The End of an Era

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Last week, we saw Israel gather his sons together to speak with them. Israel has an excellent memory and gives each son the highlights and lowlights of their life to that point. In the end, Israel blessed his sons and died. He requested to be buried in the same cave as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah. This morning, we’ll close out our study in Genesis that began on Feb. 18, 2019 as we look at the final days of Joseph.

Take the time to read the final chapter in Gen. 50:1-26.

First things first. Following Israel’s death, “Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him,” This demonstrates the depth of love Joseph had for his father. I have seen this type of response many times. Loved ones are overcome by grief at the news of death. Joseph throws himself on Israel and weeps. Joseph kisses Israel and then issues an order. Israel’s body needs to be prepared for burial. “Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Now forty days were required for it, for such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.” Embalming was used widely in Egypt in those days. It involved preparing the body in such a way to prevent or minimize decay. The Egyptians believed that this preserved the identity of the deceased in the afterworld. When embalming was complete, they body was wrapped in bandages. Now the picture is complete and is the subject of many a horror movie. 65 films feature mummies including the Mummy, the Mummy Returns, Curse of the Mummy, and one of my favorites, Abbott and Costello meet the Mummy. Embalming took 40 days and the Egyptians wept for Israel for 70 days. The 70 days of mourning likely included the 40 days for embalming.

Look at vs. 4-5. Joseph relates the promise he made to Israel following his death. He doesn’t speak to Pharaoh, but to his household. There is some speculation about why Joseph did not go to Pharaoh himself. Some think it has to do with Joseph’s impurity since he handled Israel’s body. Israel wanted to be buried in the grave he dug for himself back in Canaan. There is no mention earlier in Genesis about Israel digging a grave for himself, but it seems likely that when he buried Leah, he prepared a grave for himself. It’s a family  type plot. You see this in cemeteries today. Entire families buried in the same tomb or buried close together. Joseph promises to return to Egypt following Israel’s burial. Remember Joseph was a very important figure in Egypt so not surprisingly, “Pharaoh said. “Go and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

Check out vs. 7-9. This is quite the funeral procession. Basically, if you were able to go to Canaan, you went. The entourage included Pharaoh’s servants, elders of his household, and elders from Egypt. All of Joseph’s brothers and their families went. They also brought chariots and horsemen. The only thing left behind were the little kids, the flocks, and the herds. Obviously, there had to be some others that stayed behind to care for the children and the animals. Of course, the plan was to return to Egypt or else they wouldn’t have left all that behind. All in all, it was a, “very great company.”

“When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed seven days mourning for his father.” The threshing floor was a circular area. It was large and open. Oxen would trample corn there so this made a good place for all of Joseph’s people to stop and mourn. We would call this a funeral. “They lamented there with very great and sorrowful lamentations.” They mourned – an expression of deep sorrow. They were grieved. They were sad at the passing of Jacob. They mourned for seven days. Their funeral service made such an impact on the Canaanites, “They said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.” Remember, the people that were mourning were mostly Egyptians. The native people took notice of this. It was probably strange for the Canaanites to see such a sorrowful demonstration for a Hebrew. They call the place Abel-mizraim which means mourning of the Egyptians.

And in vs. 12-14, we see Jacob’s dying wish has been fulfilled as he is laid to rest in Canaan in the same cave that Abraham and Sarah were buried in. Isaac and Rebekah were there and so was Leah. Jacob is buried and Joseph and his brothers and the entire entourage return to Egypt.

But there’s uneasiness in the family. “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” Joseph’s brothers have got to be some of the most paranoid people in Scripture. We know their character and we know Joseph’s character yet they think there will be some kind of retribution. They think Joseph might hold a grudge. That grudge, they fear, could bring full payback. There has been ample opportunity to make them pay for their wrong-doing yet Joseph has only shown them love and compassion and kindness. The brother’s fear of retribution is another example of how they knew they did wrong to Joseph. The wrong they did to Joseph could not be attributed to youthful ignorance or simple sibling angst. Even though Joseph has demonstrated his godly character, the brothers concoct a scheme to protect themselves. In their mind, Jacob was the only reason that Joseph had not retaliated against their wrong-doing toward Joseph. Since Jacob is dead, the protective hand of the father is no more.

Read vs. 16-17. Notice the brothers say, “Your father.” They didn’t say, dad or our father. It seems they are exerting the authority of the father, just like when one sibling says to another, “Dad says . . .” in order for the sibling to do what they want them to do. This seems like what is going on here. The brothers are fearful that some type of retribution will happen so they tell Joseph that dad says to forgive them for all their sin against Joseph.

What we don’t know is if this message truly came from Jacob. Did they fabricate this message? If Jacob truly wanted Joseph to forgive the brothers, why didn’t he ask Joseph just a couple of months ago? Was Jacob aware of all the things the brothers had done to Joseph? It says the brothers sent a message to Joseph. Maybe they were afraid to face him in person. The message of forgiveness was given to Joseph with a plea of humility, “Please” and, “I beg you.” Were they truly sorry for what they did or were they sorry they got caught? They add, “And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” “The God of your father” is the same phrase used when God spoke to Jacob in a dream in 46:3 telling him to go to Egypt. This is an appeal to Joseph’s desire to serve God faithfully. We know that when Joseph heard the humble request from what is supposed to be his father, v. 17 says, “And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.” They refers to the messengers.

“Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” I am sure this verse is not lost on you. When Joseph told the dreams he had to his brothers in 37:7, the brothers said, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” And about 22 years later, the dreams Joseph had are fulfilled. His brothers fell down before him and declared their servitude, “Behold, we are your servants.” Joseph could have done a number of things: thrown them in jail, send them back to Canaan, have them killed, refuse to provide grain so they would starve to death: he could have said, “I told you so.” There are many things Joseph could have done to demonstrate his power, but he says something else in vs. 19-21. These verses have become some of the most often quoted verses of God’s sovereignty. Some speak with certainty about what God’s will is and claim the superiority and finality of God’s sovereignty. The problem with that view is that is depends upon a wrong definition of sovereignty. There are those that even elevate His sovereignty as His ultimate power. But that ultimate power would require others to exercise control over things so before creation, the idea of sovereignty could not have existed.

God’s omnipotence is an eternal attribute that is not dependent on anything. God is in control, but he is not controlling. Rightly defined, sovereignty means supreme power or authority. We should then understand God’s sovereignty to mean that He has the right to rule over his creation. We speak of sovereign nations; nations that have the right to rule over themselves. It would be non-sensical to think that since the United States is a sovereign nation, that everything that occurs here is because the government is in control. At the same time, it is non-sensical to think that because God is sovereign, He controls everything that happens on earth. Unfortunately, there are those that equate God’s sovereignty to His control and that’s just not true. We only need to look at a few verses to disprove that. Ps. 115:3 says, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Ps. 115:16 says, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” God has given man a level of independence to choose what he will or will not do. That’s why Jesus told His disciples to pray to God that, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) If everything that happens is carefully orchestrated by God, then prayer is useless. God’s will can sometimes be a very mysterious thing. Joseph’s character shines brightly through all the adversity that God allowed in his life. Joseph’s brothers intended to hurt him; to do evil to him, to make life miserable for him. But Joseph focused on what was good, and holy, and pure. Sometimes you have to walk through the fire to get to the place where God wants you. Sometimes we must blindly trust in the One who knows all the variables, knows the circumstances, knows the true motives, and knows the hidden agendas being set forth. It’s just like you can walk through the dark house without tripping because you know the path. So, it is with our walk of faith: we don’t walk by sight. It’s the complete trust and confidence in God’s desire for you. It doesn’t mean you won’t be required to walk through the fire, it means that God is there walking with you.

Joseph’s faithfulness to God allowed him to be in a position to save the world from starvation. There is no possible way for Joseph to have orchestrated what occurred in Canaan and Egypt. Had it not been for Joseph’s obedience to God, what would have become of the inhabitants of that area? What would have become of Joseph’s father and brothers? Joseph promises to take care of his brothers and their little ones. I love how this section ends: “So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” This is the real-life demonstration of a heart devoted to God. This is the kind of love that can only come as a result of God’s love inside. The evil that was done to Joseph at the hands of his own brothers is unspeakable, but God has overcome that evil.

We find the end of the story in vs. 22-25. Joseph has been in Egypt some 80 years. He’s experienced so much during that time. He saw the third generation of his son Ephraim so that’s his great-great grandchildren. Joseph breaks the news to his brothers that he is about to die. He assures them that God will take care of them. He reminds them of the promise to take them out of Egypt and return them to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which is the first time this phrase is used to identify the patriarchs of Israel. He makes the brothers promise to carry his bones up from Egypt. Genesis ends by saying, “So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.” Like Jacob, Joseph is embalmed – the only two biblical characters to undergo the process. One day, he will make the journey back to Egypt, but you will have to read about that on your own.

We have come to the end of the beginning. We walked through the creation of all that we know including the stars, planets, the birds, the animals, and all things including the first humans. We met Adam and Eve and we saw sin enter the world. We learned of the curse of sin and the promise of One that would be sent to redeem humanity. We saw humanity descend into evil except for a man named Noah. Noah and his family endured the judgment of mankind in the form of a flood that destroyed all things living outside of the sea. Noah was delivered by an ark and we saw the waters recede and Noah’s off spring repopulate the earth. We see the great scattering of the people. Abraham and Isaac come onto the scene. Then Jacob and Joseph. Twists and turns; scheming and conniving, tragedy and triumph. We find it all in this incredible book of beginnings.

Joseph’s Business Plan

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The last time we were in Genesis, we saw God give Israel instruction to go to Egypt where he would become a great nation. Israel’s direct descendants numbered 66 not including wives. They packed up their stuff and made the journey to Egypt. Joseph met Israel in Goshen and there was a very tearful reunion. Israel concluded he could now die because he saw Joseph with his own eyes. Joseph spoke to Israel and told him what to say to Pharaoh to ensure his family could work as shepherds in Goshen. This morning, we’ll see the business aspect of Joseph’s mind as he ensures his family is taken care of and expands Egypt at the same time.

Take the time to read our passage found in Gen. 47:1-26.

In a very exciting turn of events, the brothers get an audience with Pharaoh. Remember that Joseph is second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. This has been a long time coming and the family is finally together and it looks like they have put the past behind them. Joseph knows Pharaoh and knows what the conversation will go like so he prepares them on their answers. Joseph selects five brothers to go in and meet with Pharaoh. Joseph had 11 brothers and there is some speculation on why only five went in. Some believe that five represents the years of famine that still remain. Others think it was not to overwhelm Pharaoh with the size of the family. The brothers go in to meet with Pharaoh and the question of occupation comes up first. This is something we see today all the time. It should be taken for granted that people do something. There must be something that is done to earn money to support themselves lest there be a burden to society. There’s no place in Egypt for people to be idle. If they’re not willing to work, then they would not be able to eat. Those that don’t need to work have to have something that keeps them occupied. In sharing with the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul reminded them of his example of hard work. Timothy and Silvanus were with him and he said they never ate bread without paying for it. They didn’t expect a handout. They worked night and day so they wouldn’t be a burden to this church. Paul concluded by saying, “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either.” (2 Thes. 3:10)

Today is different though. Somehow, it’s un-American to expect someone to earn their own way. We have people demanding more money for the work they do. If you can’t make it on your own with one job, get a second job. Do something to change the situation. Learn a trade, get a third job, get a better job. All too often, we don’t like the answer to the problem. We don’t want to work more because that might cut into our free time. We don’t want to get that better job because we might have to move away from our parents or our kids. Unless you want to live off the grid in Alaska or in some remote area, your kids will leave you and move on. Parents should raise their children to be self-sufficient, to be productive members of society, and to contribute to the overall well-being of our community. This applies to everyone and particularly to followers of Christ.

Joseph wants Pharaoh to know that his family is going to work and not be a burden. They would only be in Egypt for a while – to sojourn. They were not going to permanently stay there. They were seeking the Egyptian dream – to be able to sustain life because of the famine in Canaan. They asked if they could stay in Goshen to allow their flocks to eat in the pastureland. Pharaoh’s response was predicted by Joseph, but Pharaoh added a bonus. “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.” Not only do they get to stay in Goshen, but Pharaoh tells Joseph to let the brothers take care of his own flock as long as they are capable. It couldn’t have turned out any better. It’s important to know that the reason for Pharaoh’s kindness is because of Joseph. Pharaoh had great fondness for Joseph. The family gained favor in Egypt because of Joseph. Joseph was well respected in Egypt and in Pharaoh’s court and it’s because of this that the family is treated well. Sometimes we can be treated well because of who we know. The opposite is sometimes true as well.

It’s time to introduce Jacob to Pharaoh. Have you ever introduced your parents to your boss? Joseph presents Jacob to Pharaoh. Presented here means a formal audience. Pharaoh is likely in his royal robes and looks all kingly. The first thing Jacob does is bless Pharaoh. We do this today as well. We meet our kid’s boss and say things like, “I appreciate you giving them the opportunity,” or “They sure enjoy working here.” In a strange bit of conversation, Pharaoh asks Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” Jacob is a bit dramatic here and says, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.” He’s 130 and says his life has been pretty short and pretty rotten. His father Isaac lived to be 180. His grandfather Abraham lived to be 175. That society valued older people. In Hebrew culture, the assumption was the older you lived, the more favor you held with God. Lev 19:32 tells us to, “honor the aged.” Zech. 8:4 says, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age.’” Gen. 25:8 says Abraham died at a ripe old age and in 35:29, Isaac also died at a ripe old age. Jacob felt like he hadn’t lived as long or as well as his ancestors. His days were few and unpleasant. Unpleasant here means evil. He doesn’t elaborate on the specifics, but concludes his life of sojourning was not as pleasant as the years of Abraham or Isaac. After that conversation, “Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence.”

The meeting with Pharaoh was over and, “Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to their little ones.” Joseph gets everything together and takes his family to the best area of Egypt. The land was provided by Pharaoh to honor Joseph. Joseph gave his family the supplies they needed to live in the land. Joseph provided for everyone in the family including the little ones – the children. This provision was especially important to Judah. Remember back in 43:8, Judah urged Jacob to allow him to bring Benjamin back to the ruler of Egypt, “that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.” Judah wanted security for his kids and the kids of his brothers.

The famine continues and Joseph enacts the next phase of his plan. Look at vs. 13-14. This famine isn’t just a shortage of some items like we saw during the pandemic. There is no food in Canaan or Egypt. The people languished because of the very severe famine. Languished means faint, starve, or waste away. The people were suffering because they were hungry. You know who had food? Pharaoh had food because of Joseph’s plan. The food was collected as a tax over a period of seven years. When the people themselves ran out of food, they went to the government to purchase food. Stockpiling resources is something that is still done today with very good reason. The US currently has stockpiles of crude oil, helium, heating oil, wheat, rice, corn, sorghum, antibiotics, vaccines, and a variety or emergency medical supplies. You likely have stockpiles of your own. The people in the region flocked to Egypt to get the resources they needed to live. They still had money so they were able to buy grain. But then the money ran out. V. 15 says, “When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is gone.” We are somewhat familiar with this in the church. Someone gets to the point that their money has run out. In desperation, they go to the church for help. What I have experienced is that people that do not follow the Lord think the church is the answer to meet their physical needs. We have regulars that come to us seeking financial handouts and if giving money was the answer, we’d do it. The people have reached a point that all the money is gone and they go to Joseph seeking food so they won’t die.

What happens in the next few verses is quite overwhelming to me. Look at vs. 16-17. Their money is gone, but they still have assets. I have used this strategy with people. They are seemingly destitute. In order to live, what can you sell? If you’re not willing to part with your earthly treasure, then there are other problems. Right after I retired from the Navy in 2006, we had a plan. I was working as a contractor doing odd jobs, remodeling, and handyman type things as I continued looking for a job in ministry. the days looking turned into weeks and turned into months. Kari and I talked about what monthly expenditures could we eliminate, what could we sell as we continued pursuing God’s call. It even included selling our house and moving somewhere else. What are you willing to do to make it? The people were in a desperate place and Joseph was in a position to trade with them.      Joseph traded them grain for their, “horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock.” That trade provided food for a year and then that food ran out.

Once again, the people go to Joseph, the one that has provided for them during this famine. Look at vs. 18-19. The money is gone and the animals have been traded. The people have just two things remaining: themselves and their land. This final deal includes selling the people seed so they could work the land in hopes of gaining a harvest in the future. Check out vs. 20-23. The people are given seed to plant and can work the land. There is still another facet to Joseph’s plan. V. 24 says, “At the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” In order to preserve Pharaoh’s economy and provide for the good of the people, Joseph enacts a 20% tax. How do the people respond? “So they said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” The people are taxed and they cry out to Joseph in thanksgiving at saving their lives. Our final verse today says, “Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.” This was not a land grab to expand Joseph’s personal wealth. This was done in the name of Pharaoh and his wealth increased. “Valid to this day” refers to the time of the writing of this passage.

If you think that Joseph is rubbing his hands together in excitement at what is to come, I think you’d be wrong. I think Joseph’s character has been proven time and time again. God revealed to him what was to happen and Joseph came up with a plan. He worked the plan and the people loved him for it. The man who was a slave has become ruler over people that willingly sold themselves so as not to die. So, what about Joseph’s father and his brothers? Join us next week to find out.

The Reveal

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Last week, we saw the brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin, the youngest brother that had remained in Canaan. Joseph is overcome with emotion and excuses himself to weep. The brothers completed the mission and purchased grain, but Joseph once again, ordered the money be returned to each man’s sack and Joseph also ordered his silver cup be placed inside Benjamin’s sack. The brothers head back to Canaan, but Joseph had a plan. He sent his steward to chase after the brothers and they are stopped on the way. The steward told them why he has chased them down and the brothers denied any wrongdoing. They told the steward that the cup was not there and went on to say that if it was found, the person in possession of the cup could be killed. Of course, they didn’t know that it was placed inside Benjamin’s sack. The cup is found and the brothers once again are beside themselves with grief. Judah speaks with Joseph and implores him to allow a trade. Instead of Benjamin remaining behind in Egypt to be a slave, Judah offered himself to remain reasoning that his father would die of grief if Benjamin did not return. This morning, Joseph reveals his true identity.

I encourage you to take a couple of minutes and read Gen. 45:1-15.

We begin with Joseph sending everyone away. Everyone of Joseph’s brothers are standing in front of him. It has been years in the making. Judah has delivered a very moving speech that seems to be a giant change of heart for him. If you remember, it was Judah that convinced his brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites instead of killing him. It was also Judah that unknowingly slept with his daughter-in-law because he thought she was a prostitute. That woman, Tamar became pregnant and bore the twins Perez and Zerah. The dreams that Joseph shared with his brothers so long ago have come to fruition. The story has been building and building and is nearly at its peak. Joseph can contain himself no longer and is overcome by emotion and not wanting to break down in front of everyone, he sends them all out and is left alone with his brothers. He is getting ready to tell his brothers who he is and does not want to share it with anyone. I wonder what the brothers were thinking. They have been accused of being spies, accused of stealing money – twice, and accused of stealing Joseph’s cup. Judah is anticipating becoming a slave to this man in exchange for the release of Benjamin.

If you remember back to Chapter 37 after Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers and his father, Jacob rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” (Gen. 37:10) Remember too, that Joseph is the favorite of Jacob. I wonder what he would have said if one of the other brothers had the same dream? This was a dysfunctional family. The patriarch thought his favorite son was dead. The patriarch held on to Benjamin so tightly that it risked the safety and well-being of the rest of the family. The brothers hated their youngest brother to the point that they wanted him dead. A teenager naively told his brothers that he would rule over them one day. What was not anticipated by the people in this story is the powerful force that is our God. We have a group of brothers that hated one of their own. How much to you have to hate to want to see someone dead? There needed to be significant change in this family. Hatred needed to be replaced with love. Favoritism needed to be replaced with faith. Fear needed to be replaced with courage.

This is a lesson we need to learn in the way God works. God will use circumstances of life to bring about change. Jacob lamented over the presumed death of Joseph, the one whom he loved more than the others. Joseph was Jacob’s idol and when that idol was taken away, he replaced it with Benjamin. He held onto Benjamin so tightly that he refused to allow him to go to Egypt and save the family. Sometimes God allows tremendous hardship in our life to reveal who we really are.

This is a hard lesson. It comes down to something I have shared on many occasions in the past. Are we going to hold onto things so tightly that we don’t have room for God? Are we going to recognize the idolatry in our own lives? Jacob idolized Joseph and he was taken away. Jacob replaced that idol with another idol named Benjamin. Jacob risked the starvation of his family because he was unwilling to let go of his idol until he chose to let go and trust God. Sometimes God breaks our arms to force us to let go of our idols. I remember a pastor friend of mine from many years back. He had a very talented son that was recruited by a number of big time college football programs. He told me that his son would play football for one of those big programs for a year, then he would declare himself eligible for the NFL draft. He left his church and those under his care to pursue this NFL dream with his son. As talented as he was, the son didn’t play his first year and decided to transfer to a small school where his talents could be demonstrated and then go to the NFL. It was a great plan until he suffered a career ending injury.

Our faith grows the most in times of hardship and suffering. For some of us, it takes a downward spiral to rock bottom to realize that only God can provide what is needed. Out of options, Jacob relented and allowed Benjamin to go and it seemed like he went from favoring one child to finally acknowledging all his children in 43:14. God did a work in his heart. Not only did God work in Jacob’s heart, but consider the brothers. They have gone back and forth from Canaan to Egypt in order to purchase food for their starving family. They each could have gone their own way, but they stuck together. Judah was so concerned for the emotional well-being of his father that he begged and pleaded to remain in Egypt as a slave to Pharaoh so that Jacob would not die of heartache.

How did God accomplish this change of heart in the brothers that they would be willing to be enslaved to save their family? It seemed like the memory of what they did to Joseph kept coming back to the forefront. Remember Judah’s word to Joseph back in 44:16: “What can we say to my Lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants.” Their plot to kill Joseph only to sell him. Their desire to buy food only to be accused of being spies. Their journey back to Canaan only to discover their money had been returned. Their second journey back to Canaan and they found Joseph’s silver cup in their sack. They’re thinking everything they did, has been found out. They also witnessed their father stop favoring one child and instead demonstrated some type of love for all of them This emotional plea by Judah is too much for Joseph and, “He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.” Joseph has gone back and forth with his brothers and they have done everything that he has asked. It looks like Joseph may not have believed that his brothers would actually do what was asked. The sons of Jacob are together again and this family moment must be shared in private.

The big reveal. “Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.” Joseph lets the cat out of the bag and immediately inquires of his father. The brothers are too dumbfounded to be able to answer and I’m sure they’re asking themselves, “What is happening?” The focus is not on Joseph because his primary concern is the well-being of his father and it’s the third time he has asked the bothers about Jacob. Joseph has a legitimate concern because his father is getting up in years and there is a famine in the land. Just like that, the venue changes from Pharaoh’s court to a family reunion. Joseph invites his brothers to, “Please come closer to me.” In order to get a better look at the man in front of them, Joseph wants them to get closer to him. I’m sure there was some distance between them. When they got closer to Joseph, he says, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.” It’s me, it’s me! Remember, you sold me all those years ago, remember?

In one of the most compassionate, heartfelt speeches in all the Old Testament, Joseph explains what really happened to him with a most holy, godly, and wonderfully overwhelming demonstration of God’s love. Look carefully at vs. 7-13. Joseph establishes the framework for his present situation. Knowing they must feel guilt over what happened, he tells them, you may have sold me, but God really sent me here to make sure that people live. The famine has been going on for two years at this point and there are still five years left. The brothers intended to destroy, but God intended to deliver. During difficult circumstances, we often lament that God is ignoring us, He is somehow disconnected from us and doesn’t care what is happening. I have been there and I understand. It is often hard to determine what God is doing, if anything, when we focus on ourselves. Remember what Joseph has gone through. His brothers hated him growing up. His brothers made fun of him calling him names. He was thrown in a pit and left for dead. He was brought out of the pit to be sold. He was sold again and then accused of rape. He was thrown into prison without due process. He correctly interpreted dreams of Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker. He was forgotten about in prison for another two years before getting out to correctly interpret Pharaoh’s dreams about the famine. Joseph’s life was filled with difficult circumstances, but we don’t have any record of him complaining or crying out to God in despair. In fact, Joseph is the only human being in Scripture in which there is no recorded sin.

You might be arguing that Joseph was led by God and so it was easy for him to follow. Based on my reading of Scripture, it seems apparent to me that Joseph made the best out of every situation he was in. He didn’t depend on his circumstances to determine his happiness or what he was to do. Do you think that it is a coincidence that everywhere he went, he ended being someone who led the way? He was someone that maintained a positive, godly attitude regardless of the horrid conditions he was in. Joseph was faithful to do what was right, to do what was godly in all of the terrible circumstances he was in. He didn’t wait to see what God would do first; he acted in a godly manner regardless. It is difficult to find the Josephs in today’s church. We’re too busy trying to determine what’s in it for us before we decide to serve Christ. We’re too busy with our lives to determine if we can faithfully follow Christ. We’re too busy blaming others. We’re too busy getting distracted by people who are anti-God, anti-Gospel, and anti-church. We’re too busy lamenting our horrible circumstances, even if they’re of our own making, to acknowledge that God is the answer; He’s always been the answer. Joseph tells his brothers to go back to Canaan and tell Jacob all the wonderful things that are in Egypt and to hurry back where the entire family will be provided for. Unable to hold it together after his speech, Joseph, “fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.”

What a story of hope. What a story of sovereignty. What a story of trust. What a reminder of hope. What a reminder of sovereignty. What a reminder of trust. In the difficult circumstances of this life, do not lose sight of the One that holds it all together. God uses the circumstances of life to draw men to Himself, to point men to Christ, to show humanity that He is the way, the truth, and the life. What will become of the family? What will Jacob say when he hears Joseph is alive and well? Join us next week.

I have a Dream

You can watch the video for this message here.

Last week, Joseph was serving time in jail for the false accusations from Potiphar’s wife. In jail, he meets the king’s chief cupbearer and chief baker who were confined for offending the king. Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream and Joseph asks him to remember him when he is restored to his position. Joseph also interprets the baker’s dream, but that dream foretold a nightmare that ended with the hanging of the baker and birds eating the flesh off his body. Chapter 40 ended with some very sad words, “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” This morning, the narrative picks up two years later and Pharaoh has a dream.

I hope you’ll grab your Bible and look at Gen. 41:1-45.

It has been two years since Joseph interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the chief baker. The cupbearer was restored to his position. The baker was hanged from a tree and the birds ate his flesh. Even though Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams, the chief cupbearer failed to mention this to Pharaoh and Joseph remains in jail. Pharaoh has a dream and, in this dream, we find him standing by the Nile. The Nile River flows from Lake Victoria in southern Egypt north to the Mediterranean Sea, some 5600 km or about 3500 miles away. This river was extraordinarily important providing water for irrigation in the very dry climate. It also provided a water highway with boats traveling north with the current and south aided by the favorable north winds coming off the Mediterranean Sea. There were annual flood stages in early spring or summer that provided relief from the otherwise dry and dusty conditions. The flooding resulted from the heavy rain in southern Egypt, what is modern day Sudan and South Sudan. The rain washed red mud into the Nile which was brought downstream to Egypt depositing that mud onto the banks. The bigger the flood stage, the farther inland the mud would be deposited. This new, rich mud was very fertile providing good soil to grow all manner of crops.

In his dream, Pharaoh is standing on the bank of the Nile and out of the Nile come seven cows that were sleek and fat. These seven cows grazed on the marsh grass that was common on the bank of the Nile. Remember, the bank was particularly fertile and would be a common feeding ground for birds, livestock, and other animals. These cows were sleek – they were smooth and healthy looking; well fed. These are the kind of cows you see at the fair – gorgeous animals. As those gorgeous cows grazed, seven other cows came up out of the Nile. These cows were ugly and gaunt. These two sets of cows set up a very stark contrast. Pretty and healthy cows next to ugly and malnourished cows. In a shocking turn of events, the ugly cows eat the pretty cows. This image was so disturbing to Pharaoh that he woke up. As often happens with us following a bad dream, Pharaoh falls back to sleep and he dreams again. This second dream involves something vital to Egypt’s economy. In Pharaoh’s second dream, he saw a corn stalk that produced seven plump ears of corn. Then seven ears of corn sprouted after the good ones, but these were thin and scorched by the wind. Those thin ears swallowed up the plump ears and then Pharaoh awoke.

Not surprisingly, he was troubled in the morning so, “He called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.” Dream interpretation was very common in Egypt in those times. Magicians were commonplace in the courts of foreign kings and a better term for them would be chief lector priest. These were wise men, well educated, and smart that were able to provide guidance to the king. They also practiced secret arts and were believed to be gifted by the gods. These secret arts or magic were forbidden in Israel. Not a single one of these smart guys was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.

Enter Joseph. Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer is witnessing this play out and it reminds him of his time in jail. He speaks up in an apologetic tone and tells Pharaoh a story. Take a quick look at vs. 9-13. The chief cupbearer recounts the story of his incarceration when he met a Hebrew youth. That Hebrew youth correctly interpreted the dreams of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. This news likely encouraged Pharaoh. They call Joseph up from jail, but he had to get presentable first. After a haircut, shave, and a change of clothes, he enters into the presence of Pharaoh. Think of the change of position. Joseph goes from being in jail, even though he is a servant of the captain of the guard, to being in the same room with the most powerful man in Egypt.

Without preamble or fanfare, it’s straight down to business, “Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” This conclusion is based on Joseph correctly interpreting just two dreams: the chief cupbearer and the baker. If you recall from Chapter 37, Joseph had two dreams about himself and in his youthful inexperience, told the dream to his brothers who then nicknamed him the dreamer. This situation is different. Pharaoh’s advisors are grasping at straws to help him and they’re going to put it all on Joseph’s shoulders. Joseph responds to Pharaoh’s statement by saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Joseph rightly gives God the credit for his ability to interpret dreams. The favorable answer does not come in the form of what Pharaoh wants to hear, but in the fact that a correct interpretation will be provided. That is the confidence Joseph has in God. I don’t know if Joseph had butterflies in his stomach, I don’t know if he felt anxious, but he was in the presence of Pharaoh to perform one function: interpret dreams that no one else in Pharaoh’s court could do: no pressure.

Pharaoh provides Joseph an account of the dreams in vs. 17-24. Seemingly without hesitation, Joseph has an answer to the dreams: “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.” Joseph sets up two important aspects of the interpretation by saying the two dreams are the same. And he tells Pharaoh that God has told Pharaoh what He is about to do. Wouldn’t it be nice for God to reveal to us what He is going to do in various aspects of our lives? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a list of promises made by God that we could remind ourselves about His faithfulness? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could converse with God and remind Him about what He said He’d do? So, what is God about to do in Egypt? Look at vs. 26-31. Joseph explains what the two dreams mean. The seven fat and healthy cows represent seven years. The seven plump ears of corn represent seven years of plenty. Seven lean cows mean seven years. Seven thin ears of corn mean seven years and these are seven years of famine. This has got to cause Pharaoh’s heart to skip a beat. Joseph concludes the interpretation by saying, “God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.” Joseph has confidence, not in himself, but in God to correctly provide him with the truth of the dream.

After providing the quick interpretation into the dream, Joseph elaborates in the next few verses about what is coming. Joseph goes on to say, “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.” This is going to happen. It is a certainty and it’s going to happen quickly. Joseph is not panicking and he’s not freaking out even though he is a prisoner in the jail released for a quick dream interpretation, and don’t think he’s not aware that the result of the dreams will affect him too. In my mind, he is a picture of calmness. When things go sideways, you want someone that is calm, cool, and collected. You want someone that has been in the fire, someone that has experienced troubled times and has demonstrated an ability to assess the situation and take action.

After sharing the problem that Egypt will face, Joseph provides the solution. Look at vs. 33-36. Good leadership does not identify a problem and leave it at that. Joseph suggested finding a man that was discerning and wise. These two qualifications would be necessary for the plan to succeed. If you have been in an organization, it won’t take long for you to see things from a different perspective. You want to frustrate someone with God given leadership ability? Complain about a situation and offer no solution. Identify a problem, and leave sorting it out to others. Say things like, “You should do . . . .” Say things like, “At my last _________, we did it like this.” “Back home, we did it this way.” Or you have someone in leadership that makes a decision without getting input from those that are leaders below him. Decisions made without considering the effect of those decisions on the organization. I always found it interesting when I attended a conference or workshop for ministry that told me how I could increase giving, how I could increase attendance, or how I could reach more people. Proven principles that could be mine if I bought the book or attended another workshop. Joseph tells Pharaoh the problem and then gives him the plan to overcome the challenges that lay ahead. Joseph provides a plan for Pharaoh to follow, and it is Pharaoh’s decision on whether or not to follow it. No matter who you are or how high up in an organization you are, you’re accountable to someone. Even in countries with dictators, the people can revolt.

In a nutshell, Joseph’s plan includes stockpiling resources during the seven years of plenty. Every year, Pharaoh will exact a 20% tax of everything that is produced in Egypt. That’s outrageous! To help you understand what this means, let’s compare that to the United States. In the US, we have seven tax brackets: 10, 12, 22, 24, 32, 35, and 37% which is further adjusted depending on your filing status. It’s a progressive scale: the more money you make, the more you will pay in taxes, but there’s a catch. Regardless of how much you make, everyone pays the same percentage in taxes on the money they make. Confused? I’ll use married filing jointly. Everyone pays 10% in taxes for income earned up to $19,750 which is $1975.00. This tax rate is based on the adjusted gross income meaning after deductions. If you make more than $19,750, you’ll pay 12% in taxes for income up to $80,250. 10% on the first $19,750 then 12% on the rest up to $80,250. Some of your eyes are glazing over so let me make it real for you. Let’s say you make $50,000 per year. You pay 10% in taxes on the first $19,750 and 12% on the remaining $30,250 so your tax burden is $1975 plus $3630 which equals $6605. You have an effective tax rate of 13.21% provided to the government in the form of income tax. That comes out to a median tax rate of about 14.2% for Americans. There are other variables and also ways to lower your tax burden. So, Joseph proposed a 20% tax. By comparison, Americans pay 22% for income earned over $80,251. After seven years, there would be a stockpile of resources equivalent to 140% of all that was produced.

Keep in mind, the famine would be so severe, that people would forget about the years of abundance. A simple and thoughtful response from Pharaoh: “The proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.” Pharaoh recognizes a good plan when he hears it. It’s not a big deal when you’re in charge, to recognize and approve a plan you did not come up with. No one leader has all the answers, all the wisdom, all the ability, or all the variables to not need anyone providing input. Pharaoh understands that someone will need to oversee this plan and asks the very loaded question, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” Pharaoh answers his own question by saying, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”      The conclusion is a valid one that Pharaoh recognizes. Only someone that possessed the Spirit of God could come up with a correct interpretation of the dream and only a person with the Spirit of God could come up with a plan so farsighted that success was guaranteed. This meeting concludes with the formalities that accompany elevation to the second highest post in all of Egypt. We end it in vs. 42-44.

Even though the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph for two years, Joseph did not give up hope. Think of Joseph’s life to this point. From brother to dreamer to slave to being falsely accused to prisoner to prison leader to dream interpreter to being forgotten to being in the presence of Pharaoh to dream interpreter to strategist and finally being second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. Good things come to those who wait, right? Not really, but it’s a catchy phrase that believers throw out as empty encouragement. Joseph’s story is one of betrayal, pain, and suffering, but also one of endurance, and perseverance and faithfulness. There is one other thing that was given to Joseph: “Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.” All this and as we’ll see next week, Joseph is 30 years old.

Trouble in the Family

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Last week we were introduced to Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph. When parents play favorites, it’s never good for the family and we saw that in Chapter 37. Joseph’s brothers hated him just because Jacob loved him more. It really had nothing to do with Joseph himself although he could interpret dreams. We left with Joseph being pulled out of the pit and sold to some Midianite traders who went to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar who served as the captain of the bodyguard for Pharaoh. This morning, we’ll interrupt the Joseph narrative and focus on Judah.

Read Gen. 38:1-30.

We start with Judah leaving his brothers in favor of moving out on his own. We don’t know why Judah decided to venture out of the bonds of family. There is speculation that he wanted to leave the guilt he felt over what happened to Joseph. Judah visited the Canaanite town of Adullam where he meets up with a man named Hirah. While in Adullam, Judah sees a woman who is the daughter of Shua. Judah takes this woman as his wife and she produces offspring named Er, Onan, and Shelah. It seems Er and Onan were born in Adullam and Shelah was born in Chezib located just west of Adullam. Judah has three sons so it’s looking good. Er means watchful. Onan means strength or vigorous. Shelah means drawn out from the womb. We’ll see each of these again in Chapter 46 and then they’re mentioned in Num. 26:19 and 1 Chr. 7:32. Adam, Noah, and Terah all had three sons so Judah is in good company.

We now get into some disturbing detail about Judah’s sons. Judah finds a wife for Er named Tamar. What is significant about Tamar is that her heritage is not mentioned. Many assume she is Canaanite since that’s where Judah was geographically. The down side of this is that she is not an Israelite and Judah has lined up a foreign wife for his son. Remember Abraham sending his servant on a mission to find a girl for Isaac. The servant was made to swear not to find one from the Canaanites. And remember Rebekah pleaded with Isaac to send Jacob away to because she didn’t want him marrying someone from Canaan. At this point, I want to remind you that Jacob served Laban to get Rachel who he loved, but got Leah and had to work even longer to get Rachel.

Verse 7 says, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life.” There’s more in this verse not said than said. Er is mentioned as the first born for the second time in back to back verses. At this point in Genesis, we should understand the importance of being the first born. With it came honor and blessing and inheritance. There would be none of that for Er. He was, “evil in the sight of the Lord.” We don’t know what evil he committed, but the key is that he was evil in the sight of God. There is a standard for humanity that God expects and it doesn’t matter if you’re a follower of Christ or not.

Now vs. 8-10. Onan is the second born and had the responsibility to produce off spring for the now dead Er. Some of the Sadducees asked Jesus about this in Lu. 20:27-28. We need to look at Deut. 25:5-10 to find out what the requirements were. To us, this practice is very strange, but this is the way it was back then. It was important to carry on the family name. Before you try and tell me how dumb this is, we see this same idea today. A family has a pile of girls and they keep trying to produce that man child. Instead of following the procedure of Deuteronomy that we read, Onan, “wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother.” This is troubling for a number of reasons. Onan was told by Judah to fulfill his duty as the brother-in-law. If he didn’t want to do it, there was a procedure for that. But he still went in to his sister-in-law. When Er died, Onan took his place as the first born and would be entitled to all the honor and blessing of the first born. If off spring were produced, then Onan remains second. “What he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also.” Two thirds of Judah’s sons are dead and only Shelah remains and Judah works to protect him.

“Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up”; for he thought, “I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.” Judah sends Tamar back to her father’s house to be a widow. There are certain protections afforded a widow mentioned in several places in Scripture. Judah attributes the misfortune of Er and Onan to Tamar. Tamar is bad luck, but Judah does say that when Shelah gets older, he’ll send him to her. Judah is oblivious as to is why his sons actually died.

Be wary of a woman scorned. A considerable time has passed and Judah’s wife died. This story takes a very dramatic and dastardly turn and we dive deeper into the character of Judah and Tamar. Look at vs. 12-14. Tamar takes things into her own hands and sets up a sting for Judah. Judah mourned appropriately for his dead wife and returns to the daily grind. Sheep shearing was a big deal in that culture and it’s time to shear the flocks. Judah gets his friend Hirah and goes to Timnah to meet up with the sheep shearers. The grapevine was in full action and Tamar hears about Judah’s trip. Remember, she’s taken on the role of a widow until Shelah grows up. How long this has been is not known exactly, but it has been a considerable time. Tamar knows that Shelah has grown up and she knows she’s not married to him. Tamar changes out of her widow’s clothes. This clothing was somehow distinctive and anyone seeing a woman dressed in these clothes would know the woman was a widow. Tamar puts on a veil and wraps herself up and goes to the place where Judah must pass in order to get to Timnah.

Look at vs. 15-19. Judah sees her and thinks she’s a prostitute. He begins talking with her and says, “Here now, let me come in to you.” As a side note, it’s important to point out that just because this event is in Scripture, it gives no endorsement or approval to prostitution. It was a fact of life that this did and still occurs. It does not make it right then and it does not make it right now. He does not know it’s his daughter-in-law and she says, “What will you give me?” He says, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” She knows he doesn’t have a goat with him so she says, “Will you give a pledge until you send it?” Here’s where it gets very calculated. Tamar wants something of Judah’s that would identify him as the one. Judah foolishly agrees to give her his seal, his cord, and his staff. These items were unique to the owner. This was his identification. The deal is settled and they engage in the illicit activity and low and behold, Tamar conceives. Judah goes on his way leaving Tamar with the seal, cord, and staff and we leave Tamar changing back into her widow’s clothes. The trap has been set and Judah walked right into it.

It’s time to settle up. Judah is good to his word and sends Hirah back with the young goat to get his personal items. Look at vs. 20-23. Hirah tried to complete the mission and even inquired from the townsfolk, but they didn’t know anything about a temple prostitute. There has been some discussion about the use of the word temple prostitute here instead of harlot in v. 15. Temple prostitutes were common in cults and false religions. The reality was that the lady Hirah was looking for was not to be found. His mission a failure, Hirah returns to Judah. Fearing that his reputation will be sullied, Judah considers the matter closed and concludes that the harlot can just keep his stuff.

It’s time for a plot twist. Read vs. 24-26. For a society that had no electronic communication, they sure kept abreast of current events. Three months have passed and Judah is told that Tamar “has played the harlot” meaning that it was obvious she was with child. People in the area knew she was a widow to Er and since Onan was also dead, the responsibility fell to Shelah. Since Shelah was not in the picture, the people correctly concluded that she became pregnant by harlotry. If she had been violated, surely that would have caused angst with her father which would have brought retribution. Judah’s reaction is a bit over the top because he says, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” He apparently forgot that he engaged with a prostitute just three months earlier and makes no connection with the coincidental timing of the pregnancy. Judah wants her killed because she was supposed to take on the role of a widow which does not include bearing children. Remember the rules of Deut. 25 were not followed and you can’t dismiss it because Deuteronomy hadn’t been written at the time of this event. Judah was the one who told Onan to fulfil the responsibility of a brother-in-law so the family knew the rules. Judah displays a complete lack of compassion and empathy and doesn’t even consider that he reneged on his pledge to send Shelah to Tamar.

At the most critical time of the narrative as Tamar is brought to her father-in-law, she drops the bomb. In my mind, she innocently says, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” Judah looks at the items and I am sure he felt like vomiting. He has been found out; he has been duped; he has become a willing participant in a game he had no idea he was playing. I  make no justification for Tamar’s actions. She was wronged by Onan and she was wronged by Judah and she took matters into her own hand. Judah humbles himself and says, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.” We fast forward six months and Tamar goes into labor. We learn that there is not one child, but two. This is not the first time twins are born in Genesis. Remember Jacob and Esau. This is the same verbiage used in Gen. 25:24. The birth of these twins is very interesting and someone comical. “While giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on is hand, saying, “This one came out first.” Keep in mind that birth order was critically important in the Hebrew culture. The first little guys reaches out with his hand and the midwife tied a scarlet thread indicating that he is the first one. Anyone who has been around multiples knows it’s hard to tell them apart when they are the same sex. They’re equally wrinkly and red. This first born is a trickster and just wants to test the air. After he gets the string tied to his wrist, he says, forget it and goes back inside. So the next guy says, I’m outta here and he makes his entrance to the world. The midwife says, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.” That word breach has nothing to do with the actual delivery. Breach here means an act of breaking the law. He is named Perez which literally means breach or break through. After Perez is born, out comes the one with the scarlet thread and he is named Zerah which means dawning or brightness.

Judah has left the safety and security of his brothers and ventures out on his own. It’s difficult to find anything redeeming in the sordid tale of Judah and Tamar. We see death and unfulfilled promises. We see trickery and deceit. This despicable and disgusting story does have redeeming value. Don’t take tings into your own hands. Trust God and He will fight for you. What happens to Judah? What about Tamar? What about Perez and Zerah? Meanwhile, over in Egypt, Joseph is in the house of Potiphar and next week, the story shifts back to him.

Vengeance

You can watch this message here.

Last week we saw the emotional reunion of Jacob and Esau. Jacob gave Esau gifts that he had to be convinced to take. Jacob requested leisurely passage through Esau’s land and Esau not only allowed it, but wanted to leave people with Jacob to protect him on his journey. We left with Jacob buying land in Canaan settling at Shechem where he built an altar and called the place El-Elohe-Israel which means God, the God of Israel. This morning, we’ll see the some very terrible things occur within Jacob’s family.

Read Gen. 34:1-31 to understand the context of this message.

We are introduced to Dinah. Dinah is the daughter of Leah, one of the wives of Jacob. Only here and in 36:39 is someone in the Bible introduced by saying who the mother is. Dinah is daughter of Leah and she is also the daughter of Jacob. This is important because Simeon and Levi are Dinah’s full brothers. Jacob and Leah are their parents too and this is important when we get to the end of the story.

Dinah, “Went out to visit the daughters of the land.” Dinah and her family are foreigners in this land, but the intrigue of their way of life proved too much for Dinah. Visit in this verse does not mean she went to hang out with the other girls. By all accounts, Dinah is somewhere between 12 and 17 and wants to see how the other teenagers of the land are living. Josephus writes that there was some type of festival occurring in Succoth and Dinah wanted to see the other girls all dressed up. Dinah leaves the safety and security of Leah’s tent and goes for an adventure. What happens next is an unspeakable tragedy that no father who has a daughter wants to hear. Fathers are the protectors of their daughters. Fathers want what is best for their daughters and no man is good enough. As Dinah is out in town, “Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.” There is some dispute over what, “lay with her by force” means, but most commentators agree that Dinah was raped. He didn’t kidnap her. He violated her, he raped her. He took something that was not permitted. This is absolutely reprehensible. This is the barbaric nature of man. This is the barbaric nature of a people. She was not a willing participant in this encounter with Shechem.

The reasoning for Shechem’s actions are incomprehensible. “He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.” This is not the way it is done. Normally there is some type of attraction that draws the attention of a man to a woman and then the negotiation or courting begins. “Deeply attracted” literally means his soul clung to her and it conveys the idea of unbridled lust. Lust is never a redeeming quality. Lust is an unlawful desire for something. Shechem, “loved the girl.” Think of a time when your child came to you as a teenager and said, “But I love him (her).” Your response probably was, “You don’t know what love is.” And on the surface of it, that’s true, but remember you got married because you were in love. Love is a choice, and it is a learned quality.

Shechem says he loves Dinah, and he, “spoke tenderly to her.” This reads like some whacked out romance novel, and it really is a whacked out situation. He tried to win her affection with kind words. In my mind, I think of the abuser who abuses his wife and then apologizes and says he loves her and gets her flowers. It’s too late for that. Shechem just raped Dinah and now he’s trying to woo her. This is all so backwards. “So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young girl for a wife.” This is the normal part of Shechem’s actions. It was not unusual for the father to arrange a marriage for his son. Remember Abraham sending his servant on a mission to find a girl for Isaac in Chapter 24.

The story takes a dramatic turn. Genesis is filled with drama. “Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in.” How Jacob heard about it is not mentioned, but his response is troubling. He heard that Dinah, his daughter, had been raped and he kept silent until his sons returned from the fields. “Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.” This part is normal. The father of the potential groom negotiates for the hand of the potential bride. It seems that Hamor is not aware of what occurred between Shechem and Dinah. All he knows is Shechem wants Dinah to be his wife. “Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.” This is the first time the land is called Israel in Scripture. Dinah’s brothers hear of the defilement of their sister and they return from the field. They were heartbroken and angry. This type of behavior ought not be done. It is disgraceful and despicable and there are consequences.

Hamor negotiates what he believes to be a reasonable offer. It’s found in vs. 8-12. What Hamor offers is quite generous. The land will be open to them. They can live in it, trade in it, and get property in the land. Whatever they want, they can pursue it. Jacob’s clan and Hamor’s clan would live in the land together. Hebrews and Hivites together. At this point in history, there is no prohibition against intermarriage, that would come later with Moses, but there was a desire to maintain the religious purity, if you will, of keeping marriage within one’s family lineage. Again, back to Abraham’s desire that Isaac’s wife not come from Canaan. Perhaps this became a more traditional practice with the patriarchs of Israel that would be incorporated into law later. Shechem tries to sweeten the deal by offering up whatever the brothers desire in exchange for the hand of Dinah.

Take a look at vs. 13-17. The brothers are part of the negotiation similar to what we saw with Laban negotiating for the hand of Rebekah in Chapter 24. But this scenario is quite different. The brothers are aware of what happened to Dinah and they are prepared to ask a price of Shechem and his people. They used deception to formulate a plan before they entered the negotiation with Hamor. They feign religious preference by saying Dinah could not be married to an uncircumcised man and in fact, Jacob’s clan could not intermarry and intermingle with the uncircumcised Hivites so they established just one condition. In order for this marriage to occur that would unite the Hivites and Israelites to one tribe and one people, every man would have to be circumcised. If they weren’t willing to submit themselves to this requirement, then the brothers would take Dinah and go. Keep in mind, the brothers have no right to offer circumcision to these people: it is a sign of the covenant between God and His people.

Remember that Hamor and Shechem are negotiating for Dinah’s hand in marriage. “Now their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.” Reasonable means good, sensible, and fair. The terms of the deal were acceptable to Hamor and Shechem and each had their own reasons why the deal was good. Excited over the deal and the likelihood of making a life with Dinah, “The young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father.” In the eyes of the people, Shechem was more honored than his father. The text does not specifically say why, but Shechem used his position to convince the people that the deal was a good one. People can be convinced to do dumb things when it is being presented by someone they love, perhaps someone they feel indebted to.

Shechem and Hamor go to the city gate where the leaders of the city hang out. The terms of the deal are presented in a very convincing manner in vs. 20-24. The Israelites are friendly and peaceful. Since they’re friendly, they can live in the land and trade in it because there’s plenty of room for everyone. They can intermarry: there will be more girls to go around. There is only the condition of circumcision to make it all happen. If this thing is done, then the wealth of Jacob and his family will be shared: Jacob’s livestock and his property will become one with Shechem’s people. It is a win – win for everyone. The leaders agree and all the men and boys were circumcised. There seems to be a measure of haste in this decision. There is no recorded discussion among the leaders. There is no time set aside to consider the terms of the agreement. It looks like they simply agree to the terms of the deal.

Once again, the story takes a dramatic and this time, deadly turn. Every man and boy submitted themselves to circumcision and they are in pain. Knowing this would happen, two of Dinah’s brothers leap into action in vs. 25-29. Simeon and Levi went on a rampage. This is the first time in the story that two of the brothers are called out. Dinah had four other brothers: Reuben, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon. These seven children were all born to Leah. Why they didn’t join with Simeon and Levi is curious. According to Jewish tradition, the pain associated with circumcision would be at its peak on the third day. Simeon and Levi would know this and they took advantage that the Hivite men would be basically defenseless. Get this picture in your mind. The men are recovering, resting, and relaxing following their painful ordeal: it’s not like it is today. Simeon and Levi get their swords and get into the city unnoticed. As they worked their way through the city, they killed every man and boy they came to likely without making a sound so no one could raise an alarm. When they arrived at the royal dwelling, they killed Hamor and Shechem. They took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left and some think the word “took” indicates that Dinah was held against her will. They also looted the city and the sole reason for all this bloodshed was that Shechem had defiled Dinah.

I will not pretend to know the level of anger Simeon and Levi felt toward this people group, but I would be more understanding if their anger was targeted only on Shechem. With every male killed, the entire Hivite clan would die out. They were left with nothing. It looks like the other four brothers may have joined in the looting based on the pronouns in vs. 27, 28, and 29. For sure we know that everything was taken from them and brought to Jacob.

“Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household.” This response is quite perplexing. His daughter has been raped and essentially stolen from his family. Yet his greatest concern is over his own preservation. Sometimes our kids can cause trouble for us. The trouble Jacob was concerned about is indicated by the word odious. Your translation may say stink or stench. The idea of this word is the odor that emanates from rotting fish. Jacob’s concern is not for his daughter Dinah, but from the fear that the Perrizites and Canaanites would join together to attack him and destroy him and his family like what just happened to the Hivites. That’s a very real concern that we’ll see in the next chapter and is also seen in the book of Joshua. All of Jacob’s concerns are silenced by the brothers when they said, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?”

Like many other stories in Genesis, this has all the makings of a blockbuster action movie. There is a love story, albeit, dreadfully executed. There is kidnapping, deception, trickery, revenge, killing, and pillaging. But this is a horrible story of misplaced sexual passion and the deviant behavior that can result. There is little redeeming value in this story except the protection of a sibling. Simeon and Levi actually rebuke Jacob implying that their father failed to defend the honor of their sister. They did what Jacob would not. What happens next to Jacob and his family? Will the Canaanites and Perrizites unite to attack him and his family? Join us next week to find out.

Confrontation

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Last week we saw that Laban’s attitude toward Jacob had changed. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob in a dream and told him to return to the land of his birth. Jacob leaves Paddan-Aram with his wives and children and all that he gathered while there. Laban finds out three days later and chased after him finally catching up to Jacob in the hill country of Gilead. Laban told Jacob that he understood wanting to go back to his homeland, but he didn’t understand why he would take his gods or idols. Fear motivated Jacob to leave Laban because he thought Laban would try and take his wives, Laban’s daughters, by force. But Jacob denied taking the idols and went so far as to say death would come to anyone holding the idols not knowing that Rachel had those idols in her possession. This morning, we’ll see the confrontation between Laban and Jacob.

I hope you’ll take the time to read Gen. 31:33-55 with us.

The search begins. Keep in mind the character of Laban in the narrative. He is a known cheat. He is a known deceiver. He seems a bit over the top at the loss of his idols and that is why he chased down Jacob. Laban begins the search for his missing idols. When something is missing, you look everywhere for that item, not just where you think it might be. Laban goes into Jacob’s tent. That’s a logical place for that stolen treasure to be found since he is the prime suspect. Then Leah’s tent. I imagine Laban believes he is getting closer and closer to finding the culprit following the search of each tent.  Then Leah’s maids’ tent. The search ends in Rachel’s tent which tells us that Laban even suspected his daughters were in on the theft. What Jacob doesn’t know is that Rachel has stolen the household idols and has conveniently stored them in the saddlebags of the camel she is sitting on.

“Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.” Felt around literally means grope around as if blind. Remember Isaac when his sight had failed, feeling his son who he thought was Esau to properly identify him. In what seems to me to be a snarky comment, Rachel says, “Let my lord not be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” Rachel tells her father that she can’t get up because she is experiencing her monthly period. This information justified her not rising as would be appropriate for the culture of the day to show respect to her father. The fact that she was experiencing her period would also make her unclean and anything she sat on would also be unclean according to Lev. 15:19. Add all that to the fact she was sitting on a camel which was considered unclean. It’s all made up because Rachel is sitting on the little idols she stole from her father. “So he searched but did not find the household idols.”

Now it’s Jacob’s turn to get angry over this situation. Look at vs. 36-42. Jacob recounts all the wrong he has suffered at the hands of Laban. Laban searched all through Jacob’s possessions and found nothing.          Jacob gets aggressive and tells Laban, “Set it here before my kinsman and your kinsman, that they may decide between us.” In other words, put everything you’ve found in front of all of us and let them decide my fate. Jacob then goes into a monologue that you’d think would put Laban in his place; that Laban would be able to see how poorly he treated Jacob. In the short term, the things that Jacob endured may have seemed pretty small. But when you put it together, you see the character of Laban come out. For 20 years, Jacob was the consummate shepherd that took exceptional care of Laban’s flocks. None of the female lambs or goats miscarried because of Jacob’s care for them. If one of the lambs or goats were killed by another animal, Jacob was required to suffer the financial loss himself even though we see in Exodus and Amos this is not required. This was what Laban required of Jacob. Jacob lived under brutal conditions on a daily basis. He suffered under the heat of the day and the cold of the night. He endured sleepless nights all to take care of Laban’s flock. As a shepherd, you can see how awful it must have been for Jacob. Laban was not just Jacob’s boss; Laban was his father-in-law.

For 20 years, he’s been in the house of Laban. He worked seven years for the privilege of marrying Rachel, but Laban substituted Leah instead. Jacob had to work another seven years to get the hand of Rachel. On top of that, he had to work an additional six years taking care of the flock. Jacob has mounted a very good defense against the accusations of Laban. Jacob served Laban for 20 years and changed his wages ten times. Jacob said that earlier when he was speaking to Leah and Rachel in 31:7. Jacob has two main problems with Laban as a boss: the length of time he was required to serve and the frequent change in his wages and we can only assume the wages went down. This is a pretty condemning portrayal of Laban’s character as a boss and a father-in-law. Jacob gets in one last piece of evidence against Laban. Jacob says, “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.” Laban acknowledged God’s hand in this in v. 29 when God spoke to him the previous night saying, “Be careful not to speak good or bad to Jacob.” We’ll see later in Scripture that God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These are the patriarchs of Israel. Fear in this verse refers to God. God has seen Jacob’s affliction. He knows what Jacob has been enduring. He knows how Jacob has worked honorably, how he has gone the extra mile for Laban; God knows all the injustices Jacob has suffered because of Laban. And in His timing, God has rendered judgment. On a good day, Laban was a terrible boss.

Here’s how Laban responds. I want to remind you that we have the complete Word of God. We have the benefit of looking back at this event with the conclusion before us. We have the benefit of knowing what Laban was thinking, what Jacob was thinking, and also what Leah and Rachel were thinking. The people that we are reading about did not have that luxury. After Jacob lays out his argument, Laban responds in vs. 43-44. Laban concludes that his daughters and their children really belong to him. The flocks of animals all belong to him. All that is in front of them belongs to Laban. In Laban’s way of thinking, he believes Jacob has come out on top because Jacob has his daughters and their children. Laban believes Jacob owes him. Laban believes that Jacob has forcefully taken Leah and Rachel and their children. In v. 26, Laban said, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives by the sword?” Laban doesn’t know that Rachel and Leah had a conversation with Jacob back in vs. 14-16: “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house? Are we not reckoned by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and now consumed our purchase price. Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children.” They knew their father’s character and they wanted out. The girls should have been allowed to go before, but like Jacob, they also had to stay around. Laban spent the portion that should have been given to Jacob as was customary for the day.

Laban offers a compromise and wants to cut a covenant with Jacob. The covenant would be between Laban and Jacob. We’ll see the importance of this covenant later. Jacob responds by establishing a pillar of stones. He tells his kinsman, “Gather stones. So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.” These are two different names for the same place. Jegar-sahadutha is Aramaic and Galeed is Hebrew. Laban is Aramean and Jacob is Hebrew and this covenant has important implications that we’ll see shortly. Both names mean witness heap and Laban says, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, and Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.” Mizpah means watchtower. What’s interesting is Laban calls on God to take the role of watching over Jacob. Laban gives Jacob a warning and a condition of the treaty, “If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” Over the course of the last 20 years, Jacob has proven his faithfulness to Laban over and over. Laban stresses to Jacob that although Laban may not see or know what is happening with his daughters, God is watching.

Now in vs. 51-52. The heap and the pillar would serve as witnesses of the treaty as well as a boundary marker. Anytime that the pile of stones or the pillar were passed or looked at would remind all those descended from Laban and Jacob of the covenant that was cut there. No harm would come to either as long as the covenant was not broken because God was watching. As is customary with covenants, Laban says, “The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” There is some confusion over this verse because Laban has not demonstrated any behavior that would indicate he is a follower of the God of Abraham. Don’t’ forget what contributed to this whole chase and confrontation. Remember Rachel stole his household idols. It seems likely that the God of Abraham and Nahor are not the same. One thing is certain; Laban considers this covenant a permanent separation between he and Jacob. Jacob agreed with the conditions set forth by Laban, “So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.” An agreement acknowledged by the One and only true God. This is the God of Isaac. It is the same thing that Jacob commanded Esau to swear by in Gen. 25:33 when Esau sold his birthright. “Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.” In customary fashion, they celebrate the covenant with a sacrifice and a meal. The kinsman were included in the celebratory meal and also served as witnesses to the agreement between Laban and Jacob. Once the meal is concluded, everyone retires for the night.

Our story concludes by saying, “Early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.” What Laban had complained about before now took place. Remember he said that Jacob’s sudden departure with his daughters prevented him from sending them away with joy and giving everyone a kiss goodbye. Now he does just that and went home.

Jacob has finally got out from under the oppressive employment of Laban. Our story doesn’t say that Laban was oppressive, but Jacob certainly dealt with some very difficult circumstances. Laban’s bait and switch of Leah for Rachel. Additional time spent to get the girl he really wanted. Time spent caring for Laban’s herd and flocks that saw Laban’s wealth increase significantly. Having successfully completed the time allotted to get his wives, Jacob departs even if it’s under the cover of night. I make no excuses for Jacob, but it seems unlikely given what we know about Laban’s character, that Jacob would have been able to leave him under agreeable terms. What about us? How do we respond when we have unfavorable bosses or employment conditions?

Rebekah’s Deception

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Last week we learned the apple does not fall far from the tree as Isaac did to Abimelech exactly what Abraham did to Abimelech. Isaac lies about Rebekah’s identity and Abimelech finds out and perhaps he was told of the previous encounter with Abraham and Sarah. Wells were dug and argued about before Isaac settled in Beersheba. A covenant was made between Isaac and Abimelech and last week ended with the ominous and foreboding verse, “And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” This morning, we see a deceptive side to the very beautiful Rebekah and her favorite son Jacob.

Take the time to read Gen. 27:1-29 so you know what’s happening in our story for today.

There is a simple lesson here, don’t play favorites. Isaac is getting on in years and his eyes are failing him. He calls Esau and shares that he doesn’t know how much longer he’ll live, and it would be wonderful if Esau would take his bow and hunt him up some of the wild game he is so fond of. He has always enjoyed the food that Esau provided and Isaac requests a last meal. With this potential last meal, Isaac promises to bless Esau before he takes his last breath. Esau is the first born to Isaac and would be entitled to the blessing of the first born over the second born Jacob. Rebekah is listening while this conversation takes place between Isaac and Esau. What Isaac asks is a simple request that turns into an opportunity for deception. Rebekah knows that Esau would be blessed, but she likes Jacob more than she likes Esau and the wheels start spinning on how she could get Jacob to be blessed. This is completely backwards of how she was earlier. Remember she was barren and Isaac interceded for her, “and the Lord answered him and his wife Rebekah conceived.” (Gen. 25:21) The children struggled in her womb and she wondered why it was happening and Gen. 25:22-23 says, “She went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.” Remember that last line.

After Esau left to hunt, Rebekah fills Jacob in on the conversation his dad had with his brother. Without skipping a beat, Rebekah seems to have all this planned out. She tells Jacob to get two goats from the flock and she’d prepare the kind of savory meal that Isaac loves. Keep in mind, this is Isaac her husband she is planning to deceive in order to rob Esau the blessing of her son in favor of Jacob her other son. Jacob points out what is obvious to everyone. Esau is hairy and Jacob is smooth. Given the failing eyesight of age, Isaac probably got into the habit of feeling the arm or face of whoever is speaking to him. Jacob does not want to get caught and be accused as a deceiver. And then not only would he not get a blessing, but he’d end up with a curse. Rebekah assures Jacob that she will take responsibility for anything that goes wrong even if it is a curse. Jacob is only to do as she says – no arguing.

So, Jacob grabbed two goats from the flock and brought them to Rebekah who cooked up a savory meal. Knowing that Isaac would likely touch Jacob, Rebekah gets some of Esau’s clothes and gives them to Jacob to put on. She goes a step further and gets the hides from the goats just slaughtered and puts them on Jacob. Those skins will help the ruse that Jacob is Esau in order to steal the blessing away. Jacob is dressed in Esau’s best clothes; he’s got the animal skins covering his smooth skin and he takes the savory food, some bread, and walks into where Isaac is apparently waiting to die. The stage is set for the epic deception. Keep in mind, Jacob is merely a pawn in this game in order for Rebekah to get the patriarch’s blessing for her favored son even though he was born second. He raised an objection to Rebekah about the difference in the skin and did not want to risk receiving a curse, but he succumbed to the command of his mother.

The meal is brought to Isaac. Look at vs. 18-20. Isaac immediately recognizes something is not quite right. Isaac asks the boy, “Who are you, my son? I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me.” Those are two lies. It’s really Jacob and Isaac hadn’t told him to do anything. Too little time has elapsed for Esau to hunt, kill, butcher the wild game and then prepare him the kind of meal that the loves. Jacob declares that it all happened so quickly because God helped him – lie #3. What Isaac says next must have caused Jacob’s heart to beat faster and his stomach to do a flip flop. “Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” Isaac had to know that something was up. Maybe it was the voice that said he was Esau, but sounded like Jacob. Jacob gets closer to Isaac who touches him. You can hear the confusion in Isaac’s voice as he says, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Perhaps in his old age, Rebekah was counting on Isaac’s mind to not be as sharp as it once was to complete the deception. The next verse is very troubling, “He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother’s Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. And he said, “Are you really my son Esau? And he said, “I am.”  Lie #4 if you’re keeping count. Isaac did not recognize the son that was in front of him and counted on the boy’s honesty to be sure who was there. “So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed.” Two final tests remain to determine the identity of the boy in front of him. Isaac wanted to eat the food that had been prepared and then he wanted the boy to kiss him. Isaac knew the type of food Esau normally prepared and he would know how he smelled. He eats and smells and concludes that the boy is Esau and pronounces a blessing over who he thinks is his first born.         The deception is complete. In the beginning, Jacob was merely a pawn in the game, but then became a willing participant by lying to his father four times. Rebekah never gave him instructions on how to speak or what to say. Remember that she was only going to take the fall if Isaac discovered that is was Jacob. Look at the blessing in vs. 28-29. The blessing from Isaac is for the land to produce bountifully for his son. That peoples would serve him and nations bow down to him. That he would be master of his brothers and his mother’s sons would bow down to him. Finally, those that bless the son would be blessed and those that curse the son would be cursed. Isaac blesses his son and it appears that the course of history is altered forever.

And then the deception is discovered. Read vs. 30-40. The timing of this is very interesting. “Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” Jacob had barely left the room when Esau comes in with a plate of steaming hot, savory food that Isaac loved so much. Did they pass by in the hall and Jacob gave Esau a smug grin that said, “I know something you don’t.” Did Esau suspect any wrong doing? Did Jacob’s demeanor betray him? Esau brings his father the savory food as requested and expects a blessing, but is shocked when Isaac says, “Who are you?” Maybe Esau has grown accustomed to his elderly father asking who he was because of his poor eyesight. Maybe Esau didn’t think anything about it because he says, “I am your son, your firstborn Esau.” I am certain the response from Isaac was not was Esau was expecting, “Then Isaac trembled violently.” The reality of what just happened became clear to Isaac. Trembled violently literally means trembled a great trembling exceedingly. It conveys a physical shaking and gives us a clue to the severity and ramification of what had just occurred. Isaac said to Esau, “Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”           Isaac understood the long-lasting consequences of this action. Esau also understood the long-lasting consequences of this action. Esau’s reaction says it all: “When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry,” The reality of what just occurred has come crashing down on Esau. He bursts into bitter and wild sobbing. Esau understands the implications, but not fully. Esau says, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” This is a reasonable demand, I think, but Isaac says, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” The reality of this deception is out in the open. The blessing intended for Esau has been stolen by Jacob under the guidance of the scheming Rebekah. Esau lashes out at his father and says, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.”

Names used to mean a lot and Jacob is no exception. From the twin’s birth story, the first born came out all red and hairy and was named Esau. The second baby came out grabbing the heel of the first and was named Jacob which means heel grabber and supplant which means to take the place of, as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like. According to The Complete Who’s Who in the Bible, Jacob is an opportunist, seizing the advantage by fair means and foul. We certainly saw that in the birthright selling story. As a point of clarification, Esau seems to be forgetting the part he played when he sold his birthright for some stew. There was some drama on the part of Esau. Remember he acted like he was going to die if he didn’t get something to eat and he figured his birthright was of no use if he were dead. Was that right or good? No, but there was no trickery involved. In this case, his blessing was stolen by trickery and he implores Isaac, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me? But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?” This is pitiful. Isaac wanted to bless Esau, but he had given it away to Jacob. “Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept.” Esau would take whatever blessing he could get no matter how small, whatever was left, anything that Isaac had to offer. Instead of receiving the blessing, Esau could only weep. The blessing of the firstborn would not come and in fact, Isaac tells Esau what will happen.

Read vs. 39-40. This sounds an awful lot like a curse. If you notice, this is nearly opposite of what Isaac said to Jacob. No fruit of the land. No dew from heaven. He will live by the sword. He’ll serve Jacob like an ox serves his master, but there will come a time when he will break the yoke around his neck.

And not for the rest of the rest of the story. As you might expect, this pronouncement by Isaac into Esau’s future does not sit well with Esau. Read 41-44. As a consequence of Jacob’s trickery, Esau immediately plots to kill Jacob. Out of respect for his father, Esau will wait to kill Jacob until Isaac dies. As Esau comforted himself with the thought of killing Jacob, he must have vented his anger within earshot of others because word got back to Rebekah. As soon as she hears of the plot, she once again leaps into action. She lets Jacob know about Esau’s plan to kill him and sends him away to her brother Laban in Haran. Remember from Chapter 25, Esau was a skillful hunter and a man of the field and in contrast, Jacob was a peaceful man that lived in tents. The likelihood of Esau making good on his plan to kill Jacob was a very real possibility. Esau held a grudge against Jacob. Jacob did Esau wrong, there is no doubt about that. Grudges are a terrible thing to have. Grudges will dominate your thought life and consume you with bitterness and anger. You can have a grudge against someone and it can drive wedges between you and others as you try to persuade others to see how you have been wronged. It’s unhealthy, it’s damaging, it’s ungodly, and it’s unholy.

Rebekah is not done with her trickery because the story ends with her saying to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?” She fabricates a reason for Jacob to leave Heth in favor of her hometown that we’ll see next week. The story of Esau and Jacob has all the makings of a great movie. There is deception, lies, betrayal, hidden motives, revenge, and a potential murder. All things that draw people to the movies except this movie would be based on a true story. There are few redeeming qualities in the actions of the people in the story, but the principles are groundbreaking. Trust God. Remember His promises. Allow Him to work in His time.

Don’t try to take control of situations that are in God’s hands. Don’t try and manipulate circumstances to control the outcome. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal. Don’t murder. Are these things really things we need to be reminded of? Absolutely.

Isaac gets a Girl

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Last week we learned of Sarah’s death. Abraham was well respected in Canaan and we saw the generosity from the sons of Heth when Abraham negotiated to purchase a burial plot for Sarah. Abraham wanted a cave in Machpelah and was willing to pay for it, but Ephron wanted to give him the cave and the field the cave was in. They went back and forth before Abraham convinced Ephron to take 400 pieces of silver for it and Sarah was laid to rest, “in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in Canaan.” This morning, Abraham sends his oldest servant on a mission to find a wife for Isaac.

We’ll look at all of Chapter 24 in this post, but we’ll break it down into several sections. First, take a look at Gen. 24:1-9.

Cue the mission impossible theme song. Abraham is getting up in years and it seems that he is growing concerned that Isaac does not have a wife. He calls for the oldest servant in the house, probably the most trusted, loyal servant he has. Abraham tells him to place his hand under his thigh. I know at first glance, this seems like a very strange thing to do. Think about Abraham observing the solemn promise of the pinky swear. This was a symbol a very solemn oath. We’ll see it again later in Genesis. Abraham asks his servant to take a two-part oath, that is sworn, “By the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth.” First, the wife that is chosen for Isaac was not to be a Canaanite. The God of Abraham is not the same as the gods that are worshipped in Canaan. Abraham does not want any problems arising from a Canaanite woman that does not worship the one and only true God. This is the same reason why you don’t date and definitely don’t marry someone that does not hold the same fundamental beliefs as you do. There is no such thing as missional dating. You don’t marry a fixer upper. I’m not suggesting that you must be at the same level of spiritual maturity, but if you’re a believer, the other has to at least be spiritually reborn. In 2 Cor. 6:14-16a Paul said, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?”

Abraham wants someone for Isaac that will be compatible with him spiritually. Second, the woman should be taken from Abraham’s relatives. This is no small task and the servant is being asked to swear to do it by the God of heaven and the God of earth. Before accepting the assignment, the servant wants some clarification. If I find a girl and she’s not willing to come here, should I grab Isaac and go there? The servant did not rise to be Abraham’s #1 servant because he was dumb. The servant anticipates a potential problem and pushes it back to Abraham. It would be normal in that day for a potential suitor to be interviewed by the father of the potential bride. There were details to be haggled out. Perhaps there were possessions to be exchanged. You don’t just go into a new place as a stranger and say, “I want that one, come with me.” Abraham gives the servant an out by saying, “If the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there. So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.” Mission accepted.

The story shifts to the servant’s journey. Look at vs. 10-21. The servant packs up 10 camels and takes the best Abraham has to offer and heads to Aram of the two rivers and to the city of Nahor. Nahor is not the name of the city, but who resides there. Nahor is the name of Abraham’s grandfather and also Abraham’s brother. The city is most likely Harran. The servant has traveled back to the land that Abraham left all those years ago. Like most people after a journey, the servant stops at the well outside of town to water the camels. The picture of a train of ten camels loaded with all the best Abraham has to offer shows a picture of the blessings of God. The servant stops at the watering hole and it’s not just to get water. It is evening time, the time when women go to the well to get water and the best opportunity to spot a woman that would serve well as Isaac’s wife. Not wanting to leave the success of this important mission to himself or to chance, the servant calls on the God of Abraham and prays for success. This is a good principle to follow. Prayer should always be a first choice, not a last resort. All too often, we get the call when someone is on the brink of disaster. A marriage is one step from total breakdown. A believer is one step from walking away from church. Use the privilege of being in the presence of God to allow Him to guide your path to achieve success in His eyes.

The servant prays a very specific prayer that could only be answered by God. It was an impossible prayer in man’s eyes. It was a very specific prayer that could only be answered by an all knowing, all seeing God. This prayer represents an unmistakable method to ensure that the servant selects the right girl. Before the servant even finishes, up walks Rebekah. Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel who was the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. What are the odds? The odds are excellent because the Father knows what you need before you even ask. (Matt. 6:8) This was no ordinary girl. She was not just beautiful; she was very beautiful. She was a virgin. Those two qualities are great, but there was another quality the prospective wife of Isaac had to meet. Remember in Chapter 18 when Abraham beseeched the three visitors to allow him to entertain them. This idea of hospitality was very important in that culture. The servant knows this and not only is Rebekah very beautiful, a virgin, and a relative of Abraham, she demonstrated the hospitality that set her apart as the one for Isaac. Some say Rebekah was a female Abraham who was as virtuous as Abraham in this area.

“Then the servant ran to meet her, and said. “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” The next series of verses are very important as we see the Lord working. Immediately Rebekah responds by saying, “Drink my lord,” and she lowered the jar down. When the servant finishes, she says, let me get some water for your camels too. A thirsty camel can drink over two gallons of water a minute. Remember there are ten camels; that’s a lot of water. Rebekah quickly lowered her jar to let the servant drink, she quickly emptied her jar in the trough, and ran to the well to get more water. Rebekah is a picture of hospitality and the servant is carefully watching her to see if she is the one which would make his journey a success.

A decision is made in the matter. Look at vs. 22-27. Without a word, the servant gives Rebekah a nose ring and bracelets and asks, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?” This is not the kind of question we would ask a complete stranger, but remember back then, it was customary to expect and provide hospitality. Keep in mind, we know her lineage, but up to now, the servant does not. Rebekah provides the answer he prayerfully hoped for and he falls to the ground in worship. God has answered his specific prayers and he knows that Rebekah is the one for Isaac. What’s Rebekah do? Read vs. 28-33. She runs home and tells everyone what just happened. Laban, Rebekah’s brother, sees the golden jewelry, hears what happened, and runs outside to the spring. Laban says to the servant, “Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” So the man entered the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” The hospitality showed by Rebekah is mirrored in the hospitality demonstrated by Laban and the entire household. Laban takes care of the camels, gets water so the men can wash their feet, and sets food before them. The servant says, hold on just a minute. I can’t eat until I tell you about the mission I am on. Laban says, “Speak on.” In my mind, Rebekah’s family is seated around the room all looking at the servant expectantly.

And now vs. 34-48. The servant tells the family what we already know and comes to the ultimate question: “So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.” If this is going to work, let me know. If not, I’ll be on my way. Look at Laban’s and Bethuel’s response: “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.” You cannot stand in the way of what God is going to accomplish. This entire series of events was put in motion by the prayers of Abraham and the prayer of the servant. Rebekah and her household had to be in tune with the Lord because they followed His direction. Can people choose to ignore God’s will and go their own way? Of course. We can choose disobedience, but that’s never part of God’s plan. This will be the last time we hear Bethuel weigh in on the discussion. “When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord.” Once again, we see the acknowledgment from the servant that God is the God that made it happen. He worships again. We saw the generosity of the servant to Rebekah in the form of gold jewelry, and now he lavishes additional gifts on Rebekah and also Rebekah’s mother and brother. This wonderful time culminates in a meal for everyone gathered before they retire for the night.

When they woke up the next morning, the servant says, “Send me away to my master.” Laban and his mother say, “Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” The Lord had prepared the way so carefully. Everything fell into place so beautifully and now we seem to have hit a snag. Laban and his mom want Rebekah to stay ten days. It was customary in those times for the eldest brother to negotiate marriage arrangements for a sister. Rebekah’s brother and mother want her to stay another ten days. Now this might be a problem. The servant has just made a huge request to give Rebekah to Isaac, someone she has never even laid eyes on. You’d think that this simple request made by Rebekah’s loved ones would be something that was doable. But Abraham’s servant says, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” The servant is ready to begin the journey back to Abraham and does not even want to spend another day there. There is a sense of urgency in the servant’s request. I don’t know if Laban and his mother knew what Rebekah might be thinking, but they say, “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” After hearing from the servant about his journey and his mission, after all the decision making by Laban and his mother, they decide to ask Rebekah what she wants to do. “Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” The decision is quickly made.

Look now at vs. 59-61. Rebekah leaves her household blessed by Laban. The hope is for thousands upon thousands of offspring. This blessing is similar to God’s blessing of Sarah in Gen. 17:16 where God tells Abraham that she will be the mother of nations and kings. It is also similar to the blessing in 22:17 when the angel tells Abraham that his descendants will number like the sand on the seashore. Rebekah plays a significant part in the future of Israel.

Isaac sees Rebekah for the first time. Read vs. 62-67. As their journey comes to an end, Isaac is in the Negev meditating in a field as evening approached. He looks up and sees the entourage coming. At the same moment, Rebekah looks up and sees Isaac looking toward her and she asks the servant, “Who is the man walking in the field to meet us?” The timing of this is very important and points to God’s perfect timing. Isaac looks up and Rebekah looks up. Earlier in the story, as the servant was finishing his prayer, Rebekah walked up. As Abraham was about to sacrifice his one and only son, he spots a ram caught in the thickets. As Ishmael was about to die of thirst, Hagar’s eyes are opened and she sees a well. God’s timing is important. Rebekah gets off her camel and covers her face. “The servant told Isaac all the things he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

We have come to the end of the longest chapter in Genesis. The mission Abraham sent his servant on has ended in complete success. This wasn’t just an arranged marriage or a marriage of convenience. The perfect wife has been found for Isaac and he loved her. The stage now shifts from Abraham and Sarah to Isaac and Rebekah. Will Isaac and Rebekah find happiness in their new marriage? Will there be children? Will they live happily ever after? What will happen next? You’ll have to wait until next week.

Hagar gets Deported

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Last week we saw Abraham do the same dumb thing he did in Egypt back in Gen. 12. Once again, God intervenes and Abraham and Sarah leave with sheep, oxen, male and female servants, plus 1000 pieces of silver. We left with Abraham praying and God healing Abimelech and his wife and maids so that they could have children. This morning, we find the promise of God fulfilled when Sarah gets pregnant.

Our passage today comes from Gen. 21:1-21. I hope you’ll take the time to read it.

The long-awaited time has come for Abraham and Sarah. It has been 25 years since God promised to make Abraham a great nation in 12:3. It has been a long journey, but I am sure it has been worth the wait. Sarah conceives and in the same breath, Isaac is born. Just a year earlier, the Lord visited Abraham and Sarah. In 17:21, God said, “But My covenant will be established with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” In 18:14 the Lord tells Abraham, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” The prophecy has been fulfilled at the exact time that the Lord said. “Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The baby’s name is not shocking. That’s what God said to name him. Isaac means laugh or joy. That makes sense given the extreme joy over the birth of the long-awaited son.

Abraham, 100 years old, follows the covenant and circumcises his eight-day old son. Sarah rejoices and says, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” I wonder if Sarah is thinking in particular of Hagar. Their relationship became quite contentious after her scheme to, “obtain children through her.” (Gen. 16:2) The inner laughing of doubt in 18:12 that she denied in 18:15 is now open laughter of joy that others will share with her. I wonder if Sarah recognizes the irony of her laughter. How many times has God revealed something to us that we doubt? How many times have we expressed our amazement when He does what He says? These first seven verses share the excitement and happiness of Sarah as she finally gives birth after so many years. Isaac, “grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.” A celebration of weaning was not uncommon in those days. It would occur when the child was somewhere around two to three years old.

And now the joy of the weaning turns to animosity. What should have been a celebration turns ugly when Ishmael shows up. “Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.” The Hebrew word for mocking has been translated as laughing, playing, making fun of, and scoffing. In Gal. 4:29, Paul referred to this incident as Ishmael persecuting Isaac. What the word really means cannot be determined exactly. But we can see from Sarah’s reaction that she didn’t like it one bit. She sees her little toddler Isaac together with Abraham’s teenage son Ishmael. “Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” Is Sarah overreacting? We don’t know exactly what transpired between Ishmael and Isaac, but if it were simply normal kids being kids behavior, does that warrant deporting Hagar and her son? Sarah is talking permanent expulsion from her presence. She wants no joint heir arrangement. Ishmael is Abraham’s first born and Isaac the second. Typically, we see the first born blessed and Ishmael and Isaac represent a very interesting dynamic. It’s not unusual for the second born to be blessed over the first. Cain was rejected and Abel was accepted. Jacob was blessed over Esau. Ephraim over Manasseh. All the first born in Egypt were rejected. Ishmael caused problems between Abraham and Sarah from the moment Sarah came up with her ill conceived plan to help God. As soon as Hagar got pregnant, Sarah despised her. Sarah treated her harshly causing Hagar to flee to the wilderness. The angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar in the wilderness promising that her son’s descendants would be too many to count, but also provided the warning that Ishmael would be a, “wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him.” (Gen. 16:12) We don’t read anywhere in Scripture that speaks of the joy brought to the family because of Ishmael.

This is really an interesting allegory about law and grace that Paul shares in his letter to the Galatians. Paul goes to great lengths to explain this. He says Ishmael was born of a bond woman and Isaac of a free woman. The two women represent two covenants. Hagar represents the one from Mount Sinai: the law – bondage and corresponds to Jerusalem. Sarah represents the new covenant, new Jerusalem, the one above: grace. Paul refers to Ishmael as the one born to the flesh and Isaac as the one born to the Spirit. Ishmael is born first which represents the natural; the natural always precedes the spiritual. Ishmael represents the old covenant which could not save: the law. Isaac represents the new covenant of grace that is freely offered to all that respond. Hagar was Abraham’s second wife: she was added alongside Sarah. Gal. 3:19 says, “Why the law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.” The law was temporary: “until the seed would come.” Back in the garden, the relationship between God and Adam and Eve was based on grace not law. The redemption of Israel from Egypt was based on grace, not law. Israel was already in a covenant relationship with God when the law was given. Hagar was a servant. “Why the law then?” Paul asks. Gal. 3:24 says, “The law became our tutor to lead us to Christ so that we may be justified by faith.” The law was given to reveal our sin. Rom. 3:20 says, “Through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” But the law cannot redeem us from that sin. The law was given to show our need for grace. This may come as a surprise to you, but Hagar was not supposed to be a part of this. It’s hard for us to get a hold of that because we’ve read and heard about this story for a long time. Gal. 3:21 says, “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based  on law.” The law cannot impart life. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” (Gal. 2:20-21) Then in Gal. 3:2 Paul asks, “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Gal. 3:18 says our inheritance is not based on the law, but on the promise. Life comes from Christ. Righteousness comes from Christ. Inheritance comes from Christ.

To sum it up, Paul declared, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) Some argue that faith is a gift of God so no one could boast in his own salvation. You’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating. The word that or this (depending on your translation) in this verse is in the neuter gender. Faith is in the feminine. If “this” referred to faith, the genders should agree, but they do not. The Amplified Bible actually has salvation in parentheses after the word “this”. So, what is Paul saying? Salvation as a whole is a gift from God. In his own commentary on this verse, John Calvin said, “And here we must advert to a very common error in the interpretation of this passage. Many persons restrict the word gift to faith alone. But Paul is only repeating in other words the former sentiment. His meaning is, not that faith is the gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God, or, that we obtain it by the gift of God.”

Hagar gave birth to a slave. Remember, Paul is still fleshing out the two covenants: law and grace. Hagar was a bondwoman so she gives birth to a child that is a slave or allegorically speaking, under the law. Christ set us free from sin through His grace. Galatians was written because there were people who decided that in addition to the grace of God, you needed to keep the law too. Paul emphatically called this a different Gospel in Gal. 1:6 and a distortion in Gal. 1:7 and said anyone preaching it is to be accursed Gal. 1:8 and 9. I know that was somewhat of a lengthy discourse outside of Genesis, but we need to understand why Hagar and Ishmael were cast out.

Sarah has demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be driven out and not surprisingly, “The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son.” Isaac was to receive the blessing not Ishmael. Regardless of how Ishmael came to be, he is Abraham’s son. Ishmael was to be from here on out, absent from his father. Knowing Abraham’s distress, “God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. And the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” It’s not clear if God spoke to Abraham in a dream or vision, but the message is clear: do not be distressed. God reminds Abraham of His promise to make him a great nation and the greatness will come through Isaac. But don’t despair Abraham, Ishmael will not be forgotten because he is Abraham’s descendant. Look at vs. 14-16. In this very sad passage, we learn that Abraham did what Sarah demanded and sent out his son and his mother with some meager provisions to sustain them. We don’t know how long the water lasted, but we find out once it’s gone, Hagar resigns herself to the fact that death is imminent. She tells Ishmael to sit under a bush and she walks some distance away, a bowshot, presumably so she cannot hear or see Ishmael’s suffering as he dies. Hagar cries out in agony of what is to come. God hears Ishmael crying and initiates contact in vs. 17-19. No matter where you are, God can hear you and He can rescue you. According to the conclusion of this section in vs. 20-21, Ishmael lives in the wilderness of Paran and grows to adulthood, becomes an archer, and gets married enabling him to become the great nation that God told Abraham he would be in 17:20 and what God just told to Hagar in v. 18. The bow would serve him a s source for food in the wilderness and also as a weapon from his enemies which will be many.

If you’ll take a look at Gen. 21:22-34, we learn of Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech. King Abimelech and the commander of his army, a guy named Phicol, have a meeting with Abraham and offer up a treaty. They recognize that God is with Abraham. Abimelech wants Abraham to swear that he won’t deal falsely with Abimelech or Abimelech’s off spring. If you’re wondering why Abimelech would approach Abraham like this, don’t forget the previous encounter between Abraham and Abimelech in Gerar back Gen. 20. Sarah, just tell everyone you’re my sister, not my wife. Abimelech wants some assurance that everything will be on the up and up in the future as he thinks about his future. Abimelech knows of God’s blessing on Abraham. He knows of the amazing defeat following the war of the kings. He knows just how big Abraham has become in this region and wants to minimize the chance of any potential destruction to Abimelech’s legacy. Abimelech reminds Abraham of the kindness he previously showed when God revealed to him that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, not sister. Since Abimelech approaches Abraham, it’s a good time for Abraham to confront Abimelech about the well that was seized. Water was an extremely important resource in that area. We just saw Hagar and Ishmael nearly die due to lack of water. Abimelech says he didn’t know anything about a well until just then and even says that Abraham should have told him about it. Abraham seals the deal by providing the sheep and oxen that will be slain to cut the covenant that we have seen before. Abraham goes even farther by giving Abimelech seven ewe lambs which Abimelech questions. This was a very generous gift that served as a witness that Abraham dug the well. “Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines.” Beersheba means well of oath, or well of seven. Later in Chapter 26, Isaac will mention this very well. We close with Abraham planting a tamarisk tree. Also known as a salt cedar, this type of tree can grow to 30 feet. It provides excellent shade and is a fitting memorial to the Lord and to the covenant with Abimelech. Abraham worships the Everlasting God: El-Olam and, “sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.”

We started this morning with the birth of Isaac and saw the deportation of Hagar and Ishmael. God provided for Hagar and Ishmael in the dry, harsh wilderness and we learned that Ishmael settled in Paran, took up the bow and got married to an Egyptian.  Abimelech and Abraham meet to form a covenant. All’s well that tends well or is this the calm before the storm? Join us next week to find out.