My prayer this morning was focused on the needs of others. In the last few weeks I have been informed of the hardships that many of my family and friends are facing. It seems to be a particularly difficult time for many, so I dedicated the majority of my prayer time to those that could use some extra blessings from above. I believe in the power of prayer and I know from personal experience that there is a comfort in knowing that others are praying for you. Praying for those you love is one of the greatest ways you can express your feelings for them.
Genesis 38
Chapter 38 is not a pleasant read, it involves marrying out of the covenant, adultery, lying, breaking covenants, and hypocrisy. As I read it I kept saying to myself, "Really! What are they thinking?" The actions of the people in this account are disturbing, but there must be a reason that Moses included it. As I studied this chapter I found that it applies to us today in a very real way, which is also a little disturbing.
Falling Apart
I found this commentary on this chapter that really made me think:
"In Jacob’s day, as in our own, one of Satan’s highest priorities is the attack on the home of the people of God. The purposes of God were to be realized in the families of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was the breakdown of the family which seriously threatened (from a human vantage point) the purposes of God. Today the same challenge faces the Christian family."
"In Jacob’s day, as in our own, the same basic issues are at stake. The family was under attack, as the church is today, on two major fronts. The first is in the area of purity and separation. The second front in Satan’s attack on the family and the church is the matter of unity and brotherly love." (The Skeleton's in Judah's Closet (Genesis 38:1-30), by Bob Deffinbaugh)
Purity and separation
In Genesis ch 34 we learned of the slaughter that occurred at the hands of Simeon and Levi, Judah's brothers, and that the other brothers had joined in. If Judah had participated in this you can start to see the downward spiral it is leading him into. And in ch 37 he is the one that wants to sell Joseph as a slave for profit.
In chapter 38 Judah separates himself from his family and seeks friends among the Canaanites, he marries a Canaanite woman and has sexual relations with a woman he believes is a prostitute. He lies to Tamar and he is revealed as a hypocrite when he wants to have her punished for sins he believes she committed, even though he has committed sexual sins himself.
Today our children are facing incredible pressure to conform to the world around them, to associate with those that do not share their standards, and to forsake the faith they have learned from their family.
Separation from the world is especially important in the matter of the friends that we choose. As Judah slipped away from his family, he entered into an alliance with Hirah, a man who was always present when Judah got into trouble. Our time is not so different from Judah's time, the media is filled with stories of gangs and alliances between youth and even adults that lead to the destruction of families and communities.
Unity and Brotherly Love
Joseph’s brothers had no brotherly love and no essential unity, as evidenced in chapter 37 when they throw Joseph into the pit and want to sell him. Judah's sons appear to share these qualities with their father and uncles. Judah’s son Onan had no sense of obligation to his deceased brother and was motivated only by self-interest and selfish ambition. So far as he was concerned, it did not matter if Tamar ever had a child, but God had determined that she would be the one through whom the Messiah would come. This reminded me of a sign I saw: A parent's life is a guidebook to their children. This is so true!
This lack of brotherly love is an issue that is still prevalent today. It makes since that there would be so many scriptures talking about this issue:
"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another" (Rom. 12:10)
"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another." (Thess. 4:9)
"Let brotherly love continue." (Heb.13:1)
"And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." (2 Pet. 1:7)
The reason why we lack this kind of love and the unity which it fosters is that we, like Onan, are concerned more with our own interests than with those of others. We live in a 'me first' society, where the worldly lifestyle is celebrated and the righteous are condemned for their ways. Unfortunately, we as a people have a history of falling into this trap, which leads to wars, destruction, contention, and the disintegration of society. We are falling apart.
There is hope. As you continue reading in Genesis you will find that Judah's heart, over time, is changed and his family once again will be united. It is through God and great trials that these things happen. The scriptures teach us:
"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 2:1-5).
Notice the word any, as long as there is even a little goodness left in the world there is hope that we will unite instead of fall apart. I am wanting to be more in the hope department and less in the falling apart. We can fight Satan, we can make a difference, and we do it through the strength in our families. Let's make sure the guidebook we are giving our children is filled with the right stuff!
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