Introduction to Chapter & Reuben

2/9/2008 10:44 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Introduction to chapter & Reuben

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 49:1-4

            Message of the verses:  “1  Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, "Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.  2  "Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel your father.

3  "Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.  4  "Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.”

The first two verses in this chapter are a statement from Jacob in which he called all of his sons together just before his was about to die so that he could tell them what would happen to them in the day that lie ahead.  He goes in the order of their birth from his first wife Leah, all six of her sons but it must be remembered that these six sons were not in order of all of his sons born to him, and he actually reverses the order of his last two sons born to Leah, and the reason for this is not clear.

Reuben was the first born son of Jacob and his mother was of course Leah.  It has been written before in these SD’s that he had lost the right to being the first born because he had slept with his father’s wife.  The writer of the Chronicles speaks of this too:  “1 ¶  Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.  2  Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph).  (1 Chronicles 5:1-2) 

Jacob describes his son as being uncontrolled as water which shows that he would be wild but weak and would not be preeminent in power of the tribes of Israel.

Dr. Wiersbe points out some of the failures of Reuben’s tribe in the future events that unfolded as recorded in Scripture and some of them are it’s size went from 7^th to 9^th after the wandering in the wilderness.  The tribe settled on the East side of the Jordan and would not come to the aid of Deborah when needed to fight against one of the enemies of Israel.  However they did come to the aid of David at Hebron.

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There was much weakens in Reuben’s life and much of it was passed on to those who came from his body and I guess this is not totally a surprise to me, yet I do find it somewhat strange.  I guess the things that I don’t understand is that the Scriptures say that the sins of the father will gone to the third and forth generation and this seemed to go on forever in Reuben’s case.  The good news is that God is full of mercy and grace and will save those who come to him in repentance believing that He is able to save them from their sins, and for this I am very thankful.

My Steps of Faith for Today:   I want to continue to trust the Lord in the trials that Sandy and I continue to face each day, knowing that God has a purpose for all we are going through.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 1:9-11

9. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
10. so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
11. having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.