Burunche’s Blog

Genesis 39:1-23

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

“Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.

Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”

Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or be with her. One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household

servant was inside. She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

Joseph Falsely Imprisoned

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger. So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined.

While Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden, who put all those held in the prison under Joseph’s authority, so that he was responsible for all that was done there. The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him and gave him success in whatever he did.”

Well, Joseph has made it to Egypt and has had the great fortune to be purchased by Potiphar, a top-ranking military commander. It doesn’t take long for Potiphar to realize that Joseph is one bright guy, and honest as well. After a series of problems with previous major-domos, Potiphar is frankly relieved to find that Joseph is brilliant, hard-working, and skilled at managing the household. Evidently, Joseph has learned a few things while growing up in a family with eleven brothers.

Whatever Egyptian culture is, the sexual mores are fairly loose, particularly when it comes to slaves sleeping with the mistress. Potiphar’s wife is an upper-class Egyptian, possibly from a priest’s family, and she feels she has ultimate power over the entire household. This snobbish lady is totally unprepared for her handsome Hebrew slave to refuse her advances. How dare this low-borne individual scorn her? When a new hairdo, new clothes, and new makeup don’t succeed in enticing Joseph into her bed, Potiphar’s wife traps him, seizes his cloak as he flees, and then lies about the situation to her husband. Potiphar is properly incensed and immediately sends Joseph to jail. But after Joseph has been in the prison for a while, the prison warden realizes Joseph’s talents as a manager and gives him authority to run the prison.

Why is Joseph succeeding wherever he goes? The key is simple: “because the Lord is with him and gives him success in whatever he does.” Why is the Lord with Joseph? Although Joseph has started out as a mouthy teen-ager ratting out his older brothers, he has evidently gained some humility and he has integrity. The incident with Potiphar’s wife has taught Joseph to be very careful about all his relationships and to avoid the appearance of evil, that is, to avoid getting into compromising situations. It’s possible that the situation with Potiphar’s wife might have been unavoidable; this lady is quite capable of dispatching the rest of the household on various errands, leaving only Joseph and her at home so there would be no witnesses. Now that Joseph is in prison, there are many of his fellow prisoners who would also like to betray him so that they could move into his position. God is the One protecting Joseph.

Many of us have found ourselves in working situations not unsimilar to those of Joseph’s. During my career as a female surgeon, I have occasionally encountered male colleagues willing to engage in sexual harassment. Nowadays such incidents are reportable; however, even now, women must be careful, lest they gain reputations as troublemakers and find themselves without a job. There are many companies where the politics of survival is labyrinthine. Coworkers you view as colleagues may be plotting to undermine you to get ahead. We are currently watching friends in another part of Ghana who are struggling with victimization in the workplace. The wife joined a company a year ago and has worked long hours as their office manager while being paid a pittance. Now she wants to leave that company to start her own business at home; however, the company is trying to hold her to a contract that she has never seen and has never signed. Our friends may wind up in court to settle the matter.

We have no control over the choices other people make; however, we can control our own choices. We can choose to act with integrity and honesty, working diligently wherever we find ourselves. When we are working to the glory of God, God will help us. We are sorry our friends are suffering at present; however, we are certain that ultimately God will deliver them from this untenable situation. In the meantime, the wife is doing the best work she can and has peace that God will help her.

Perhaps you too feel trapped; you don’t particularly like your job but you must work to support your family and yourself. Ask God to help you do the best work possible in that situation and then ask Him to guide you into the work He wants you to do. In Psalm 32:8 God promises, “I will lead you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye upon you.” Even if you feel lonely and frustrated, remember that God is still watching and that He has not forgotten you, nor will He forsake you.  

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to work to Your glory with honesty, integrity, and diligence, knowing that You will reward them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 38:1-30 Judah and Tamar (1 Chronicles 2:3-4)

“About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite. There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her. So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er. Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan. 5Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”

But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. What he did was evil in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well. Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah. When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”

“What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she asked.

“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered.

But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”

“What pledge should I give you?” he asked.

She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.

Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. He asked the men of that place, “Where is the temple prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“No temple prostitute has been here,” they answered.

So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No temple prostitute has been here.’”

“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did and her this young goat, but you could not find her.”

About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.”

“Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

The Birth of Perez and Zerah

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb. And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced. But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez. (Breakthrough) Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah. (Dawn)”

Leave it to the Bible not to sugarcoat anything! In Bible times, preserving a family’s lineage was very important. We don’t know how Er sinned against God, but his sin was so terrible that God struck him dead. When Onan, Er’s brother, was having intercourse with Tamar, Er’s wife to preserve Er’s line, he spilled the semen on the ground to avoid giving his brother any heir. Perhaps Onan assumed that with Er out of the way, he would collect Er’s portion as the eldest son. Impregnating Tamar might endanger Onan’s chances of becoming rich through inheritance, and Onan refused  to take that risk.

God struck Onan dead as well, but now what was Tamar to do? Without a husband or a child by a brother-in-law, Tamar had little standing in the family. Tamar anticipated that when Shelah, the last son, was grown, she would be given to him as a wife, probably a second or third wife; however, Reuben evidently felt that Tamar was bad luck and refused to do so. Finally Tamar took the matter into her own hands, masquerading as a prostitute and enticing Reuben to have sex with her. But Tamar was savvy enough to realize that without proof of the father of her unborn child, she would be killed. Tamar collected Judah’s staff, his seal with which he did business, and the distinctive cord from his robe as surety and then returned home. Later, when Judah learned Tamar was pregnant, he wanted to burn her until Tamar confronted him with the proofs she had collected. Judah recognized that Tamar was doing everything to preserve Er’s line and that she was more righteous than he, Judah, had been.

Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez, “Breakthrough,” and Zerah, “Dawn.” Sorting out the inheritance must have been a nightmare because Zerah stuck his hand out first and the midwife put a red thread around his wrist, but then Perez actually forced his way out first. The Bible never tells us how the family handled that problem.

What lessons can we learn about preserving peace in the family? First, raise your children as well as possible; Judah evidently did a poor job of raising his sons if God had to strike two of them dead. Second, don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep. Judah’s dishonesty with Tamar his daughter-in-law led to his unwittingly committing incest when he refused to marry Tamar to his third son. Tamar was doing the best she could to be true to her late husband, becoming pregnant and giving birth to sons who could carry on their father’s line. For a virtuous woman to have to prostitute herself must have been agony for Tamar, but she carried through.

The amazing thing about this story is that if you read Matthew 1:3 or Luke 3:33, you will see the genealogy of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus and you will see Perez’s name in that lineage. Perez, a child born of incest, is still recorded as an ancestor of the Messiah. This fact should give hope to each of us, particularly those of us who might feel ashamed of our families of origin. God is not nearly so concerned about the family into which we have been born as He is what we do with the challenges life throws at us. Just as the name Perez means “Breakthrough,” we can break through the mental and emotional chains that bind us with God’s help. As you consider these verses, ask God to show You what He wants to do with your life. I guarantee the answer will knock your socks off!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, some of us may feel like Tamar, caught in bad situations not of our making. Help us to find Your solution to these problems and help us to remember that You are the One who writes the scripts for our lives and not someone else. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 35:23-26 “The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

Genesis 37:1-36 Joseph’s Dreams

“Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”

“Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.

Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

Joseph Sold into Egypt (Acts 7:9-14)

Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem. Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.”

“I am ready,” Joseph replied.

Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.”

So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”

“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said. “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed. So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes, returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

In the beginning of the story, Joseph is a spoiled brat and an insufferable tattle-tale. Because Joseph is Rachel’s older son and Jacob has loved Rachel more than Leah, Bilhah, of Zilpah, Jacob foolishly demonstrates his favoritism by giving Joseph a special robe, one fancier than those of any of his eleven other brothers, a really stupid blunder in an already dysfunctional family. If Jacob is going to hand out robes, he needs to give everyone a robe and to make sure they are of equal quality. Joseph brings in stories about his half-brothers, the children of Bilhah and Zilpah. Why does Joseph concentrate on these men? Perhaps they really have done something bad, but Joseph might be afraid to accuse Leah’s children or his little brother Benjamin. Then it gets worse; Joseph has two prophetic dreams and is idiotic enough to share them with the family. Naturally, all the family members are incensed! What kind of rubbish is this?

Why does Jacob send Joseph out to check on his brothers, rather than sending one of his many servants? Is Jacob secretly hoping that Joseph will get a reality check when he sees the conditions under which his brothers are toiling? Does Jacob envision some kind of incredible loving moment when the older brothers welcome Joseph with open arms? Sadly, the only thing this ploy accomplishes is to give the brothers who are already bearing grudges the opportunity to get rid of Joseph permanently, and they do. The brothers fake Joseph’s death, but with unexpected consequences. While these men have been hoping that Jacob will shower them with love now that Joseph is out of the way, instead, Jacob goes into a prolonged period of mourning and refuses to be comforted. Meanwhile, Joseph is dragged off to be sold as a slave in Egypt and purchased by the captain of the guard.

Jacob was the younger of twins and his mother’s favorite. Sadly, Jacob may never have learned effective parenting before having to run for his life when he outsmarted Esau, his father’s favorite. From the poor treatment of Jacob’s sons, it appears that he has learned virtually nothing.

While Jacob may have felt that he was the FATHER and therefore everyone should pay attention to him, he failed to realize that he was wounding most of his sons by withholding affection from them and lavishing it on Joseph and Benjamin. Perhaps Jacob only felt he had a limited amount of love and chose to focus on Rachel’s sons. For someone claiming to worship God, Jacob certainly didn’t handle his family wisely.

Favoritism in families is a major problem, one that leaves scars for a lifetime. When one or two children have medical problems, the healthy ones may well find themselves being given last choice on everything. My husband hates pink because when he was little, his twin brother and he were given hand-me-down suits. One suit was blue checked and the other was -guess what? Pink checked. Since my brother’s twin was suffering some kind of heart problem, he naturally was given first choice, leaving my husband to wear pink in a society and at a time when no right-thinking little boy would ever be caught dead in anything pink!

You may have suffered a fate similar to my husband’s; you may have been the most responsible child while others less responsible received more attention and more goodies. Perhaps you have struggled to overcome feelings of inferiority all your life. But take heart! God’s love is so deep that He has plenty to go around and has no need to play favorites. Tell God all about it and ask Him to heal your hurts so that you can move forward without envying others. God will gladly do so.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us have been wounded by families who played favorites. Help us to realize that You always love us and that You don’t play favorites. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 35:16-29

Benjamin Born, Rachel Dies

Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”

And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. (Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow or son of my strength.)  But his father called him Benjamin. (Benjamin means son of my right hand.) So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.

The Sons of Jacob (1 Chronicles 2:1-2)

Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

The Death of Isaac

Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. And Isaac lived 180 years. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

Remember when Israel and his company left Haran and Rachel stole the household gods and then lied about it? At that time, Israel was so certain that nobody in his group would have done such a thing that he said anyone found with those gods should die. Now that curse is coming true, and Rachel is dying in childbirth. By the time Jacob/Israel left Haran, he had been married to Rachel and Leah for several years and had eleven sons; yet there is no evidence that he has ever taught any of his family members about the One True Living God. As far as Israel’s family is concerned, Elohim is Israel’s thing, not theirs. That’s why Rachel feels the need to steal the family household gods.

Rachel names her last son Ben-oni meaning, “Son of my sorrow, or Son of my strength,: perhaps because she is giving all her strength for him to live as she dies. But Israel names him Benjamin, meaning “Son of my right hand,” possibly indicating the place Benjamin will have in the family and in Jacob’s heart.

Shortly after Rachel’s death, there is another family tragedy; Reuben, Leah’s first-born, rapes Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant and Israel’s concubine and the mother of two of his half-brothers. Why should Reuben do such a thing? Is this horrible act a reaction to Israel’s grief over Rachel’s death or to the loving name Israel has given to Benjamin? After all, as the eldest son, Reuben has great expectations of paternal blessings and wealth far above those of his other brothers. Perhaps Reuben fears that Israel will favor Benjamin and that he will lose out. Perhaps Reuben is trying to get his father’s attention. Certainly, Reuben has no respect for either Bilhah or his father; otherwise, he wouldn’t do such a horrible thing. This family’s interpersonal relationships don’t augur well for the future.

Why are these family relationships so messed up? Everything goes back to Jacob/Israel and his lifetime of trickery. Evidently, Israel has never taught his family members any of the lessons he has gained from the results of either his trickery or that of his uncle Laban. Israel has never renounced all the deceit he has practiced; instead, he has kept it to himself in hopes that others have not noticed. Israel has never taught his family anything about the One True Living God. Perhaps Israel has tried to leave all the child rearing to his wives and concubines, not realizing that boys learn their behavioral patterns from their fathers and that he has set a terrible example.

The practice of deceit has blighted this family. Both Abraham and Isaac were willing to sacrifice their wives to save themselves. Then there’s Rebekah, who was willing to deceive Isaac so Jacob could steal Esau’s blessing. And we mustn’t forget tricky Uncle Laban, Rebekah’s brother in Haran, who systematically cheated Jacob changing his wages ten times. Finally there’s Jacob/Israel, who has not only stolen his twin brother’s blessing and his birthright but has also manipulated his sons into wiping out the city of Shechem to avenge the rape of his daughter.

The amazing thing about God’s relationships with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is that He has continued to work in their lives despite their glaring failures. God knows each of us and He knows our weaknesses and our shortcomings; yet, He still loves us anyway. Divine love is truly a miracle and a mystery. At the same time, we must notice that Jacob/Israel’s failings as a husband and father have warped his family’s relationships emotionally and spiritually. If you want peace, don’t deceive!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to walk in Your Truth and not to descend to deceit or manipulation. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 35:1-15 Jacob Returns to Bethel

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak (great tree) near Shechem.

As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel (God of Bethel), because it was there that God had revealed Himself to him as he fled from his brother.

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth. (Oak of weeping)

After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, (northwest Mesopotamia) God appeared to him again and blessed him. And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, (he deceives) you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel. (He struggles with God.)” So God named him Israel.

And God told him, “I am God Almighty. (El-shaddai) Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descnd from you. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.

So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken to him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. (House of God)

Even though God has already given Jacob the name Israel, until now, Jacob has been living down to his birth name that means “deceiver.” Jacob has even manipulated his sons into destroying the city of Shechem and all its men and looting it. Now God steps in and orders Jacob to leave Shechem, the city his sons have devastated, and return to Bethel, where God has previously appeared to Jacob. God also reminds Jacob that He has already given Jacob a new name, Israel, “he  struggles with God.” But there’s a problem, actually lots of problems.

Throughout Jacob’s household, there are those cherishing foreign gods and wearing garments that indicate their loyalty to these demons. Jewelry bearing images of the gods, amulets, charms, veils-the list is endless. But God is calling all of them to come to Him, and they must choose to either keep their idols and not approach God or to get rid of the idols and all the items dedicated to these false gods, to change their clothing, and to purify themselves in preparation for meeting God. Jacob succeeds in convincing his entire household, including his servants, to give up all their idols and jewelry and Jacob buries all this by a massive oak tree near Shechem.

Shortly after this, everyone in the company must be relieved that they have complied with Jacob’s orders because a terror from God now falls on all the surrounding cities “so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.” Why would these people want to pursue Jacob’s sons? Because Jacob’s sons have slaughtered all the men of Shechem and have looted the city, capturing the women and children. Naturally, those in surrounding cities might take vengeance for these horrible deeds. But God protects Jacob and his family, allowing them to reach Bethel without incident. Once this company reaches the spiritual safety of Bethel, Deborah, Rachel’s nurse, dies and is buried just below a huge oak tree at Bethel.

We all need Bethels, spiritually safe places where we can meet God, worship Him, and be at peace. God always wants to meet with us; however, many times we are not prepared to meet with Him. God wants all our attention, not a few brief glances while we play on our cell phones. If there’s one thing that has become a near-universal idol, it’s the cell phone. I have to continue to remind our nurses to pay attention to operations during surgery and not to their phones. We do many of our operations under spinal anesthesia, meaning the patient is awake, although numb below the level of the spinal. It sends a very negative message to patients if we appear to care more for our phones than we do for them. Scores of complaints are now surfacing on social media regarding parents who care more for their phones than for their children. I too must watch myself, lest I waste more time on an absorbing game than I do on more worthwhile things. But cell phones are not the only idols we need to leave behind.

Jacob is dealing summarily with the idols and jewelry from his household by burying it deeply and then moving away from the burial site. What idols are we cherishing? Are we clinging to money or possessions or houses or a sense of importance from social position or professional achievements? What drives us? What do we really worship? Whatever we worship apart from the One True Living God is an idol and needs to be rejected when we come to worship God.

In Luke 10:10-14 Jesus tells the story of two men who went up to the temple to pray. One of these men was a Pharisee, a professional religious man with the resources to follow every dictate of the Mosaic Law, while the other was a tax collector, making money by over-charging clients. The Pharisee stood and prayed silently, “God, I thank you that I am not as other men-extortioners, unjust, or even like this tax collector! I fast twice a week and give tithes of all that I possess.” Obviously, this man is impressed with himself, but is God equally impressed? Meanwhile, the tax collector is standing back in a corner weeping from remorse and beating his breast while crying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus tells his disciples that it is the tax collector who goes home justified, rather than the Pharisee. “For he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

God doesn’t want fancy language or a recitation of your CV or even extravagant gestures that might mean nothing. God wants you to shed your idols and to come to Him just as you are. God already knows more about you than you know about yourself, and He wants to meet with you anyway. Come!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to leave all our idols behind and to come to You just as we are. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.    

May 26, 2024 The village of Zuguyizeju, Northern Region

From the time I was a small baby, my parents carried me to church in our little village. Sundays meant church and Sunday School, and church meant special music by either the choir or a soloist. My mother had a lovely soprano voice and was frequently called on for solos. In those days, there was still a vogue for music from oratorios such as the Messiah. One of my mother’s favorite solos told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:10-14. Even now, I can still hear my mother singing that story, and this Sunday, those memories became a sermon.

We were visiting a small village church and were asked to give the message. The question God was placing before the congregation was this: What idols are preventing you from communion with God?

After describing a number of things that have become modern idols, including cell phones, I described how our self-righteous attitudes could keep us from God. That’s when the memories of Mom’s solo kicked in. As I was telling the story, in my mind I could hear Mom singing it. The congregation was blessed by the words of Jesus, but I was blessed once more by Mom’s music. And a seventy-year-old solo worked its magic once more.  “He that humbles himself will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled.”

Genesis 34:1-31 The Defiling of Dinah

“Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her tenderly. So Shechem told his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.”

Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned. Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.

But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. Intermarry with us; give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves. You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and acquire your own property.”

Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you whatever you ask. Demand a high dowry and an expensive gift, and I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the girl as my wife!”

The Revenge of Dinah’s Brothers

But because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully. “We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us. We will consent to this on one condition, that you become circumcised like us—every one of your males. Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will dwell among you and become one people. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our sister and go.”

Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. The young man, who was the most respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.

So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city: “These men are at peace with us. Let them live and trade in our land; indeed, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them. But only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us and be one people: if all our men are circumcised as they are. Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell among us.”

All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of the city was circumcised.

Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.

Jacob’s other sons came upon the slaughter and looted the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the field. They carried off all their possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything in their houses.

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me repugnant to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

But Simeon and Levi answered, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Dinah goes out to visit the local girls in Shechem; however, she appears to have gone without a chaperone. Generally, Dinah should have been accompanied by an older woman or by one of her brothers; however, somehow that hasn’t happened. Perhaps Dinah is spoiled and willful; she meets a young man who is equally spoiled. The prince of the region falls in love with Dinah; however, he chooses to rape first and to propose later, a deadly mistake.

The action of the local prince is actually not that unusual and he belatedly promises to do the right thing. Notice that Dinah remains in his house until her brothers rescue her-what does Dinah think about this whole thing?.

Jacob waits until his sons return from the field and then informs them, knowing full well that they will take vengeance. As a hero of faith, Jacob is failing. Even though God has given Jacob a new name and even though Jacob has suffered under twenty years of his Uncle Laban’s manipulation, Jacob is still manipulating his sons to take vengeance without blatantly ordering them to do so. When Simeon and Levi hatch their diabolic plot, the other sons join them in plundering the city, carrying off everything including women and children. Later, when Jacob is pronouncing his blessings/predictions over his sons, he reminds Simeon and Levi of their horrible actions.

Does Jacob’s manipulation of his sons achieve peace? Far from it! After the men have been slaughtered and the city looted, Jacob suddenly realizes that his sons have endangered the entire family by taking revenge.

There are all kinds of foolish sayings about revenge, including “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” While such a saying might appear smart or crafty, it’s wrong. James 1:20 tells us that “the wrath of men does not produce the righteousness of God.” Romans 12:14-19 tells us “Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

 The  longer we plot revenge on someone, the more we poison ourselves. As a father, Jacob should be leading his sons wisely, not inciting them to murder and mayhem. Jacob never stops to consider the long-term effects of his manipulation but simply wants revenge and uses his sons to get it. Then after Jacob’s sons have taken the revenge Jacob has sought for his daughter’s rape, Jacob can react in righteous indignation that they have gone too far. Not a prime example for good fatherhood!  

I have written about forgiveness before and there’s good reason to do so. When we allow ourselves to become offended, we hand our heads to the Devil. It’s as if we cut off our own heads, place them on a platter, and hand them to Satan. Joyce Meyer tells the story of sitting on a platform with other speakers before a huge audience while she listened as one of the speakers viciously attacked another one verbally. Joyce was sitting close enough to the man under attack that she should hear him muttering to himself, “I will not be offended! I will not be offended!” That man was a spiritual giant whose ministry blessed thousands, all because he refused to take offense.

Are you smarting from some attack? Are you considering how you might fight back? STOP! Don’t do it! First, you don’t know what that other person is going through; perhaps they have spoken out of their great hurt. Second, only God can handle matters of the heart. Ask God to give you His mind about the situation and then leave it with Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel offended. Help us to leave these offenses with You and to allow You to sort things out. Help us to forgive and move forward. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 33:1-20 Jacob Meets Esau

“Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”

Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.” Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau.

“To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.

“I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”

But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.

Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”

But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die. Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

“Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said.

But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”

So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir, but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth. (Booths)

Jacob Settles in Shechem

After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city. And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel. (El-Elohe-Israel means God is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.)”

The day of reckoning has finally come. Jacob/Israel has returned to face his twin brother Esau. No coward, Jacob runs ahead of everyone else, followed by his concubines with their children, Leah and her children, and Rachel and her children. Jacob is terrified about this meeting; however, Esau runs to him as he is running to Esau and the two embrace in tears. Then Esau asks about all the livestock that has already arrived, explaining that he already is quite prosperous. Jacob explains that this is a present for Esau and convinces Esau to accept his gift, an important part of any reconciliation. “If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.”

 Esau offers to guard Jacob and his company; however, Jacob has plenty of servants to help guard already. The two brothers part on excellent terms, presumably never to meet again.

The reunion of Jacob and Esau underscores several important points. Both parties are anxious for reconciliation. Both parties are willing to forgive and forget. And both parties are willing to compromise. If anybody can claim to be offended, it would be Esau. But in the last twenty years, Esau has prospered and can be proud of having succeeded on his own; why hold Jacob’s previous offenses against him? Esau is accompanied by 400 warriors; we have no idea how big Esau’s possessions actually are. Family relationships are more important than holding grudges.

Nobody can hurt you as badly as your family can. While we all have suffered at the hands of strangers, it is particularly painful if a close relative such as a sibling hurts us. But unforgiveness hurts the person who fails to forgive, not the person who has committed an offense. There is a great test when considering painful situations: in five years, will I even remember this situation? During our years working at our mission hospital, there have been many hurtful incidents; however, when I look at some of my notes, I can’t even remember all the details of situations that seemed to be so terrible at the time.

 Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. When you fail to forgive, you are only hurting yourself and not the person who has offended you. When Jesus Christ was being crucified, he prayed to his Heavenly Father to forgive those who were crucifying him because they didn’t know what they were doing. Even though my father was nearly killed by a drunk driver who hit his vehicle head-on, I never heard my parents breathe a single word against that man; instead, they pitied him.

Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? Perhaps you feel you have been hurt so badly that you cannot possibly forgive. Ask God for help, and then see what He will do. Forgiving those people will give you a peace that only God can give.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, open our eyes to the people whom we feel have offended us and then help us to forgive them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Genesis 32:1-32 Preparing to Meet Esau

“Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim. (Two camps)

Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.”

In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”

Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the

Jordan, but now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me, and also the mothers and their children with me. But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”

Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 1530 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.”

He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’”

He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him. You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.(Perhaps he will lift my face.) ”

So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles with God

During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that He could not overpower Jacob, He struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. Then the man said, “Let Me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

“What is your name?” the man asked.

“Jacob,” he replied.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob,( Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives.) but Israel, (Israel means he struggles with God.)  because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”

Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me Your name.”

“Why do you ask My name?” he replied. And He blessed Jacob there.

So Jacob named the place Peniel (Peniel means “the face of God.”) saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon at the hip socket, because the man struck Jacob’s hip socket near that tendon.”

It’s been twenty years since Jacob last saw his brother Esau. At that point, Jacob was running out of town, fleeing his brother’s wrath after stealing both Esau’s birthright and their father’s blessing on Esau as the eldest twin. Twenty years later, Jacob has changed. Uncle Laban has taught Jacob some valuable lessons in humility and honesty by being neither humble nor honest. God has prospered Jacob, despite Uncle Laban’s best attempts to use him as a slave. But now Jacob is about to encounter Esau, and Jacob is worried. Esau has always been a violent warrior; what will Esau do to Jacob and his family? To appease Esau, Jacob sends herds ahead of him. Note the numbers: 14200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 1530 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. Wow! For a guy who originally crossed the Jordan with nothing more than his staff, Jacob has really done well if this is a present and he has more livestock than this.

How has Jacob arrived at these particular numbers of animals? Do these numbers represent the amounts Esau would have inherited from Isaac? Is Jacob trying to impress Esau? Or is Jacob merely doing everything he can to avoid Esau’s wrath? Notice the language Jacob uses to in his message to Esau, “my master, Esau,” “my Lord Esau,” “your servant Jacob.” Twenty years ago, Jacob may have thought Esau was nothing more than a brute, but he’s since learned to respect others. And there’s the small matter of Esau coming with 400 men, presumably all warriors. Little wonder that Jacob is begging God to save his life, something he did not do twenty years ago. Twenty years of suffering under Laban has driven Jacob to depend on God.

Finally, Jacob sends his wives and his sons and all his personal possessions across the Jabbok stream while he remains alone. Jacob really needs to hear from God and he needs peace and quiet to do so. In the stillness, an unknown man and Jacob wrestle all night until the man dislocates Jacob’s hip. Even then, Jacob demands that the man bless him, and the man gives Jacob a new name, Israel, meaning “he struggles with God.” God has given Jacob a singular blessing, and Jacob is content, knowing that he has seen the face of God and remains alive.

There are times in our lives when we may feel that we too are wrestling with God. In 1965 the farm on which my family was living was struck by a tornado. In a few minutes, the whirling storm demolished ten huge maple trees, a large hip-roofed barn, and the garage next to our house, sucking out most of the windows in the house and generally causing havoc. Out in the hog pasture, the winds destroyed two large pull-together hog houses; however, none of our implements nor our car were harmed. Our animals survived unscathed. Blessedly, we were already preparing to move to another farm and were in the process of renovating the house on that farm. If we needed anything to impel us to move, that tornado did it.   

Why does God wrestle with Jacob and not simply show up and give him a new name? God wants Jacob to remember the name Israel and its meaning for the rest of his life. Just in case Jacob fails to remember, God also dislocates Jacob’s hip, something he will also live with for the rest of his life. While Jacob is probably in great shape after all those years of tending sheep in the wilderness, he’s no match for Esau physically. God wants Jacob to rely on Him and not on himself. Jacob’s old name is a curse while Jacob’s new name is a blessing. God doesn’t want Jacob entering into a new life bearing a cursed name.

Sometimes our families of origin can pronounce curses on us. It took me more than forty years to get over my mother’s idea that I was emotionally cold; in fact, my mother was recovering from a chronic illness when she gave birth to me and undoubtedly suffered from severe post-partum depression, something that was largely unrecognized those days. I was a normal kid born to a severely depressed mother, but I didn’t recognize that fact until years after my mother’s death. When Jacob’s family named him Jacob, or “deceiver,” they obviously did him no favors. Prior to fleeing to Haran, Jacob lived up to that name. It took twenty years of depending on God plus a personal encounter for Jacob to be transformed into Israel.

Perhaps you too have suffered from the names or nicknames your family has given you. Names are critically important. One set of friends has named their infant daughter Jean Anne Wunpini. Jean means “grace” while “Anne” means “favor,” and “Wunpini” is Dagbani for “God’s gift.” My first two names are Jean Anne, and I have since appropriated Wunpini for its lovely meaning. I have a name in another tribal language that means “God will not refuse.” Again, it is a lovely name indicating that God will hear my prayers and answer them.

You don’t have to be stuck with whatever curses your family has spoken over you. Ask God to reveal Himself and to tell you what He thinks of you. God loves you so much that He sent His son Jesus to die for your sins. Certainly, God wants to favor you and to bless you, if only you will ask.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are struggling with hurtful things our families have spoken over us. Thank You that You are the Way-maker, that You transform people and situations. Help all those who struggle to put their trust in You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 31:22-54 Laban Pursues Jacob

“On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled. So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him at Mount Gilead. But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well. Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war! Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps. But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing.

I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”

“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.

Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me? You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.

I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock. I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night. As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

Jacob’s Covenant with Laban

But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne? Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”

So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. Laban named it Jegar-sahadutha (“Heap of witness” in Aramean), but Jacob called it Galeed (“Heap of Witness” in Hebrew.)

Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed. It was also called Mizpah, (watch) because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from one another. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me. This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”

So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.”

Laban has wasted his daughters’ doweries and has attempted to cheat Jacob, changing his wages ten times. Rachel and Leah feel their father is treating them like strangers and ignoring their children altogether. So if all this is true, why is Laban vigorously pursuing Jacob? Rachel has stolen her father’s household gods, and Laban is frightened and furious. But a God whom Laban has never known has confronted Laban in a dream, warning him to be careful in his handling of Jacob.

Now Laban has pursued Jacob for seven days and is attempting to play the role of offended patriarch. Suddenly, Laban is trying to pretend an affection for his daughters and their children that he has never demonstrated previously. It’s likely that if Rachel hadn’t stolen those household gods, Laban might have stayed in Haran, leaving Jacob to return to Canaan. Laban might not know God, but he certainly doesn’t want to offend Him and suffer the consequences. Jacob, meanwhile, has no idea that Rachel has stolen the household gods and so pronounces a curse on anyone who has done so. Rachel eventually dies while delivering Benjamin, and many people feel her death during that delivery is a result of this curse.

Laban and Jacob make a covenant, erecting a monument, a mound and a pillar, and swearing that neither of them will pass that monument to harm the other. Laban belatedly attempts to save face by forbidding Jacob to mistreat his daughters or to take other wives; however, these statements are mostly for show. Certainly, Laban has not cared for his daughters up until now.

Jacob makes a covenant with Laban even though he knows better than to trust Laban. But erecting a mound and a pillar is very serious business and indicates a lasting agreement. There is no mention of “cutting covenant” as was described earlier in Genesis; however, if Jacob and Laban also cut covenant, that will be an additional reason for Laban to behave well. Laban’s previous agreements with Jacob may have been undocumented, but this time the monument is there for everyone to see.

Although Jacob has considered himself to be a slick trickster, twenty years with Uncle Laban has taught him that Laban is even slicker than he is. Laban might be considered as a psychopathic liar. When dealing with such people the only way of securing agreements is complete documentation. 

One of the major struggles we have in our mission hospital is getting people to document incidents and to submit written requests. At times I have joked with some of the workers that I don’t see any POP on their wrists, so they should be able to write. Documentation is critically important in health care; if it’s not documented, it’s as if you never did anything. Only documentation will protect you in case of a lawsuit. Documentation also brings peace because we then have a written record to which we can refer. The mound and pillar that Jacob and Laban are erecting is a permanent form of documentation of their covenant, ensuring peace between them.

Today you might be dealing with a family member or someone in your workplace who habitually lies. Ask God for assistance and then document any agreements you must make.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You that You are a God of truth and that You know the end from the beginning in every situation. Help us to forge out agreements and then to document them so that there will be no further arguments. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.