Genesis 38:12

Genesis 38:12 says, And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.  Judah's wife died.  We are not told how long they had been married when this happened.  Matthew Henry said that Judah went up to his sheep shearers for a time of merriment after he buried his wife and was comforted.  We do know that life goes on after the death of a spouse, but a person may not be thinking as clearly as they should for awhile.  Verse thirteen states, And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.  Someone told Tamar that Judah had left.  We are not told how much time had passed since the death of her second husband, but she may have felt that Judah was not going to honor his promise to her to give his youngest son as her husband.  Matthew Henry says that some people believe that Tamar had accepted God as her God and wanted to possibly be in the lineage of the Messiah, which she was.  Still for whatever reason, she devised a plan to have a child with Judah.  Again, I don't believe that God wants us to use deception to accomplish His will, though He may sometimes work His will in spite of our deceptions.  Verse fourteen declares, And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.  Tamar saw that Shelah was grown and Judah had not fulfilled his promise to her, so she devised her own plan.  She put away her mourning clothes and dressed as a harlot and set in an open place on the way to Timnath, where she evidently knew that she would encounter Judah.  Verse fifteen adds, When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.  Judah saw her and didn't recognize her, possibly because he had simply dismissed her as a harlot.  He definitely was not looking at her with kindness and understanding, but simply as someone to be used.  When we encounter people who are doing bad things, we cannot just dismiss them as someone to be used or ignored.  Verse sixteen states, And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?  Judah asked Tamar to come to him for the purpose of having sexual relations with her, and she asked him what he would give her.  This would have reinforced the idea that she was a harlot.  Verse seventeen says, And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?  Judah promised her a kid from his flock, but Tamar asked for a pledge, something of value, to ensure that Judah would carry out his promise.  He had already made a promise to her once before.  Of course, Judah was not acting much like a man who was following God.  As followers of Christ, when we see people acting in a sinful way, we can either attempt to bring people up God, ignore them, or move down to their level ignoring God's guidance.  Verse eighteen adds, And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.  Judah asked Tamar what she wanted for a pledge, and she said his signet, bracelets and staff.  Judah had to put a little faith in her returning these things when he sent her the kid.  Verse nineteen declares, And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.  After being with Judah, Tamar again put on her garments of widowhood.  We cannot sin and then just go on as if nothing had happened, because no matter if anyone else ever knows or not, God does.  Christianity cannot be like a robe that we put on and take off when it stands between what we want and following God's will.

Genesis 38:1

Genesis 38:1 says, And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.  Jesus was born from the house, or descendants, of Judah.  This does not seem a likely family for the Messiah to be born from, as we shall see.  Verse two states,  And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.   While separated from his family, Judah took the daughter of a Cannanite as his wife.  Matthew Henry says that Judah married too young and that his marriage was arranged by his wife's father and not by his own father, which was customary.  I believe that the main point is that he did not marry a woman who was also a part of God's chosen people.  Verse three declares, And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.  Judah had a son, who was named Er.  Verse four adds,  And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.  Then verse five concludes,  And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.  Judah now had three sons, and he was at least carrying out God's promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would make a great nation from them, but he was not carrying it out under God's authority.  As followers of Christ, we cannot just do what we want to do and expect God to bless us, but we must seek His will first.  Verse six states, And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.  Judah chose a wife for Er.  Her name was Tamar.  Matthew Henry says that Er was too young to be married, but I believe that it was his character and not his age that was a problem.  Verse seven declares, And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.   As just stated, Er was a wicked man, not necessarily in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God.  We are told that God slew Er.  I am not sure how this happened, but we do know that God is the Creator and sustains life, so however Er died, people saw it as God killing him.  Er must have been particularly evil for this to happen.  Verse eight states, And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.  As was the custom, when Er died Judah had Er's brother Onan to marry Tamar to preserve Er's name by having a child with her.  I am not sure how we would we feel about marrying our brother's widow simply so his name could be preserved, but I believe that like Onan we would not be wild about the idea.  Verse nine adds, And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.  Onan decided that since the child would be viewed as a descendant of Er and not of Onan himself that he would not carry out this obligation.  Verse ten declares, And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.  We are told that God was not pleased with Onan and killed him also.  I really don't believe that God kills people just because they displease Him, but think it more likely that since Er and Onan both died young that it was attributed to God killing them.  I base this on the nature of God not being vindictive, but this is still just my interpretation.  Verse eleven states, Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.  Judah's youngest son, Shelah, was too young to marry, so Judah instructed Tamar to remain a widow in her father's house until Shelah was old enough to marry.  This was all being done to preserve the name of Er by giving him a descendant.  I don't believe that I would have been happy to be either Shelah or Tamar.  We are not told that any of this was God's plan.  As followers of Christ, we cannot make our own plans to carry out God's purpose without ensuring that we are following His will and hope for success.

Genesis 37:29

Genesis 37:29 says, And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.  When Reuben returned, Joseph was gone.  We should not be surprised when our plans made to compromise with sinful actions do not work out.  Reuben should have simply stood up against the plan instead of attempting to go along and undo it later.  When we see something sinful occurring in the world today, especially if it involves those closest to us, we cannot pretend to go along, but must stand firm against the action.  Though Reuben was sorrowful, this did not change what had happened.  Verse thirty says, And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?  Since he didn't know where Joseph had gone, Reuben was at a loss as to what to do.  I believe that if we have had a part in a sinful plan, even if it was just by seeming to go along, once the plan is carried out, we are just as responsible, even if we weren't there.  Verse thirty-one states, And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;  The brothers had a plan for Joseph's coat.  It had represented their father's preference for Joseph, and now they were going to use it to bring him pain.  We should not be surprised if people who are jealous of us want to cause us to suffer, and if the jealousy is because of our relationship to someone else, we should not be surprised if they want the other person to suffer as well.  Verse thirty-two adds, And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.  The brothers first took the coat from Joseph, then soaked it in blood, and then took it to their father and said they didn't know if it was Joseph's or not.  They did not say their brother's, but said your son's.  I believe that they had separated themselves from any kinship with Joseph and just wanted to cause as much pain to their father as possible.  Verse thirty-three declares, And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.  Jacob, or Israel, recognised Joseph's coat, just as his other sons knew he would.  He concluded that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, and his sons let him think so, even Reuben.  This was a lie that they would have to live with for years.  We need to realize that one sin often leads to another, and if we are only guilty by association, we will still be caught up in the lie.  Verse thirty-four adds, And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.  Jacob was distraught, and mourned for many days.  I have to wonder if any of his other sons ever felt like telling him the truth, or if they simply thought he deserved to suffer.  Even if we feel that someone may deserve to suffer we as followers of Christ know the truth that can set them free and that is the gospel of Christ.  The question is whether or not we will share the gospel or take joy in their suffering.  Verse thirty-five states, And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.  It was hypocritical for his sons to attempt to comfort Jacob, since they were the cause of his suffering.  I believe they may have felt justified since he was mourning Joseph more than he was allowing his other children to comfort him.  Even if we feel slighted somehow, we should never be hypocritical in our sharing in someone else's suffering.  Verse thirty-six declares,  And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.  While his brothers were pretending to mourn, Joseph was sold once again, this time to Potiphar, a captain of Pharoah's guard.  I believe that by now Joseph was likely really questioning his dreams.  Once more, if we know that we are doing God's will, we should never allow circumstances to cause us to doubt.

Genesis 37:22

Genesis 37:22 says, And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.  Rueben had a plan to save Joseph.  He told his brothers to not kill Joseph, but to throw him into a pit instead.  Rueben then planned to take Joseph out and return him to his father.  We cannot successfully rescue anyone spiritually by compromising with the sinful actions of others, but must simply stand firm against the sin to begin with, just as Rueben should have done.  Verse twenty-three declares, And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;  Joseph's coat had to be a source of anger for his brothers, since it showed their father's favoritism for him.  Also, it was easily identifiable as Joseph's, so they first stripped the coat off him when he reached them.  Verse twenty-four adds, And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.  They threw Joseph into a dry pit.  The brothers were beginning to have their revenge against Joseph.  Showing favoritism in a family can cause many problems, even if it is in the family of God as followers of Christ.  Hopefully, if we feel such favoritism is being shown, we will not allow anger at the favoritism to rule our actions.  Verse twenty-five states, And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.  While Joseph was in the pit without even water, his brothers sat down to eat.  They had no concern for Joseph at all.  While they were eating, a band of Ishmaelites came along on their way to Egypt.  These were really some of Joseph's relatives, but they really didn't know or care about him either.  We can never rely on earthly relationships, no matter how close or how distant, to save us spiritually.  Verse twenty-six adds, And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?  Judah asked how would they profit from just killing Joseph.  We should not be surprised if people of the world want to not just kill us but to profit from our suffering as well.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.  Judah proposed selling Joseph to the Ishaelmites.  He now remembered that Joseph was their brother and didn't want his death on their hands.  This was not done out of concern for Joseph, but to profit from his situation and to feel somewhat better about it.  Once more, we cannot compromise with sin so that we can profit from it and hope to not feel as guilty about it.  Verse twenty-eight declares, Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.  Joseph was sold into slavery and on his way to Egypt.  I would imagine that by now Joseph was questioning his dreams of being in power over his brothers.  We are not told that Joseph thought these dreams to be a revolution from God, but if we know that God has spoken to use about anything, no matter how bad things get, we can never doubt Him.

Genesis 37:12

Genesis 37:12 says, And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.  This tells us that the brothers went to feed the sheep at Shechem, but as we will see, Joseph was not with them.  Verse thirteen states, And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.  Israel, once Jacob, asks Joseph if his brothers were feeding the flock in Shechem.  Maybe he was getting forgetful, or maybe he just wanted to see if Joseph knew.  Israel told Joseph that he would send him to his brothers, and Joseph was ready to do what his father wanted him to do.  If God, our heavenly Father, ever asks us where we are, as He did Adam in the Garden, then we like Adam then and Joseph with his earthly father now can only reply, "Here am I."  If God is sending us somewhere or to someone, we must be ready to go.  Verse fourteen declares, And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.  Israel basically sent Joseph, not to help his brothers, but to check up on them and see if they were doing what they should be doing.  Israel should have known that this would not go over well, since Joseph's brothers already hated him.  We should never attempt to use one Christian simply for the purpose of judging the actions of others.  Verse fifteen says, And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?  Joseph evidently didn't know exactly where his brothers were, and a man saw him wandering around in the field and asked him who he was looking for.  Sometimes, we may need the help of someone else to get us back on the right path spiritually if we start to wander around lost.  This does not mean that God cannot do this for us, but sometimes He works through others to accomplish His will.  Verse sixteen declares, And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.  Joseph was willing to accept  help.  We also should be willing to accept help from others when we need it and not just rely on our own understanding out of pride.  Verse seventeen says, And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.  His brothers were not where Joseph expected them to be, but he was told where they went.  Joseph was willing to go farther, though he had gone where Israel had sent him, and he found them.  Sometimes we may have to go a little farther than we expected to carry out God's directions to us.  Verse eighteen states, And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.  Joseph's brothers saw this as an opportunity to kill him.  They were far away from home so may have figured no one would ever know.  We can never get so far away from God that we can do whatever we want to do and He will never know what we have done.  Verse nineteen adds, And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Then verse twenty concludes, Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.  The brothers had a plan, and were still resentful of Joseph's dreams among other things.  They were going to kill him, throw him in a pit and say animals had killed him.  They said they would then see what came of Joseph's dreams.  If we attempt to act superior to others around us, we may make them feel the same way.  Verse twenty-one says, And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.  Rueben, the oldest brother, stepped in to keep Joseph from being killed, but did not totally stand against his brothers plan.  If we hear of some evil that is to be done, we cannot act simply to placate those who are planning to do it, but must stand against the whole plan.  We cannot compromise with sin and be successful.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.  Rueben planned to save Joseph once he was out of the hands of the other brothers.  He should have just stood up against them instead.  So must we stand against evil plans and not just attempt to find a way to compromise with them.

Genesis 37:1

Genesis 37:1 says, And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.  The name change seems to have been a sometime thing, and now we are told that Jacob dwelt in Canaan, where his father was a stranger.  As followers of Christ, we will always live in a land where we are spiritual strangers.  Verse two states, These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.  We are told that Joseph, Rachel's oldest son, was feeding the flock with four of his half-brothers, the sons of the hand-maidens, who were referred to as Jacob's wives.  Joseph was seventeen, but was still the youngest, and he brought to Joseph an evil report about the others.  We are not told exactly what that report was.  Verse three adds, Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.  Jacob loved Joseph more than his other children, we are told because Joseph was the son of his old age, but I believe that it had to do more with Joseph being Rachel's first born.  We should never show favoritism to our children, and if we do, we should expect problems.  Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors, which was a sign of this favoritism.  Verse four proclaims, And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.  Jacob's favoritism caused his brothers to hate Joseph.  They could not even speak peaceably to him, so Joseph reporting unfavorably to their father about their actions would have simply caused more hatred.  If we are already disliked, we shouldn't act in a way that adds to someone's dislike.  Verse five states, And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.  Joseph had a dream that he shared with his brothers, which caused them to hate him even more.  Verse six adds, And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:  Joseph made sure that his brothers would have no about his dream.  I believe that since he was hated by his brothers that Joseph was doing this to show that he dreamed of being over them.  We should never allow our relationship to God to cause us to act superior to other people.  Verse seven continues, For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.  Basically, Joseph said that in his dream that his brothers submitted to him, though the dream was about sheaves.  We are not told if Joseph was just naive or if he was attempting to make them hate them even more.  Again, we should not use our relationship to God as followers of Christ to lord it over other people, especially if we are simply trying to antagonize them.  Verse eight states,  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.  His brothers asked Joseph if he really thought that he would reign over them, and they hated him even more.  Verse eight states, And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.  Joseph did not allow his brothers reaction to the first dream to keep him from sharing his next dream, when once again his brothers were bowing down to him.  Joseph's dreams were most likely God speaking to him, but God did not tell him to use the dreams to exalt himself.  We should not allow our relationship to God to be used to exalt ourselves, but we need to always use it to exalt God.  Verse ten says, And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?  Jacob rebuked Joseph and asked if he thought that his brothers, his mother and Jacob would really bow down to him.  At least Jacob saw the problem that this would cause and was willing to rebuke Joseph for telling them about it.  Even if we as followers of Christ know the truth of the gospel,as Joseph's dreams would prove to be the truth,  we cannot have an attitude of superiority over others if we hope to reach them with the gospel.  Verse eleven declares, And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.  Joseph's brothers envied him, probably because of his relationship with Jacob.  Jacob simply took note of what Joseph said.

Genesis 36:32

Genesis 36:32 says, And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.  This is the list of rulers of Edom.  Verse thirty-three states, And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.  Verse thirty-four adds, And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead.  Husham was evidently from another area when he took over the rule of Edom after Jobab died.  Verse thirty-five says, And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.  Evidently, Hadad was someone who had been victorious in battle when he assumed the reign.  These rulers were not assuming control based on being born a son of the previous ruler.  Verse thirty-six states, And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.  Once more, Samlah was evidently from a different area.  Verse thirty-seven adds, And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.  Then, verse thirty-eight continues, And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.  About all we are told about these rulers is that they ruled.  Today, there are a lot of rulers in the world who come and go with very little to note about their time as ruler.  Verse thirty-nine says, And Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.  For Hadar, we are told his wife's name, and her mother's name as well.  This was unusual in those times.  Verse forty states, And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,  Then verse forty-one adds, Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,   Verse forty-two continues, Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,  Then, verse forty-three concludes, Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.  Evidently, after Esau established himself in the land, many of his descendants ruled in Edom.  Once again, we are told that Esau was the father of the Edomites.  Though Esau was successful in worldly terms, he had sold his birthright in God's kingdom.  Even if we are very successful in the world, if we are not following God's will, then eventually we will die, and all will be lost.  Someone else will inherit or simply claim everything that we have left in this world.