Father to Pharoah

     These last few chapters I have been re-reading the story of Joseph. Today's chapter brought me to the brothers' revelation that Joseph's dreams had come true. I had two observations about this. One is that neither Joseph nor his brothers were bad sports about how things turned out. The brothers were afraid of what Joseph might do, but were happy for him in the end. Joseph could have lorded it over them, but he was moved to tears by Judah's willingness to be a slave rather than come home without Benjamin.

     My second observation is the curious title that was accorded to Joseph. He was named a father to Pharaoh. This was a high honorific given to viziers in that culture. It would be best understood as head of household. It says a lot about the trust that Pharaoh had in him. This was only possible because God was with Joseph.

     I am humbled by the thought of what I could accomplish if I yielded completely to God as Joseph did.

Did You Know?

     It has been a while since I commented on my Bible readings. Most of it has been familiar ground. Jacob married Laban's two daughters then swindled him out of his flock. Jacob wrestled with God and came away with a limp. Jacob and Esau reconciled. Jacob had children by both of his wives and two maid servants. Later on, Jacob's daughter, Dinah, would be sexually assaulted and then courted by the same man. Dinah's brothers would slaughter the entire town in retaliation.
     Then we come to another familiar story. Joseph, his coat, his dreams, and his brothers' jealousy. By this point in the story, Joseph's mother has died giving birth to Benjamin. So Joseph is Jacob's favorite member of the family. I remembered most of the details of the plot to kill Joseph. I knew that Reuben convinced his brothers to throw him in the pit instead of killing him. What I did not recall was his intention of going back later to retrieve Joseph after the others had gone. He wasn't there when Judah convinced them to sell Joseph into slavery.
     Judah would go on to lose three children to God's wrath. He would then have twins by his daughter-in-law. Though devious, she insured that he could not hold her accountable for tricking him.     
     The line of Judah would lead to King David, and ultimately, to our Lord Jesus. But I think it might be interesting to see what happened with the line of Reuben.

The Lesser of Two Evils

     First, a note on Isaac. He inherited his father's faith. He would obey God without question when commanded, but he didn't trust God to protect him. He made a similar claim in the land of the Philistines that his wife was his sister.
     Now, a note about his sons. We see in the 25th chapter, and at the end of the 26th, that they had flawed characters. Esau had no respect for traditions or his father's God. He sold his birthright  for a bowl of stew and he married to foreign women. But Jacob was no saint. He did not make the bowl of stew out of generosity or kindness. It was cold, calculated manipulation.
     This is a reminder that we don't come into God's presence on merit. We aren't worthy. He makes us worthy.

Brief note on a long chapter

     Today's chapter was the account of Abraham's servant and his quest to find Isaac a wife.He went to the country where Abraham's siblings dwelt. He asked for God to point him to the right young woman and God obliged.
     The two things I pulled out of this account were the servant's humility and determination to obey. This is the attitude God wants from his children. We need to get out of our own way and follow God's leadership. His will and way are always best.

Putting Down Roots

     In the next four chapters, we find some familiar stories. Isaac is born despite the age of his parents. He grows in to a teenager. God tests Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac to him. Abraham's faith stands up to the challenge and Isaac is spared.

     But there are other events going on that aren't as commonly told. In the 20th chapter, Abraham tries to pass his wife off as his sister again. This time to a Philistine king. It seems that Abraham's faith is not always as it should be. (Hence, the test with Isaac.) The resolution of this conflict ended with a treaty of non-aggression.                                                                                                                    The miraculous birth of Isaac in the next chapter cemented the power of his God in the minds of his neighbors. In the 23rd chapter, when Sarah died, they acknowledged God's power in the negotiation for a burial place. They conned him into buying a whole plot of land (rather than a tomb) at an exorbitant price. Little did they know that they had played into God's plan for Abraham and his descendants. God had promised the land of Canaan to him.

     God can use anyone and everything to carry out his will.

A Familiar Story?

     In the 18th and 19th chapters we find the familiar story of how The Lord and his angels came down to render judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham interceded on Lot's behalf. Lot and his daughters made it out, but his wife hesitated and got killed for it.
     The curious part is at the end of the 19th chapter. Lot's daughters had no faith in God's providence regarding the continuance of the bloodline. So they got their father drunk and had sex with him.
     This is a disgusting act, but it was the custom for people who lived apart from God. The curious part is the children who were born from this incest. The child of the youngest was called Ben-Ammi from which the Ammonite people would later descend. The child of the eldest was called Moab from which the Moabite people would descend.
     The Ammonites would be a constant thorn in the side of Israel and Judea. Today, the country of Jordan is likely descended from that people.
     The Moabites would play a part in the royal bloodline as King David would descend from Ruth, a Moabitess.
     In other words, God can use anyone who is faithful to him.

Patience and Faith

     The 16th and 17th chapters illustrate that faith is more than just taking God at his word. Abram trusted God most of the time, but that isn't enough. Trusting God completely means trusting his timing as well. The age of  instant gratification has eroded our faith.
     Abram and Sarai believed that God was taking too long to give them an heir. At Sarai's urging, Abram made her servant pregnant. This was the custom when a wife was sterile. A servant would become a surrogate. However, it wasn't what God had promised. Their lack of trust led to drama between Sarai and Hagar (the servant).
     After returning Hagar and Ishmael to the household, God reiterated his promise. To seal the covenant, God changed Abram's name to Abraham and ordered that every male in Abram's household be circumcised. This would be extended to all his descendants and their households.
     As Christians, we also have a covenant with God. He has promised that we are forever forgiven and his heirs. We are baptized as a sign of this covenant. When we remember this covenant, we should trust in his promises and timing.
     May we never forget that covenant.

Foreshadowing and Prophecy

     In the fourteenth chapter, Lot had moved his family into Sodom. I'll not bore you with too many details. Suffice to say, Sodom and other cities rebelled against their ruling country and lost. Lot and his family were captured as a result. Abram gathered a group of his best men and succeeded where Sodom and its allies had failed.
     It was the aftermath which is interesting. Two kings came to Abram and his men after the victory. The first king was Melchizedek. This king brought food, drink, and a blessing. Abram accepted these things and offered a tithe of all he had in return. It was confirmed later in Hebrews that Melchizedek was an early appearance by Jesus on Earth.
     The second king was the ruler of Sodom. He offered to allow Abram to keep the spoils from his victory. Abram turned down this offer so he would not be beholden to a wicked king.
     It's too bad Lot didn't learn anything from this experience.
     I confess that I have never really read the fifteenth chapter before. At least I don't remember doing so. What a shame! Abram confessed his confusion on how God would make a nation through him when his only heir was a servant. He also doesn't understand how God would give the land of Canaan to him and his descendants. In response, God proceeded to tell him exactly how it would happen!
     We see time as it is unfolding, but God sees the whole thing. He isn't improvising as he goes. I hope this encourages us all to trust him more!

The Two Sides of Abram

     Abram shows us how important faith truly is in these two chapters (12 and 13). First, he trusted God when he was told to leave the country where his family lived for an unknown one. All was fine until they got to Egypt.
     In Egypt, Abram allowed his fear to dictate his actions. He lied and said his beautiful wife was actually his sister. When the pharaoh took her into his harem, Abram was not killed. But God dealt harshly with the Egyptians. The pharaoh sent them away with wealth and a plea to take their God with them. This proved to Abram that he had no reason for his fear.
     Now Abram's nephew, Lot, had also come with him. Lot had acquired a great deal of wealth himself. Wealth in those days was measured in flocks and servants in addition to silver and gold. When they returned to the mountain where Abram first made his sacrifice, he and Lot decided to part ways. Abram gave Lot the choice between the plain of Jordan or Canaan. Lot coveted the plain for its waterways and made that his choice.
     The choice was selfish and took him near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which were known to be wicked. God blessed Abram for his faithfulness.
     The sermon this morning had a similar theme. If we seek God's will in everything, he will bless us. He will not force his will on us, but he will leave us to face the consequences until we return to him.

Nimrod the Great (in his mind)

     In the tenth chapter, we read about the peoples that formed from Noah and his family. One of those descendants was a man named Nimrod. He is called a mighty hunter before God. One might even call him the first tyrant. When he was through, all peoples had come to dwell in one place. Under his arrogant leadership, they planned to "make a name for themselves." In other words, they wanted to seek glory for themselves rather than their creator.
    The other problem was that they sought to defy God's command to subdue the whole Earth. They didn't want to be apart from each other. So rather than wiping them out and starting over, he forced them apart by confusing their language.
     One of the sure signs that a society is becoming more anti-theistic is when they start to clamor for world unity. It sounds good on the surface, but it reeks of pride and arrogance underneath.
      Allow me to be clear. We were not created to supplant our creator, but to serve and glorify him.

The Days of Noah

     Did you know that there is enough water on Earth to cover Mount Everest? Neither did I until I read the seventh chapter of Genesis. In fact, it says that the water sat twenty feet above the mountains.
     What did this accomplish? The Message puts it bluntly: "Everything died. Only Noah and his company on the ship lived." God doesn't play around.
     But God has compassion. He allowed the flood waters to recede and the land to dry out. when Noah and his family worshiped and thanked him for his protection, God was pleased with them. In the ninth chapter, he made this promise: "I'm setting up my covenant with you that never again will a flood destroy the Earth".
     He made this promise after having acknowledged in the previous chapter that "they have this bent toward evil from an early age." In fact, at the end of the ninth chapter, Noah fell asleep naked after getting drunk. His youngest son tried to make sport of his father's nudity with his older brothers.
     Sin continues, but God's love will outlast it.

Consequences

     Genesis 3-6 shows how sin entered the world. It also shows the consequences. Life became a lot harder. Also, life was given a time limit. God was gracious and patient. But his patience has a limit.
     The best description of sin is in Chapter 4:7. Sin waits at the door to take you. How often do we open that door, rather than denying it entry?
     We see that there is always hope. In the genealogy of Adam, there is a man who walked faithfully with God until the day he was raptured into heaven. There are only three examples of this in the Bible.
     God also spared Noah and his family for their faithfulness. When the rest of humanity was beyond redemption, God spared his family from the flood. God's love and mercy are as much a part of his character as his wrath/ That wrath is not directed so much at people as their sin. Sin is the real enemy.

Flesh of My Flesh

     Today I found that the Complete Jewish Bible resonated with me in the second chapter of Genesis. After setting the precedent for a day of rest, the focus shifts from a general overview of creation to the specific events surrounding the creation of man.

     Most poignant to me was the fact that in Adam's search for a suitable helpmate he found that only another person would suffice. Eve is specifically called a person in this version. Women were not created to be lesser or greater than men. They were created to be equal.

     The institution of marriage began here in this chapter. The definition of woman is 'came out of man'. Woman was meant to be a part of man. In marriage, the wife is once again bone of her husband's bone and flesh of her husband's flesh. Is it any wonder that divorce is so messy?

Thoughts on Genesis 1

 My resolution this year is to read a chapter a day in God's Word. I like reading in multiple versions to help crystallize my thoughts. I found the New Century Version particularly enlightening for this first chapter.
 Two verses stood out for me. The second verse and verse 26 both point to the fact that God the Father wasn't alone in the creative process. The Holy Spirit hovered protectively over the waters at the beginning of the project. Then the first acknowledgment of God's triune nature is clearly seen when 'they' created us in 'their' image and likeness.
 This aspect of God as three-in-one is essential in understanding his desire for relationship. And he made us to desire relationship as well!
 I look forward to delving deeper into The Word this year.