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.
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