Tag: Genesis

Rejecting Favoritism. F260- Week 4- Day 5

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional, F260Leave a comment


Today’s Scripture Reading- Genesis 37

This week’s Memory Verse:

(18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18

Highlight:

(3) Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
(4) And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Genesis 37:3-4

Explanation:

There is so much in the story of Joseph that could be discussed. What struck me today about the story is the family dynamics creating all kinds of problems. If you recall Israel’s history (Jacob), you’ll remember the problems caused between Isaac and Rebecca, and between Jacob and Easau because of the favoritism shown by each parent. Daddy loved Esau, and Momma loved Jacob. As a result there was deceitfulness, betrayal, and ultimately distance put between the members of the family.
Now we see the same thing happening again in Israel’s family. Verse 3 tells us explicitly that Israel loved Joseph more. There was favoritism. Polygamy was certainly a contributing factor. Joseph was Rachel’s son, and that was Jacob’s first choice when he was wanting to get married. Remember that Laban, Rachel’s father, deceived Jacob and had him marry Leah instead. Jacob took Leah and Rachel, two sisters, as wives. This certainly must have had favoritism and preferrential treatment as a result that not only effected the marriage relationship, but also the parental relationships as well.
It didn’t stop there. Verse 4 tells us that the favoritism from father to son bled over into hostility between brothers. Jacob’s favoritism to Joseph was characterized by the “coat of many colours”, an item that would have been very costly and rare. The hostility that created is described in the verse. “…they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” Later in the chapter they contemplate killing him, and settle for selling him into slavery and convincing their father that he was dead. Talk about drama!

Application:

Just a couple of points of application that strike me:

  1. Some sins that we commit can become generational. Over and over again in these stories we see fathers, sons and grandsons making the same mistakes and suffering the consequences.
  2. Favoritism is unwise and sinful. It creates havock if it is unleashed on a family.
  3. God’s plan for marriage and family has always been one man and one woman being together for a lifetime. Some people point to the patriarchs in the Bible and say something like, “See the Bible has polygamy.” The narrative portions of scripture are not always prescriptive. They are descriptive. They are telling us what happened, not necessarily what should happen. Stories like this help us to understand the dangers and difficulty that come to a family that doesn’t follow God’s design.

Response:

God, please give me wisdom when it comes to dealing with my children and my wife. Help me not to live in unwise favoritism and thereby provoke my children to wrath. Help me to help them love You and love each other. Amen.

Let us arise and go up to Bethel. F260- Week 4- Day 4

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional, F260Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture Reading– Genesis 33,35

This week’s Memory Verse:

(18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18

Highlight:

(2) Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
(3) And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

Genesis 35:2-3

Explanation:
God told Jacob to go back to a place called “Bethel” which means the House of God. It was a place where He had met with God before. It was a significant and consecrated place where God had worked in Jacob’s life. When Jacob had been there before He was by himself. He had very little. Now he had been exceedingly blessed by God. He had a family and wealth. God had truly blessed him. Jacob took the opportunity to lead his family to sanctify themselves. Look at the imperitives here: “Put away”, “be clean”, “change your garments”, “let us arise and go up”. He tells them what he will do. “I will make there an altar unto God”. He tells them why He would have them do this: “who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went”.

The false gods didn’t help. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and now the God of Jacob was the one who helped him. It was time for Jacob to lead his family to worship the God that brought him blessing. He made a decision to take his family to the place where God had met with their Father and husband. It was time for all of them to worship that God, and for that God to be their God.

Application:
We should not expect our kids to respond to God if we are not willing to respond to Him ourselves. We should not expect our kids to worship God if we are not doing it as well. And like all things in life, it is up to a leader to lead others to do the difficult and right thing. This is true in our families. We take for granted the influence we can have on other people in our life for good. We must lead those in our own families by example. Help them put away the idols in their life. Help them clean up. Help them remember what God has done. Then we must lead them to worship the God from whom all blessing flows.

Response:
God thank you for blessing me and blessing my family. Help me to lead my family to worship you and to remember all that you have done in my life. Amen.

Wrestling with God- F260- Week 4- Day 3

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Today’s Scripture Reading- Genesis 31-32

This weeks Memory Verse:

(18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18

Highlight:

(28)  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Genesis 32:28

Explanation:
Here we read the description of Jacob’s wrestling with God. There is some mystery to the scene. God is represented as a theophany. They wrestle during the night until the morning. We see this as a changing point for Jacob that effects the rest of his life:

  1. His walk is changed. God touches the hollow of his thigh and Jacob thus walks with a limp the rest of his life.
  2. His name is changed. His name had been Jacob (“deceiver”) and now his name is “Israel” (wrestles with God). This was a pertinent name change for Jacob. His life was certainly one of struggle. He had struggles with Esau, with Laban, with his wives, and in this particular name-changing scene, he struggled with God.

The dialogue in this struggle included Jacob’s request that God bless him. It’s interesting that Jacob/Israel desired and even for Isaac’s blessing, and here he struggles for God’s blessing. God certainly had alrady blessed Jacob and God honored his request here in verse 29.

Israel named the place “face of God”. It was here he had an experience with God and was inevitably changed by it.

Application:
We can be changed by an experience with God. We can struggle and eventually submit as well. When we do have an experience with Him it can have the power to change our identity and our walk. Truly He is the source of our blessing and not our own hand.

Response:
Thank you, God, for blessing me. Help me to seek you first and foremost.

Behold, it was Leah!- F260- Week 4- Day 2

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Today’s Scripture Reading- Genesis 29-30:24

This weeks Memory Verse:

(18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18

Highlight:

(25)  And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
(26)  And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
(27)  Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
(28)  And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
(29)  And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

Genesis 29:25-29

Explanation:
After working for His uncle, Laban, for seven years to get permission to marry Rachel, Jacob is deceived in a pretty remarkable kind of way. He woke up in the morning, and “behold, it was Leah”! Jacob, the supplanter, the deceiver, had been deceived. He was swindled and it cost him seven more years, and more heartache and difficulty.

Application:
A simple application to this story can be made by quoting Galatians 6:7.

(7)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

We will reap what we sow. It isn’t always immediate, but it is a principle found in God’s Word. If we want people to be true with us, we should be true with them.

Response:
Lord, please help me to sow good seed, and speak truth with my neighbor.