Gary Gleans

Joseph’s dream came true.   The famine that plagued Egypt spread to Canaan as well and all of Joseph’s brothers except for Benjamin came to purchase grain.   They could never guess that the ruler who was in charge of selling grain was the brother they had sold into slavery about twenty years earlier.   The brothers all bowed before Joseph and he recognized that God was in the process of making his dreams from so many years ago come true. GOD USES THE FAMINE: God had told Abraham from the very beginning that his descendants would spend 400 years in Egypt as slaves.   God had told Joseph that his brothers would bow down before him.   God brings about a famine in the land in order to accomplish what He had revealed so many years before.   Once again we see that the events of this planet are firmly in the hands of the Father.   His purposes are accomplished through means that we may not understand, but we must rest in the reality that they are indeed accomplished and that He is in control

Sometimes the way up is down.   Joseph starts this chapter in prison and ends it in the palace.   Had he never been sent to prison, the likelihood of him rising to this position was negligible.   However, God place him in prison so that he could open a door through the prison into a position of great authority in Egypt.   Pharaoh’s dream presented the perfect opportunity for Joseph to be promoted due to the dreams he had interpreted in the previous chapter.   God’s orchestrating hand is obvious to us as we read these chapters side by side.   I think it is important for us to remember that in real life and real time these connections were not so obvious to Joseph just as they are not obvious to us in our daily walks.   That is where faith and obedience come into play.   Here are a few stepping stones that marked Joseph’s path from the poverty of prison to the prosperity of the palace. JOSEPH WAS REQUIRED TO WAIT: Years ago Joseph had been given a dream that he would rule over his own fa

Sometimes we experience something wonderful simply because we are in the right place at the right time.   Since we rarely are able to figure out where the right place is or when the right time is, it is vital that we learn to trust God who always holds the places and times of our lives in His hands.   Joseph needed to meet a specific person that would be key to his future, and God knew that the place they would be able to meet was in prison.   Sometimes we have a hard time seeing why God would allow certain circumstances in our lives, but we must trust that He knows what He is doing and that He will place us in the right place at the right time.   However we can also observe that Joseph did much do make sure that he was prepared to receive what God had in store. JOSEPH WAS FAITHFUL: The cup bearer and baker of Pharaoh we place in the same prison as Joseph.   Since Joseph was such a faithful servant, he was put in charge of caring for these very important prisoners.   He went about his

We see a stark contrast between Judah and his younger brother Joseph when we compare the previous chapter with this chapter.   Judah was a free man who was punished because of his lust and unfaithfulness.   Joseph was a slave who was blessed because of his self control and faithfulness.   Ironically, Judah remains free and Joseph ends up in prison.   We must never judge a person’s character by the circumstances they face.   Many times God calls His most faithful servants to face intense suffering.   This is how God, in His wisdom, chooses to prepare these faithful followers for service and equip them to glorify Him. JOSEPH IS PROSPEROUS AS A SLAVE: Joseph’s work in the fields and as administrator of Potiphar’s house is blessed by God.   His master has never experienced such prosperity and he wisely gives more and more responsibility to Joseph and experiences even greater wealth as a result of God’s blessing through Joseph.   We must never assume that all wealth is as a result of the bl

The Scriptures never hesitate to paint its characters with warts and all.   Judah is the son of Israel through whom Christ was born, yet we are given a glimpse into his life and character that make us wonder why in the world he was chosen for this honor.   I think the answer lies in the grace of God.   The truth is that nobody is worthy of God’s favor or it could never be called grace.   The flaws that we see in Judah should be to us a source of both warning and hope; warning because these same sins are embedded deep within our hearts; hope because if God can use a man like this He can use us too. JUDAH’S FAMILY WAS STARTED IN DISOBEDIENCE: Perhaps the problems all started when Judah decided to marry a Canaanite woman.   Abraham and Isaac had both take precautions to make sure that their sons did not marry women from the land in which they lived.   It seems that Judah is overcome by passion for this girl and it appears that he has sexual relations with her and then takes her as his wif

One thing that we observe in the children of Israel is that dysfunctional families have been around for a very long time.   I think that a biblical counselor could have worked full time with this group alone and would still be pressed to deal with all of the issues that are very evident in the hearts of this family.   Unfortunately, the sins that we see so clearly evidenced in this passage are all too common in my own life and I know that they are in my heart; so before we start pointing too many fingers, it would be good for us to examine our own lives for theses sins. THE SIN OF FAVORITISM: We see this coming up over and over again in the lives of this family Jacob had been the favored son of his mother while Esau was the favorite son of his father.   Then Jacob shows favoritism for Joseph.   Certainly it appears that Joseph had character and loyalty that were worth of praise.   However, the act of giving a special coat to one son and clearly preferring him over his other sons was a

What stands out to me as I read this chapter is the fact that God knows and is in control of the events on this planet.   There are times when the circumstances of our lives might be such that we could become tempted to doubt this fact about God.   We may think that things should take place differently than they do.   We may even think that we have a better idea of how things should be done.   The truth is that God’s ways are always best and His decisions and determinations are always right.   We may not understand the ways of His choosing, but we are not called to understand.   We are called to trust Him and worship Him no matter what circumstance He allows to come into our lives.   Here are two illustrations of God’s control and knowledge that are evident in this chapter. GOD RAISED UP NATIONS THROUGH ABRAHAM:   God told Abraham that many nations would come from his descendants.   We can clearly see that Abraham’s sons, his grandsons and his great grandchildren all became nations

The word that came to my mind as I was reading this chapter was separation.   Jacob has been back in Canaan for some time and changes are taking place that are a part of God’s plan for Jacob who’s name has now been changed to Israel. SEPARATION FROM IDOLATRY: God calls Jacob to move away from the land where he had settled and to move to Bethel where God had first appeared to him.   Remember that the survivors of the attack of Shechem had been taken captive and become a part of Jacob’s household.   They certainly brought with them their idols and beliefs, so I believe that God is calling Jacob to get away from this area and restore the worship of God as the standard in his family.   Jacob calls all the members of his household to give him their idols and objects of worship.   These are then confiscated and Jacob calls the tribes to purify themselves for the journey in order to make a fresh start.   It seems that every now and then in my own life it is necessary to stop and evaluate how

It does not seem to matter where we go; sin and its consequences never seem to be very far behind us.   If there is ever doubt about the depravity of man we only need read the Scriptures to see how deeply sin is entrenched into the hearts of men.   Sin has a way of stacking up on us and it seems like one sin almost inevitably leads to another.   Praise God that Christ has come to set us free from sin and give us power to overcome the depravity that in locked up in our hearts. SHECHEM VIOLATES DINAH: Dinah went to the neighboring town to meet the women of her area, during her visit she ends up being raped by Shechem, the prince of the land.   The prince claims to love her and want to take her as his wife, so he sets out to gain permission from Jacob with his father.   This is a very tense situation that was brought on by the sin of lust.   Shechem claims to love Dinah; but what he did was not loving in the least.   It is easy for us to confuse lust with love.   The sexual desires that r

The moment of truth arrived between Jacob and Esau.   Jacob had to come face to face with the brother that he had deceived and taken advantage of.   Up until the last minute he did not know if the result would be a warm greeting or all out war.   Fortunately, Jacob’s gifts had demonstrated his humility and Esau’s anger had dissipated and the reunion was friendly and sweet. JACOB IS RESTORED WITH ESAU: There are times in life when we dread something because we anticipate how bad it could be.   I think that most of us have a tendency to be pessimistic during these times and end up worrying excessively about things that are beyond our control.   I think all of us can relate with the feeling in the pit of Jacob’s stomach as he saw Esau and his men approaching.   What a wonderful sense of relief it must have been to feel his brother’s embrace and spill out all of the pent up emotions that had built up and changed over the last twenty years.   Both men had matured and they were brothers and

Jacob has resolved his problem with Laban, but now he faces the problems of his past and must face his brother Esau.   Jacob had originally fled to Laban’s home because Esau wanted to kill him.   Two decades have passed and much has changed but Jacob knows what he did in the past and that these conflicts had never been resolved.   We can try to ignore our problems and pretend that they will simply go away, but more often than not they will come back to haunt us and we will have to face them again.   It is far wiser to resolve our difficulties in short order instead of allowing them to fester.   Of course the best solution is to not enter into conflict in the first place. JACOB FEARS HIS BROTHER: Jacob is literally afraid for his life.   When he sends messengers to let Esau know that his is coming they return without either a good word or a bad word but only that Esau is coming with 400 men in order to meet him.   Jacob must have assumed that the 400 men were coming to attack and it is

The relationship between Jacob and Laban was marked by deception and deceit.   In the end Jacob married both of Laban’s daughters and earned the large majority of his flocks.   It is inevitable that when people consider their own interests above that of the people around them, they will face conflict. LABAN’S FAMILY IS JEALOUS: After several years of Jacob tending to the flocks it became obvious that flocks of Jacob were growing while Laban’s were getting smaller and growing weaker.   Laban and his sons could not help but feel that all of Jacob’s wealth was coming from them.   Jacob believed that God was blessing him while Laban’s family believed that Jacob was simply taking advantage of them.   For twenty years Jacob had worked with the flocks while it appears that Laban and his sons simply sat back and let him work.   Wealth without work will soon disappear.     Jacob was willing to work hard and because of that he increased in wealth.   Laban’s family seems content to just sit back

Once again, I must admit that there are several questions that I have about this passage.   I don’t know what mandrakes are nor do I know how they were supposed to aid in reproduction.   I don’t know how poplar branches that are placed before sheep when they drink and mate caused them to have speckled or black lambs.   What I really don’t know is why not all of Abraham’s and Isaac’s children were included as God’s chosen people yet all of Jacob’s children were no matter how many women through which he conceived them.   What I do know is that God is in control of all of these situations and that His choices are according to His sovereign will and wisdom. GOD BLESSED JACOB’S FAMIY: We certainly cannot say that God blessed Jacob because of his faithfulness and obedience.   The truth is that his household was one that was full of competition and conflict because of his multiple wives.   He further complicates the situation by agreeing to bear children through his wives servants just as Abr

There are some passages of Scripture that just make me shake my head and wonder how in the world could this have happened?   How in the world could Jacob work for seven years in order to marry Rachael and then on the wedding day not be able to tell the difference between her and her sister on the wedding day?   This is definitely a unique love story but I don’t pretend to understand how all of this could happen.   Here are some of the things that stand out to me about Jacob’s love. IT WAS A PRACTICAL LOVE: It seems that the place to find a wife in Abraham’s family was to go to a well.   That is where Abraham’s servant found Rebekah and where Jacob found Rachael.   It seems that these men were looking for women who were hard workers.   Jacob was simply looking for his uncle and God arranged it so that Rachael would be there at just the right time.   It seems to be a case of love at first sight.   Jacob serves Rachel in a practical way by watering her sheep and tells her who he is and wh

God rewards obedience.   God’s greatest reward is Himself.   These are principles that we would all do well to remember.   God seeks for obedient men and women to who He can reveal Himself and bless in ways that exceed our imagination.   Jacob begins to understand this principle in the passage before us today: JACOB HEARS THE VOICE OF HIS PARENTS:   Rebekah was greatly distressed by the wives of Esau and did not want Jacob to marry a wife from the land of Canaan.   Like Abraham she knew the importance of a spouse who would not influence towards idolatry and pagan practices that were so common in the land.   She wanted a wife for her son from her own family so that Jacob’s family would be the influence on her and not the other way around.   For all of the faults that we can see in Jacob’s life and character, one quality that we can admire is his obedience to his parents.   I am sure that Jacob had many opportunities to marry young ladies from the area as Esau had done, but Jacob listene

Shakespeare called deception a tangled web and I think that is an appropriate description of this passage.   The plot of deception thickens between Jacob and Esau and Isaac and Rebekah.   It, quite frankly, is sad to see the striving and conniving that takes place within this family.   However, I think that it is important to remember that God came to Rebekah and reveled to her that Jacob would be the person through whom the promise would be carried forward.   God’s will was for Jacob to be blessed above Esau.   It is just sad to see that she felt like she had to use these tactics to try to “help” God in the fulfillment of His plan. THE DANGER OF FAVORITISM: Everyone who has a sibling at some time or the other has suspected favoritism by their parents.   Good parents recognize that there are differences in their children and learn to appreciate and encourage those differences without playing favorites.   Unfortunately, Isaac and Rebekah did not demonstrate this wisdom and ability.   Is