Snapshots of the Spiritual Journey

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. Genesis 35::1-4

INTRO: A half-century ago, Daniel Boorstin wrote The Image

He argued that we (North Americans) have used wealth and literacy to fabricate an unreal world
– we have moved from the experience of reality to images of reality
– he devotes one chapter to describing how we’ve gone from travelers to tourists

Boorstin, “The traveler, then was working at something; the tourist was a pleasure-seeker. The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes ‘sight-seeing.’ . . . He expects everything to be done to him and for him.”

• travel went from being a dangerous challenge to a commodity
○ tour companies “insulate” tourists from the real worlds they visit
• he referred to a flight he took from the States to Amsterdam in the climate-controlled cabin, not as movement through space (the scenery did not change the entire flight), but through time

Boorstin, “The tourist gets there without the experience of having gone. For him it is all the same; going to one place or to another.”

I think this is how a lot of people approach spirituality
– we want the benefits without the hard experience of reality
– we find this to be the case with many Christians
• they want the benefits that come from the spiritual journey without the travail

In Jacob’s story we see the rigors and epiphanies of the spiritual journey Continue reading →

Faith For Living In the Real World

Then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. He put the maids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. Genesis 33:1-3

INTRO: Jacob’s arrangement of his caravan reveals an obvious bias

He put those most precious to him behind everyone else
– but he does one thing that I find honorable
• he takes “point” — a military term for soldiers in the field
• the soldier, unit, or vehicle that is positioned ahead of the others
○ the first to encounter the enemy or, if ambushed, the first to draw enemy fire
– to me, this is a healthy expression of manliness
• we have plenty of examples of pseudo-manliness

The remainder of chapter is not exactly an anticlimax

But it doesn’t lead to a “big” ending either
– no swords were drawn, no blood was spilled,
• but the peace between Jacob and Esau was tenuous at best
• although Esau says, “my brother” (v. 9) Jacob still refers to him as “my lord”

We sense an awkwardness in their conversation (vv. 5-15)
– Esau asked a couple of legitimate questions
• Jacob gave him short, guarded answers
– Esau, it seems felt compelled to justify coming all this way with 400 men
• so he made a couple of offers to assist
○ Jacob declined both offers and finally ended their conversation with, “Why?”
○ Jacob obviously did not trust Esau
○ he said he would catch up to him in Seir, but then he travelled west — Mt. Seir was east of the Jordan River Continue reading →

Jacob’s Two God-Encounters

Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.”‘”
The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” Genesis 32:1-6

INTRO: We don’t see it immediately, but  this is an elaborate story

It develops through four distinct and  clearly marked units
– each unit is framed by the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and end
• 1-8, “two companies” (this is the meaning of the Hebrew word Mahanaim)
• 9-12, “I will prosper you”
• 13-21, “he spent the night there”
• 22-31, “crossed the Jabbok”
– Esau’s approach with four hundred men creates an urgency that builds suspense, driving the story forward
• yet at two points the storyteller intentionally slows the pace of the action
• these are moments when Jacob encountered God

Jacob again arrived at a border crossing

When he made this trip previously (going other direction), he saw a vision of angels
– the same Hebrew word is translated angel and messenger
– in his first vision, they were crossing a bridge between earth and heaven — messengers or mediators
• here they are more like escorts
• this vision is an indication of the ominous nature of what is coming Continue reading →

Genesis 31

The Story

Jacob had worked hard for several years, but all-in-all, things had gone well for him. Then one day, he noticed a change. He began hearing things and seeing things. He heard his brothers-in-law talking about him, “Jacob has made himself rich by taking everything that belonged to Dad.” When Jacob looked at Laban, his face mirrored his son’s suspicion and hostility. Simply put, Jacob’s father-in-law no longer liked him.

This change was inevitable and it is every con-artist’s greatest fear; that one day his scheme will be uncovered and he will be exposed.

No words were spoken directly–the new cold front was never addressed, but there were looks, there were facial expressions in unguarded moments. Laban’s attitude was different. The son-in-law who had arrived as a wonder-worker was now treated as an intruder. Overnight Jacob was no longer safe with his in-laws.

Then God spoke to Jacob–or perhaps God had been speaking for awhile, but finally Jacob heard him. “Go home,” God said, “return to your own family.” Then, as if God anticipated Jacob’s worry and fear, he added, “I will be with you.”

Leaving Mesopotamia and Laban’s home would be a huge project. Jacob’s first challenge was to convince his wives that this was the right thing to do. So he sent for them to meet him in the open fields where he pastured the livestock and where no one could hear their conversation.

“Your father has turned against me,” Jacob began, “but he hasn’t been able to hurt me, because the God of my father has been with me. The whole time I’ve been here, I’ve worked hard for your father, but in return for my labor he has cheated me repeatedly. All along, I’ve played by your dad’s rules, but every time he changed the rules, God worked it out in my favor, so I’m the one who wound up getting richer.

“I had a dream in which I was like a spectator, watching God take your father’s property and give it to me. Then God spoke to me in the dream. ‘I am the God of Bethel,’ he said, and reminded me of the encounter I had with him on the journey that brought me to your home. After he appeared to me in Bethel, I worshiped him and swore a vow to serve him. He told me that it’s time to go home.”

Until now, there had been all sorts of secret manipulations and maneuvering, but here Jacob brings this to the surface and puts a label to it–he had been “cheated.” Of course, he had done his share of cheating also, but why bring that up? Continue reading →

God Bless Our Dysfunctional Home

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.” Genesis 30:1-3

INTRO: For awhile, my favorite fiction author was Douglas Coupland

I purchased and read each new book he wrote as it came out
– so though the title didn’t appeal to me, I bought and read All Families Are Psychotic
– for the last three weeks, this title frequently come to mind

In chapter 30 the glaring dysfunction within Jacob’s family is revealed

Our first good look at Rachel as a person

Until now, we only know statistics about her – the younger, beautiful sister
– we don’t know her from the inside
• for example, what she felt when she first met Jacob at the well
• or when her father switched her sister for her on her wedding night
• or the fact that she was barren, while her sister had already produced four sons
– now, for the first time we see inside her
“Rachel became jealous of her sister” Continue reading →

Healing Fractured Relationships

We’re told nothing of Jacob’s 400 mile journey from Bethel to Haran
– only, that when he reached destination, he “looked and behold a well”
• we get excited when storyteller says this, because we know what’s coming next
• it’s the familiar introduction to “boy meets girl” scene
– Jacob made a quick assessment of what he saw:
• the well was covered by a stone – a large stone
• three flocks of sheep were just waiting by well
• there was plenty of daylight to continue grazing
– he got information from the shepherds regarding his uncle Laban
• they pointed out, at that moment Rachel was coming
• they also explained why they had not yet watered their sheep

When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother. (v. 10)

The storyteller won’t let us forget, Laban was Jacob’s “mother’s brother”
– the family resemblance will emerge not in their appearance, but their conniving nature
– Jacob moved stone, watered Rachel’s flock, greeted Rachel with a kiss, and introduced himself
• like her aunt Rebekah who years earlier met a stranger at a well, Rachel ran home
○ her father, Laban, as he had done years earlier, ran to the well to meet Jacob

Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh” (v. 14)

– after Laban put Jacob up for a month, offered to pay him for his labor
• this is when we learn Laban had two daughters Continue reading →

Genesis 27

INTRO: The story in this chapter is told mostly through dialogues with little narration

It jumps quickly from one conversation to another conversation
– Isaac with Esau, Rebekah with Jacob, Jacob with Isaac, etc.
(By the way, this is not the family we would recruit if Time magazine wanted a photo for an article on “The Model Believers and Their Children”)

This week I wrote out the story in my own words to cover all of it while hopefully highlighting important details

 The Story

If we look for a family resemblance between the twins and the parents, we won’t find it in Esau–he’s nothing like his father or mother. Jacob, however, looks a little like both parents. He was a homebody like his father. But he got his conniving and grasping at things that didn’t belong to him from his mother and her side of the family.

Isaac had grown old and as often happens, his eyesight became progressively weaker until he was nearly blind. As the light dimmed, he sensed the approach of death and began wondering what would happen after he was gone. What had he done that would survive him?

In Isaac’s time, immortality was achieved through a man’s children, his children’s children, and so on for a thousand generations. Of all his children, the firstborn son received the greater share of the father’s vital energy. Isaac was pleased with this thought, because he favored his older son, Esau. The tough and outdoorsy twin was a perfect specimen of manliness. Unfortunately, Esau had frittered away his birthright. So Isaac came up with a plan to do something else for his favorite son that would give him an unique advantage.

Esau heard his father’s quavering voice call his name. He entered Isaac’s tent and announced his presence, “Here I am.” Isaac began, “Look at me, I am old and don’t know how much longer I’ll last. Take your bow, go into the field, and bag a deer or mountain goat. You know how to prepare meat the way I love it. When I’m finished eating, I’ll pronounce my soul’s blessing over you before I die.” Continue reading →

Finding Inner Peace

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. The LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, stay in the land of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 26:1-2

INTRO: You would have to be a very creative writer to build a novel around Isaac

The storyteller doesn’t give us enough information to form interesting character
• he’s an average person sandwiched between an extraordinary father and extraordinary son
– as for Isaac, nothing he did stands out as unique or special
• he retraced father’s footsteps, relived father’s adventures, and even repeated one of his father’s mistakes
• when Isaac was blessed, it was for his father’s sake (vv. 5, 24)
– if we don’t find Isaac’s life interesting or exciting, it’s probably because it’s too much like our own

As soon as plot begins to take shape, we recognize it

We may even think, “Not again?!” — because already we have been through this twice with Abraham
– yet the storyteller is careful not to let us confuse this story with the others
• for example, Isaac was stopped from going to Egypt as his father had done

Gerar must not have been a large, built-up city
– after Genesis, it’s mentioned only one other time
• not enough of it survived to even know where it was located
– Isaac arrived there and took up farming
• his entourage would have looked really imposing
○ immediately, his was one of the largest and wealthiest families
• but if intimidating to the locals, he was also intimidated by them
○ so when they asked him about his wife, he said she was his sister Continue reading →

Learn to Read

Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within in her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb;
And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger.”
Genesis 25:21-23

INTRO: We’ve jumped into a story already in progress

The chapter began by wrapping up Abraham’s story
– he had married a second wife and had more children
• his wisdom is revealed in the way he provided his sons enough for a good start in accumulating their own wealth
• then sent them away in the opposite direction of Isaac
– after that last piece of business, Abraham died content with his many years

Abraham’s two sons who have been featured in his story tended to his burial
– I’m curious as to when Isaac (and, perhaps, Abraham) reconnected with Ishmael
• was it after Sara died?
• had Isaac always kept in touch? or did he locate and notify Ishmael only after Abraham died?
○ at any rate, it is beautiful he could see past his mother’s hard feelings
– afterward, it was Isaac in particular that God blessed (v. 11)

Ishmael’s presence at Abraham’s burial makes for a smooth transition
– his genealogy wraps up his story
– his descendants form twelve tribes – which now seems to be a pattern
• Abraham’s brother (Ge. 22:20-24)
○ we are being prepared to see Jacob’s twelve sons as a normative development
– Ishmael’s death

This brings us to Isaac, whose account begins the same way as Ishmael’s
– therefore, what we expect is another genealogy
– but instead, we’re in for a surprise
• Isaac’s genealogy is not a list of names, but a story that begins with his prayer for his wife
• Rebekah goes from infertility to a difficult pregnancy

So the chapter begins with final days and death of Abraham, Isaac’s father and ends with the birth of his twin sons
– this is the rhythm of an individual life — birth and death, death and birth . . .
– years ago, after visiting someone in a hospital in Long Beach, I stepped into an elevator on my way out
• a woman also entered the elevator and asked, “Do you know what floor is the maternity ward?”
○ She went on, “I just watched a friend die and now I want to see new life”
– eventually, we each discover rhythm of our own lives
• and each life’s rhythm carries forward the work of God
• so in the great chain of human lives (genealogies), there is progress
○ God is moving history forward to its goal Continue reading →