Our Tragic Flaws - Redeemed!

Walking & Stumbling with God

November 24
Genesis 38:1-50:26
Lurking Providence
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Joseph

Summary

There is nothing quite like reading the Joseph saga - full of plot twists and intrigue, it is anything but a boring bible story.  Enjoy it!  If you’re reading along with SPU’s reading schedule, we’re reading these 13 chapters over the Thanksgiving holiday.  In your thoughts and prayers of giving thanks, consider the way God provided for His covenant people through the ups and downs of the Joseph story:

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Genesis 45:4-8)

Bonus Thanksgiving reflection questions –

• How does Joseph’s journey demonstrate both God’s provision and Joseph’s thankfulness? 
• Inspired by Joseph’s story of God’s provision through negative circumstances, what might you be thankful for in the negative circumstances you’ve experienced?

Joseph’s Tragic Flaw
Okay, but what about Joseph’s experience of walking and stumbling with God?  Well, we’re going to keep our eyes focused on the same scene we looked at last week, only from Joseph’s perspective.  When we do this, Joseph's tragic flaw might be revealed as:

 

Dreams of Dominance

Hamartia – “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy” from the Greek “to miss the mark” (Dictionary.com)

Joseph was a dreamer.  It was his gift, the unique thing that he brought to the world.  But like most of our gifts, they can be both our tragic flaw AND our great blessing.  It all depends on how our gift is used, and whether or not we allow God to use it for God’s purposes.  Think of personal gifts (speaking your mind, industriousness, creativity, etc.) and consider how they might be both a benefit and a downfall.

 

When Joseph was a teenager, he dreamed about dominating his older brothers (Genesis 37:5-11).  They, and their father, were threatened: Are you indeed to reign over us and have dominion over us?  Shall we indeed come and bow to the ground before you?

The point is, even if this was God’s work of foreshadowing Joseph’s powerful deliverance later in the story, it was presented with little sense of the common good and the benefit to the entire family...it was all about Joseph's higher position.

From Stumbling to Walking with God

Joseph’s tragic flaw was turned around as he began to dream of the Common Good.  He began to use his gift for the benefit of others, and as he did this he no longer was the centerpiece of his dreams.  In place of a self-absorbed Joseph, now his dreams concerned the plight of two fellow prisoners (Gen 40), and the Pharaoh leading a population vulnerable to famine (Gen 41).

Consider these famous concluding words to the Joseph story: 

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

The same could be said of our gifts, our capacities, our defining characteristics: God intends them not for our self-interested desire for dominance, but for good, for the saving of many lives.

 

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

 

• What are your dreams of dominance?  How do they relate to your experience of being dominated (being “low on the totem pole”)?  What do you think God has to say about both your experience of being “low” and your dreams of being “great?”

• What are your gifts, the unique capabilities that you offer to the world, to human community?  How might your gift be both a curse and a blessing?  What can you do to tilt your gift to being more of a blessing than a curse?

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why is it so easy for my dreams and gifts to be turned inward by self-seeking?  I’m sorry…

• For using the gifts you’ve given me only for my benefit and not to benefit others.
• For not allowing you to direct my dreams beyond meeting my personal desires.
• For the ways I respond to my experience of being powerless by thinking of how I will dominate others when I get power.

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Reuben

Walking & Stumbling with God

November 17

Genesis 37:1—38:30

Conflict in God’s Family

Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Reuben

Summary

This week’s reading is a mere two chapters.  The first contains the well-known story introducing Jacob’s son Joseph, and his brothers, who become jealous of him and sell him into slavery.  The second chapter contains the story of one of those brothers, Judah, the one who came up with the idea to sell his brother as an alternative to killing him.  While I’m choosing to focus on chapter 37 and the character of Joseph’s brother Reuben, be sure to read Judah’s story in chapter 38.  The plot fits neatly into today’s “Fifty Shades of Gray” world…definitely R-rated for explicit sexual content.  Dr. Frank Spina sheds light on the cultural background of this surprising story of justice for the vulnerable - be sure to read his commentary.

Walking with God

Reuben’s walk with God?  Well, at this point in the story we don’t know a whole lot.  We know his dad, Jacob, walked closely with the Lord.  It’s likely that Reuben grew up in a God-fearing household.

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

Jealousy, hardened into hatred

Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him because their dad favored Joseph above them.  In 37:3 we learn that Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, and he demonstrated this in making a unique ornate robe for him (the “coat of many colors,” or you might call it “Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”).  His brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than any of them, and they hated him; they couldn’t even speak one kind word to him (v. 4).  Joseph added fuel to the fire.  He had two dreams and made sure to share them with his brothers – symbolically, both dreams portray Joseph’s brothers bowing down to Joseph.  His brothers were jealous of him, and that jealousy hardened into hatred (v. 8, 11).  When the brothers were grazing their flocks and saw Joseph coming from a distance, they plotted to kill him.  Reuben was one of the conspirators, with hatred for Joseph fueled by jealousy of a father’s affection.

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• Have you ever been jealous of someone else?  What was the cause?  How did it get - or has it ever gotten - resolved?

• How might being jealous of someone else become an issue in your relationship with God?  Has someone else's "blessedness" caused you to doubt God's care for you?  How might this issue be resolved?

Restored…God continues to walk with us

Something happened to Reuben when he heard his brothers describing their murderous plans. He was in a group up to no good, but he gained a foothold of conscience and began to think about turning the tide.

“When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. ‘Let’s not take his life,’ he said.  ‘Don’t shed any blood.  Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.’  Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.”  (Genesis 37:21-22)

The fact that his plan didn’t work – Reuben’s brothers seized upon the opportunity to sell Joseph as a slave to travelling merchants before he could return to rescue Joseph – doesn’t discount his righteous intention.  When he found that Joseph was no longer in the cistern, he tore his clothes in grief.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why do I get jealous of other people, and why do allow that jealousy to harden into hatred?  I’m sorry…

• For being jealous of the attention and favor given to others
• For allowing my sense of unjust treatment of me to morph into my unjust treatment of others
• For making peace with the thoughts and emotions associated with hatred of another person

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.

Amen.

Encouragement

Romans 12:9-10 

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Ephesians 4:1-3 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

James 3:13-18 

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Jacob

Walking...& Stumbling...with God

November 10

Genesis 25:1—36:42

Seeing the Face of God

Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio
(scripture quotes in this post are from The Message)

Jacob

Summary

The twelve chapters this week focus on the story of Jacob and the relationships by which his story is told: father Isaac, mother Rebekah, brother Esau, his sons, etc.  Like last week, there’s a lot of reading to do.  Be sure to pace yourself – set aside daily reading time to make regular progress through the text. 

Walking with God

Jacob enjoyed a close walk with God.  In Genesis 28:12-22, God reveals himself to Jacob while he dreams about a ladder extending up into heaven.  The words God speaks to Jacob at this moment reflect an amazing intimacy: “Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.”  Jacob responds with a deep sense of God’s abiding presence: “’God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!’ He was terrified. He whispered in awe, ‘Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.’”  

Again, in Genesis 32:24-32, God comes into close contact with Jacob, with the result that Jacob calls the place of encounter “God’s face” because it was there that “he saw God face-to-face and lived to tell about it.”  Throughout the narrative, Jacob prays to God, reflecting a conversational intimacy.

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

Deceitfulness - willing to cheat others to gain an advantage

The interesting thing about Jacob’s closeness with God is that it seems to be based on false pretenses.  He gets God’s blessing through trickery – forcing himself into the favored position initially held by his older brother Esau.  For all of Jacob’s praying and amazing personal encounters with God, he sounds a bit self-serving in the relationship (“If God does this for me, then I’ll do this for Him”).  One thing that helps Jacob to be a sympathetic character is that he is not only the perpetrator of trickery, but is victimized by it as well, illustrated by the story of how he ended up with his two wives Leah & Rachel.  Genesis 29:25 tells it vividly.  “Morning came: There was Leah in the marriage bed!  Jacob confronted Laban, ‘What have you done to me? Didn’t I work all this time for the hand of Rachel? Why did you cheat me?’”

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• Have you ever intentionally deceived someone else while looking out for your best interests?  Why do you think you did this?  What kept you from being honest or revealing all the facts?  What ended up happening?

• How honest are you with God?  Do you ever find yourself bargaining with God?  In what ways do you wrestle with God?  In what circumstances might it be said that God wrestles with you?

Restored…God continues to walk with us

When Jacob was running for his life from Esau (because of the consequences flowing from his tragic flaw), God revealed himself to Jacob and reaffirmed his covenantal presence (Gen. 35:1).  Jacob wrestles with God and is given a new name – Israel, which means “God-wrestler.”  Perhaps more significantly, God continues to wrestle with the wrestler.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why do I sometimes deceive or trick others in order to get something that I want?  I’m sorry…

• For taking advantage of others
• For seeking my interests over those of others
• For not considering information that reflects poorly upon me

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.

Amen.

Encouragement

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Abraham & Sarah

November 3

Genesis 12:1–24:67

Exclusive Election and Inclusive Purpose
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Summary

Thirteen chapters on one of the most high-profile characters in the entire Bible…that’s a lot to take in within the span of seven days!  Be sure to pace yourself – set aside daily reading time to make regular progress through the text.

Walking with God

One of the greatest scenes of walking with God is the call of Abram in Genesis 12.  The Lord speaks to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”  The Lord promises to bless Abram and make his ancestors into a great nation, so that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him.   Abram responds in faith, and starts walking with God in the direction God points out.  One two occasions, at Shechem and Bethel, Abram built an altar to the Lord and called on his name – Abram continued conversing with the God who spoke to him.

In Chapter 15 God establishes his special covenant with Abram.  In chapter 17 the covenant deepens, and Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah.  And for the most part, Abraham continues to walk with God, passing some very significant tests of faith along the way.

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

A Self-preservation instinct that puts loved ones at risk

On two different occasions Abraham faces a powerful adversary and acts as if Sarah is not his wife but his sister in order to save his own skin.  In each situation, God takes care of things, but not before Sarah is made vulnerable and Abraham looks like a coward.

Genesis 12:10-20. Heading to Egypt because of a famine, Abram is worried that the Pharaoh would be attracted to his wife Sarai and kill him in order to have her.  Abram’s bright idea is for Sarai to pass herself off as Abram’s sister.  God takes the initiative and lets Pharaoh know that something isn’t right.

Genesis 20:1-13. When Abraham and Sarah were in Gerar he did the same thing, saying of his wife “She is my sister.”  Abimelek, king of Gerar, “sent for Sarah and took her.”  God speaks to Abimelek in a dream and says, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”  Abimelek resolves the situation and asks Abraham why he did this.  Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’  Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.  And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• Have you ever allowed someone else to take the heat while protecting yourself?  Why do you think you did this?  What were you afraid of?  What ended up happening?

• Have you ever risked your own safety or reputation to protect another person?  What was the situation, and what was the result of your action?  What do you think contributed to your courageousness?

Restored…God continues to walk with us

Abraham’s stumbling doesn’t keep God from moving the two of them forward along the path of his plan.  In both instances, God is the one who cleans up the mess Abraham makes.  God remains in covenant relationship with Abraham even when he doesn’t deserve it…one of the great narratives of grace in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why do I sometimes think primarily about preserving myself while allowing others to take the heat?  I’m sorry…

• For staying quiet when I should speak up in defense of someone or to challenge injustice
• For seeking to ensure my comfort at the expense of others
• For taking for granted my relationships with family & friends who depend on me

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil. Amen.

Encouragement

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

John 15:12-14 (Jesus speaking) My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.