The Scourge Of Racism
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To all of the fathers reading this post, Happy Father’s Day! As I remember with appreciation my own departed father and the Lord leads, what an appropriate occasion to conclude looking at the Jewish patriarch, Jacob, God named Israel for what He would have aspiring strong men in His image learn from him. So far, we have seen that he like us as sinners without personal knowledge of God and new believers had to come into it through the crucible of painful life experiences; he learning as we do for example, to pray about everything. Once he got rolling, Jacob became a devoted man of prayer God visited, taught and guided to maturity as the patriarch of a family and future nation.
After his high moment of worship at Shechem that ended Genesis 33 and last week’s part two post,10 Jacob was blindsided with the rape of his daughter, Dinah, by a prince of that region (Genesis 34:1-5). Although there was not yet any written Law from God in the world, men in conscience considered certain things wrong beyond what He had declared to Noah and his sons about murder after the flood (Genesis 9:1-7); raping a man’s daughter was clearly one of them as the grief and rage of Jacob’s sons reveals he too shared, but held in (Genesis 34:6-7). Against Jacob’s better judgment his sons led by Simeon and Levi “deceitfully” exacted vengeance (Genesis 34:8-31, NKJV).
The Lord did not condone Simeon and Levi’s actions He later foretold through their father He would severely punish and later still through Levi’s descendant, Moses, declared why (Genesis 49:5-7; Deuteronomy 32:34-35)! Moving from the treachery of his sons, God called Jacob ‘“up to Bethel’” where He had at first met with him to do so again.11 Asserting the headship of “his household,” Jacob gave direction to ‘“Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments’” as preparation for all to go with him to meet with God at Bethel (Genesis 35:1-4, NKJV). This was certainly when Jacob also discovered Rachel’s theft of her father’s lifeless idols.
As they traveled, God also once more intervened to allay a fear Jacob had this time about the people of Canaan assembling to destroy him and his family because of his son’s vengeance for their sister. God put the “terror” of Him on them (Genesis 35:5, NKJV). When Jacob and his household arrived at Bethel, the place he first encountered God, “he built an altar there” and renamed it, “El Bethel” widely translated God of the house of God.12 Then God came down to Jacob and spoke with him. He reviewed his name change and commanded him to ‘“Be fruitful and multiply;’” foretelling ‘“a nation and company of nations…and kings shall come from your body,’” (Genesis 35:6-11, NKJV).
Following that, the Lord confers the promise of the land as part of His covenant with Abraham and Isaac upon Jacob and his ‘“descendants.’” “Then God went up from him” and Jacob worshipped by setting up a “pillar of stone” to mark the place he met with God as he had done the first time (Genesis 35:12-15, NKJV). Apparently already pregnant, Rachel, the love of Jacob’s life died giving birth to their last child together he named Benjamin as they traveled from Bethel en route to Isaac in Hebron. He buried and erected a pillar as a memorial to her near Bethlehem. As they moved on, his firstborn with Leah, Reuben, betrayed him by sleeping with his wife, Bilhah (Genesis 35:16-22a).
Nevertheless, Jacob now, had twelve sons who would become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel destined to be a nation as God had foretold and willed (Genesis 35:22b-29, 46:2-3)! Foremost among his sons were not the oldest, but the two youngest Rachel had borne to him. “Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because,” he rationalized, “he was the son of his old age;” even making “him a tunic of many colors.”13 In his favoritism, Jacob committed the error of his parents with the same outcome of family division, sibling rivalry and hatred. On top of this, Joseph came across arrogant with his dreams. This all led to heartbreak for Jacob God did not deliver him from until twenty-two years later after he had turned 130 years old (Genesis 37, 44-47:10, NKJV).14
Reunited with Joseph in fulfillment of the prophetic dreams God had given him and for the good purposes He allowed his enslavement, Jacob lives another 17 years with all his family in Egypt (Genesis 45:7-8, 47:11-12, 27-28). As his death approached, Jacob made Joseph swear an oath to bury him with his fathers Abraham and Isaac at the designated ‘“burial place’” in the land of Canaan God had promised to their descendants; displaying his faith it would be so (Genesis 47:29-31, NKJV). Following this, Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons and adopts them as his own then, blesses the twelve sons from his body (Genesis 48:1-49:28).15 Giving a final command about his burial as the patriarch of his family to his sons, Jacob died. His sons did as he willed (Genesis 49:29-50:14).16
10 See the end of the June 11, 2023 post, Jacob, God Named Israel, Pt. 2, under the category, The Cause.
11 Here is another place of reminder to all aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ and professed Christians when you need to reconnect to God and spiritually recharge--go back in your mind if nothing else to the place you first met God as Andre Crouch & The Disciples sing so well in their song, Take Me Back. This is also this Ministry’s intended help in our latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally you can view on YouTube, Return To The Lord.
12 Let every aspiring strong man of God take due note that Jacob is not sending his household, he is leading them to and in worship. This is a very important responsi- bility of family leadership you have from God I write about in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and present in a Strong Man Of God Resources short YouTube video, Men Leading Family Worship At Home, promoting the Strong Man Store free document download.
13 Beyond question Jacob’s love for Joseph, his firstborn with Rachel, was also a continuing expression of the deep love he retained in his heart for her.
14 Why God in his sovereignty chose to let Jacob grieve Joseph’s presumed death all those years is not declared in Scripture. However, a context clue suggests one possible reason is rooted in Jacob’s great love for Rachel and Joseph. Loving anyone or thing more than God is a no-no stated later in His Law to Israel and by Christ to any would be follower and certainly every aspiring strong man of God in His image (Deuteronomy 5:6-10, 6:4-5; Mark 12:28-30; Luke 14:25-26)! With Rachel and Joseph gone, Jacob would learn to love God above all. Also, Jacob learned another painful lesson about favoritism and deceit which his sons had been acting out of as he once did.
15 God has made a father’s blessing like none other not even a mother can reverse. His bestowal of good brings inspirational joy; his condemnation a lifetime of troubling!
16 The commanding authority of patriarch, Jacob, speaking to his surrounding sons he had fathered is movingly beautiful in its simplicity and pictures the respect God ex- pects all fathers to receive taught throughout His Word. Indeed, for God the Father has modeled human patriarchy on His own standing as the Patriarch of His hea- venly Family (John 3:31-35, 8:28-29, 48-49). Rebellion against God’s perfect order of mankind and patriarchy is in part causing our society to unravel. You, O aspiring strong man of God in Christ’s image, by His will as a father are a patriarch and to stand for patriarchy to your last breath!
God’s promises to Jacob were unconditional, but his to Him made on the condition God would keep His.7 Such is the baby, but heartfelt faith of 77 year-old Jacob beginning his life journey with God as he traveled to the land and people of his mother he had undoubtedly learned most about from her. Though the Lord initiated the relationship with and conveyed the covenant promises of his fathers to Jacob, just as with baby Christian men aspiring to become strong in Christ’s image, God would begin working with him to dislodge his grip on sin and self-reliance in using deceit to gain his way in conjunction with molding his character through the crucible of painful life experiences.
Reaching near to his destination after about ten days or so, Jacob confirms his uncle, Laban, is still alive with men from the same area of Haran. The men point out Laban’s daughter, “Rachel,” was coming toward them at the well they stood next to (Genesis 29:1-6, NKJV). Beyond the joy a close relative approached, it must have been love at first sight for Jacob since he immediately tried to move the men along so he could talk to her alone, but they declined. Then, as any love struck male, he set about helping Rachel until he could contain himself no more and tearfully kissed and loudly told her who he was; she ran and told Laban who came to welcome his nephew (Genesis 29:7-14).
At the end of a month in which Jacob served in the family business voluntarily, his uncle asked him “what should your wages be,” (Genesis 29:15-17 NKJV). Without seeking God in prayer and moved by love for Rachel, Jacob blurted out, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter,” (Genesis 29:18-19, NKJV). Let every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ recognize Jacob’s error and first hard lesson about relationship with God: take everything to Him in prayer (Luke 6:12-16; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 5:5-7)! As it turns out, Jacob the deceiver was deceived by his uncle with painful and enduring consequences (Genesis 29:20-30).
Among the natural consequences of his failure to consult God about Laban’s offer was the reality he had two wives to be a husband to. Out of marital obligation he slept with the first one, Leah, who desperately wanted from him the kind of loving devotion he was giving her sister, Rachel. Also, while Leah bore him children, the love of his life he surely prayed for God to bless bore him none. Her unfruitfulness frustrated and created conflict between them (Genesis 29:31-30:2). The sinful competition between Jacob’s first two wives and their remedy for unfruitfulness (it was only a lull for Leah) added two more wives to him; no doubt causing him to pray regularly (Genesis 30:3-21)!
Jacob’s regular consultation with God becomes very evident at the end of the fourteen years he had spent working off the bride-price of his wives and finally, Rachel having her first child, Joseph. He was ready to leave and told Laban so (Genesis 30:22-26). His uncle, however, after acknowledging “the LORD has blessed me for your sake,” talked Jacob into staying or so it seemed. For his wages, the ability to “provide for” his “own house” and ultimately ‘“Return to the land of’” his ‘“fathers and…family’” as God commanded, Jacob presented a plan he later tells his wives came from Him (Genesis 30:27-31:16, NKJV). Jacob was now, fully trusting in, relying on and obeying God!8
Twenty years after his departure from Canaan, at God’s directive Jacob with all his family, servants and possessions pulled up stakes to return. He does so without telling Laban (who was warned by God “in a dream” about how he should “speak to” him) for fear of losing his family he tells him at his query after catching up to them (Genesis 31:17-31, NKJV). God at times directs His aspiring strong men to do things that in the natural produce fear. But just as He promised Jacob to be with and protect him in his journey, so, we are to trust God will do as promised us! Jacob in anger at Laban’s pursuit and (unknown to him) true accusation of theft of his idols by Rachel, rebukes him and testifies to God’s involvement in his life leading also to peace (Genesis 31:32-55).
Even after the good end with Laban and seeing angels along their travel route, great fear would again rise up in Jacob with severe distress at the prospect of seeing his twin brother, Esau, who despite the elapsed time, might still bear a murderous grudge. So, he took natural action (Genesis 32:1-8). Then, as he had learned, Jacob prayed with experiential knowledge of, humility before and faith in God seeking His deliverance from Esau while also afterward hoping to persuade him from doing harm with a gift (Genesis 32:9-21). As he waited for Esau, Christ pre-incarnate wrestled with him and changed his name to “Israel,” (Genesis 32:22-32, NKJV). Esau came and brothers tearfully reunited.9 As his God had promised, Israel was back in the land (Genesis 33).
7 See the end of the June 4, 2023 post, Jacob, God Named Israel, Pt. 1, under the category, The Cause.
8 Jacob’s remarkable spiritual maturation shows the consistent end of God’s training program for His sons throughout the Bible since aspiring strong men of God in the image of and as Christ have the four distinctive characteristics of accepting the roles God assigns, obedience, reliance on and trusting Him for vindication (note God says to Jacob in Genesis 31:12, ‘“I have seen all that Laban is doing to you,’” NKJV). Also, let every man reading this see how Jacob assertively embraced his God assigned responsibility to provide for his “own house” and through his own enterprise; not being content to live off of his father-in-law (Genesis 30:30-31, NKJV). This is not to say every man is to have his own business, but to be willing to labor by whatever honest means to provide for his own without mooching off of others in- cluding the government (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).
9 Scripture does not tell us whether Jacob ever went to Seir to visit with Esau. It does inform us that the brothers came together again to bury their father, Isaac (Gene- sis 35:27-29). The genealogy of Esau as Abraham and Isaac’s descendant, the reason he and Jacob did not reside together in Canaan and his ruling descendants of the land they dwelt in called after him, Edom, are also given (Genesis 36:1-19, 40-43). While Esau may have personally reconciled with his brother as a good thing, his descendants did not follow suit and are under the prophecies and curse of God that He began to speak when he was still in the womb with his brother (Genesis 25:22-23, 27:36-40; Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 20:14-21, 24:15-20; Isaiah 34:5-17; Ezekiel 25:12-14, 35; Obadiah; Malachi 1:3b-5). Esau’s lasting legacy as a wild man is that of a sober warning not to imitate his godless way and experience its end (Hebrews 12:12-17)!
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