Week 35, Day 4: Flee Sexual Immorality
Today’s Reading: Genesis 39:1-23
Some thoughts from the reading…
In 1 Corinthians 6:18, the Apostle Paul told us to “flee sexual immorality.” There is no better passage to illustrate the idea that Paul was conveying than Genesis chapter 39 and the account of Joseph in Potiphar’s house. Joseph was sold into slavery and ended up in Egypt as a servant over Potiphar’s house. He was in control of everything that Potiphar owned, the only thing held back from him was Potiphar’s wife. But, Potiphar’s wife was intent on causing Joseph to commit adultery with her. Joseph refused to commit such an atrocity against God and fled from Potiphar’s wife, leaving his cloak in her hand. Joseph was then accused by Potiphar’s wife of sinning against her, and he was put into prison.
This is a very interesting passage to consider. Many people think about sin from the standpoint of what they can get by with. Joseph, for example, could have gotten by with this sin, at least from the standpoint of other men knowing about it. His family would never have known about it. How could his father have been disappointed in him? Jacob thought that Joseph was dead. Joseph could have thought that God had given up on him, stranding him in this heathen country. Surely, Joseph could have come up with any number of excuses to succumb to Potiphar’s wife’s seduction. But, in the end, he simply could not sin against God! He was determined that he would do what was right, even if that were to cost him dearly.
We should remember that God is always watching us. Even when no one else may know of our sin, God knows. Even if we think we can get by with something sinful, God will see. We can hide our sin from our family, and from our brethren, but God is aware of everything that we do. We cannot hide anything at all from Him.
When we read that we are to “flee sexual immorality” we should think of Joseph. We should be willing to run away from this sin against the Lord and against our own bodies in the same way that he did. If we try to stay close to sinfulness, it will not be long until we are caught up in it ourselves, and we will be guilty of sinning against our God!
Question: What can a young person today do to flee from sexual immorality? How might they insure that they do not succumb to the temptations of the world?
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Week 35, Day 3: Double Standards…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 38:1-30
Some thoughts from the reading…
We are given an interesting story in Genesis chapter 38. Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, went among the Adulalmites and took for himself a wife. He then had 3 sons. To the first, he gave a wife, Tamar. This son, however, was wicked and punished by being struck dead by the Lord. The second son of Judah was sent to Tamar to rise up a son for his brother, but also sinned against the Lord. He too was struck dead. Judah promised Tamar that he would give her his third son, when he was old enough to be wed to her. But, when that third son was old enough, he withheld him from Tamar so that he too would not be destroyed by the Lord.
As time progressed, Judah’s own wife died, and he went to Timnah to shear his sheep. There, Tamar disguised herself as a harlot, and went to Judah to seduce him into her bed. He gave her his signet ring and his his staff as a pledge for the goat that he would send in payment. Tamar disappeared after their tryst and took Judah’s “pledge” with her. Later, when it was discovered that Tamar was expecting a child, Judah was angry. He called for her to be brought out so that she might be burned to death. However, when she was brought out, Tamar presented him with the signet ring and staff that he had left with her, proving that he was the father of the children she was going to bear (she would have twins).
One thing I find very interesting in this passage is that Judah was going to punish Tamar for committing the very same sin he was guilty of. Surely he remembered that he had gone in to a harlot (even if he didn’t know who she was at the time). This is an obvious example of having a “double standard.” There was one standard that would be imposed for Tamar, and a second one that would be imposed on Judah. Obviously, Judah was not going to impose any kind of judgment on himself for his sin!
This type of idea is not good for anyone, and is certainly not biblical. God has given one standard for which He will hold all people accountable. We cannot try to hold some people accountable under certain rules, and then turn around and do the same things ourselves! Jesus conveyed this very idea when he said (Matthew 7:1-5):
7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
We cannot have “double standards” today. We have the responsibility of teaching the one standard, and living by it. We should not try to make exceptions for ourselves, or others. Let us remove the plank from our own eyes!
Question: In what way have you seen a “double standard” imposed today?
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Week 35, Day 2: Envy, a Dangerous Thing
Today’s Reading: Genesis 37:1-36
Some thoughts from the reading…
In Genesis 37, we read the first indications that Joseph would have dominion over his brothers. According to his dreams, his brothers and his parents would bow down to him. This angered his brothers, and because of envy, they sold him into slavery to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites then sold him into Egypt. We will see how this affects Jacob and the rest of his children over the next few chapters.
Envy was the core problem with the sons of Jacob. It is amazing to see how people have the same characteristics now as they had back in Jacob’s time. Envy causes people to do terrible things to others today, just as it did then. Matthew 27:18 tells us that Jesus was handed over to be crucified because of envy. The New Testament is full of warnings against envy. Grab a concordance (or search on your computer) and see just how often God warns us to avoid this danger.
Why is envy such a dangerous thing? Because it causes men to do things that they would not normally do. When we are envious of someone else, it causes us to do something to bring harm on them. Perhaps when we are envious we try to make others look bad. Or maybe we will go even further than that, and try to cause some real, physical harm to them.
Some may look at their co-workers, and see their success, and try to sabotage their progress. Some may become envious of their own physical relatives, and try to cause damage to them, such as trying to damage their reputation. The worst situation is when envy creeps in between Christian brethren. It is a tool that Satan uses constantly in the Lord’s church to cause division. In fact, if you look at many of the passages dealing with envy, you will see that other sins are coupled with the envy.
We need to guard our hearts against envy, else Satan will use it to destroy our faith, and our relationships with our brethren and friends.
Question: How can we avoid being envious of others?
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Week 35, Day 1: Answered Promises
Today’s Reading: Genesis 36:1-43
Some thoughts from the reading…
Sometimes, chapters like Genesis 36 can seem to be a bit boring as we read through them. Many may wonder what the purpose of chapters such as these serve. I believe there are at least a couple of good reasons for this type of chapter. When we understand the purpose, perhaps we won’t think of them as being boring. So, consider a couple of reasons that God may have included chapters such as our text today into the Bible.
First, this chapter shows that God fulfills His promises. Before the birth of Jacob and Esau, God promised that there were two nations in the womb of Rebekah. In this chapter, we can see how God began that development. It connects the dots for us from the point of Esau to the formation of the nation of Edom. This chapter shows how the Edomites came from the descendants of Esau, listing his own sons and then their descendants.
Second, this chapter serves to answer many Bible critics. Often, critics will make the claim that certain things just couldn’t happen. For example, many say that the world could not be populated from only two people (Adam and Eve), and yet we can look at a similar chapter of genealogies in Genesis chapter 5. Here, we can see just how a large nation descended from one man. Historians may go back and argue that the source of this people is impossible to discover. However, it is clear from the Biblical history just how God brought this nation into existence.
The Edomites play a significant role in the history of the Israelites from this point until the end of the Old Testament period. We will certainly see these two nations “striving together” throughout their histories. It will be interesting to watch how they interact as we continue our reading of the Old Testament!
Question: What other purposes do you see for these type of “genealogy” chapters in the Bible?
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Week 34, Day 5: Giving Up False Gods
Today’s Reading: Genesis 35:1-29
Some thoughts from the reading…
In Genesis 35, God spoke to Jacob and sent him back to Bethel to live. As Jacob was preparing his family to move to Bethel, he gave some instructions. One thing in particular that he instructed was that they were to give up any gods that they brought with them. He collected them all, and buried them under a tree, before moving on.
I find it very interesting that Jacob took these gods, and buried them. He separated them from the people, and then made sure that they could not get them back. These gods were not acceptable, and if they were going to accept Jehovah, they had to be willing to give them up. Remember, these gods meant a lot to the people. Rachel had stolen her father’s god, and brought it with her. Laban was willing to attack Jacob’s men (he was held back by God) over the god. Rachel was willing to steal, and deceive to keep the god. Now, Jacob was saying that they had to give them up!
We have already written quite a bit about the dangers of idolatry, and we will certainly be writing much more about it as we follow the history of Israel. Here, we are shown the need to get rid of any kind of idolatry that stood between the people and God. God would provide all that they needed, and these gods couldn’t give them anything. How could they, as they were the creation of men? Jacob’s actions showed the people just how useless, and helpless these gods were. Would a real god allow their image to be buried in the ground, and left behind in such a symbolic way?
Sometimes we need to do the same type of thing that Jacob did. We allow things to stand between us and faithful service to God. It probably won’t be an idol in our case, but we often have other things that need to be “buried in the ground” (either literally, or symbolically). Any time we find that we allow worldly things to keep us from doing what is right, we need to have the courage, and the dedication to get rid of those things, and put our service to God first and foremost in our lives.
Question: What types of things do you thing people today need to “bury in the ground” to make sure they don’t interfere with their spiritual faithfulness?
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Week 34, Day 4: The Temptation to Co-Exist
Today’s Reading: Genesis 34:1-31
Some thoughts from the reading…
Throughout the history of the Israelites, we see the temptation for them to co-exist with the idolatrous, wicked people of the land of Canaan. In Genesis 34, we see that very problem. One of Jacob’s daughters, Dinah, was raped by one of the men of Shechem. He “loved” her, and so pushed for an active relationship developed between the people of Jacob, and his own people.
Two of Dinah’s brothers devised the plan to convince all of the men of Shechem to become circumcised to become like the people of Jacob. When they were in pain from the procedure, Levi and Simeon went into the city and slew all of the men, and stole their sister back to their own camp. They were not going to tolerate the defilement of their sister, and took bold action to punish the wrong doers.
It is very interesting to see that these sons of Jacob used the invitation of co-existing to set their trap with the men of Shechem. The Israelites, from the time of Abraham, have been told to keep themselves separate from the sinful people around them. And yet, here they were flirting with (albeit deceptively) with the possibility of having a close relationship with the Canaanites. As we continue to follow the history of the Israelites, we will see that they will begin to encourage c0-existence with their neighbors in earnest. This is one of the very things that causes the downfall of the nation! They were unable to fight against the idolatry that is brought into their midst from those in the land around them. This is one of the very reasons that God specified that they were to keep themselves separated from those around them. If they had just obeyed God in this, they would have been much better off!
Question: What lessons should we learn from the warnings given to the Israelites dealing with their co-existing with the people of Canaan?
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Week 34, Day 3: Unintended Consequences…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 33:1-20
Some thoughts from the reading…
Yesterday, we saw that Jacob was afraid to go back to Canaan because he was afraid of his brother, Esau. Even after 20 years, he was afraid that Esau would still want to kill him. Fortunately for Jacob, Esau had been able to come to come to a point of forgiveness. It is hard to believe, after all that Jacob did to Esau, that he was able to forgive Jacob’s actions, and relent from attacking him and his family.
This seems to be such a heartwarming story, of two brothers reunited. However, the story does not end there. As we continue to read through the Old Testament, we find that there was a constant rift between the people of Esau and the people of Jacob. We will see that there will be a hatred between the Edomites and the Israelites that will even end up being the source of prophecies sent by God (such as the book of Obadiah, and parts of the book of Ezekiel).
This was certainly an “unintended consequence” to Jacob’s actions. He probably never thought that his actions could lead to a hatred between two established nations! This was a fulfillment of prophecies that had been made to Rebekah while she was still expecting these twins. It is certainly interesting to note just how things prophesied by God comes to pass.
Often, there are unintended consequences (as we saw yesterday as well) to our actions. We don’t look far enough ahead to see how our actions will cause problems for others in the future, even beyond the problems that they cause for us. We need to remember this example, so that we will not make the kind of poor choices that cause these types of problems for ourselves, and generations that follow us!
Question: Why do you think most people don’t think far enough ahead to avoid these kinds of unintended consequences?
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Week 34, Day 2: The Peace Offering…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 32:1-32
Some thoughts from the reading…
In chapter 32 of Genesis, we read about Jacob’s return to his homeland. He was afraid to go home, over 20 years later, because he thought his brother was still mad at him. Of course, Esau had every right to be angry, as he had been cheated out of both his birthright and his blessing. Jacob went to great extremes to make sure that he could get at least part of his entourage out of the area if Esau attacked them. He also prepared a huge pay off to try and appease Esau, a type of “peace offering” for his brother.
This account tells us about the “unintended consequences” that sometimes come from our actions. Surely Jacob didn’t really think about what would happen to his relationship with his brother if he went forward with his plan. Or perhaps he didn’t really care what his brother would do at that moment in time. But, as he got older, and decided that he wanted to go home, he had to face the fact that he had mistreated his brother, and try to make amends.
Looking back, it is pretty easy to see how he could have avoided this uneasiness with his brother. He could have treated him fairly, and not tried to steal things from him. But, hindsight, as they say, is 20-20. Because of his misstep, he had to go to these great extremes to protect his family and himself from the wrath of Esau.
How often do we do something that is unkind to our brother (spiritual or physical) that makes us do something later on to try and correct, or appease him? If we would just treat them right in the first place, we wouldn’t have try and make amends! But, often, we don’t think far enough ahead to see the consequences of our actions. We are selfish, and do what is best for us, regardless of what it does for our brethren. We need to take a lesson from Jacob, and try to avoid the actions that lead to problems in the first place, so that we don’t have to work so hard to repair relationships later on!
Question: What can we do to make sure we don’t have to make peace offerings to our brethren today?
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Week 34, Day 1: Jacob Flees From Laban
Today’s Reading: Genesis 31:1-55
Some thoughts from the reading…
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan. You can have an idea of what you think will happen, but in the end, it works out a completely different way. That seems to be the story of Jacob’s life. Remember, he worked for Laban for 7 years, only to be tricked into marrying his eldest daughter, Leah. He then had to work another 7 years to complete his requirement for marrying Rachel. After that, he worked another 6 years to develop his own herd so that he would not have to leave and head back to Canaan empty handed. Also remember, he had left his home so that he could get away from Esau, who was angry with him and going to kill him. His mother had told him to leave for a few days, so that he could preserve his life. That “few days” has turned into 20 years! That was certainly not what Jacob had planned.
In our reading today, we see that Jacob had to flee from Laban, because he was afraid that he would take his wives away from him, or take his flocks back. That was certainly not what Jacob had planned on. He had had a fairly good relationship (it seems) with Laban up to that point. He also did not know that Rachel stole the household idol of her father when she left. That caused Laban to pursue them, and even caused Jacob to rashly promise that the perpetrator would be killed, if found. Fortunately, Rachel tricked her father, and kept the idol hidden.
I think there is a lesson for us in all of this. We need to learn that even if we make plans, they are not always going to come to fruition just as we plan. We need to rely upon God, just as Jacob was doing during this 20 years, for things to work out the way that is best for us. Sometimes it is hard for us to put that kind of confidence in God, but we need to have full confidence in Him! We can trust that He will care for us, giving us all that we need. He can providentially preserve us, and see to it that we are taken care of.
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Week 33, Day 5: Jacob’s Wealth
Today’s Reading: Genesis 30:1-43
Some thoughts from the reading…
Genesis chapter 30 shows how God took care of Jacob and provided for him. We see the birth of most of Jacob’s sons in this chapter, through his two wives and their handmaids. We also see the development of the wealth of Jacob. He worked for Laban for 14 years, and gained two wives, but he had not developed any wealth of his own. When he decided it was time to go home, Laban convinced him to stay a while longer so that he could pay him for his efforts. Jacob devised a plan, by which he would be able to attain some wealth (flocks and herds) from Laban. He determined (and Laban agreed) that he would take all of the speckled and spotted goats, and the brown sheep. Evidently, these animals would be the rare ones, else Laban would not agree to it. Jacob sorted the animals, and then sent his herds away from Laban’s. Then, as he began to breed the flocks of Laban, he put rods before the sheep and goats that had the bark peeled off, causing them to bear speckled and spotted offspring. It is pretty evident that doing such a thing would not do anything for the conception rate of spotted and speckled offspring, under normal conditions. But, God was with Jacob, and He saw to it that the flocks produced a lot of these spotted and speckled kids. In this way, God saw to it that Jacob became very rich!
Notice that Jacob did not leave his prosperity solely in the hands of God. He went forth and worked for it. He trusted in God, and knew that God would provide for him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to work to produce his own wealth. There is a lesson for us in that as well. We need to recognize that all of our blessings come from God, but He has not told us that He will bless us without us ever doing anything. In fact, He has been very clear about our need to work and provide for our own (1 Thessalonians 4:11, 1 Timothy 5:8)! We must put our trust in God to provide, but we also need to work to provide for ourselves. God will do His part (He always does) but we must also be committed to doing our part!
Question: What type of “wealth” do you think we should try to accumulate today?
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