally as nicknames do or if he decided to go by another name? I wonder if Jacob being renamed by God influenced this name change? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-18-08 Playing Favorites One More Time. Genesis 37: 2-4 “…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. 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 a richly ornamented robe for him. 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.” (NIV) Like his mother and father, Jacob (Israel) ‘played favorites’ with his children. Joseph was his favorite son. Joseph was the oldest son of his beloved wife Rachel, who is now dead. The question could be asked, “Why wasn’t Benjamin his favorite?” It could be that Rachel died during the birth of Benjamin and every time Jacob looked at Benjamin, he was reminded of his wife’s death. Of course that didn’t stop Jacob from making Benjamin his ‘second favorite’ son. I suspect that all children accuse their parents of loving their children unequally. Yet when their suspicions are actually true, it is a hard thing for children to deal with. Considering that Joseph was the favorite son of a favorite wife must have made things that much worse. On top of everything else, Joseph’s brothers probably thought that he was a ‘tattle tale’ and a spy for their father. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-19-08 Pecking Order. Genesis 37: 5-8 “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "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." His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.” (NIV)

Reuben was the oldest son and Leah was his mother. Had Leah’s father not deceived Jacob, Jacob would have married only Rachel and Joseph (now the second youngest) would have been the first born and received all the privileges that came with being the oldest son. With the ‘pecking order’ as it was, only Joseph could ‘pull rank’ on his little brother Benjamin because everybody else was older. Although Joseph’s older brothers may not have put much faith in what they may have thought was a silly dream, yet the dream did bring up a possibility. It could have gotten Reuben and all the other brothers thinking. Since their father took the birthright away from their Uncle Esau through deception, it was possible that their father to could possibly steal the birthright away from Reuben and give it to Joseph, the favorite son of the favorite wife. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-20-08 Are We Jealous of Others? Genesis 37: 9-11 “Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” (NIV) Considering that Jacob had had contact with God before, he did not brush off the idea so easily that all his son had was a silly dream, as Joseph’s brothers did. Do we have the tendency to belittle another’s religious experience? Don’t we think that our friends are just going through an emotional experience and that God is not really directing them to do whatever it is that they are sharing with us? Why were Joseph’s brothers jealous? We all say we are happy when friends, family and coworkers ‘get ahead’ but are we really? Don’t we all harbor some resentment for those who are doing better than us? When we attend our high school class reunions, don’t we secretly hope that the popular kids in school have now fallen flat on their faces? Actually we may have more in common with Joseph’s brothers then we do with Joseph. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-21-08 Naughty or Nice. Genesis 37: 12-14 “Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them." "Very well," he replied. So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron…” (NIV) It would seem that Jacob (Israel) kept his son Joseph close to home at times and when he was one of Joseph’s duties was to check on his brothers and see how they were doing. You could say that at these times he was his father’s eyes and ears. Considering that at least once before (Gen. 37: 2) Joseph gave his father a bad

report on his brothers, most likely his brothers considered the Joseph was spying on them. A favorite son of a favorite mother who is a tattletale for father is not the type of brother that the others would be fond of. We really don’t know much about the character of Joseph at this point in his life. He could have been a spoiled brat or he could have been a nice kid with questionable brothers. Whatever the case, a question that comes to mind is, “How are we perceived by our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers?” Is there a way that we can better our relationship with them, even if we are doing nothing wrong, without compromising our relationship with God? A lot of times Christian standards can look odd to the rest of the world and maybe a little ‘public relations’ effort on our part will not make our lives seem so out of place. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-22-08 Fear to Speak Up. Genesis 37: 17-22 “…So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "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 said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.” (NIV) Reuben could have put himself Personally I believe that the they would have killed Reuben that moment. Remember it was of Shechem without consulting

at risk and defied his brothers but he brothers were so bitter and angry with also, if he would have openly stood up Simeon and Levi who killed all the men their father first.

didn’t. Joseph that for Joseph at in the city

Had Reuben been able to carry out his plan, I am sure that he thought that both he and Joseph would be safer. Once his father found out about the plot, the brothers would be suspected if anything ever happened to Joseph or himself. That would have probably been a big deterrent for his brothers. We probably shouldn’t think so harshly of Reuben. How many times have we not stood up for what was right in the face of our peers? Why are we so afraid of what others think or say? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-23-08 Another Great Idea. Genesis 37: 23-28 “So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe--the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-- and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. 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. So when the Midianite merchants came by,

his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.” (NIV)

Joseph was fortunate that the pit that he was thrown into did not have any water in it because he may not have known how to swim. I wonder if the pit was purposely dug to collect water or if it was a natural hole in the ground? If it was dug, then one would suppose that there was a settlement here at one time that eventually moved on. Reuben had earlier convinced his brothers to not kill Joseph outright but to throw him in the pit and leave him there to die of thirst and hunger. Of course Reuben’s plan was to rescue him later when his brothers were not around. Well his brothers took his suggestion one step further (when Reuben was gone) and decided to sell Joseph as a slave. Not only would he not die by their actions but they would profit from it also. I’ve never figured that greed could save one’s life, but maybe it played a part in this story. I have a feeling that they may have also thought that life as an Egyptian slave would be far better revenge than a several days of starvation then death. Some of us may currently not get along with our brothers and sisters as well as we may wish. Let us resolve to make an effort (or another effort) to resolve our differences with them before emotions spiral out of control and somebody does something ‘really’ stupid. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-24-08 Where can I turn now? Genesis 37: 29, 30 “When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?" (NIV) As Reuben had planned, once his brothers had left the pit that they had thrown Joseph into, he returned to rescue him. When he got to the pit, Joseph wasn’t there. What a mess that he had gotten himself into. As he had said, where could Reuben turn to now? Most likely he didn’t have enough cash on him to catch up with the caravan and buy Joseph back. The traders would certainly want more for Joseph than the 20 silver shekels that they had bought him for. I can’t see the other brothers parting with their shekels either. I also doubt that the traders would be the types of characters who would say to Reuben, “Oh, I’m sorry that you made a mistake, here take your brother back. That isn’t any problem.” If Reuben returned to his father, to mount a rescue party and buy Joseph back, he would have some explaining to do to his father. He would have to explain to his father why, as the oldest, he didn’t defy his brothers at the very beginning and not let this plot against Joseph go so far as to put Joseph in such danger. As difficult as this would have been to do, this plan would have worked. Reuben’s father probably had the wealth to buy the whole caravan or enough men to overpower the caravan and take Joseph back from them. Reuben’s fear of this brothers and his father made him weak. He didn’t have the strength of character to stand up to his brothers or the strength to go to his

father and receive his father’s wrath. Like Reuben, our personal fears not only hurt ourselves but those around us in many ways that we don’t understand yet. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-25-08 Living with the Consequences of Sin. Genesis 37: 31-36 “Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe." He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces." Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.” (NIV) There are those who morn the loss of a loved one all the rest of their lives, Jacob (Israel) must have been one of those people. He believed the deception that his son’s created and he planned to mourn Joseph’s death until the day he died. I am sure that this was more than Joseph’s brother’s had planned on, to see their father every single day stricken in grief over the loss of a son that they were responsible for and lied about. Worst of all by the time they realized what the situation was going to be with their father. The caravan to which they sold their brother was long gone and Joseph is now sold to an Egyptian in Egypt. At that point in time it would have been extremely difficult to be able to find Joseph and retrieve him. Even at this point I believe that their father would have spent his fortune and the rest of his life to find Joseph if they would have confessed what they had done. Why does God not want us to sin, to do what He does not wish us to do? It is not that He doesn’t want us to have fun. As I see it, sin is destructive not only to ourselves but also to those around us. What we don’t normally realize is that we then have to live with the consequences of what we’ve done for the rest of our lives. God would rather not have us go through that. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-26-08 Why does God Kill? Genesis 38: 1-7 “At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him. Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.” (NIV) Judah had three sons and Judah married his firstborn, Er, to a woman named Tamar. Before Tamar became pregnant the story records that God killed Er because he was a wicked man. The story does not say in what way Er was wicked, but for God to put his to death it had to have been serious.

It has been my observation in the Bible that when God puts or a group of people it is normally for defensive reasons, in their sphere of influence. Considering that God killed children, it may be that God was protecting Tamar’s future “wicked” influence.

to death an individual to protect those living Er before he had children from his

Personally I don’t believe that God is responsible for every single death on this Earth. He may have foreknowledge of when we are going to die but I don’t believe that every death is a direct result of God’s action. As I see it death is normally a consequence of our own sins, someone else’s sin (action) or just simply as a result of living in a sinful environment. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-27-08 Duty or Death. Genesis 38: 8-10 “Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.” (NIV) Here is another example of an unpublished Law of God that existed before the time of Moses. I list it as a law because the story states that God put Onan to death because he refused to fulfill it. Why the law was in place is not clear but on can speculate a bit. One reason could be is that God was in the business of nation building and children need to be produced. Another reason for this ‘duty’ to be fulfilled is that there was no financial support system for a person in their old age. All that a person had to look after them, especially women during this time, were their children (hopefully sons). We can be sympathetic with Onan for not wanting to produce children that he could never lay claim to. People today in the U.S. commonly fight in court over the possession of their children during a divorce. On the other hand one can also see the selfish side to Onan’s action. Technically Onan did go to bed with Tamar, his brother’s wife, so she could attempt to have sex with him but he apparently masturbated just before doing so. He either did this so that he could not perform in bed or he did this in an attempt to create a low sperm count. Either way it was successful, Tamar continued to be childless and God put him to death because of it. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-28-08 Delay Tactics and Deceit. Genesis 38: 11-16 “Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house 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 house. After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. When Tamar was told, "Your fatherin-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the

entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you…" (NIV) I have the feeling that Judah didn’t know that God was behind the deaths of his two sons. Had he known I don’t believe he would have sent Tamar away with no plans to recall her, risking God’s disapproval with himself. Like many people his plan was that if he ignored the problem maybe it would go away. He must have felt that in some way Tamar was just bad luck for his sons and he didn’t want to place his third and final son is danger. Maybe it was because of this ignorance that God spared his life. Tamar must have known Judah pretty well. She must have known that with his wife dead and traveling away from home Judah would have figured that know one would find out if he had sex with a prostitute. Judah was perhaps like most of us, our sins are pretty well known to those around us. I would bet that she was well aware that when he was away he probably frequented prostitutes. Most likely all she had to do for her plan to work was to be the first prostitute that he came across. I don’t believe Tamar was totally righteous in her action ether. There is no record of Tamar coming to Judah, demanding that he make good on his promise and Judah refusing her. Most likely she was angry for waiting so long and like many of us didn’t want to confront him openly, so she acted rashly and used deceit to get what was rightfully hers. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-29-08 The Security Deposit. Genesis 38: 15-23 “When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute…and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her…So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, `There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.' " Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her." (NIV) Tamar asked Judah to leave with her items that were recognizably Judah’s until he paid her. This would be very similar to the time when I borrowed a gas can from a gas station. The station attendant requested that I leave my driver’s license behind until I returned the gas can. Tamar knew that there would be questions about her future pregnancy and she could produce these items to prove that Judah was the father. I can imagine Judah’s hesitation to search for the prostitute to pay her. I am sure the locals would think it was very funny watching a stranger wondering around seeking information about a prostitute that didn’t exist…and why? So he could pay

her! I can hear the locals calling out, “Hey buddy, why look for her? If you leave now, you’ve gotten a ‘freebie’!” If Judah confessed to them what he wanted to get back from her, they’d probably laugh and reply, “You’d better not let her confront your wife with that stuff!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-30-08 Almost Burnt to Death. Genesis 38: 24-27 “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!" As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.” (NIV) Here we find another reference to a law that was established before the time of Moses. This one is against prostitution. Apparently the punishment for prostitution was being burned to death. I wonder what the punishment was for using the services of prostitution? I would guess the same thing. Tamar must have wanted a child very badly to risk being burnt to death. What if Judah denied that the objects were his, due to either fear of punishment or embarrassment? It is interesting that Judah does not really come out and confess that the child is his. His statement could be construed to say that Tamar was justified in seeking prostitution to have her child because Judah would not give her to his son. That sounds like a half-lie to me. I wonder how many in Judah’s camp saw the possessions that Tamar had and recognized that they were Judah’s? Tamar’s risk paid off. She was blessed with twin sons. They would be able to provide for her well and take care of her in her old age. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 03-31-08 Blessings of God. Genesis 39: 1-4 “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (NIV) God had been with this family and caused them to prosper since the time of Abraham. One reason that God had blessed this family with prosperity was because He was creating a nation from them. Joseph, who should have been the firstborn of Israel (Jacob), was also especially set apart with the blessing of prosperity. Although Joseph was especially blessed by God that did not mean that bad circumstances did not come his way. In Joseph’s case, he ended up being a slave in Egypt. Yet even in this bad situation, Joseph still found himself being blessed by God. To a certain extent I believe that God blesses every Christian.

We may find that

not all are blessed specifically with prosperity but we are blessed in many ways. As a Christian I have found myself blessed by God. God has blessed me throughout my life and under various situations. I have been wealthy and poor, free and enslaved (drafted in the Army), happy and sad, safe and in harms way. I have also been loved and hated, surrounded by friends and friendless, employed by good bosses and very poor ones, healthy and in poor health. Yet as I look back on my life, through the good times and the bad times, God has blessed me in many ways. Unlike Joseph, I do not see God having any great plan for my life and that could because I have not always been a righteous man. On the other hand, maybe if we live our life and die a child of God, that is a good enough plan. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-01-08 Christian Service. Genesis 39: 4-6 “…Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate….” (NIV) Many people will only work well if they believe that they are getting paid well. Their theory is “I will only ‘put in’ as much as I ‘get out’. In Joseph’s case, he was unfairly enslaved and was not seeing any wages at all, yet he worked as if he were being highly paid. Christians invest more into whatever he or she does then than what they expect to get out of their effort. For instance, that is how forgiveness works. Christians forgive their neighbors whether or not it is to their advantage. Marriage works in a similar fashion. We are lenient with our spouses even though they may never ‘come around’ to our way of thinking. God’s grace works the same way. Both the active sinner and the repentant sinner live and conduct their affairs on this Earth even though the ‘wages of sin is death’. As a Christian, we must ask ourselves, “Am I the best employee or employer that I can be or am I only ‘putting in as much as I am getting out’? Am I as gracious to others and God is gracious to me? Is my relationship with those around me (friends and enemies) such that God is able to bless them through me? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-02-08 Too Close for Comfort. Genesis 39: 8-10 “…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.” (NIV)

I find it very revealing that Joseph was open about his relationship with God when he was talking with Potiphar’s wife. I’d guess that in today’s (U.S.) society (and elsewhere) that a person would say, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and cheat on my boss?” figuring that adding religion into the discussion would only make things worse. In this case, maybe it did (later on in the story) for Joseph. I find it very wise of Joseph that not only did he refuse to have sex with her but that he didn’t even risk being around her. I’ve observed that many people let their temptations stay close at hand and maybe that is why we give into our temptations so often. Really, think about it. How close by are your pet temptations? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-03-08 The Wages of Sin are Worthless. Genesis 39: 11-20 “One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house… she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home…When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison….” (NIV) Potiphar’s wife sexually desired Joseph, her servant, but when Joseph ultimately refused her, she disposed of him. She loved (lusted) him one minute and hated him the next. Most everything that we’ve had, we’ve eventually sold at a loss, gave away for free or threw away. Things that at one time we’ve greatly desired. How many things that we have discarded were items that at once time we were willing to sin for to obtain? How many things have we stolen or how many sexual relationships have we had that now mean nothing to us? It is amazing how many things or actions we were once ready to sacrifice our souls for and now they are meaningless to us. Sin does not pay. Sin is worthless in the long run. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-04-08 Making the Best of a Bad Situation. Genesis 39: 20-23 “…But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (NIV) I’d like to think that the warden of the prison must have had some kindheartedness in him and therefore was open to God’s influence, as a result eventually the warden held Joseph in high esteem. Apparently God was still blessing Joseph with prosperity also, so the warden placed most of the prison under Joseph’s management.

People in general tend to blame God for everything bad that happens to them, even the little things. I find it amazing that Joseph held up psychologically as wall as he did. I would guess that most people (including Christians) who end up slaves in a foreign country that eventually get thrown into prison, would eventually become extremely bitter and angry or give up hope and fall into a deep depression. Joseph went through all of this with an apparently a good outlook and his relationship with God intact. Hopefully we, as Christians, can weather our experiences with a similar success. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-05-08 The Cupbearer, His Dream and His Forgetfulness. Genesis 40: 6-23 “When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?" "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand." "This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon."… Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand…The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.” (NIV) Apparently Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker were upset because they were use to having access to individuals who claimed to be able to understand the meaning of dreams. Joseph turned their attention to God, the only true interpreter of dreams. It is possible that Joseph’s confidences came from the fact that God had given him two dreams of his own. The chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph. Like Joseph, we are all bound to be forgotten by many of those around us. Abandonment is a difficult emotion to bear. Most likely others ignore us due to their ignorance or their meanest. Let us be careful not to confuse the two. I believe that in the cupbearer’s case, he simply forgot about Joseph. It just slipped his mind. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-06-08 The Baker, His Dream and His Death. Genesis 40: 16-22 “When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." "This is what it

means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh." Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials…he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.” (NIV) We don’t know if the chief baker was guilty of any crime other than angering Pharaoh. It is possible that God gave the baker this dream in an effort to prepare him for his soon death. Here we have a man who came into contact with knowledge of the true God and the knowledge of the end of his life in three days. No doubt God gave him an opportunity for his salvation. A successful life is not one of many accomplishments, or is it one of a long and healthy life. A successful life is not defined with how much wealth one accumulates. If a man or a woman dies being a child of God, then their life was a success. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-07-08 Searching for Answers. Genesis 41: 1-8 “When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.” (NIV) Joseph languished in prison two whole years after he had hoped that Pharaoh’s cupbearer would help get him out. From his perspective, he probably didn’t know if he’d ever get released. Most people, when they are abandoned by other peopled are also tempted to feel that God had abandoned them also. Apparently this was not the case with Joseph. How often do we blame God for what others do to us? How often do we accuse God having the same faulty characters as you and I have? Although Pharaoh’s dream is described very simply, I can imagine just how graphically horrifying and gory it could have been. Considering just how scary nightmares can be I can imagine how disturbing these two dreams could have left Pharaoh. I find it interesting that none of the magicians or wise men could interrupt his dream. Could it be that God muddled their minds so that they couldn’t think to make something up? Could it be that the men were too afraid of getting the interpretation incorrect and being sent to prison? Could it have been that no one’s interpretation had ‘a ring of truth’ to it and the interpretation did not satisfy Pharaoh? Whatever the case, Pharaoh couldn’t find any help. Some questions or problems we have can not be answered or fixed by those around us or ourselves. In those cases we must be prepared to wait and be patient for God to

reveal them to us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-08-08 Shortcomings. Genesis 41: 9-13 “Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged." (NIV) Personally I believe that the chief cupbearer was pretty brave to reminding Pharaoh of a time when Pharaoh was once angry with him. I am sure that the chief cupbearer was afraid of ‘opening up old wounds’ and stirring up Pharaoh’s suspicions or wrath again. The cupbearer conveniently left out the fact that the ‘young Hebrew’ claimed that it was God and not himself that interpreted the dreams. Considering that he had stuck out his neck this far, he didn’t want to go and bring up any religious controversies. When you are serving a ruler who can put you to death at a whim, you probably are tempted not to ‘rock the boat’ if you can. I am not excusing the chief cupbearer’s shortcomings. I am just observing that he probably had his reasons and we shouldn’t be too critical of him. I am sure that we play it safe all too often when we should speak out on God’s behalf or on what is right. We all have actions (or inaction) that we need forgiveness for. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-09-08 Sharp Objects and Sharp Words. Genesis 41: 14-16 “So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (NIV) I don’t know if Joseph normally wore a beard or not while he was living at home, but I am sure that the authorities didn’t allow any sharp objects in prison and that is why he had a beard while he was incarcerated. Joseph made it clear from the very start that God was the one who would be able to interpret the dream and not himself. I don’t believe that Joseph was being confrontational with Pharaoh from a religious standpoint. I believe that Joseph wanted to be transparent on who was doing what. I am sure that there are many accomplishments in our lives that we recognize were achieved only by God’s involvement in our lives, but the question is whether or not we acknowledge to others that understanding?

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-10-08 Why Pharaoh? Genesis 41: 25-27 “Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.” (NIV) One can ask, “Why was this dream (plus it’s interpretation) given to Pharaoh by God?” Most of my answers to this question are just guesswork, but I’ll give it a shot. It is possible that God found in Pharaoh a ruler who was open to following the dream’s warning and preparing for the famine. Other rulers may have just dismissed the dream. God’s ultimate goal was to make a great nation out of Jacob’s (Israel) family. With a devastating famine coming, Egypt was the nearest nation (when prepared for the famine) to save Jacob’s family. Egypt, with all of its faults, may have been a nation that was worth saving at that time. We don’t always know why God chooses us and gives us opportunities. Maybe the opportunities that God gives us are openings for us to do great things. Maybe the opportunities are that God gives us are chances for us to do a small thing for someone else that will in turn accomplish some great thing. One influencing act of kindness by us at the right moment could unknowingly change the world. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-11-08 Heeding God’s Warnings. Genesis 41: 28-32 "…God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.” (NIV) Like the famine that was to descend upon Egypt and the lands around it, we too can go through similar bad experiences in our lives; situations that can be so bad that we can not remember the good days that preceded them. Although many times God attempts to guide us around such experiences, He also gives us the insight, strength and tools to get through those hard periods, if we acknowledge and heed His warning. Whether it is a bad marriage, a difficult job, deteriorating health or even a famine (as in Pharaoh’s case) God will give us what it takes to see us through to the end. One additional point, God will do what He says He will do.

He may disrupt His

actions for the remorseful but He is not like a parent, who threatens their misbehaving unrepentant child with punishment and never follows through with the threat. In Pharaoh’s case, the famine was coming whether he prepared for it or not. My point is, if God has made you aware of something (whatever) please don’t ignore it. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-12-08 Safe from Ruin. Genesis 41: 33-36 "And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." (NIV) We will see as this story goes on that God used the nation of Egypt to save Joseph’s family, which was not even living in the country. No nation is perfect, but that does not stop God from using governments to do His will when necessary. We, as individuals, are not perfect either, but that does not prevent God from including us in His plans. May we all be open and ready to be used as a tool by God to become a blessing to those around us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-13-08 The Dream Job. Genesis 41: 37-45 “The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials…Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger…Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife…” (NIV) I once held a position with quite a bit of authority. My boss gave me full reign of about two thirds of the department and never ‘looked over my shoulder’. I even alternated covering for him every other weekend and had the department all to myself. The ‘upside’ was that I had full control of everything under me and the ‘downside’ was that I had a lot of responsibility and nobody to ‘catch me if I fell’. With that freedom came a lot of stress. At first, Joseph’s position sounds pretty ‘cool’ but as you think about it reality starts to set in. If anything went wrong, it was literally ‘Joseph’s head’. All he had to do was anger Pharaoh and his life was on the line and there is a lot that can go wrong when you are running a nation. Joseph had before of him the worst famine the area had ever known and he had to prepare a nation for it. Seven years is not a lot of time when you are trying to make nation wide changes. Pharaoh had set up Joseph as the ‘fall guy’. If the preparations did not go right, it would be Joseph who would reap the people’s wrath. This wouldn’t be my

idea of a ‘dream job’. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-14-08 Age and Abundance. Genesis 41: 46-49 “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.” (NIV) All the sons of Jacob (Israel) were at least young adults now. Next to Benjamin, Joseph at thirty was the second youngest. That means that his older brothers at this time were pushing forty. Apparently food storage structures were built close to the cities and fields there the food was grown. That would save Joseph the trouble of trying to find a way to transport all of it to a central location. With the grain stored throughout Egypt, record keeping would be important in trying to keep track of how much was stored where when it came time to distribute it. Having so much extra food to store was a mixed blessing. There was so much food that Joseph couldn’t keep track of it all and had to give up. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-15-08 Having a Home of One’s Own. Genesis 41: 50-52 “Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." (NIV) The footnote in the New International Bible about the name ‘Manasseh’ states, “’Manasseh’ sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for ‘forget’.” I am sure that being a slave in a foreign land and then in prison made Joseph long for the solace of home and family. Having a family of his own now must have been quite comforting for Joseph. He now had a home of his own to (in a sense) take the place of the one that he lost. The footnote in the New International Bible about the name ‘Ephraim’ states, “’Ephraim’ sounds like the Hebrew for ‘twice fruitful’.” I would think that in a society which values sons so much it is reassuring when a second son is born into the family. That way if the first son dies then there is a second to take his place and guarantees the continuation of the family (as in our case today, the family name). Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-16-08

From Forgotten to Famous. Genesis 41: 53-57 “The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you." When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.” (NIV) Joseph’s life had gone through a vast change. He progressed from a forgotten slave in prison to a man that the whole known world eagerly searched out. As we look at Joseph’s life, we understand that God was with Joseph during not only the good times but also the bad times. Our lives may look grim, but we, as Christians, must be comforted with the fact that God has a plan for each one of us. God may accomplish great things with our lives or may accomplish small things with our lives. We may hinder God’s plans or help Him. He can even use us in spite of our faults and foot dragging. Let us not be discouraged because one small act of kindness from any of us can in the long run drastically change the world. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-17-08 The Source of Security. Genesis 42: 1-5 “When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die." Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.” (NIV) Jacob was a wealthy man and no doubt being well off has a lot of advantages over being in need. He had a large family, servants and flocks. Yet all that he had did not protect him from a natural disaster such as a vast severe famine. This story makes a good argument for dependence upon God. It doesn’t matter how much wealth we are able to accumulate because we can’t collect enough to protect ourselves from every situation or disaster. In a sense, the more we possess, the more we have to depend upon God to protect it. My point is that we all need the security that comes from God’s safekeeping…rich or poor. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-18-04 It’s Time to Squirm. Genesis 42: 6-17 “Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food." Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come

to see where our land is unprotected." "No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies." "No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected." But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more." Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" And he put them all in custody for three days.” (NIV) Joseph was now pushing forty years old. He was thirty before Egypt had its seven years of plenty and now the famine had been going on at least for a little while. For sure he had out grown the rashness of youth yet on the other hand he had a vast amount of power and that much power has the potential to corrupt a person. I can’t help thinking that Joseph wanted to cause his brothers a little discomfort and worry in return for how they treated him. It is also possible that Joseph hadn’t completely made up his mind in what he was going to do with them. He could have been testing them to see if they had changed any since the time they had sold him into slavery. He may have been considering actually putting them to death if he found that they were unchanged and evil men. Personally I believe their lives were pretty safe and he just wanted them to ‘squirm’ a little. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-19-08 Release and Imprisonment. Genesis 42: 18-24 “On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do. They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us." Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.” (NIV) The brothers must have been relieved that all but one were permitted to go back home to retrieve Benjamin instead of only one that was first suggested (verse sixteen). I am sure the Simeon was none too happy about it since he was selected to stay behind in prison. I wonder if Simeon was worried that his brothers would go home and not take the chance of returning. Why was Simeon chosen to stay behind in prison? Simeon was one of the two brothers who earlier had been instrumental in killing all the men in the city of Shechem. I would guess that he had a tendency to be harsh and violent. Since Reuben (the oldest) was overheard as being against Joseph’s sale into slavery, Simeon had to have been the likely brother who was influential in originally forming the plot against Joseph.

I find it interesting that the brothers believed that God is behind their bad luck in Egypt because of their mistreatment of Joseph when it is actually Joseph himself. I wonder how many times we blame God for all the bad stuff that happens to us? If anything, God was actually trying to save the brothers from the famine through Joseph. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-20-08 Playing Games. Genesis 42: 25-28 “Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" (NIV) I am sure that Joseph was ‘playing games’ with them by placing their money back into their bags of grain (see verse 35). He also may have done it to assure that they returned. They may be reluctant to return with their youngest brother to prove their story and retrieve Simeon out of prison, but they will eventually have to return to buy more grain. By returning their silver to them, Joseph knew for sure that they would have enough money to return and purchase more food. The question arises as to why the brothers were upset because one of them found that their silver had been returned to them. Considering that they were accused of being spies for no reason, this returned money could look bad. They could have believed that the money was planted in the flour for the purpose of accusing them of theft. If they believed that then how could they return to retrieve their brother from prison? The unknown person who planted the silver money would be waiting for their return to accuse them. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-21-08 Two Sons Gone and One Generous Offer. Genesis 42: 29-38 “When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, "The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us…But we said to him, `…We were twelve brothers…One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.' "Then the man…said to us, `This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me…But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you…' "As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow." (NIV)

Jacob and his sons must have come to the conclusion that someone in Egypt had set them up to look like dishonest men by returning the money that the brothers had paid for their grain. They would either look like they had not paid for their grain or that they had somehow stolen their money back before they left Egypt. Jacob must have thought that even if Benjamin were sent to Egypt now, the ‘man who is lord over the land’ would not believe the brothers were ‘honest men’. When the brothers had sold Joseph as a slave, they told their father Jacob that a wild animal killed Joseph. They had tried to shift the blame for Joseph’s disappearance on a wild animal but in the end their father still blamed them for his death. Now Jacob was blaming Simeon’s imprisonment on his sons. Since Jacob was not planning to send Benjamin to Egypt, Simeon was a good as dead. One last point, Reuben seemed pretty generous offering his son’s be put to death if he was unable to bring Benjamin back from Egypt. I would be more inclined to believe Reuben’s sincerity and optimism if he had offered his ‘own’ life. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-22-08 The Difficulty in Letting Go. Genesis 43: 1-10 “Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food." But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, `You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'…Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?" They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family…We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, `Bring your brother down here'?" Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice." (NIV) Jacob (Israel) had postponed for as long as possible sending his sons to Egypt to purchase more food. Apparently it took him a long time to make the decision to send Benjamin along with them. This time it is Judah and not the eldest brother who volunteers to take responsibility for Benjamin’s safe return. I wonder if in the eyes of his father Judah was the most responsible of all the brothers because in the end Jacob concedes to let Benjamin go to Egypt. Whatever the case I would think that hunger also played a significant part in Jacob finally letting go of his youngest son. Most likely in Jacob’s eyes, he was saying goodbye to his son, Benjamin, for good and taking a great risk in sending him to his death.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-23-08 Honesty. Genesis 43: 11-14 “Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. And may God

Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." (NIV) Jacob (Israel) was hoping that the silver his sons found in their sacks was a mistake, but I think he had his doubts. I believe Jacob was being genuinely honest, even though any deceit would have placed his son’s as well as their survival during the famine at risk. I must confess that a lot of people today would have taken the money. They would have taken the risk hoping that the money would not be missed. How honest are we? Is physical survival more important to us than spiritual survival? Are we willing to trade eternal life for an easier life today? Are we Children of God or not? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-24-08 Donkeys and Servants. Genesis 43: 15-23 “…They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house…they are to eat with me at noon."…Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys." So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. "Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food. But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver--the exact weight--in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks." "It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.” (NIV) It is not surprising that the sons of Jacob (Israel) “hurried” to Egypt. They had postponed the trip as long a possible. Their families would probably be pretty hungry by the time they returned. It is interesting that the author of Genesis specifically mentioned that Joseph’s brothers were concerned about their donkeys being taken. Those donkeys would be the equivalent to our automobiles today. Donkeys were valuable. My last observation is that Joseph’s servant, who was put in charge of his brothers, knew of Joseph’s religious beliefs. I wonder how many of our fellow coworkers know what we believe? Are we proud of our relationship with God or does it embarrass us to some degree? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-25-08 The Joy of meeting a Sibling again. Genesis 43: 24-30 “The steward took the men into Joseph's house…When Joseph came home…He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?" They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor. As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your

youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.” (NIV) Joseph was still trying hard not to give himself away to his brothers. Instead of asking what was really on his mind, he made small talk and asked how they were first. After that he got around to a more important question, how his father was. At last he finally got to what was really most important on his mind, being introduced to his younger brother. Considering that Benjamin was his full blood brother and not a half-brother must have made them feel close. When you take into consideration how much competition was going on in the family, I am sure that situation made Joseph feel that much closer to Benjamin. It had been so long since he has seen Benjamin that he was overcome with emotion and had to leave the room. How closely connected are we to our siblings (if we have them) or family members? When we get together do we feel pleased to see them or are there unresolved issues in the way still? Let us work to rid ourselves of issues that separate us from our family and from our God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-26-08 Testing Family Members. Genesis 43: 31-34 “After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food." They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him.” (NIV) Here we find evidence that the Egyptians had some prejudice against the Hebrews because it was ‘detestable’ to the Egyptians to eat with them. I don’t know why, maybe they had bad table manners. We know that by the Book of Exodus this prejudice became ruthless. By now Joseph must have had an clear understanding that his father had treated better than the rest of his brothers and that is why he ended up being sold as a slave by them. In blessing Benjamin five times greater at this meal, Joseph was testing his brothers to see how they’d react to Benjamin’s preferential treatment. Apparently they didn’t complain about it and passed the test because the story doesn’t record a negative reaction. On the other hand, they may have been use to rationing their food for so long (because of the famine) that their portions looked huge, so they didn’t notice Benjamin’s as being any larger. I’m not advocating that this story is telling us to continually test our loved ones to see if they really love us or not. That would be detrimental. Joseph had some really dangerous brothers when he was younger and I believe that in his case that Joseph had a legitimate reason to be very cautious. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-27-08

It may be Wise at times to keep One’s Thoughts to Oneself. Genesis 44: 1-13 “Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, `Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.' " When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." "Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.” (NIV) The brothers must have felt devastated when the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack and they all had to turn around and head back to Egypt. They probably figured that they were going to Egypt never to return to home and loved ones again. One would guess that with a family as large as theirs, that one whole generation wouldn’t that easily come to an end. Yet in their case that was what looked like was going to happen. I would think that after finding all their silver returned to them in their sacks of grain on the previous trip that they would be hesitant in boasting that nothing could possibly be found in their possession this time. For them to declare to kill the one found with the cup and let the rest of us become slaves was foolhardy even if they might have figured that it would be the eventual result. Personally I wouldn’t want to give those with power over me any bad ideas. Even today we declare many statements that we should not. At work there are those that state bluntly that is ‘such and such’ happens I’ll quit. In our marriages many will declare that if their spouse does ‘such and such’ that the marriage is over. In our personal lives we will even say that if ‘such and such’ happens I’ll kill myself. We back our co-workers, bosses, loved ones and even ourselves in a corner when we say such things. Sometimes it is wise to just keep silent. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-28-08 Responding to Corruption. Genesis 44: 14-34 “Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done…?" "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "…How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup." But Joseph said, "…Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord…Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the

boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father." (NIV) Judah ‘put his money where his mouth was’. He honestly requested to take Benjamin’s place as a slave so that Benjamin could return to his father and that his father would not suffer the boy’s loss. Judah had changed (as well as the rest of his brothers). His father now showed the same kind of favoritism to Benjamin that he had once showed to Joseph, yet Judah did not have the same ill will towards it that he had once had. Judah was willing to let this favoritism continue and sacrifice his freedom to insure that it did continue. Favoritism surrounds us today in many forms. We find it in our families, we find it in our governments and we find it in our work place. The question is “How will we react to it?” Will we in turn respond with evil for this unfairness or can we rise above it? If our family, our government or our work place has corruption in it, do we respond by becoming corrupt also? Do we give up eternal life because of it? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-29-08 Surprise, Surprise, and Surprise. Genesis 45: 1-3 “Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.” (NIV) When Joseph was convinced that his brothers had changed, that their characters were generally more loving and could be trusted, he exposed his true identity to them. The story records that he was very emotional which assures the reader that he was not just a little cautiously happy to see them but that he was extremely happy to be reunited with them. Joseph was still not completely convinced that his brothers were telling him the whole truth. Once he identified himself, he wanted to confirm that his father was really still alive. I can imagine that Joseph’s brothers would have been terrified of him now considering that they were scared of him before he announced that he was their brother. I’m not sure if I’d be pleased to find out that a brother of mine that I had sold into foreign slavery was now the second most powerful man in the known world. I’d be afraid for my life…very afraid. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-30-08 It was God’s Plan. Genesis 45: 4-15 “Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me…I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God

sent me ahead of you to…save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father…You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren… and all you have. I will provide for you there…Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute."…Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and…he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.” (NIV) First off I’d like to point out that by hiding his identity and observing his brothers in secret, Joseph realized that his brothers were now ‘distressed’ and ‘angry’ with their decision years ago to sell him into slavery. They had truly undergone a change in their characters while he was away in Egypt. This definitely made it safe for him to invite them under the shelter of Egypt’s borders. It wouldn’t have been wise to invite evil relatives into Egypt considering his position of leadership. Next Joseph reassured them that his being sold into Egyptian slavery was God’s doing and not theirs. His understanding was that God did it to save their family. Personally I’m not sure that it happened the way that Joseph saw it. Yes, God could have influenced his brothers to mistreat him and sell him into slavery. Yet again, maybe God intervened in their plans to murder Joseph and gave them the idea to sell him into slavery instead. My opinion is that God took a bad situation (Joseph being sold as a slave) and turned a bad event into something advantageous. I don’t see God responsible for ‘every’ single bad thing that happens on Earth. I see God transforming bad events that happen to us (in our sinful environment) into positive outcomes. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-01-08 Gifts and a Warning. Genesis 45: 16-24 “When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, `Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.'…Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come…" So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" (NIV)

I wonder if this Pharaoh was ever aware that Joseph and his father Jacob (Israel) were direct descendants of a family that a previous Pharaoh had run out of Egypt during an earlier famine (Gen.12: 10-20). It is interesting that Pharaoh specifically mentioned for Joseph’s brothers to use of some of Egypt’s carts. Using the carts must have been a luxury to have while moving a long distance. The carts were probably considered the limousines and the moving vans of their day.

I think it was quite humorous that after giving Benjamin and his father valuable gifts that Joseph warned his brothers not to quarrel on their way back home. Definitely his brothers had overcome much of their jealous tendencies, but he probably suspected that they still had a ways to go yet. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-02-08 Good News, Confession and Death. Genesis 45: 25-28 “So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." (NIV) I don’t know how I would react if I had a child who I believed was dead for years and suddenly learned that he or she was now a leader in a foreign country. I guess that if the rest of my children said it was so and a (foreign) state limousine was waiting outside my home to take me to a state jet to travel to see them, I guess I’d be pretty convinced it was so. I would guess that this would be the time that Joseph’s brothers would have had to tell Jacob (Israel) of their cruel act of selling Joseph into slavery. I would suppose (at this moment in the story) that Jacob was more joyful to hear that Joseph was alive then angry with what his sons had done to Joseph. My last observation would be on Jacob’s comment about being able to see his son before he died. As we get older, planning twenty or thirty years into the future isn’t realistic anymore. Our eventual death becomes more and more apparent to us because we start running out of time. Our plans eventually are viewed in the context of what we are going to do before we die. Our relationship with God is our only hope of surviving past death. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-03-08 Beersheba and Church. Genesis 46: 1-4 “So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied. "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes.” (NIV) Beersheba was a special place to Jacob (Israel) and his family. Both his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham made treaties with King Abimelech at this spot. Abraham planted a tree here and Isaac dug a well here. The most significant thing about this place is that Jacob’s father Isaac talked to God at Beersheba. I believe that Jacob did not wish to leave and go to Egypt without God’s permission or blessing. He most likely came to worship at Beersheba in hopes that God would give him direction.

Jacob went to Beersheba to worship God. Why do we go to church? Do we go there to worship God? Is church as meaningful to us as Beersheba was to Jacob? When we worship God do we expect Him to respond to us? What do you expect out of your church worship and your individual worship time? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-04-08 The Children of Israel. Genesis 46: 5-27 “Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters--all his offspring…All those who went to Egypt with Jacob--those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives--numbered sixty-six persons. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.” (NIV) Went Jacob (also named Israel) settled in Egypt, he had seventy blood relatives. That is a lot of offspring! That number does not include his son’s wives and all his servants. When Jacob moved into Egypt, it was an event (well maybe a minor event). I can imagine two Egyptians talking. One asks, “Who are all those people?” The other replies, “Those are the Children of Israel!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-05-08 Privilege, Respect and a Dream. Genesis 46: 28-30 “Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." (NIV) I wonder if it was because of Judah’s request brother Benjamin (Gen. 44: 33, 34) that Jacob the palace and asking Joseph for directions. of going in his father’s place as head of the

to become a slave in place of his gave Judah the privilege of going to He was probably given the privilege family.

Another perspective could be that Jacob did not go to the palace to ask for directions so that he would not have to go to his son but that Joseph would have to come to his father for their reunion. All in all Jacob was probably doing his son a favor in giving Joseph a chance of showing his father respect before all Egypt. The second most powerful person in the land is coming to present himself before his father. Everyone may have something that they would like to accomplish before they die. It could be realistic or unrealistic. For Jacob (Israel) what he most wanted to do was to see his beloved son Joseph one more time before he died and tell him how much he loved him. Unlike many people with their wishes, Jacob got his. The question must be asked, “What do we wish to do most before we die?” What are we doing to accomplish that dream?

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-06-08 Manure and Menial Labor. Genesis 46: 31-34 “Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, `My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.' When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, `What is your occupation?' you should answer, `Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians." (NIV) I’ve never come across this question before. Why did the Egyptians find the job of being a shepherd detestable? The King James Bible uses the word ‘abomination’. Apparently there was something undesirable about caring for animals. I get the feeling that the Egyptians (at this time in history) all desired to be high-class city dwellers and didn’t want to get their hands dirty with menial labor. Personally I am a little sympathetic with their view if that was really their objection. I’ve never been too keen on shoveling manure. Even when I had a pet dog I really didn’t like the task of scooping up dog poop every single day. Although my father was raised on a farm, he didn’t pass on the love of animal care to me. Although I have artistic skills and have painted pictures most of my life, I’ve made a living working as a custodian doing janitorial work. I’ve scrubbed floors and cleaned toilets most of my life. When I had to go out looking for work, I didn’t identify myself as an artist because my family would have starved. I never really enjoyed being a custodian but I had a lot of experience as one and employers love workers with experience (I was good at my job too). Although Joseph’s brothers surely had other skills that they were more proud of, Joseph wanted them to be sure to identify themselves as shepherds to be assured that they would be sent to where the best land was in Egypt, the land of Goshen. Sometimes we have to set our egos aside. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-07-08 Compliment or Not? Genesis 47: 3-6 “Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were." They also said to him, "We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen." Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock." (NIV) Since the job of shepherding animals was “detestable” to the Egyptians, I wonder if Pharaoh’s request for Joseph to place some of his brothers in charge of Pharaoh’s livestock was a compliment. They ended up settling in the best land in Egypt but their occupation was not the best occupation as seen through Egyptian eyes. If all of Joseph’s family and their descendants ended up willing to do

‘all’ of the Egyptian’s dirty work (as the years went by), then I can see how they would end up in a position to be perceived as second class citizens and people to be enslaved. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 04-08-08 So Little Time. Genesis 47: 7-10 “Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?" And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.” (NIV) When I was younger, time seemed to drag and some days seemed to go on forever. Now that I am older, days speed on so fast that on day seem to overlap the previous one. I get the feeling that adults find that there is never enough time to accomplish all the things that they wish to do. Jacob was one hundred and thirty years old and felt that he had he had live a short life so far. I believe that the phrase “pilgrimage of my fathers” refers to Abraham and Isaac and God’s promise to make their family line a great nation. This promise had played out for quite awhile now and Jacob’s life was just another small chapter in God’s plan. What are we doing with the time allotted to us? We have so little of it to spend. Are we spending any of it with God? Are we spending time on unimportant trifles or on what is truly important? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-09-08 Exotic Vacation. Genesis 47: 11, 12 “So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children.” (NIV) Joseph provided food and shelter in Egypt’s most desirable area during the famine. Today in many ways we’d call that a “paid vacation” in an exotic location. Of course they still had to supervise their servants who cared for their flocks. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-10-08 Blatant Government Corruption Genesis 47: 13-25 “There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace. When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food…Our money is used up." "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph…So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food…they came to him the

following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that…there is nothing left…Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh…" So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh…The land became Pharaoh's, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children." "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." (NIV) I am unsure if it was Pharaoh’s idea or if it was Joseph’s idea, but I believe that selling the people’s food back to them was very unfair. During the seven years of plenty, a fifth of the people’s harvest was taken from them (Gen. 41:3436). The people should have only been expected to pay the administration cost. The cost of collecting, storing and then redistributing their own food should not have bankrupted Egypt’s population when it was sold back to them. The people may not have complained because when you are starving you are not going to hassle with the only person who can save your life. This was not right! The citizens of Egypt were taken advantage of. This looks like a clear case of blatant government corruption. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-11-08 I Cross My Heart and Hope to Die. Genesis 47: 28-31 “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said. "Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” (NIV) A lot of us are choosy about where our remains will be located after we are dead. Apparently Jacob (Israel) wanted to be buried with family. Having Joseph, the second most powerful man in the land, promise to bury him in a certain spot, Jacob probably figured that his request would be carried out. Placing one’s hand under a person’s thigh while making a promise must have signified that this was a serious promise. Jacob’s grandfather Abraham used it (Gen. 24: 1-4). It was probably similar to the oath I remember as a child, “I cross my heart and hope to die!” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-12-08 Jacob Adopts Joseph’s Two Sons. Genesis 48: 1-6 “Some time later Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and

there he blessed me and said to me, `I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.' "Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.” (NIV) Jacob (Israel) reassures Joseph and Joseph’s two sons of God’s promise. Even though Jacob and all of his sons were in a foreign land and doing pretty well, God had promised to make the family a great nation and a specific land was given to them. Basically Jacob is saying to Joseph, “We have a God given future and our stay in Egypt is only temporary.” Jacob wants to make sure that Joseph’s two sons are part of God’s promise to him, so he adopts Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, as his own. You could say that at this time there were not twelve (12) tribes of Israel but fourteen (14) tribes. Later when the twelve tribes are listed in chapters one and thirteen in the book of Numbers, we find two of Jacob’s sons, Levy and Joseph, missing. The two tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim ended up representing Joseph and the tribe of Levy ended up serving God as priests. In fact God claimed the tribe of Levy as His own (Numbers 3: 11-13). Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-13-08 Shepherd and Angel. Genesis 48: 15, 16 “Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm--may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth." (NIV) Considering that Jacob had been in the business of being a shepherd all of this life, he knew what he was saying when he referred to God as being his shepherd. Jacob had cared for his flocks, making sure that they were healthy, fed and protected, and Jacob acknowledged that God watched over him the same way. It is my understanding that the word ‘angel’ means ‘messenger’. Truly Jacob knew that God existed because he had received messages from God. Not only had he had personal contact with God but also had his father and his grandfather. For the Christian today, God is still actively watching over us whether we are aware of it or not. If we have seen evidence of God’s shepherding presence, let us respond to Him with gratitude. Although we may not have experienced a face to face encounter with God, we can find much needed comfort and encouragement from God’s messages and wisdom that are left for us in the Bible. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-14-08 “Nothing is Guaranteed but Death and Taxes”. Genesis 48: 10-19 “Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him…And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward

Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn…But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." (NIV) Apparently when the firstborn was blessed and given the greater blessing, the father’s right hand was used to do this. I do not know if God had directed Jacob to switch the greater blessing to Joseph’s youngest son or if Jacob had made this decision on his own. It is interesting to note that it was Jacob who received the firstborn’s blessing from his father although he was the youngest. Like Joseph’s firstborn, Manasseh, we may expect our lives to unfold one way and yet they unfold another. All I can say is that we have to depend upon God to get us through those times. “Nothing is guaranteed but death and taxes.” Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-15-08 Conflict, Acquired Land and Inheritance. Genesis 48: 21, 22 “Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow." (NIV) I would suspect that Jacob (Israel) had already at some previous point in his life divided all his land among his eleven (11) sons believing that Joseph was dead. Maybe after this distribution of land Jacob had an armed conflict with the Amorites. This conflict made it possible for Jacob to deed this newly acquired land to Joseph. I don’t believe the details of this conflict between Jacob and the Amorites are found recorded in the book of Genesis. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-16-08 Knowing the Future. Genesis 49: 1, 2 “Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.” (NIV) Jacob (Israel) was close to death. Sometime after he had adopted and blessed Joseph’s two sons, he called his sons together to bless them. Jacob’s blessings were going to give them some insights into what their futures were going to be. Even though the book of Genesis does not record it, I believe that sometime before calling his sons together, Jacob must have had an encounter with God and God revealed to him something of the future. It is possible that Jacob knew his sons well enough that it was possible for him to have a pretty good idea as to what paths his sons would take in life after he had died and his blessings reflected that insight. At 55 years old, I have a pretty good idea where my established character will lead me and I am not comfortable with that vision. It is one of the many reasons that I desperately

feel my need for God’s wisdom, power and guidance in my life. A question we can all ask ourselves is, “What is the probable course of my life and do I want God in my life to change it?” If we need some assistance, we can ask our parents for some insight, if we are blessed to still have them with us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-17-08 Constant Turmoil and Failure. Genesis 49: 3, 4 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” (NIV) I am sure that as a father Jacob was proud and joyful when his first son was born. He probably saw it as an indication that he would have many more sons and a successful family. When Jacob referred to Ruben as his “might”, he was probably referring to the fact that as the oldest son Jacob relied upon him a lot to get things accomplished in the family business. Reuben was strong and dependable. Jacob probably viewed him as his ‘foreman’ or his ‘sergeant’. Despite his good qualities, Jacob describes Reuben as being “turbulent” and he foretold that Reuben’s success in life was not going to continue. The ‘good times’ were over! I’ve had acquaintances similar to Reuben. With a person like this, no matter where they are or what circumstances they are in, there is always some kind of an uproar when they are around. They seem to be able to cause stress for everybody. For example, when Reuben had sex his father’s concubine, I am sure that caused a lot of ‘turbulence’ in the family (Gen. 35:22). Turbulent people seem to do well during the first part of their life but the emotional turmoil and drama that follows them where ever they go eventual catches up with them. Failure ‘dramatically’ strikes in at least in some portion of their life. Their career falls apart, their marriage fails, they find themselves isolated without friends or even family, etc. Our lives are reliant upon other people and other people normally will only put up with constant turmoil for awhile. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-18-08 Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Genesis 49: 5-7 "Simeon and Levi are brothers--their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.” (NIV) Simeon and Levi were cruel men who were easily angered. They were the two brothers who killed all the men in the city of Shechem (Gen. 34:25). Apparently their violence and cruelty extended to animals also. These would be two people who you would not want to accidentally offend or be neighbors with, if you did it would be at your own personal risk. Although Jacob’s offspring would become a great nation, Jacob foretold that Simeon and Levi’s family lines would eventually be absorbed by this nation and become indistinct.

Anger and cruelty are not Godly virtues, let us beware of these character traits developing in our lives. They ruin relationships and are easily embraced by both men and women. Anger and cruelty can be displayed not only in our actions but also in our words. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-19-08 “The Scepter will not Depart”. Genesis 49: 8-12 "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you…Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes…” (NIV) I claim to be neither a scholar of world history nor Biblical prophecy. Therefore the statements that I make below are only those of an amateur and not ‘carved in stone’. Of all the tribes of Israel (Jacob), only Judah has survived as a distinct group and the Jewish nation remains today. It is possible that the phrase “until he comes…” refers to the Second Coming of Christ. If this is correct, the Jewish nation shall continue to exist as a nation until the end of this world as we know it. Apparently the reference to Judah being tethered to the choicest wine branch means that the nation will also continue to prosper until ‘the end’, even if it’s prosperity is dependant upon it’s connection to another nation(s). At this time ‘as I understand it’, the United States and Israel are pretty close partners in the political world and Israel receives quite a bit of financial aid and support because of it. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-20-08 Living on the Coast. Genesis 49:13 "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.” (NIV) Considering the negative predictions that his father gave to his brothers Reuben, Simeon and Levi, I bet you that Zebulun was relieved that what his father foretold about his future was ‘short and sweet’. I wonder if Zebulun’s interest in the ships and waterborne commerce started after his move to Egypt and Egypt’s location on the Nile River. At least somewhere along the line Zebulun or his offspring became interested in the seashore and ships. I’ve spent sometime on the California coast and can attest to it’s allure. I found living on the coast is very enjoyable. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-21-08 Compromise and Slavery.

Genesis 49: 14, 15 "Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.” (NIV) An alternate translation for “rawboned” in the NIV is “strong”. Apparently Issachar and his offspring were capable of physically ‘getting the job done’ or lending a needed hand when it came to hard brute force work, but only if it seemed worth it. Issachar is probably similar to many of us, if the reward is desirable enough; we’ll ‘roll up our sleeves’ and get to work. I wonder if this statement suggests the tribe of Issachar’s motivation to yield to Egyptian slavery. The pleasant comfortable Egyptian life may have seemed like a reasonable compromise at the time for becoming ‘forced labor’. If that was the case for Issachar and his offspring, then maybe we can be wary of the same mistake. Compromise is dangerous. For example, compromising Godly moral values can result in our becoming imprisoned and enslaved by sin, much like becoming addicted to illegal drugs. Let us beware of what we are willing to sell our souls for. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-22-08 “The Bigger They are, the Harder They Fall.” Genesis 49: 16, 17 "Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward.” (NIV) When I read this a saying came to mind, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Apparently Dan and his descendents would not be afraid to take on people and situations larger than themselves to demand compensation. The wording of the text suggests that they would be successful at getting justice or ‘dealing out justice’. Jacob was probably foretelling that Dan’s offspring were going to make successful lawyers, vigilantes, patriots and terrorists. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-23-08 Raiders, Food and Beautiful Children. Genesis 49: 19-21 "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king. Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.” (NIV) Jacob didn’t have a lot to say when he foretold the futures of his next three sons, so I’ll comment on them all at one time. If I had to choose among the three, I think I’d prefer to be a member of the tribe of Naphtali. Gad was warned about a specific attack. I would guess that the saying “Forewarned is forearmed” applies here. Most likely this raid was foretold so that Gad would be ready for the attack in the future to minimize its devastation. I would guess “he will attack them at their heels” could mean that Gad would run the raiders ‘out of town’ after their attempt. Apparently Asher’s interest and ability in preparing meals would paid off ‘big time’ in his future…that is if his customers are as rich as his food. I wonder

what his ‘signature’ meal was?

Unfortunately it probably wasn’t pizza.

Naphtali was probably both athletic and graceful with beautiful children (descendants). Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-24-08 Blessings and Protection. Genesis 49: 22-26 "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.” (NIV) Jacob foretold that Joseph would be prosperous in the midst of adversity. His blessings and survival was dependent upon God, God the Shepherd, God the Rock, the God of his fathers and God the Almighty. Blessings would come to Joseph from ‘the heavens’ and from ‘the deep’. One could say that God was going to ‘sandwich’ Joseph with blessings and protection. I find these examples of God heartening. God depicted as our shepherd is comforting because it illustrates that God is always watching out after us. He always ‘has our back’. The image of God as a Rock declares that God is stable and resilient. Probably a lot of us feel the need for stability in our lives. “Your father’s God” reminds us that God is constant and real. We have a background (a family history) with God and evidence (reassurance) that He is truly there watching over us. God is ‘Almighty”. There is nothing that the Creator can not accomplish for us. Hey, if He created the world, He is capable of accomplishing our salvation…even in this sinful mess. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-24-08 Devourer and a Plunderer. Genesis 49: 27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." (NIV) I’m not sure that this is a positive prediction of Benjamin’s future. If I was considering moving into a new neighbor and someone defined one of my next-door neighbors in this way, I would be reluctant to settle my family there. I fear that Benjamin was a spoiled child who grew up to be a spoiled adult and had similar descendents. I fear that Benjamin was a person who determined to get what he wanted and always wanted more. I’m not sure I’d like to be depicted as a devourer and a plunderer. Benjamin sounded like a pirate. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-26-08 Death and God’s Promises.

Genesis 49: 33 “When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.” (NIV) A straightforward understanding of the text would suggest that ‘as soon as’ Jacob finished blessing his sons and instructing them where he wished to be buried, he laid back down into bed and died. I am fairly unfamiliar with the death and the dying process and will not argue against this perspective. Yet it is possible, considering that the stories in the Bible are in condensed form, that Jacob got back into bed and died, lets say, several hours later. God promised Jacob’s grandfather Abraham, his father Isaac and himself that the family would become a great nation and yet Jacob nor his grandfather and his father saw the promise come to pass. They all died having faith that God would keep His promise, which we know that historically He did. Every Christian dies with the promise from God that He will resurrect them and bring them back to life at the Second Coming of Christ (John 14:3, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Do we have faith in God’s promise similar to that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? As we face death do we despair or do we trust that God will keep His promise to us? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-27-08 Soliciting a Court Official. Genesis 50: 4, 5 “When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, `My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.' " (NIV) Although Joseph was the most powerful authority next to Pharaoh in Egypt just before and during the famine, after the famine we find that he could not address Pharaoh directly. He had to solicit a court official to relay his request to Pharaoh. It is possible that Pharaoh always had officials to isolate himself from everyone, but I suspect that during the famine Joseph and Pharaoh were a lot closer. As I see it, the famine was over and Pharaoh saw Joseph as not being as important anymore to the country. Joseph went from being the most important son in his father’s family to a forgotten slave in an Egyptian prison. He then went from prison to the second most important person in the country and surrounding countries. After the famine was over Joseph probably found his popularity and power starting to fade again. Through all of this, Joseph’s personal strength came from his relationship with in God. No matter what our position is upon this earth, rich or poor, popular or despised, powerful or lacking any authority, we all equally desperately need a close relationship with God. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-28-08 It’s Your Funeral. Genesis 50: 6-9 “Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do." So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him--the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt-- besides all

the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.” (NIV) Considering Joseph’s rank among the Egyptians, it is not surprising that his father’s funeral was a big event. Our own funerals are the only event that we will all attend but will never be able to appreciate…because we are dead. I am sure that Jacob never could have imagined that all the state officials and dignitaries of Egypt would show up to his funeral the day that, as a young man, he left home fleeing for his life in fear that his twin brother Esau was going to kill him. It just goes to show that we never know how we’ll end up in life. Currently I am caring for my father who is 88 years old. It is a full-time job. Frequently he thanks me for tending to him his needs. At times I remind him that he should thank himself because if he had not been a good father and had treated me poorly, I would not be here caring for him now. My point…how likeable are we really? Are we living our lives in such a way that anyone will wish to attend our funeral? Have you ever wondered what they may say about you at your memorial service…that is if anyone is willing to show up for it? Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-29-08 I Believe God is Capable of Tears. Genesis 50: 15-17 “When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: `This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.” (NIV) Joseph had forgiven his brothers for Although there is some evidence that still he went out of his way to look families, showing them that he loved

mistreating him and selling him into slavery. he favored his little brother and father, after the welfare of his brothers and their them.

Personally I have a difficult time believing that Joseph’s father actually left those instructions before he died. I think it was fabricated, a lie. I am sure that the brothers were hoping that if Joseph believed that the request for mercy came from his beloved father then Joseph would be more inclined to be merciful and forgiving. Whatever the situation leading up to this message, Joseph mournfully cried when he received the their message. He truly loved his brothers and had forgiven them years ago, yet for all his good intentions and efforts, his brothers still doubted it. Many Christians (myself included) have a lot in common with Joseph’s brothers. When we ask God to forgive our rebellious actions, much of the time we are unsure that we are forgiven. We have doubts and end up asking to be forgiven for the same thing over and over again. This can in some situations go on for years. As in Joseph’s situation, it’s got to be disappointing to God. I believe God is capable of tears.

Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-30-08 Being Harsh and Judgmental verses being Reassuring and Kind. Genesis 50: 18-20 “His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” (NIV) I like Joseph’s attitude towards his brothers. Although he has great governmental authority over them, he sees himself equal with his brothers. How many times have we witnessed good intending Christians (or ourselves) acting as if they are performing in God’s place? Sometimes our words and actions go too far, taking on authority that only is God’s. We find ourselves becoming harsh, demanding and judgmental with our fellow church members, our co-workers, our neighbors and our family. Sometimes we mask our abuse under the veil of righteous indignation. Let us be wary of taking God’s place. Joseph still thought it necessary for the family to stay in Egypt because either the famine was still taking place or the country was having a difficult time recovering from the famine. Either way it still was not safe to leave the protection of Egypt that Joseph was providing for the family. Notice: It is more that likely that Jacob died shortly after he arrived in Egypt, the famine was still happening and Joseph still had all of the power that Pharaoh originally bestowed upon him, therefore my blog “Soliciting a Court Official” written on 05-27-08 is very likely in error. One last point, Joseph’s brothers were mistaken that Joseph could possibly hold a grudge against them that prompted them to make their request for mercy. We all make mistakes. We make them all the time. I would suggest that we act similarly as Joseph did and act kindly and give reassurance to those who have done us wrong and may be tempted to be apprehensive around us. Myspace Bible Journal Blog: 05-31-08 God Will Surely Come to Your Aid. Genesis 50: 22-26 “Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years…Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.” (NIV) It looks to me like things had already started to go poorly for the children of Jacob (Israel) even before Joseph died. Apparently the political and social situation that had developed through their years in Egypt had now made it difficult for the Children of Israel to leave, so difficult that it would take the “aid” of God to get them out. The promise referred to is first found in Genesis 15: 13, 14. God told Abraham that his descendants would be “enslaved and

mistreated four hundred years…afterward they will come out…” Like Joseph most likely we, who are living as I write this, will die before we see God’s promise to us fulfilled. The promise I am referring to is the Second Coming of Christ (John 14:3, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Similar to the Children of Israel in Egypt, we are trapped in a sinful environment that we can not get out of without the “aid” of God. Rest assured that God will keep his promise and we will see the ‘Promised Land’.