May the mumbling commence!
In Genesis chapter forty-nine, Jacob / Israel sings a song on his deathbed and hands out blessings appropriate for each of his sons. It is difficult not to notice the sharp contrast between Simeon and Levi with Judah. Read from the song below:
"Simeon and Levi are two of a kind—
men of violence.
O my soul, stay away from them.
May I never be a party to their wicked plans.
For in their anger they murdered men,
and they crippled oxen just for sport.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
cursed be their wrath, for it is cruel.
Therefore, I will scatter their descendants
throughout the nation of Israel.
Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You will defeat your enemies.
All your relatives will bow before you.
Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its prey.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—
who will dare to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will obey.
He ties his foal to a grapevine,
the colt of his donkey to a choice vine.
He washes his clothes in wine because his harvest is so plentiful.
His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. (Verses 5-12)
Yes, the wrath and anger of Simeon and Levi shown in the rape of their sister, Dinah, brings destruction upon their part in the Promised Land. They stepped forward… in an evil way. And evil they receive.
Judah stepped forward in a good way, as we mulled over yesterday. And Judah gets rewarded with good. Indeed, the promise of the dreams of Joseph is transferred to Judah. All your relatives will bow before you. The scepter will never depart from your hand. The one to whom it belongs will come from your descendants… that’s Jesus, by the way.
Let’s learn to take and stand and step forward in a way that is pleasing with the Lord. For another example of stepping forward that is not positive, look at this passage from Matthew chapter seventeen:
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter blurted out, "Lord, this is wonderful! If you want me to, I'll make three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (Verses 1-4)
Let us think through what we will say and do when we step forward well!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment