Egyptian Romance Novels

Genesis 39

So Joseph is bought by Potiphar and because of Joseph, God grants blessings to Potiphar's household. Things are going so well that Potiphar turns all affairs over to Joseph. Everything beyond menu choices was in Joseph's hands.

Now besides being a sharp dresser with that multi-colored coat, Joseph was also apparently a bit of a stud. Mrs. Potiphar takes notice and tries to seduce him. He resists and resists, saying that he has earned the trust of his master and will not sin against his God.

So when no one else is around, she grabs him by the cloak and tries to convince him to give in- but he leaves his cloak in her hands and takes off running. She's embarassed and decides to show him who wears the pants in their relationship. She tells the servants that he tried to force her to sleep with him and when she screamed, he took off leaving his cloak behind. She tells her husband the same story and he puts Joey in prison.

Once in prison he picks up where he left off, gaining the trust of those in charge. He was successful in all that he did and the warden trusted him.

Two big things for me. First- don't dance with temptation. If things seem to be too much to handle- leave your jacket behind and get out of Dodge. Sometimes the best way to deal with your weakness is to avoid it at all costs. Most men would have gladly taken what was offered.

Second, your reputation goes a long way. God's blessing in both situations here is in part or whole, influence. Joseph's superiors seemed to trust in both his character and his competence. Maybe the lesson here is live Godly lives and people will be more apt to trust you- but it's no guarantee that people won't cross you if your character gets in the way of what they want.

But even then...God's with you

Reasons to Avoid Judah's House at Holiday Time

Genesis 38

Judah leaves home and finds a Canaanite wife. I'm not sure of this was taboo for God's children at this time, but it doesn't turn out too well. He and Shua gave birth to a son appropriately named Er(r). He also has two more sons named Onan and Shelah.

So Judah finds Er a wife named Tamar - but Er was wicked in the Lord's sight and He puts him to death. I wonder what he would have had to do to be struck dead. Judah just sold off his brother into slavery and he lived to populate. Would Er's error have to be worse than that? Not necessarily, based on what happens later. Maybe the key is God's knowledge of the hearts of men.

So, with Er out of the picture- Judah tells Onan to do his brotherly duty and make some children with Tamar so his brother's line would continue. Onan's not too keen on the idea of making children for his brother, but he doesn't mind the sex, so he sleeps with Tamar, but pulls out and spills on the ground. God isn't happy, and Onan is put to death.

It's possible to view this as God being against birth control, but I think the displeasure comes more from Onan taking advantage of the situation and gratifying himself with his brother's wife purposefully failing at the supposed purpose of the union in the first place.

Judah is understandably distraught, and a little hesitant to send Shelah to a possible death sentence by setting up a union between he and Tamar. So he tells Tamar to go home to her father and when Shelah is old enough he'll come and follow through with his duty.

But Judah's definition of growing up doesn't seem to line up with Tamar's. Later on after Judah's wife has died, he heads to Timnah. Tamar, hearing about it, disguises herself as a prostitute (wearing a veil) and Judah is easy prey.

She asks what he's willing to part with and he offers a young goat. So she asks for a pledge until he sends the goat and he offers his seal and cord. Well Tamar gets pregnant, and when Judah sends the young goat the "prostitute" is not to be found.

But word gets out that Tamar has prostituted herself and has become pregnant. Judah decides to have her burned to death. Maybe he saw this as the solution to solving the whole Shelah problem. If she's dead, my son escapes the fate of his brothers.

When she's brought out she sends a message to Judah identifying the father of her children to-be as the owner of the cord and staff. This reads a lot like the Nathan and David story- Judah, you are the man (not in a good way). I think some of the shock value of this story comes from the whole father/daughter connection. But in a culture where marriage to your half-sister isn't taboo, it seems like a union between a father and widowed daughter-in-law isn't quite as icky. Icky, but not quite as icky. This situation certainly has circumstances that condemn Judah beyond that simple union.

So Judah is shamed and Tamar is spared and she has twins. As the first one exits her womb a midwife ties a scarlet thread to his wrist so they'll remember who's older- but he draws his hand back inside, and the other twin comes out first. This is a really weird story. The only thing I can think of is that this is an illustration of the principle Jesus later shares- "The first shall be last and the last shall be first."

Family Sale

Genesis 37:12-36

It seems that maybe the tattling wasn't totally Joseph's fault. Israel send's his favorite to go check on his brothers and report back to him. So not only is Joseph dad's favorite, he has condescending dreams, he evaluates their shepherding- plus, he doesn't even have to go out in the fields and work with them- at least not on this day. No wonder they couldn't stand him.

However, that doesn't come close to excusing what these guys do to him in this section. Joseph goes looking for them under dad's orders and they see him coming. They conspire to kill him and tell their dad that an animal has gotten him.

Reuben saves Joseph's life by convincing the brothers to throw him into a well instead - he planned to save him later and take him back to his dad. They steal the famous colored robe that his dad made for him and threw him in.

A band of Ishmaelites wander by and they (without Reuben) decide to get something for their trouble and sell him as a slave. After all, he is our flesh and blood. I tend to think that the chance to gain some money had as much to do with the decision as the desire to not shed family blood. If you're wondering how much a half-naked, obnoxious sibling went for at that time the answer is 8 ounces of silver.

Is this a foreshadowing of Jesus' betrayal? Being sold out for silver by those who should be close to him? And a metaphoric resurrection to come when they find out later that he's not dead.

Reuben is angry when he finds out what they've done but they still cover their tracks. Dip the coat in blood and take it back to dad. He buys it- and Joseph ends up being sold to Potiphar.

Lessson for me: You can't mess up God's plans. The brothers tried to thwart Joseph's dreams by rubbing him out or selling him off- but the dreams come true. We can't get in the way of what God wants to happen. And this is good news- all the pressure's off. If we work and try to fit into His plans, we can't mess it up- His will is accomplished no matter what.

Dreamer

Genesis 37:1-11

17 year old Joseph has visions of grandeur...literally. While everyone knows he's dad's favorite, he's definitely not the brother's favorite. In fact at the beginning of the chapter he tattles on his brothers after tending sheep with them.

It seems that Jacob/Israel is pretty up front with his feelings for Joseph. I wonder if Joseph knew he was the favorite- or if he knew how much his brothers resented him. If he did, he either didn't care or severely lacked social skills- because he goes on to tell them about a couple of dreams he has.

In the first, Joseph's sheaves of grain stand up and his brother's sheaves bow down to it. In the second, the sun, moon and eleven stars bow down to him. This one not only irritates his brothers but also dear ole dad who says"Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" But- Jacob keeps "the matter in mind."

What does this say about the nature of dreams? Does God still use them in our lives to foreshadow events? Do we have these kinds of dreams and just not have the ability to interpret them? And why the foreshadowing here? What purpose does it serve for these events to be cued in our consciousness before they actually happen.

Lesson for me: Even the most annoying people have value in God's eyes. I think if Joseph was my little brother, I might not have sold him off, but he would have been the recipient of some pretty severe wedgies... and probably worse. But this is an imporatnt figure in the history of the lineage of Christ.

Maybe what I need to take is that the people who consistently annoy me may still be people important to tasks important to God. And that my seal of approval isn't what makes someone a good person.

King Me

Genesis 36:31-40

Not much to report tonight. A list of the kings who ruled Edom- and a recap of Esau's lineage. Can you handle the excitement?

It seems like lots of war going on- kings followed by kings who aren't their offspring. It seems Edom was pretty unstable. I'm assuming that maybe these are kings over what became Edom since they aren't as far as I can tell Esau's kin.

The nicest moment of this section is the last sentence. "This was Esau the father of the Edomites." No, he wasn't the chosen one- but God still had his back.

BTW- I got a message from someone who found the blog and coincedentally is blogging the same stuff at the same time. At a cursory glance it looks pretty cool, so if you're wanting more, check out:

http://wondersforoyarsa.blogspot.com/2006/06/opening-theme-genesis-1-23.html

Right Down the Line

Genesis 36:1-29

Another section of geneologies...yippee.

Esau marries Canaanites- Abdah, Oholibamah (which sounds like an ancient Jewish obscenity) and Basemath. Some of his children are referred to as "chiefs." Is this a reference to some tribal way of life prevalent during this time, or just a funky translation?

There is a quick mentioning of Anah: "This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon." Ooooh, that Anah. Are we supposed to know this story- or is this a legendary tale that would have been known to the folks around when Moses penned the book? Are their any implications from this reference about what's intended for us and what's meant for folks of another time?

In another moment of deja vu from another earlier story, Esau and Jacob split up because they are too rich for one area. This time though, I'm struck with a positive vibe. Yes, Jacob was underhanded and stole the birthright and the blessing from his older brother- but the result seems to be minimal damage to the hairy one- he's too rich for the land he's on- and has quite a line of descendants of his own.

Maybe the lesson here is that God looks out for us when we've been cheated. Even when those benefit who shouldn't, even when we don't get what's coming to us (which is actually usually a good thing), God looks down and gives us what we need.

Not that there aren't people without, people in need, people who will never have their needs met in this life- but maybe God comforts us all in different ways. And even if we want more, His blessings abound if we look around and notice them.

Mourning Has Broken

Genesis 35: 16-29

Rachel has great difficulty in childbirth during the move. And as Benjamin is born, she passes away. She leaves her son with quite a gift, naming him "Ben-Oni" or "son of my trouble." Jacob has the good sense to change his name to "Benjamin," or "son of my right hand." Would the circumstances surrounding his birth have left a bitter taste in his father's mouth? Why is Joseph the favorite son when Benjamin also came from the womb of his favorite wife? It does seem that later on, when Joseph is far from home, Benjamin is at least second on Jacob's list.

How would Leah have reacted to the passing of her sister? Would there have been feelings of guilt? Remorse? Satisfaction? I'm not even sure that she's mentioned again. Poor Leah, always second- and whose death doesn't even warrant a mention- could she have already passed on at this point?

Reuben, always the model child, takes this opportunity to sleep with Jacob's concubine and wife, Bilhah. Is he motivated by bitterness at the lack of attention he receives as a son of the less favorite wife? Is it an act of defiance- or is this just old-fashioned lust overpowering him at an emotional time?

And what of Bilhah? Was her act due to a lack of attention as wife number three? Was she longing for compassion and passion that Jacob wouldn't give? Was the choice of Reuben one of spite- or was she too the victim of overpowering emotions? It could be that Reuben and Bilhah were actually closer in age than Bilhah and Jacob. Could this have been a factor?

Finally, the passing of Isaac at the age of 180. It's a nice footnote that Esau and Jacob, who have lived so long as enemies were able to come together in this time of mutual mourning and bury the old man together.

Maybe this section's message is that none of us are spared from heartache. God's chosen lineage still deal with the death of loved ones, the betrayal of those they trust and love, and an eventual meeting with death head on. And while that's a sobering thought, what's even more important is that these heartaches are temporary- and the reward is forever.

Deja Vu

Genesis 35:1-15

God speaks to Jacob again and tells him to go settle in Bethel and build an altar to God. It seems quite odd to hear God speak of Himself in the third person. This follows the oddity of the trio of beings appearing earlier in the book vaguely refered to as God. It makes me think that maybe translators (and consequently all of us) don't really have a handle on how to personify God and maybe this confusion adds to our mystery of how God works.

So Jacob goes back and God tells him (again) that he will be called Israel from here on out. He tells him to be fruitful and increase in number (yikes- seems like this guy has filled his quota by this point) and repeats the promises of Abraham and Isaac.

If this were a film we'd be screaming at the screen- we get it! Move the plot along. But maybe this subtly illustrates the idea of the oral tradition of this time. Moses, the author, isn't around yet- how would these people know of the promises? Repitition- telling of stories from father to son(s)- reinforcement and retelling perhaps ad nauseum.

And maybe it subtly hints at our need to have God's promises repeated to us. We know, in a sense, what's waiting for us, at least in intangibles- but maybe when we're stretched to the limit, when we're tired and discouraged or sick or scared or just sick of the all the downsides, we need to open our copies of God's promises and be reminded that it really is worth it.

Dinah? Sure!

Genesis 34

So Dinah(Leah's daughter) goes out to visit some of the women. Shechem takes her and rapes her and somehow falls in love with her and wants to take her as his wife. Shechem's daddy, Hamar comes and asks for her hand. He asksJacob's people to intermarry with them. This seems like the beginning of quite a joyful life for Dinah. Is there a less desirable choice for a spouse than your rapist? And is there something awfully strange about a land where a man has no problem raping a woman but feels compelled about going through the proper channels to ask for her hand?

Jacob keeps quiet when he hears about it until his boys get home and then the plan hatches. After Shechem offers any price for Dinah, Jacob's spawn say that they couldn't possibly turn their sister over to someone uncircumcised. We'll approve of the union if you will circumcise all your males. How could they possibly know that Schechemville would go for it. Were they all that desperate for woman and possessions (which in this period of time seems a redundancy) that they'd voluntarily have surgery on their sexual organs for the potential of what they might get?

But they do it! And while the men are moaning and suffering and carrying on (you think we're babies when we have the flu?) Simeon and Levi attack the city and carry off all their wealth and women and children.

Jacob reacts negatively- not because they've acted deceitfully or out of revenge- but because he fears this will increase his enemies.

Lessons from this text? That's a good question- anybody wanna give me some help here?

The best I can come up with is that even these patriarchs fell way short over and over again. God's people in the OT act out of revenge, self-interest, greed, deceitfulness, and lust- yet He loved them and took care of them. Surely he'll take care of me too.

He Saw Esau

Genesis 33

So here it is, high noon- the showdown at the ok corral- jacob and esau mano y mano. Jacob prepares for attack by setting his clan in order from least important to most important- servants in front, Leah and his children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. What must it have been like to be Leah and understand that you were more expendable than the other wife; to know that your husband was thinking- well if they kill Leah, maybe Rachel can still get away. And how about being Levi, or Reuben? Why is mama's boy back in the safety compartment while we're up here closer to the front line?

But the guns are never drawn, the sabers stay in their sheaths, not a punch is thrown. In fact Esau runs to Jacob and embraces him- the wronged longing for the love of the one doing the wronging. Esau meets his extended family and asks Jacob about all the gifts that came forward and tells Jacob- keep your stuff, I'm not in need, I want you not your possessions.

They split up not long afterward. The animals are tired and Jacob doesn't want any aid from Esau's camp. But the tension is gone, the relationship is patched.

Maybe the lesson here is that love conquers great wounds. Have faith in the reslience of the human spirit- and maybe more imporantly, forgive with all your might, no matter what's been done to you. Your brother steals your inheritance? Embrace and forgive.

When you've done wrong to someone, sometimes just the attempt to make amends solves the problem. Life shows that it doesn't always work out that way. People carry grudges, remember wrongs and make enemies- and in the other camp, people carry guilt, relive mistakes and continually beat themselves up.

Maybe the message is leave the past in the past- just love each other.

Old Testament Hulkamania

Genesis 32: 22-32

Jacob sends his possessions and family on ahead and is left alone for the night. And a man wrestles him until midnight.

This is an amazingly weird passage. Where did h(H)e come from? What or who is he? He is refered to throughout as "the man" (probably not in the "dancin' for the man" sense) but later He changes Jacob's name to Israel (or he struggles with God) because "you have struggled with God and men and overcome". He also asks for Jacob to identify himself.

Huh?

So, God sneaks up on Jacob and wrestles him, not knowing who he is, and loses? God can't outwrestle Jacob but he can wrench the socket of his hip with a touch? And for what purpose?

The best I can come up with is that this an example of God's mercy. Maybe this is for Jacob's benefit. He could have wiped him out- but as Jacob later says, "...I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

Does God pop in and out of our physical lives today? Is the guy that cuts us off at the red light actually God having some fun with us? This is all really odd to me- but knowing that God cuts his children extra slack makes the journey more feasible.

I wonder if Jacob tried a suplex.

Covering His Bases

Genesis 32: 1-21

So Jacob is on his way home and realizes that bumping into Esau is probably inevitable. I wonder if this was one of the first things to cross his mind when the LORD told him to head on home. I wonder how much of his time with the Labanese was spent obsessing about the wrong he'd done and his more than strained relationship with Esau. I wonder if he was dealing with guilt, or fear of getting what he deserved, maybe a little of both.

I'm struck by the humility of Jacob as he prepares to meet with Esau. He tells his messengers "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says...I am sending this message to my lord that I may find favor in your eyes.'"

He doesn't come in strutting with his possessions and family and proclaim, God's with me pal- back off. He comes with his tail between his legs. Some of this may be out of self-preservation, but it might be important that he refers respectfully not just to Esau, but to his servants about Esau. Jacob sends his gifts ahead "to pacify him."

It's also important that before this meeting with his hairy big brother, Jacob takes his worries to God. He shows God respect and prays to be saved. Important lesson here, when you face your greatest fear, God can help.

So maybe Jacob is heading in the right direction. Or maybe:

Jacob is working that clan of Rachel manipulation. I'll try to buy off my brother with my newly acquired wealth. I'll speak softly not from shame, but because it will serve my purpose.

Jacob plans to divide his group in two, so if Esau attacks one, the other group can get away. After he makes these plans, he goes to God in prayer. Was this an afterthought? Okay, I've got it all worked out, but just in case, let me get God in on this too.

Life may be like this often. We plan and scheme and God becomes our safety net instead of our refuge. And we pray, let our plans work out- instead of let your plans work out.

Or maybe what we see here is that constant struggle between fixing your own problems and trying to turn them over to God. And Jacob, like the rest of us, gets it right sometimes, and messes it up at others.

The trick is increasing that positive ratio.