Embrace God's Covenant for You. Genesis 35:9-15

May the mumbling commence!

Sometimes we need a reminder about who we are… and whose we are.  After rededicating himself and his family to the Lord, Jacob got such a reminder…  Or should I say Israel?  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

God revealed himself once again to Jacob, after he had come back from Paddan Aram and blessed him: “Your name is Jacob (Heel); but that’s your name no longer.  From now on your name is Israel (God-Wrestler).”

God continued.

I am The Strong God.

Have children!  Flourish!

A nation – a whole company of nations! –

will come from you.

Kings will come from your loins;

the land I gave Abraham and Isaac

I now give to you,

and pass it on to your descendants.

And then God was gone, ascended from the place where he had spoken with him.

Jacob set up a stone pillar on the spot where God had spoken with him.  He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.  Jacob dedicated the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (God’s-House).  (Genesis 35:9-15)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.  God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. 

And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.  The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."  Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. 

Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.  (Genesis 35:9-15)

Though there are differences, most of them have no change on the heart and spirit of the passage, in my opinion.  There is one type, though, that gives me a cause to pause.  It’s about the timing of the name change and the extension of the covenant with Jacob to his descendants.

The NIV has God speaking about what will happen to Jacob’s name.  You will no longer be called Jacob.  Your name will be Israel.

God invites Jacob to take on a new life and attitude.  God invites Jacob to leave behind the deceiver in him.  (Jacob means both heel and deceiver.)  God invites Jacob to wrestle with God’s purpose for his life.  That’s why Jacob’s name will be Israel.  It will be when Israel embraces the purpose the Lord has for him. 

Israel no longer needs to fight and scrap and deceive to get the covenantal promise first given to his grandfather Abraham.  It’s his by the grace of God.  And God will give this covenantal promise to Jacob’s descendants.  There’s no “passing on the covenant”.  Israel is called to embrace that covenant and what it means for his life.

You and I have the same call.  Will we embrace it?  What new name will we receive?  Will it be Christian?  Will it be Christ-follower?  Only God knows.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Time to Purge. Genesis 35:1-8

May the mumbling commence!

Who or what is first in our hearts?  It’s an important question.  Sometimes, we need to purge the evil influences in our lives so that we can follow God more faithfully.  It was true of Jacob.  It’s true for us.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            God spoke to Jacob: “Go back to Bethel.  Stay there and build an altar to the God who revealed himself to you when you were running for your life from your brother Esau.”

            Jacob told his family and all those who lived with him, “Throw out all the alien gods which you have, take a good bath and put on clean clothes, we’re going to Bethel.  I’m going to build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in trouble and has stuck with me everywhere I’ve gone since.”

            They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they’d been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings.  Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem.  Then they set out.  A paralyzing fear descended on all the surrounding villages so that they were unable to pursue the sons of Jacob.

            Jacob and his company arrived at Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan.  He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel) because that’s where God revealed himself to him when he was running from his brother.

            And that’s when Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah, died.  She was buried just below Bethel under the oak tree.  It was named Allon-Bacuth (Weeping Oak).  (Genesis 35:1-8)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau." 

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.  Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone."  So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.  Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. 

Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.  There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 

Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So it was named Allon Bacuth.  (Genesis 35:1-8)

I don’t know that to purify yourself (NIV) is equivalent to taking a good bath (Peterson).  There is deeper meaning to purifying yourself.  I think Peterson belittles the concept of repentance.  Repentance is what is happening here.

Remember what just happened?  The sons of Jacob had just massacred the city of Shechem.  Jacob was in fear that the peoples of the land would gang up on his family and destroy them.

It’s into this mess that God calls Jacob back to Bethel… the last place he spent the night when he was fleeing in fear.  And Jacob finally realized that he needed to get right with God.  Thus, the purge of evil influences came.

Calling all foreign gods!  I wonder if Rachel came forth with her father’s household gods.  Did she keep them?  We are not told.  Maybe she gave them to someone else to bring forward.  Maybe she came forward with these gods.  It would have greatly grieved Jacob.

And when we’ve repented and purified ourselves and once again are following God, we fall under the protection of the Lord.  The people of the land fell under the fear of God… not just a general paralyzing fear as Peterson intimates.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Overzealous! Genesis 34:25-31

May the mumbling commence!

Jacob’s sons had made the men of Shechem vulnerable.  Now what would they do?  Would they be good to their word?  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Three days after the circumcision, while all the men were still very sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each with his sword in hand, walked into the city as if they owned the place and murdered every man there.  They also killed Hamor and his son Shechem, rescued Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left.  When the rest of Jacob’s sons came on the scene of slaughter, they looted the entire city in retaliation for Dinah’s rape.  Flocks, herds, donkeys, belongings – everything, whether in the city or the fields – they took.  And then they took all the wives and children captive and ransacked their homes for anything valuable.

            Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve made my name stink to high heaven among the people here, these Canaanites and Perizzites.  If they decided to gang up on us and attack, as few as we are we wouldn’t stand a chance; they’d wipe me and my people right off the map.”

            They said, “Nobody is going to treat our sister like a whore and get by with it.”  (Genesis 34:25-31)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.  They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.  The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled.  They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.  They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses. 

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." 

But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?" (Genesis 34:25-31)

They had done everything that Jacob’s sons had asked of them.  Dinah was in the home of Shechem.  They were relaxed and unsuspecting.  And they were still in pain.

That’s when Simeon and Levi descended upon the city.  They killed all the men – not just Shechem, who had raped their sister.  Just a bit of overkill!  Peterson relates it as murder and slaughter.  And that’s exactly what it was.

No one is to treat our sister as a whore!  That’s how Peterson coins it.  Though it’s raw with emotion, those words are true to the blind rage that the brothers went into.

It’s a troubling passage.  It’s a key to understanding the laws in the Old Testament that speak of an eye for an eye.  Those laws were meant to keep this kind of wide scale retribution in check.

It’s no wonder that Jacob feared the retaliation of the people upon his family.  But more troubling still is that it did not cross Jacob’s mind to be fearful of what the Lord might do because His holy name had been defiled.  This heinous act did much more than soil the name of Jacob!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Misusing the Lord's Name. Genesis 34:13-24

May the mumbling commence!

Jacob’s sons take the Lord’s name in vain.  They misuse the sign of the covenant – circumcision – to make the men of Shechem vulnerable.  Bad news, indeed!  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father with cunning.  Their sister, after all, had been raped.  They said, “This is impossible.  We could never give our sister to a man who was uncircumcised.  Why, we’d be disgraced.  The only condition on which we can talk business is if all your men become circumcised like us.  Then we will freely exchange daughters in marriage and make ourselves at home among you and become one big, happy family.  But if this is not an acceptable condition, we will take our sister and leave.”

                That seemed fair enough to Hamor and his son Shechem.

                The young man was so smitten with Jacob’s daughter that he proceeded to do what had been asked.  He was also the most admired son in his father’s family.

                So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the public square and spoke to the town council: “These men like us; they are our friends.  Let them settle down here and make themselves at home; there’s plenty of room in the country for them.  And, just think, we can even exchange our daughters in marriage.  But these men will only accept our invitation to live with us and become one big family on one condition, that all our males become circumcised just as they themselves are.  This is a very good deal for us – these people are very wealthy with great herds of livestock and we’re going to get our hands on it.  So let’s do what they ask and have them settle down with us.”

                Everyone who was anyone in the city agreed with Hamor and his son, Shechem; every male was circumcised.  (Genesis 34:13-24)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor.  They said to them, "We can't do such a thing; we can't give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us.  We will give our consent to you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.  Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one people with you.  But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we'll take our sister and go." 

Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.  The young man, who was the most honored of all his father's household, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter.  So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to their fellow townsmen.  "These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.  But the men will consent to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are.  Won't their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us give our consent to them, and they will settle among us." 

All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.  (Genesis 34:13-24)

Like father like sons!  They replied deceitfully.  Jacob’s sons have taken after their father.  They didn’t fall far from the tree, it seems.  That’s something that Peterson missed when he translated the word “cunning”.

It was a knee-jerk reaction.  So they were themselves at their worst.  They used the covenant sign of the Lord to make the strong vulnerable.  It’s disgusting!

And Jacob’s sons were not alone.  Hamor and Shechem thought they were going to rob Jacob’s family blind.  Hamor and Shechem did not comprehend their own vulnerability.  That will prove disastrous for them as we will see tomorrow.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Calm Before the Storm. Genesis 34:1-12

May the mumbling commence!

Jacob fell silent.  He was distraught about what had happened to his daughter Dinah.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            One day Dinah, the daughter Leah had given Jacob, went to visit some of the women in that country.  Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite who was chieftain there, saw her and raped her.  Then he felt a strong attraction to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, fell in love with her, and wooed over her.  Shechem went to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

            Jacob heard that Shechem had raped his daughter Dinah, but his sons were out in the fields with the livestock so he didn’t say anything until they got home.  Hamor, Shechem’s father, went to Jacob to work out marriage arrangements.  Meanwhile Jacob’s sons on their way back from the fields heard what had happened.  They were outraged, explosive with anger.  Shechem’s rape of Jacob’s daughter was intolerable in Israel and not to be put up with.

            Hamor spoke with Jacob and his sons, “My son Shechem is head over heels in love with your daughter – give her to him as his wife.  Intermarry with us.  Give your daughters to us and we’ll give our daughters to you.  Live together with us as one family.  Settle down among us and make yourselves at home.  Prosper among us.”

            Shechem then spoke for himself, “Please, say yes.  I’ll pay anything.  Set the bridal price as high as you will – the sky’s the limit!  Only give me this girl for my wife.”  (Genesis 34:1-12)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land.  When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.  His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.  And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife." 

When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home. 

Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.  Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter – a thing that should not be done. 

But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.  Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.  You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it." 

Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask.  Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife." (Genesis 34:1-12)

The powerful take advantage of the vulnerable.  That’s the essence of rape.  It’s horrible.

No amount of money can replace Dinah’s innocence and purity.  There’s no wonder that her father was speechless.  Sometimes, in our wrath, it’s better not to say anything rashly.  Words, once spoken, cannot be unspoken.

There’s no wonder Dinah’s brothers heard the news in the fields.  Bad news has always traveled fast.  It was no different for Jacob’s family.  And they came as soon as they heard.  There’s urgency in that phrase that’s missing in Peterson’s work.  I do not like that omission.

Grief and fury ruled their hearts.  Outrage and explosive anger ruled their hearts.  They were about to say and do things without much forethought.  God is not mentioned in this passage.  (Where is God when things like this happen anyways?)  God isn’t consulted.  Only bad things can come of this!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Hard for a Leopard to Change Its Spots. Genesis 33:12-20

May the mumbling commence!

Sometimes, it’s easier to give than to receive.  Jacob had to plead with his brother Esau to take the gift offered to him.  But when Esau offers a gift to Jacob, Jacob flatly refuses.  It’s part of Jacob’s relational make-up.  I say that because it involves a true and trusting relationship with his brother – something he’s apparently not ready for.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Then Esau said, “Let’s start out on our way; I’ll take the lead.”

            But Jacob said, “My master can see that the children are frail.  And the flocks and herds are nursing, making for slow going.  If I push them too hard, even for a day, I’d lose them all.  So, master, you go on ahead of your servant, while I take it easy at the pace of my flocks and children.  I’ll catch up with you in Seir.”

            Esau said, “Let me at least lend you some of my men.”

            “There’s no need,” Jacob said.  “Your generous welcome is all I need or want.”

            So Esau set out that day and made his way back to Seir.

            And Jacob left for Succoth.  He built a shelter for himself and sheds for his livestock.  That’s how the place came to be called Succoth (Sheds).

            And that’s how it happened that Jacob arrived all in one piece in Shechem in the land of Canaan – all the way from Paddan Aram.  He camped near the city.  He bought the land where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.  He paid a hundred silver coins for it.  Then he built an altar there and named it El-Elohe-Israel (Mighty Is the God of Israel).  (Genesis 33:12-20)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I'll accompany you." 

But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die.  So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir." 

Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you."

"But why do that?" Jacob asked. "Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord." 

So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.  Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth. 

After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city.  For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent.  There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.  (Genesis 33:12-20)

How did Esau couch his offer to Jacob?  Peterson suggests that Esau wanted to lead.  The NIV speaks of Esau accompanying Jacob.  Which is closer to the truth?  Various translations go with one or the other.  There’s no consistent voice.  Perhaps the tension should be there. 

It’s a little of both.  But the call to fellowship and the offer of protection is clear.  And Jacob refuses both offers.

True to his name, Jacob lies.  Jacob deceives Esau again.  Though Jacob tells Esau that he will follow him to Seir, Jacob settles instead outside of Shechem.

It seems little has changed in Jacob.  Maybe that’s why he isn’t referred to as Israel in this passage.  He’s still doing Jacob-like things.

And his sons are watching… and learning.  Soon they would grow into great deceivers in their own rite.  But that’s a series of stories for the following days.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

The Open Embrace of Fellowship. Genesis 33:1-11

May the mumbling commence!

The fated reunion of Jacob and Esau is finally upon us.  Would it be the closed fist of vengeance or the open hand of fellowship?  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his four hundred men.  He divided the children between Leah and Rachel and the two maidservants.  He put the maidservants out in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.  He led the way and, as he approached his brother, bowed seven times, honoring his brother.  But Esau ran up and embraced him, held him tight and kissed him.  And they both wept.

            Then Esau looked around and saw the women and children: “And who are these with you?”

            Jacob said, “The children that God saw fit to bless me with.”

            Then the maidservants came up with their children and bowed; then Leah and her children, also bowing; and finally, Joseph and Rachel came up and bowed to Esau.

            Esau then asked, “And what was the meaning of all those herds that I met?”

            “I was hoping that they would pave the way for my master to welcome me.”

            Esau said, “Oh, brother.  I have plenty of everything – keep what is yours for yourself.”

            Jacob said, “Please.  If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts.  When I saw your face, it was the face of God smiling on me.  Accept the gifts I have brought for you.  God has been good to me and I have more than enough.”  Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.  (Genesis 33:1-11)

Now read the same passage from the NIV:

Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants.  He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.  He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.  Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these with you?" he asked.

Jacob answered, "They are the children God has graciously given your servant." 

Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.  Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down. 

Esau asked, "What do you mean by all these droves I met?"

"To find favor in your eyes, my lord," he said. 

But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself." 

"No, please!" said Jacob. "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.  Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.  (Genesis 33:1-11)

Let’s talk about the grace of God… God’s unmerited favor for us.  Jacob knew this grace.  Why did Peterson ignore this aspect of this passage?  To me, there’s a world of difference between children graciously given and God “seeing fit to bless me with”. 

And, don’t get me wrong, God is most definitely good.  But good pales in comparison to the graciousness of the Lord, shown in His provision for Jacob… and for us.  Bring back the acknowledgement of grace!

Knowing our blessings are graces directly from God puts things in perspective.  With this perspective, we have the potential for true humility.  We have the potential to humbly serve our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We can say, “I am your servant” without reservation.

And I wonder what was going through Jacob’s mind as Esau ran to meet him.  Was this his last moments?  NO!  It was prelude to a warm embrace.  

That’s the face of God – when our most bitter enemies welcome us warmly.  Indeed, that’s God’s face smiling down upon us.  There’s no better healing warmth than that!

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out