Today's reading was full of drama. Rags to riches kind of drama. Riches to rags---rags to riches. Joseph played a starring role. But Jacob too wins my admiration. He seems so wise unto salvation as he pronounces the blessings and the factual curses (brought on themselves by some of the sons). Buried in the blessings to Judah are words that I've somehow passed over for years. Words that unpack the message we read in Revelation regarding "washing our robes in the blood of the lamb". There in the blessing to Judah is the key I believe. Yet, I've never heard a Bible scholar refer to this passage. True I have not been far from home in my studies of the Bible so I cannot say that nobody has mentioned it in connection with the text in Revelation. I fully expect to find many others who have noticed this reference.
Yesterday I had a question as to how many of the sons were born from Leah. Today that question was answered. She bore Jacob six sons. Her handmaid delivered two. Rachael bore him two sons and her handmaid also delivered two more. Altogether there were twelve. The six sons of Leah seem to fit better in the candlestick arrangement. And Joseph nourished them along with his full-blooded brothers there in Eqypt. Joseph definitely lived out the Christ-figure in his role. He acknowledges how the brothers meant to do him harm but God meant the whole experience to bring restoration and nourishment to the family. He is their savior no less. Even to the whole nation of Eqypt. They buy grain from him while none of his brother's money is ever accepted for payment.
The rest of Jacob's sons were born in pairs to three different women. Two handmaids and one very much loved woman who was not however buried with her husband in the cave of Machpelah like Leah was. Jacob seemed to understand that God intended Leah's marriage to him for good similarly to the understanding the Joseph later had regarding his being sold into servitude by his brothers that fateful day. Ishmaellites had purchased him. Ishmael--the brother whom Sarah sent away. They seem to have played a part in the saving of Joseph's life. I am amazed at how God takes despised and rejected humanity and elevates them to positions of honored service. Quietly they go about their work while only heaven takes note. Surely there was celebration over Joseph's life being spared. Just as I celebrated in my heart to read about Joseph in turn sparing the lives of the brothers who had all conspired against him to ruin his life.
There are so many verses that jumped off the page. I should have stopped to mark them as I read through Youversion this morning. Tomorrow I will use that nifty note feature to help me blog. Today, I'm left with my sketchy memory. Let's see, I recall the place where Jacob returns to worship was the place where God had first revealed himself to him (the ladder dream I believe). That place is mentioned. Not sure of the name---hmm. Beersheba is mentioned. So is Mamre'. Mamre'----the word---always reminds me of mammary glands. And I was reading through the story while breastfeeding my second son. I recall imagining that Joseph was like a Mama to the whole world. Feeding them through the famine. The silver cup he put in the sack of Benjamin (to frame him and thereby testing his other ten brothers) reminds me of the cup of wine on the table of shewbread (back to the sanctuary funiture parallels). The cup is said to have been his divining cup. Seems he truly did divine the characters of the brothers in the process of planting it in the sacks each time.
Judah's character comes out shining. Why? He chose to trade his life for hte life of Benjamin. He had truly changed. God had wrought repentence in his heart. He was vexed with the thought that his father's heart might break again with the loss of Benjamin too. As I ponder and meditate over this portrait of godly sorrow, I am humbled to recall the times that I have not looked upon my struggling brother or sister with this kind of love. My prayer today is that I will seek to save and never condemn. For how do I know who has been framed among me? I cannot divine people's hearts as Jesus can.
Finally, I remember that God had told Abraham that his seed would be placed in Eqypt. On the journey to Eqypt the author (Moses) mentions how that all Jacob's seed went with him. Each family member is numbered. There are 66 altogether (seed). But, 70 go to Eqypt. Jacob accounts for number 67 and Joseph with his two sons account for the other three. Sixty-six, of course reminds me of sin. 70 reminds me of maturity or perfection. Jesus said "I am the vine and ye are the branches. Except a branch abide in me...." I forget the exact wording of the rest but I will look it up.
Addendum---this was published before proofreading (there are some typos and whole portions that don't really connect the way I thought I was writing them). What happened was I had finished and just before I clicked to pre-view---my computer shut down for updates. Without warning. The only way I could recover it was to select publish beside the saved draft. It would not let me view it for there was no option for that. I will edit this later today but leave it published for now. I need to fill in some sketchy parts especially.
Ok. Here's a key point that I failed to mention. Joseph stored up all the grain during the time of 7 years of plenty. He then sold it to the Egyptians. This is the fact I'm am drawing on to say that he was like a Mama to the world during the time of famine. It is interesting to me that the Pharoah was willing to put his trust in a Hebrew whom Egyptians considered an abomination. God was surely able to turn things around for not only Joseph but for the whole Hebrew clan. Hunger does seem to steeply decrease our differences. He wasn't foolish when it came to choosing to abide by tradition in the wake of necessity. He realized Joseph was there for the good of all Egypt and he wasted no time in accepting this help from Joseph's god. It reminds me of how Jesus commentd, "...I have not found greater faith," when speaking to one of the gentiles that he had healed.
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