Bible Reading Reflection (Gen 38-41)

Why is chapter 38 here?  What a scandal!  Not sure what the takeaway is here.  I am immediately tempted to focus on Tamar and her sordid activity.  However, the text seems to focus on the unrighteousness of the men in the family.  Judah had left his brothers and became friends with an Adullamite, then took a Canaanite woman for a wife.  The text does not name her, though it does name her father.  Does this indicate disapproval in a subtle way?  Judah had three sons by this Canaanite woman, Er, Onan, and Shelah.  Judah procured a woman by the name of Tamar as a wife for Er.  Before Er and Tamar could have a son, God struck him down because he was wicked.  Onan, the next oldest brother, was to fulfill his duty to his older brother by fathering a child with Tamar that would be considered Er's son.  This strange custom was actually common in that part of the world.  Onan went in to Tamar and would sleep with her, but would spill his seed on the ground so that she would not get pregnant.  The text says it was because he knew the child would not be his.  Interestingly, Onan would have been next in line for the family inheritance, but this would not be the case if he fathered a son for his dead older brother.  Because of Onan's wicked actions, God struck him down as well.  Judah promised his daughter-in-law the remaining son, Shelah, as a husband when he was old enough to marry.  Judah then sent his daughter-in-law away back to her father's house.  In the meantime, Judah's Canaanite wife died.  When Shelah grew up, Judah did not give him to Tamar as a husband.  So, Tamar put on the garments of a cult prostitute, veiling herself, and sat by the road where Judah would be passing by.  She seduced him in disguise, and conceived.  Of course, when Judah found out Tamar was pregnant, he wanted to have her put to death.

Judah, like myself, wanted to condemn Tamar.  Curiously, when Judah found out what had happened, he declared Tamar "more righteous" than himself.  Which are the greater infractions in the story?  Judah had broken his promise and left his daughter-in-law with nothing.  In a world where women depend on husbands and/or sons for safety and survival, Judah left her with nothing at all.  Instead of treating her like a daughter that married into the family, he sent her away back to her father's house.  Out of sight - out of mind.  If he had her put to death, she would definitely be out of sight and out of mind.  Tamar cunningly forced Judah not to dismiss or discard her.

Tamar gave birth to Judah's offspring, twins.  The family line continued not through Shelah, but through the younger of Tamar's twins, Perez.

Maybe the point is not Tamar and whether she was right or wrong.  Maybe the focus in on Judah and his sons as negative examples.  Judah and his sons stand in stark contrast to Joseph, who demonstrated honor and integrity even as a slave and in prison.  Joseph could have given up on God during those years in an Egyptian prison, far from home with no prospects of returning.  But the text says that Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed him steadfast love and favor.  I don't have my Hebrew Bible handy, but I suspect "steadfast love" could be the Hebrew word, "hesed," which means covenant love and loyalty.  Joseph seemed to show love and loyalty to God, living honorably with integrity, even if it got him into trouble.  What a contrast!

Judah and his sons by the Canaanite woman seem to be examples of selfishness, dishonesty, dishonor, wickedness, and buddying up to the Canaanites, whom God had told Abraham he would dispossess from the land due to their ongoing wickedness.  They are also an example of not caring for your own.  The New Testament says that those who do not care for members of their household are worse than an infidel.

Lord, please do not let me focus so much on another's shortcomings that I become blind to my own faults.  Please help me to be an honorable person of my word that takes responsibility, even if it is difficult or dangerous.  Thank you Lord for taking care of us through the cross, and taking responsibility for your creation by carrying out your plan to provide a way of redemption and reformation.  Thank you for your patience and mercy.

Bible Reading Reflection (Gen 34-37)

God was about to renew the covenant with Jacob, so Jacob tells everyone in his household to "put away the foreign gods among you."  It seems that idolatry was an ongoing presence from nearly the beginning.  I recall in an earlier reading that Rachel had stolen her father's idols when then left home. 

I wonder why Jacob did not destroy them?  Why did he bury them under a tree where they could be dug back up at a future time? 

But aren't I like this sometimes?  There is something that I know I need to let go out of my life, but I don't do it completely.  I leave the door cracked.  I bury it rather than burn in.  I tuck it away out of sight, but I don't smash it.  Why is this?  Do I not really believe that I can be content without it?  If so, do I not realize that this is Satan's lie?  After all, he is the one that convinced Adam and Eve that taking what they should not have would make them wise and open their eyes.  Can I not learn a lesson from this?

How do I convince others in my life to let go if I do not completely let go?  We all need to let go of that secret sin, of underlying grudges, of anger, pride and self-righteous judgmentalism.  These are the sorts of things that destroy marriages, jobs, families, and congregations.  If I am truly going to destroy these things, I need to bring them to him in prayer, then truly destroy them, not bury them where I can dig them back up later. 

Lord help me to completely destroy the idols in my life.  Help me to truly let go of the desire to get even.  Help me to destroy the anger, grudges, and pride that harm myself and those whom I love.  Help me to see that I do not need these things.  As you were patient with Jacob, you have been patient with us.  Thank you for your mercy and patience. 

Bible reading Reflection (Gen 27-33)

Jacob had such a hard life.  God chose him over his older brother, but that did not make life easier for him.  Jacob was always reaching for more.  He was always striving to advance and get ahead.  Whether it was trying to find ways to obtain what rightfully belonged to his brother, or to scheme on how he might obtain his father-in-laws wealth, Jacob was always wrestling, fighting, and striving. 

However, God has promised to be with Jacob and the bless him.  God made a promise to him at Bethel when Jacob saw the vision of the ladder reaching into Heaven.  However, Jacob still continued to wrestle and fight for everything.

What characterized Jacob was not going up and down that ladder, but wrestling, struggling, and fighting all the time.  At the fork of the Jabbok river, Jacob even wrestled with God, the one who promised to bless him and be with him.  This match lasted all night, yet Jacob was spared, to his amazement.  So, Jacob called that place, "Peniel" (face of God).  God could have simply overpowered him, but he did not.  Instead, God put Jacob's hip out of joint so that he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life.  Jacob would always remember every time he walked. 

Can an injury inflicted by God ever be a blessing?  I guess when we fight against God, we may come away with a limp as well.  We may have our own "Peniel" in life that may break us.  But, perhaps this is part of the life-long process that God uses to remake us?