Ruben's Sin

5/2/2007 9:20 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Ruben’s sin

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 35:21-22

            Message of the verses:  “21 ¶  Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.  22  It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now there were twelve sons of Jacob.”

            As I read the commentary on this from Dr. Wiersbe’s book I came away with somewhat mixed feelings as to whether or not what he had written was how this all played out.  He writes that Ruben may have been trying to take over the leadership of the family by sleeping with one of his family’s wives, and gives references to other places in the OT where this actually happened.  I suppose that if the Lord would have wanted us to know what the background of this was it would have been included in the story.  I tend to go a different way by thinking that probably Jacob was not meeting all of the sexual needs of his wives and after the death of Rachel was not wanting to be with any of his wives, and so it may have been Bilhah who suggested this to Reuben, or it could have been because Reuben was so young and there were not any girls around his age that he started this relationship.  At any rate this was a very sinful act and is even prohibited in the Law, and even though Jacob did not seem to act upon this at this time he did remember it and acted upon it when he was about to die by not allowing Reuben to inherit what the first born would normally inherit.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  How ever this sinful act began it was Reuben who was the one who sinned against his father, but first of all sinned against the Lord by sleeping with Bilhah.  Sexual sin is a sin that is hard to control and it takes a lot of discipline and trust in the Lord to keep one from it, especially in the mind, and yet it is possible because it is commanded by the Lord to do so, and what He commands He will enable us to win the battle.

The Word of God has been both convicting and challenging to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord in the circumstances that we find ourselves in at this time, to continue to seek the Lord to guide us and direct our path each day, and continue to seek the Lord to teach contentment to me as He did for Paul.

Memory verses for the week:  2Chronicles 14:11 (NLT)  “  Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, "O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!"