Last
week we saw examples of how being honest, being prosperous and choosing our
battles wisely contributed mightily to experiencing a Shalom type of peace —
rest, happiness, favor. Isaac chose his battles wisely, journeyed where God led
him, and experienced a Shalom treaty with a powerful king. He lived in
prosperity and peace. This week we’ll leave Isaac and move forward in time to
his son Jacob in Genesis 28: 21, and discover how being hopeful, prepared, and forgiving contribute to having peace.
The backstory to this passage is
that Jacob, under the tutelage of his conniving mother, Rebekah, has usurped
the coveted birthright blessing from his older brother by posing as his brother
before his blind dad, Isaac. (Ugly picture, isn’t it?) When Jacob’s older
brother, Esau, learns of it, Esau threatens to kill Jacob, after Isaac dies, of
course.
Rebekah hears about Esau’s oath and
plans a getaway for Jacob. So, under the guidance and command of his mother,
who sets up Isaac to make it seem like he’s the decision maker on this plan,
Jacob flees to his Uncle Laban’s (his mom’s brother). In the process of running
away, he meets God in the wilderness.
At nightfall on his first night out,
and using a rock for a pillow, Jacob dreams a prophetic dream about a ladder
that extends from earth to heaven. In the dream, God makes Jacob promises about
giving Jacob the land on which he’s lying, and making him prosperous in
descendants. God also promises to protect Jacob and safely bring him back to
his father’s land.
When Jacob awakens, he has one of
those “Ah ha” moments. And he’s so giddy with joy that he makes a vow, which
starts in verse 20.
“…If God will be with me, and keep
me in this way that I am going, and give
me bread to eat and clothing to put
on, so that I come back to my father’s
house in Shalom, then the LORD shall
be my God. And this stone which I have
set as a pillar shall be God’s
house, and of all that You give me I will
surely give a tenth to you.”
Now, let me first point out that the
first word “If” is under debate among Biblical
scholars
and teachers. Some read it as “If” while others say it should really read
“Since.”
I’m not
going to get into a debate about it here, since that would sidetrack us from
the point of the Shalom. But I tend to come down on the side of “If” because of
the way the rest of the passage is worded, and the words “shall be” which
indicates future. (Unless, of course, Jacob is making a statement as though
it’s already happened, and he claims God right there as his God, too, not just
his father’s and grandfather’s.) And if you read ahead, you know that Jacob
does return years later, but in the process he wrestles mightily with God and
is so terrified of Esau still being on a death hunt that he chickens out and
sends the women and children ahead of him to meet Esau! Doesn’t sound to me
like a guy who is convinced of the promises God gave him in his dream. But I
digress…
For us in this study, the point is
that Jacob, like most of us, wants to live in Shalom — peace, rest, safety,
health and prosperity. He wants to live in harmony with his family, and he
wants to return home one day. He hopes that this running away and tension and
hate won’t go on forever. And he knows that God alone is the one who can make
that happen for him. He acknowledges that. And he does try to honor God by
setting up an altar, a memorial standing stone of sorts, to remind him and
others of what happened there. And he promises to give back something of his
wealth to God. He knows and acknowledges that God deserves something. And he
makes a vow to God about it. But from this passage, we know that living in
Shalom is uppermost in Jacob’s mind. And you could say that he was hopeful about the future God has foreshadowed
to him.
But we’ll leave Jacob at his
standing stone and move onward in Genesis to Chapter 41, verse 16. And I’ll
need to give you a backstory here, too, although this story is well known.
Perhaps you’ve heard it in Sunday school. It’s about Jacob’s favorite son,
Joseph — the son of his beloved, deceased wife, Rachel.
Joseph has been sold into captivity
by his ten brothers. (They were very jealous of him and the favoritism Jacob
showed him.) Joseph ends up in Egypt, where he becomes a slave and household
servant in a rich and powerful man’s house. Joseph is such a man of integrity,
though, that the rich and powerful man trusts him with everything.
Unfortunately, the man’s wife takes a liking to the young, handsome Joseph and
tries to seduce him. Joseph won’t have anything to do with that, and she, in
her rebuffed rage, accuses him of trying to molest her. Well, Joseph gets
tossed in jail for a very long time. But God has granted him a special gift:
the ability to interpret dreams. And that gift will save him.
Fast forward to a day when the
Egyptian Pharaoh has had some disturbing dreams none of his magicians can
interpret. Quite suddenly, Pharaoh’s butler (who had also been imprisoned at
one point) remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh that Joseph is the man who can
interpret his disturbing dreams. So Pharaoh sends for Joseph, and Joseph washes
off the prison filth and gets all tidied up to meet with Pharaoh. We’ll pick up
the story in verse 15.
And Pharaoh said to
Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who
can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that
you can understand a
dream, to interpret it.”
So
Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh
an answer of Shalom.”
Well, if you read on, you will find
out that Joseph isn’t going to tell Pharaoh something happy and peaceful. He’s
going to prophecy about a horrible famine that will come on them in the future,
after a period of tremendous prosperity. So Joseph is not providing Pharaoh with
an interpretation of entirely smooth sailing and peaceful times ahead.
What he is providing Pharaoh is the peace
of mind that comes from understanding the disturbing dream and knowing what
to expect and being able to plan for it. For knowing and being wise in his
actions in order to provide for his people, so they don’t suffer in the famine.
And it is God who provides that knowledge and wisdom. Joseph immediately gives
God credit for that, before he hears or interprets the dreams. And, ultimately,
the story does have a happy ending — for a while, at least.
Joseph interprets the dreams,
and Pharaoh is so impressed and happy with him,
that he makes Joseph second in command, under Pharaoh, over all of Egypt. Pretty impressive! Joseph has given Pharaoh Shalom, and Pharaoh is
overjoyed! He has helped Pharaoh be
prepared.
But now we’ll skip a couple of
chapters to a time in Joseph’s life when he is miraculously reunited with his
brothers, whom he hasn’t laid eyes on in years. He recognizes them, but at this
point, (Genesis, Chapter 43), Joseph looks more like an Egyptian prince than
the young Israelite shepherd they last saw, so his brothers don’t recognize
Joseph. Joseph meets with them once, when they come begging for food to survive
the famine, and then he orchestrates events so that he meets with them a second time.
Joseph is now a man of great power
and wealth, and he has set them up in a way that forces them to return to meet
with him. He is, in fact, playing out a lesson-teaching game for them. They are
terrified about finding money in their grain sacks, money that doesn’t belong
to them, and they have returned it to Joseph. (For once in their lives, they
are being honest.) Joseph calms their fears in verse 23.
But [Joseph] said, “Shalom be with
you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God
of your father has given you
treasure in your sacks; I had your money.”
Joseph’s estranged brothers should
actually start catching on now, or questioning some things, since this should
sound like a common Hebrew blessing to them: Shalom (peace) be with you. Joseph
calms their fears with an endearment, a word of assurance to quiet their
pounding hearts.
In Genesis 44:17, though, Joseph is
still playing out this lesson to his clueless brothers, to teach his brothers
and to learn valuable information from them. He wants to find out the state of
their hearts. He again plants his gold cup in their sacks, to make it look as
though they have stolen something priceless from him. His brothers return the
object and ask for Joseph’s mercy. But Joseph doesn’t give it, to all of them
anyway. He tells them:
“Far be it from me that I should do
so; the man [his brother Benjamin] in whose
hand
the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in Shalom to
your father.”
Really, Joseph!? Go back “in rest
and happiness” to our father and leave his favorite son with you? The only
remaining son of his favorite wife? You’ve got to be kidding!
Actually, he was, in a way. He just
wanted to see what they would do, how they would react. Again, he wanted to see
if, and how, their hearts had changed. They had wronged him, and now they are on the receiving end of
injustice. Joseph knew that if they went home there really would be no peace in
the family. His aged father’s heart would be devastated at the loss of yet
another son. Thankfully, they pass the test, and Joseph finally reveals himself
to them in Chapter 45, and they are all reunited — aging father, sons,
brothers, and family. A happily-ever-after ending.
In spite of everything that they did
to Joseph, he forgives them — knowing that
their evil plan God used for good, and they do finally live together, in Shalom. Joseph is a forgiving man from whom we can learn much!
Questions to Ponder
1. Like
Jacob in our first story, have you ever met God in the wilderness? It’s not
always an easy place to be, but it’s most often where we really get to know God
— because we’re more apt to listen to Him there.
Think back to a time when you were
wandering in the wilderness. What did
God say to you there?
Are you in the wilderness now? If
so, rather than trying to fight your way out
of it, maybe you should lean into
it, ask God what He’s saying to you. What
does He want you to learn? Ask Him
to reveal Himself to you, like He did to
Jacob and then really listen to what
He tells you. Note it in your journal.
2. Have
you ever felt the way Jacob did? That you were running away from home and your
desire is to eventually return home in peace? Who can make that happen for you?
Have you asked Him? Are you ready to release the vice grip you have on your ego
to make it happen?
Take a moment to think about how God
may have spoken to you in the past.
Maybe it was through a dream, or perhaps another person. An event in your life.
Did you listen and hear God
speak to your heart? What did He say to you?
Another important point we can’t
miss is that Jacob prays for the basics:
bread, clothing, and Shalom. When
was the last time you prayed for bread
and clothing and peace? The simple
basics of life. Or are your prayers
padded with lots of extras? For the next week or more, try
focusing your
prayers on the simple needs of life,
and determine in your heart to be
satisfied with those things. Thank
God for their provisions. Then note in
your journal how your heart changes
toward how you view God, and your
life, and if you have more Shalom.
Think about Jacob’s relationship
with his brother, Esau, and what he did to
contribute
to that poor relationship. Is there a rift in your relationship with
someone right now? What have you done to repair it? What has the other
person done to help repair it? If they have extended Shalom to
you, how
have you responded to it? How could
responding, or not responding, bring
more Shalom to your heart?
3. Now
think about Pharaoh’s disturbing dream.
Have you ever had a dream or event
in your life that distressed you, or
robbed you of your peace? Who did
you go to for wisdom on how to handle
or “interpret” the dream or event?
Do you know someone who has been given
that gift? Remember, God is the one
who can interpret and restore to you the
peace
of mind you need to be proactive and successful in your plans. Are you
absolutely confident that God can
speak to you through that person?
This story reminds us that there is
Shalom in knowing, even if the news isn’t
the best. Maybe it teaches you that
in your years of abundance, you can prepare
for the lean years, so you won’t
have to live “lean” or in a state of distress
through them. As American financial
guru Dave Ramsey likes to say, “If you
live like no one else, later you can
live like no one else.” Is that something you
need to do now, in order to have
Shalom in your life later?
4.
Joseph calmed his brothers’ hearts by giving them a word of assurance.
Can you remember a time when your troubled heart was quieted
by a good
word of peace from someone? A family
member or friend? Who do you know
right
now that needs a word of peace, a kind word of assurance?
You may be the one with a troubled
heart right now, like Joseph actually had
in this event. He was overcome with
emotion and love when he saw his
brothers. But passing on a word of
peace to someone else, like Joseph did,
often does wonders for the state of
your own heart. This week, plan to write,
call, or meet with that person to
pass on a word of Shalom. Ask God to give
you just the right words to say to
encourage the person’s heart.
5.
Joseph had every “right” to turn his brothers away, not help them in their
distress, or make them suffer as they had made him suffer. But he doesn’t do
any of those things. While he does put them through several tests, ultimately
he forgives them, loves them, and blesses them beyond measure. Like God does
for us, he gives his brothers what they don’t deserve. He extends us love,
grace, and mercy.
When was the last time you forgave
someone who did not deserve your
forgiveness and love? Can you test
the waters with them to see if their hearts
have changed and they are ready to
reconciled with you so you can extend love
to them the way Joseph extended it
to his brothers?
Either way, God wants us to love our
enemies and extend forgiveness, so that
we might be peace makers and have
Shalom in our hearts. And we can have
this Shalom even if the other person
doesn’t accept this love or gesture
of
forgiveness. If you have done God’s
will, you will have Shalom. I promise!
Next
week we’ll move on to the Book of Exodus and see what Shalom lessons we can
learn there.
Until then, may your week be
full of blessings that you receive and give, your heart be full of joy and
thankfulness, and your days be filled with laughter! Build a little heaven in
your life right now, and watch your heavenly garden grow!
In Christ’s love
and peace,
Andrea
When the eyes of the soul looking
out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on earth. ~ A. W. Tozer
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