Just Say NO to Canaanite Women!

I know its been a while since my last post. Things have been crazy during the holidays and getting ready for the arrival of our son. I found a little gem in Genesis 28 that may or may not be of interest. After Jacob's deception of Esau and Isaac, both Isaac and Rebekah agreed that Jacob must return to the family homeland to find a suitable wife. So Isaac blesses Jacob. This blessing is probably more like a final will. Then Isaac reaffirms the divine promise that Jacob should go to Paddan-Aram to find a wife and may his endeavor be fruitful for the nations.

In 28:6, we learn that Esau has witnessed this event and his reaction is quite interesting. He now understands that his marriage to Canaanite women does not please Isaac. His attempt at remedying the situation may just be fate or it may carry some symbolism. He decides that he will go on his own journey, just like Jacob, to marry again, this time within the family kinship. His choice is astounding. He goes to Ishmael and selects his daughter Mahalath. Esau was the first son, but was not the son of promise. How ironic is it that he goes to Ishmael, Abraham's first son, but not his son of promise. This is further evidence that God had special plans for Jacob even though all of the questions surrounding his selection may be hard for us to grasp.

As promised, this was nothing special, just an interesting little gem from the text.

What is the fear of the Lord?

The first seven verses of the book of Proverbs give us a lot of insight. The goal of the Proverbs is to produce wisdom, discipline, and understanding to those who are naive. The naive are those who are on the brink of adulthood. The Proverbs are designed to be a boot camp for wisdom. The word for 'Proverb' (mashal) is basically the same word as parable. The Proverbs require deep reflection as did the parables of Jesus. On a side note, there could be a connection to Jesus from these verses. Jesus and Solomon both descended from David and both enjoyed same style of instruction. But Jesus told his listeners that he was greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42).

The purpose statement for proverbs is given in 1:7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. What does it mean to fear the Lord? Do we fear offending him and ultimately being punished? Do we simply respect and revere him? Might I suggest we look to David for the answer to this question.

Psa. 51 is David's response to his sin with Bathsheba. In verse 11 and 12, David begged that the Lord not leave him. This plea is really powerful when we consider that David witnessed God abandon Saul. This context offers a powerful definition for fearing the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not fear the Lord's coming but fear of his leaving!!! This is where the road to godly wisdom begins!

laziness

I am sure we have all felt a streak of laziness from one time to another. Proverbs six has an interesting and stern take on laziness.

If the lazy man will observe the work habit, self-discipline, and foresight of the ant, he will be productive. Proverbs 6 might be enlightened when we recall one of the boundaries that God set in creation in Genesis 1. If you remember the creation account, God told man that he was to rule over the animals (1:28). Yet, Adam and Eve made the mistake of letting an animal tell them what to do. Rather than ruling the animals, the lazy man must look to the animals for instruction. This is a reversal of created order. Could it be that laziness is a violation of created order? If so, it is bound to produce chaos. Proverbs 6 reveals that the lazy man will encounter chaos in the form of poverty. Usually the Lord has a special place in his heart for the needy, but not in this case.

It is becoming more and more common for Christians to seek evangelism by helping the poor. However, our American poverty is not like the poverty of ancient times. In our American culture, there is ample opportunity for a person to receive assistance, education, and to make something of themselves. We live on the assumption that the poor can't help being poor. But Proverbs tells us something different. I believe the lazy man of Proverbs is more of an indication of the type of poverty we have in America. Some people are poor by choice! If that is their attitude about life, how likely are they to reform their minds and obey the teachings of Christ? Perhaps we need to reconsider our premise when evangelizing through need based programs. The need may not be food, clothing, or shelter; there may be a need of effort!

Standing Up For the Little Man

Exodus 2 gives us a valuable character study into the life of the adult Moses. From three instances we learn that Moses has a special place in his heart for the oppressed. First, Moses stands up to an Egyptian oppressor. As Moses surveyed the scene, he did not notice Egyptian luxury, noble society, or a great empire; he saw forced labor. Even though Moses is of the high court, he still considers his Hebrew kinsmen. When he witnessed an Egyptian in the process of beating a Hebrew to death, he intervened and killed the Egyptian oppressor in the same way he was afflicting the Hebrew.

Second, Moses stands up to a Hebrew bully. The next day, he observes two Hebrews fighting so he addresses the guilty one and stops the fight. The guilty one is not happy and scolds Moses for assuming an authoritative role that he does not have. He also reveals that he knows that Moses has killed an Egyptian (perhaps he uses this knowledge as blackmail). When Pharaoh learns that Moses has killed an Egyptian he demands Moses' life, forcing Moses flees to Midian.

Finally, Moses stands up to belligerent shepherds. In Midian, Moses takes rest at a well. He witnesses local shepherds pushing aside the priest of Midians’ daughters. Again, Moses intervened and came to their rescue and watered their flocks.

From these three instances we learn that Moses is passionate for standing up for the oppressed. As chapter two comes to a close, we also learn that Israel is being oppressed and is in need of someone to stand up for them. Who might there be to stand up to the Egyptians?

The Irony of Moses' Rescue

When the Moses' mother could no longer hide him, she made a tevah (ark) and put him into it. This one of the only two occurrences of tevah in the OT (the other the Noah account). Moses' mother made an ark. Both Noah's ark and Moses' were means of salvation from water. The ark was placed in the reeds by the river bank so that it would not float away. Perhaps there is another element of symbolism in the reeds. Later Moses will lead Israel to the banks of the Sea of Reeds where he will part the waters.

Pharaoh's daughter comes to the river to bathe and finds the baby in the ark. She recognizes that he is a Hebrew. Will she kill the baby and finish the job as her father ordered? No, she has pity on the boy. She commits to the protection and care for the child. How ironic is it that the baby is rescued by the daughter of the very king who ordered his death.

Later, Pharaoh's daughter names the child Moses. Even though his name is Egyptian, she gives a Hebrew etymology. Moshe sounds like the Hebrew word "masha" (to draw out). He is called Moses, because he was "drawn out" of the waters. God said that creation "was good" and Moses' mother said he "was good." Moses was saved by an ark. Moses has already been to the reeds. Does Moses' rescue from the waters anticipate a larger rescue in the future?

An Introduction to Moses

I wish to start a series of short insights into Moses. Let us start by examining why Israel went to Egpyt and the birth of Moses. When Israel’s existence came into jeopardy during the famine of the days of Jacob, Israel found protection and care in the land of their forsaken son Joseph. Israel became fertile in a fertile land (1:9-12). But there arose a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. He feared the multitude of the Israelite people and ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all of the Hebrew boys. After the midwives failed their orders, Pharaoh commanded that all Hebrew boys be thrown into the river. The river that brought life to the land of Egypt is used to bring death Israelite males. But God preserved one of these boys because he had great plans for him.

Two Levites married and bore a son in spite of Pharaoh's efforts to stop Israelite growth. The mother saw that the child "was good." Most English translation comment on the beauty of the boy but this phrase has other significance. The is the same phrase God used to describe each of the six days of creation: "behold it was good." Could there be a connection between the two? Perhaps Moses is another beginning (genesis) and his birth is a new act of creation.

Building a House

We learn from Proverbs that God has a special plan for families. Proverbs 24:3-4 gives three tools for housebuilding:
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge its rooms are filled with all kinds of costly and pleasant possessions.

When these three tools are applied, there is order in the house. Men are commanded to control their anger. Wise women build a house while foolish women tear it down with their own hands (14:1). Children are to be obedient to their parents instruction (4:1).

The three tools used for housebuilding just happen to be the same 3 tools that God used in creation (3:19-20):
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deep [springs] burst open and the dew condenses from the sky.

This suggests that the house is a microcosm of the creative order. So just how important is the family to God? Very important: it is a model of creation!