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
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment