The Locator, perspective and forgiveness

Today: Genesis 43-45

Have you ever watched a reunion show?

I'm not talking about a YouTube video of a 10-year high school reunion in Milwaukee where everyone does the macarena. I'm talking about a show where people are reunited with someone really special to them...like a sister they were separated from in the foster system, a son they didn't know they had or a father they had never met. A few weeks ago, I was at my parents' house and watched such a show called "The Locator." It's a show where this guy (Troy Dunn) helps people find their long-lost loved ones.

I watched one episode where a woman was looking for her biological father. She always wondered, "Does he look like me? Does he know if I exist? Does he have the same laugh?" The Locator found the woman's biological dad...a man who never believed he was her father. He felt guilty and wondered, "Will she forgive me for not looking for her? Will she forgive me for not being there?"

When I read today's passage, I felt a bit like I was watching that show again. This reunion story between Joseph and his brothers was so emotional and inspiring. It was charged with all of the feelings I listed above--I'm sure some of Joseph's brothers thought he was dead. They thought they'd never see him again. Some of them probably felt scared--I mean the brother they betrayed and sold as a slave was one of the most powerful men in the world! And at least one (Joseph himself) was (surprisingly?) thrilled to see them again.

I just wrote surprisingly with a question mark because I don't know how many people would be thrilled to reunite with those who caused them such sorrow and pain. We already know that Joseph was an incredible guy with an incredible heart. He walked with this mature perspective that allowed him to forgive--truly a gift from God.

Rather than writing any more about it, I thought I'd let you read some of his words to his brothers again:

"I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt.

But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me.

God was behind it.

God sent me here ahead of you to save lives.

There has been a famine in the land now for two years;

the famine will continue for five more years—

neither plowing nor harvesting.

God sent me on ahead to pave the way

and make sure there was a remnant in the land,

to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance.

So you see, it wasn't you who sent me here but God.

He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh,

put me in charge of his personal affairs,

and made me ruler of all Egypt.
"Hurry back to my father. Tell him,

'Your son Joseph says: I'm master of all of Egypt.

Come as fast as you can and join me here.

I'll give you a place to live in Goshen where you'll be close to me—

you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds,

and anything else you can think of.

I'll take care of you there completely.

There are still five more years of famine ahead;

I'll make sure all your needs are taken care of,

you and everyone connected with you—you won't want for a thing.'

Tomorrow: Genesis 46-47

The inside scoop...from God

Today: Genesis 41-42

I'm continually amazed at all the TV shows, mobile apps, newspapers and magazines focused on giving us "the inside scoop" about something. You can track what your friends are doing minute by the minute on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. You can get the scores from every sport imaginable sent directly to your phone. You can find out details about who Jennifer Aniston is dating on five different TV entertainment news shows and 12 magazines placed enticingly at the front of your grocery store checkout line.

But have you ever thought that it was possible to get inside scoop from God?

In today's passage, Joseph demonstrated that it's possible. Take a look at what happened after God helped Joseph interpret Pharaoh's dreams:

Then Pharaoh said to his officials, "Isn't this the man we need?

Are we going to find anyone else who has God's spirit in him like this?"
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "You're the man for us.

God has given you the inside story—

no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom.

From now on, you're in charge of my affairs;

all my people will report to you.

Only as king will I be over you."
So Pharaoh commissioned Joseph:

"I'm putting you in charge of the entire country of Egypt."

Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and slipped it on Joseph's hand.

He outfitted him in robes of the best linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

He put the second-in-command chariot at his disposal,

and as he rode people shouted "Bravo!"
Joseph was in charge of the entire country of Egypt.

What an incredible turnaround story! Remember Joseph--the guy who was unjustly in jail in the passage we read yesterday? Yeah...today's he's the guy with inside scoop from God who is placed in charge of an entire country.

I don't think that was a coincidence. Even while in jail, Joseph worked hard and dedicated himself to being the best worker he could be--that takes an incredible heart. Joseph developed a deep relationship with God that deepened his character. He trusted God completely--and God trusted him in return.

Tomorrow: Genesis 43-45

"It's not fair!"

Today: Genesis 38-40

"It's not fair!" is a pretty common statement and thought for many people. Today is Thanksgiving day in the U.S. and while many are feeling pretty grateful, I'm sure some "It's not fair!" exclamations were made...as in "It's not fair! My favorite football team lost!" or "It's not fair! I can't eat pie and stay thin like my sister!"

But perhaps there were more serious statements, too. Someone probably thought, "It's not fair! I should be home with my family instead of sick at this hospital" or "It's not fair!
I should have food--at least a turkey--to feed my kids."

Even though all of us have plenty of things to be thankful for (if you're reading this, you're breathing...and reading...so there's two!), life doesn't always seem fair. What do you do in the "It's not fair!" moments in your life?

In today's passage, it was very interesting to read about two people--Tamar and Joseph--who faced extremely "unfair" situations.

Tamar was a widow whose husband "grievously offended God and God took his life." She was a woman who could have been seriously angry at her husband and God. To top it off, her husband's family treated her poorly. Their tradition stated that her deceased husband's brother(s) should have married her--restoring her place in their family and her livelihood. Instead, she was basically left to fend for herself.

Tamar took a unique approach to her "It's not fair!" situation--she resourcefully (maybe even deviously?) tricked her father-in-law (the same guy who unjustly kept his youngest son from marrying her) into sleeping with her and taking her back into the family. Wow. I don't know many people today who would still have that fight, that courage, within them to go after what was rightfully theirs...and back then, it would have been even more difficult for a widow to do so.

What's really amazing is that Tamar's name is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. First of all, women's names didn't normally appear in genealogies. At. All. But the fact that this once abandoned...and later scandalously courageous...woman was mentioned as one of Jesus' ancestors? That's mindblowing.

The other person who faced an "It's not fair!" situation in today's passage was Joseph...again. The guy sold by his brothers into slavery is thrown into jail unjustly--because he actually did the right thing! To top it off, he helps two politically well-connected guys in jail by interpreting their dreams. And at the end of the passage, we learn that one of the guys (Pharaoh's cup bearer) was restored to his place of honor...only to forget Joseph, the guy who helped him. It's not fair!

Throughout today's chapters, you won't read that Tamar or Joseph said anything resembling "It's not fair!" even once. Tamar powers through her unjust situation through her ingenuity, courage and resourcefulness. Joseph just keeps trusting God, working hard, doing and being his best. God saw their attitudes and their hearts and completely turned around their unfair circumstances. We've got more reading to do before we find out the rest of the story...

Tomorrow: Genesis 41-42

The dream haters

Today: Genesis 35-37

Dreams are fascinating. Most of the time, I don't remember the dreams I have at night. I definitely have strong daydreams...or maybe it's the work of a creative imagination? :)

I don't ever remember being hated for my dreams, though. But in today's passage, we read about a guy named Joseph whose own family hated him...in part, because of his dreams. Take a look:

Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons

because he was the child of his old age.

And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat.

When his brothers realized

that their father loved him more than them,

they grew to hate him—they wouldn't even speak to him.
Joseph had a dream.

When he told it to his brothers,

they hated him even more.

He said, "Listen to this dream I had.

We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat.

All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up

and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine."
His brothers said, "So! You're going to rule us?

You're going to boss us around?"

And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams

and the way he talked.

To be fair to the context of the passage, Joseph's brothers likely hated him for other reasons, too--he was Jacob's (their father's) favorite and he received (at least one) special gift because of it. But in addition to those factors, the passage says that they hated him "because of his dreams."

Perhaps Joseph's brothers disliked the fact that he told them about his dreams (a lesson for dreamers perhaps?). I don't know about you, but I wouldn't exactly be thrilled if someone described a dream that put me in a very bad light. It wouldn't make me feel great, but I don't know if I would hate the dreamer--hate is a very strong word.

It's an even stronger word when paired with the actions of Joseph's brothers. The dream haters thought about killing the dreamer, but chose instead to sell him--their own brother!--as a slave.

Wow. Those must have been some dreams...

Tomorrow: Genesis 38-40

Wrestling with God

Today: Genesis 32-34

Have you ever wrestled with God?

I think a lot of people...particularly Christians...are afraid to admit it. Why is that?

It's not like God's offended when people have questions about Him. He's not intimidated. God's no pansy. :)

Today's passage talked about a guy who wrestled with God...literally, but also in prayer. Jacob's prayer was particularly interesting to me. Let's take a look and see what we can learn:

And then Jacob prayed,

"God of my father Abraham,

God of my father Isaac,

God who told me,

'Go back to your parents' homeland and I'll treat you well.'

I don't deserve all the love and loyalty you've shown me.

When I left here and crossed the Jordan

I only had the clothes on my back,

and now look at me—two camps!

Save me, please,

from the violence of my brother, my angry brother!

I'm afraid

he'll come and attack us all, me, the mothers and the children.

You yourself said,

'I will treat you well;

I'll make your descendants like the sands of the sea,

far too many to count.'"

Okay, so here are a few observations I had as I looked at this prayer:

1. Jacob re-stated God's promises back to God...twice.

Why did Jacob do that? It's not like God is someone who forgets what He says, right?

I think Jacob re-stated God's promises partly to remind himself what they were--to say, in essence, "Here's what you said to me, God. I'm trusting You to follow through."

2. Jacob acknowledged God's goodness in His life...and God's history of blessing him.

Jacob was thankful for God's blessings in his life. Acknowledging God's history of goodness was definitely an expression of gratitude to God, but I think it was again a reminder to Jacob himself. It's like he was also telling himself, "God helped me before. He could do it again."

3. Jacob admitted his fear and asked for God's help.

Jacob didn't hide his (very real) feelings and he didn't try to brush them aside and tackle challenges on his own, either. He gave his fear to God and unapologetically asked for God's intervention on his behalf. This reminded me of a quote from the (little known) movie Bounce where Ben Affleck says, "It's not brave if you're not scared." Maybe we could update it to say, "It's not faith if you're not scared."

Faith doesn't necessarily mean denying that you're scared--it's a belief that God is bigger than whatever makes you afraid. Faith is overcoming fear through trust.

Tomorrow: Genesis 35-37

Sex, drugs and rocks

Today: Genesis 30-31

I thought yesterday's reading was full of soap opera-style drama. Well, today's chapters describe some stuff that's pretty out there, too.

There's this guy Jacob who has two wives (Rachel and Leah--who happen to be sisters) and two mistresses (his wives' maids). Leah's son finds these things called "mandrakes" that Rachel trades a night with her/their husband to receive. What in the world are "mandrakes" you might ask? I looked up the definition on Google and it turns out that mandrakes are plants that can be used medicinally or as narcotics--so basically Rachel traded a night with her husband for a type of drug. Wow--and I thought Jerry Springer had a lot of drama!

What's interesting throughout this complicated story is once again how God cares about the people involved--He saw their hurt and heard their prayers.

At one point, Jacob and his father-in-law/uncle Laban make a covenant with each other and with God, symbolized by a pile of rocks. God served as a witness, watching over them and protecting them. In the midst of dramatic situations, God cared for His people and made sure they were cared for.

Tomorrow: Genesis: 32-34

The Bold, Beautiful, Blessed and Deceived

Today: Genesis 27-29

If there ever was a Biblical soap opera, I think today's passage might have been it. These chapters set out a pretty twisted plotline--a brother deceiving a brother (and his father, too!), a bait-and-switch at the altar, a wife who gives children to her husband but receives no love in return, and the beautiful girl whose guy waited 14 years to make her his bride (and did I mention that this guy was also the one who married her older sister by mistake?). It sounds a little like Jerry Springer, don't you think?

What's amazing is that God was in the midst of this messiness. He didn't cause it. But He loved these people with messy lives. He was with them. He blessed them. He saw them. He heard them.

At moments, all of us can find ourselves in the midst of messes--messes that impact us or the people around us. Don't be afraid to reach out to God in your dramatic, messy life. And don't be afraid to reach out with God's love to someone else whose life is a mess to rival a Jerry Springer episode. Love is strong enough to wade its way through messes--and to pull us out of them, too!

Tomorrow: Genesis 30-31