Ruth; 1 Samuel 1
The scriptures are full of treasure hunts and mysteries. If we hunt through the genealogy of Christ as recorded by Matthew, we find an odd collection of women mentioned: Tamar (Thamar), Rahab (Rachab), Ruth, and Bathsheba ("her that had been the wife of Urias") (Matthew 1:1-17). Matthew's purpose in writing his gospel was to convert the Jews to Christ, and so he specifically chose to mention those ancestors who had significance to the Jews. It's unusual that women would be mentioned at all--Luke's genealogy of Christ contains only the men (Luke 3:23-38)--but we find amazing treasures and mysteries in those particular women mentioned by Matthew. Not one of them had a perfect, traditional family situation. Each was faced with trying circumstances specifically relating to motherhood. Bathsheba had an extramarital affair with a king who then arranged the death of her husband so that he could marry her; Tamar was the twice widowed abandoned unwed mother of twins; Rahab was a converted Canaanite harlot, who endured the destruction of her entire city, integrated into a different culture, and raised a son whom we will see was a type of Christ; and that son's wife, Ruth, was a converted Moabite, a widowed pauper, who proposed her own marriage to a man much older than herself, and was undoubtedly not the first wife. It is Ruth's story that we tell today.
THE LETTER OF THE LAW
In the Old Testament, and up until the time of Christ, many of the Jews became obsessed with "the letter of the law," completely missing "the spirit of the law." What is really the difference between the two? One word: Love. The spirit of the law is found in the shema: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deut. 6:4-5). (See "Prayers" in a previous post.) The Book of Ruth is a beautiful story, tucked amid many bizarre and brutal accounts of justice twisted into vengeance, a perfect example of a family who lived the whole law, letter and spirit.
CHAPTER ONE: THE JOURNEYS
The levirate law is found in Deut. 25:5-10, the first part of which is: "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her." If the brother refuses, the woman has the right to confront him in front of the city elders, who then defend her case, and if he still refuses, he is shamed, but the woman is left destitute. Tamar was one who was dealt a terrible injustice when this law was not administered to her. (See Gen. 38, and "Opposites" in a previous entry.)
In the first chapter of Ruth, we find a family of three women who all have been widowed: Naomi and her two daughters-in-law. Naomi was an Israelite living in the land of the Moabites, about 30-40 miles from her homeland (Old Testament Institute Manual, p. 262). The Moabite god was Chemosh or Molech, and his worship was the cruelest idolatry known, involving horrific child sacrifice (Institute Manual, p. 247). Clearly, Naomi's daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, were converts to the gospel, or she would have been appalled at her sons' marriages.
At the deaths of her sons and the end of the famine that had brought her to Moab, Naomi decided to return to her kinsmen where she hoped to be cared for by family as tradition dictated. She sent her daughters-in-law back to their families for their own welfare, since she had no other son for them to marry (vs. 11-13). Orpah went back to her family, but Ruth "clave" unto Naomi, with the beautiful words, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me" (vs. 16-17). By staying with her mother-in-law, Ruth knew that she may be condemning herself to death by poverty, but she wanted to watch over her mother-in-law. In addition, she was true to the gospel and likely wanted to live among the believers. And so together they traveled back to Bethlehem.
Ruth ignored the letter of the law, and kept the spirit of the law, loving the Lord her God, and her mother-in-law as herself.
CHAPTER TWO: THE GLEANERS
The law of welfare practiced by the Israelites is stated in Lev. 19:9-10: "And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God."
Ruth and Naomi were "welfare cases" and therefore Ruth went to glean in the fields. Providently, she happened to glean in the fields of a near kinsman to her father-in-law named Boaz. Boaz asked his servant who she was, and the servant answered that she was the Moabite who had come back with Naomi. Boaz treated Ruth with great kindness, calling her "daughter," telling her to glean only in his fields, commanding his reapers to leave extra for her. In one day, she gleaned an ephah of barley, or 2/3rds of a bushel (Bible Dictionary). Stunned at Boaz's generosity, she asked his reason. Boaz replied that her reputation had preceded her, since she had been so unusually kind as to leave her ethnic homeland and care for her mother-in-law.
Boaz kept both the letter and the spirit of the law, motivated by the love he saw Ruth exercising toward Naomi.
CHAPTER THREE: PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE
The law of the Moabite in the congregation stated that "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: because they met you not with bread and with water in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee...Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever" (Deut. 23:3-6). (See a previous post for the story of Balaam.)
So by her birth, Ruth was not just a second-class citizen in Israel, but was not allowed at all. The reasons were that not only did the Moabites refuse aid to Israel, they also led the Israelites into idolatry. Ruth, however, did the opposite of both of these: She aided Naomi at the peril of her own life, and she converted completely from idolatry. Boaz and the community all recognized this: "The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust" (Ruth 2:12).
Naomi counseled Ruth to propose a Levirate marriage to Boaz, and Ruth boldly followed through. This turnabout was probably necessary, since the elderly Boaz was not the closest kinsman, and did not expect young Ruth to desire to be his wife. Boaz said, "And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman" (Ruth 3:10). The name Boaz meant "in him is strength, swiftness, quickness" (footnote to Ruth 2:1). Boaz lived up to his name, as Naomi testified, "Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day" (Ruth 3:18).
CHAPTER FOUR: REDEEMING
The levirate law was also called the law of the near kinsman (or go'el). The word levirate is taken from the Latin word levir, meaning "husband's brother." As stated above, the brother of a dead man was expected to marry his widow for the purposes of 1) saving her life, 2) returning her to her former status, and 3) providing seed to perpetuate her family. If there was no brother, the next nearest kinsman was to take the role. In the case of Boaz and Ruth, there was a closer kinsman, but Boaz emphasized that Ruth was a Moabitess (vs. 5) when approaching this man with her case, and the man rejected her, freeing Boaz to be her go'el. This word go'el literally translates to "redeemer," and was borrowed by the later prophets to describe Jesus Christ's role (Institute Manual, p. 230, 263).
Boaz acted as a true redeemer to Ruth and Naomi, and kept the whole law, letter and spirit, restoring to them all they had lost.
The community issued love and good wishes upon the marriage, hearkening back to their revered ancestors, Rachel, Leah, and Tamar (vs. 11-12). They said that Ruth was better to Naomi than seven sons (vs. 15). The number seven in Hebrew means perfection, so it really doesn't get any better than that.
The neighbors appropriately called Ruth Naomi's daughter-in-law, as did the narrator, but Naomi never did. Six times in the story she refered to Ruth as "my daughter," evidence of her great love for Ruth. Boaz did the same (except when downplaying her qualities in the presence of the other near kinsman).
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
The story of Boaz and Ruth is the story of Christ and us. Christ is our near kinsman, who 1) saves us from death, 2) raises us from our fallen state, and 3) gives us eternal increase. He is the family member who redeems us, the destitute.
Christ exercises both justice and mercy, the letter and spirit of the law.
We as Latter-day Saints have many commandments to obey. We could write an enormous, long list. But when Jesus was asked which of all the laws was most important, He quoted the shema: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40). Paul explained further, "He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For [all the commandments are] briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. 13:8-10). Christ (Jehovah) taught it; Paul explained it; Naomi, Ruth and Boaz lived it. As long as we act in love, we need not fear missing the spirit of any law.
John issued this injunction to us: "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (1 John 4:7-11).
Note: I chose to focus only on Ruth and cover Hannah and 1 Samuel in the next blog entry.
Showing posts with label Tamar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tamar. Show all posts
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #11 "How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?"
(Genesis 34; 37-39)
THE IMPORTANCE OF JOSEPH
As near as we can guess, the Book of Genesis covers approximately 2,500 years. During this 2,500-year time period, a remarkable man lived whose name was Joseph. The very last verse of the very last chapter of Genesis tells us how long he lived: 110 years. 110 years is 4.4% of the time span of the Book of Genesis, yet the story of Joseph's life begins at Genesis 30:24 and ends at Genesis 50:26--40% of the book of Genesis is used to cover the 110-year history of Joseph! Obviously, the story of Joseph is very important (Russell M. Nelson, "Remnants, Gathered, Covenants Fulfilled, Voices of Old Testament Prophets, p. 4).
WATER VS. ROCK
How would you describe water to an alien from Mars? What does it look like? What color is it? What shape is it? The answer is that it depends upon the situation it is in: what is behind it, what is in it, what is underneath it, what is above it. The water of Bear Lake, Utah is a stunning turquoise blue in sunny weather. The water in the Black Sea of Russia is black in stormy weather. Yet the water in both has the same chemical composition: H2O. If you put water in a box, the water is square. If you put water in a vase, it's a cylinder. If you spill it on the floor, it's flat. If it evaporates into the air, it becomes invisible. If it gets too cold, it becomes solid.
A rock would be much easier to describe. Each individual rock is slightly different from another. You could say what shape it is, what size it is, what color it is. A rock does not change to match its environment. If you drop it on the ground, it's still the same shape, size and color. If you put it in a box, it's still the same shape, size and color. If it is larger than a vase, it will not change in order to fit, and you won't be able to put it in there. A rock is solid and stable.
This lesson is about water and rock.
THE FAMILY OF ISRAEL
To understand the story of the family of Jacob, renamed Israel, we need to know the characters. Here are Jacob's sons, listed in order of birth.
1) Reuben, son of Leah
2) Simeon, son of Leah
3) Levi, son of Leah
4) Judah, son of Leah
5) Dan, son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid
6) Naphtali, son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid
7) Gad, son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid
8) Asher, son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid
9) Issacher, son of Leah
10) Zebulun, son of Leah
11) Joseph, son of Rachel
12) Benjamin, son of Rachel
THE MEANING OF THE BIRTHRIGHT
In Old Testament times, the father was the patriarch of the entire family. His rule was nearly absolute, as was his responsibility for the welfare of his family. He decided upon the marriage partners of his children. He provided training, employment, and land for all his sons. Any single women or orphaned children within the family had claim upon his care. When he died, the right and responsibility of the patriarchy of the clan fell to the son who was born first, hence the term birthright. Each of the sons would receive an equal inheritance at the father's death, except the birthright son. He would receive double in order to carry out his responsibilities.
It was clear to see who was the birthright son when there was only one wife. But with multiple wives, the question became confusing. In addition, if the birthright son did not prove himself worthy in terms of righteousness and ability, he could lose the privilege to another son, as in the case of Jacob and Esau.
BYU Professor Victor Ludlow considers Joseph to have been second in line for the birthright: "As the firstborn son of the first wife, Reuben was the birthright son. When Reuben proved to be unworthy by committing adultery...the birthright went to the firstborn son of Rachel (see 1 Chr. 5:1). Although Joseph was the eleventh-born son in order of birth, he was second in line for the birthright because he was the firstborn son of the second wife. Jacob had a special coat made for Joseph so that the other brothers would recognize Joseph’s right to preside over the family upon his father’s death" ("Question and Answer," Daniel H. Ludlow, Liahona, Sept. 1981, p. 33).
The writers of the Old Testament Student Manual for the Religion 310 Institute class, however, see most of the brothers as possible birthright candidates. The oldest child of Leah would be the obvious choice, she being the first wife. If he failed to earn it, it could fall to the oldest biological child of the second wife, which would be Joseph, but it also could likely fall to each of the remaining sons of the first wife, because they were all older than Joseph. The first sons of the concubines could also qualify, since their mothers were handmaids or property of the first and second wives. Each of them was older than Joseph (p. 93).
Israel, however, chose Joseph to be his birthright son. Many Bible experts agree that the special "coat of many colors" likely was an expression of this pending privilege. On his deathbed, Israel officially pronounced Joseph as the birthright son.
OPPOSITES
The Old Testament often teaches great principles by juxtaposing severely opposite stories. Genesis 34 tells a ghastly tale. Jacob's and Leah's daughter, Dinah, is raped by a local prince, Shechem, who then decides he wants to marry her (v. 2-3). He's important enough that the area was probably named for him (33:18). His father asks Jacob to let his son marry Dinah, offering any dowry they might ask (v. 6-12). Apparently, she is being held at their city. Jacob's response is not recorded, but her brothers, Simeon and Levi, tell these Canaanites that they will agree to the marriage if the Canaanites will all be circumcised. Shechem did not delay (v. 19). He and his men trusted the little fledgling clan of Israelites (v. 21). Every man that "went out of the gate of his city," in other words, every man who was fit to go out in battle in defense of the city, was circumcised (Harper-Collins Study Bible). When they were all in the worst pain, three days after the procedure, Simeon and Levi (probably with a band of their servants, their own fighting men), marched into the city and killed every one of the men (v. 25), including the king and his son (v. 26). They grabbed Dinah, all the women and children of the city, and every bit of property (v. 27-29). Jacob, who apparently was not privvy to these goings-on, chastised them and said, "Now we have to move. Everyone here is going to be repulsed by us, and we are just a little band. We'll be wiped out if we stay here" (v. 30). And the sons reply, "Well? He started it!" (v. 31). They justify a premeditated, horrific massacre because of a crime against a single person, committed in passion, which the perpetrator was trying to rectify.
The next two chapters detail their move and their genealogy.
Sandwiched in between these factual recitations, we find another appalling event: Reuben, who is Leah's oldest son, and would normally be the birthright son, goes in and lays with his father's wife, Bilhah! Bilhah is a concubine, or a servant-wife, and may not have had much say in the matter (35:22). (See "Abraham's Wives" in a previous post for more about concubines.) So now three of the possible top contenders for the birthright have committed heinous crimes, and their father knows they are all unworthy. Later in the story (Gen. 38), Judah, the fourth, commits adultery with his daughter-in-law Tamar, who was masquerading as a prostitute. The double standard of the day is clearly evident as he is prepared to burn her at the stake when he finds out she's pregnant, until she proves he's the father. The reason she committed this grossly immoral deception was that Judah and his sons had cheated her out of progeny, sent her back to her father's house, and consigned her to life as a childless widow, a state that would undoubtedly lead to devastating poverty in her old age.
And all of Joseph's brothers, as we know, were willing to either kill their younger brother or sell him into slavery because of jealousy, and then tell their father the heartbreaking lie that he had been killed. Their jealousy was over the birthright, doubly emphasized by Joseph's dreams in which his family bowed in obeisance to him. Ironically, the harm they did to Joseph was the exact opposite of the way a birthright son should treat a younger brother. Clearly, they were each totally unfit to be the family patriarch.
So, all of the older brothers of Joseph gave up blessings because they yielded to temptations, emotions, and circumstances. In the traditional deathbed blessing from his father Israel, the oldest son Reuben received the chastisement, "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel" (Gen. 49:4).
JOSEPH'S INTEGRITY
We are all very familiar with the story of Joseph's kidnapping, enslavement, labor, and imprisonment in Egypt (Gen. 37, 39-40). Its position in the Book of Genesis directly following the stories of his brothers' lack of integrity and of their heinous crimes clearly shows that Joseph was their polar opposite. It did not matter in which land he lived, which woman he was with, whether he was a best-loved birthright son, a prosperous servant in an Egyptian's household, or a prisoner in a dungeon: Joseph was always the same. He was kidnapped, beaten, nearly murdered, enslaved, lied about, tempted, framed, and forgotten, yet his integrity remained unchanged. Joseph was a rock. Because of his integrity and his unwavering faith in God, he excelled at home in his father's household, in Potipher's home as his chief servant, in prison as the guard's assistant, and in all of Egypt as Pharoah's right-hand man.
On his deathbed, Father Israel said of Joseph: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is the shepherd, the stone [or rock] of Israel" (Gen. 49:22-24). (See the comment from reader Steve below this post for an explanation of this scripture.)
Joseph was always faithful to his God, Jehovah, and Jehovah was therefore always with Him. As Chapter 39 details the rags to riches to rags to riches story of Joseph in Egypt, four times we read one significant phrase: "The Lord was with Joseph" (v. 2, 3, 21, and 23). Joseph always qualified for the companionship of the Holy Spirit, and always followed the direction he knew was right, regardless of what the consequences would be to himself. Why? Because he trusted in the Rock. "Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall" (D&C 50:44).
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12)
THE IMPORTANCE OF JOSEPH
As near as we can guess, the Book of Genesis covers approximately 2,500 years. During this 2,500-year time period, a remarkable man lived whose name was Joseph. The very last verse of the very last chapter of Genesis tells us how long he lived: 110 years. 110 years is 4.4% of the time span of the Book of Genesis, yet the story of Joseph's life begins at Genesis 30:24 and ends at Genesis 50:26--40% of the book of Genesis is used to cover the 110-year history of Joseph! Obviously, the story of Joseph is very important (Russell M. Nelson, "Remnants, Gathered, Covenants Fulfilled, Voices of Old Testament Prophets, p. 4).
WATER VS. ROCK
How would you describe water to an alien from Mars? What does it look like? What color is it? What shape is it? The answer is that it depends upon the situation it is in: what is behind it, what is in it, what is underneath it, what is above it. The water of Bear Lake, Utah is a stunning turquoise blue in sunny weather. The water in the Black Sea of Russia is black in stormy weather. Yet the water in both has the same chemical composition: H2O. If you put water in a box, the water is square. If you put water in a vase, it's a cylinder. If you spill it on the floor, it's flat. If it evaporates into the air, it becomes invisible. If it gets too cold, it becomes solid.
A rock would be much easier to describe. Each individual rock is slightly different from another. You could say what shape it is, what size it is, what color it is. A rock does not change to match its environment. If you drop it on the ground, it's still the same shape, size and color. If you put it in a box, it's still the same shape, size and color. If it is larger than a vase, it will not change in order to fit, and you won't be able to put it in there. A rock is solid and stable.
This lesson is about water and rock.
THE FAMILY OF ISRAEL
To understand the story of the family of Jacob, renamed Israel, we need to know the characters. Here are Jacob's sons, listed in order of birth.
1) Reuben, son of Leah
2) Simeon, son of Leah
3) Levi, son of Leah
4) Judah, son of Leah
5) Dan, son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid
6) Naphtali, son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid
7) Gad, son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid
8) Asher, son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid
9) Issacher, son of Leah
10) Zebulun, son of Leah
11) Joseph, son of Rachel
12) Benjamin, son of Rachel
THE MEANING OF THE BIRTHRIGHT
In Old Testament times, the father was the patriarch of the entire family. His rule was nearly absolute, as was his responsibility for the welfare of his family. He decided upon the marriage partners of his children. He provided training, employment, and land for all his sons. Any single women or orphaned children within the family had claim upon his care. When he died, the right and responsibility of the patriarchy of the clan fell to the son who was born first, hence the term birthright. Each of the sons would receive an equal inheritance at the father's death, except the birthright son. He would receive double in order to carry out his responsibilities.
It was clear to see who was the birthright son when there was only one wife. But with multiple wives, the question became confusing. In addition, if the birthright son did not prove himself worthy in terms of righteousness and ability, he could lose the privilege to another son, as in the case of Jacob and Esau.
BYU Professor Victor Ludlow considers Joseph to have been second in line for the birthright: "As the firstborn son of the first wife, Reuben was the birthright son. When Reuben proved to be unworthy by committing adultery...the birthright went to the firstborn son of Rachel (see 1 Chr. 5:1). Although Joseph was the eleventh-born son in order of birth, he was second in line for the birthright because he was the firstborn son of the second wife. Jacob had a special coat made for Joseph so that the other brothers would recognize Joseph’s right to preside over the family upon his father’s death" ("Question and Answer," Daniel H. Ludlow, Liahona, Sept. 1981, p. 33).
The writers of the Old Testament Student Manual for the Religion 310 Institute class, however, see most of the brothers as possible birthright candidates. The oldest child of Leah would be the obvious choice, she being the first wife. If he failed to earn it, it could fall to the oldest biological child of the second wife, which would be Joseph, but it also could likely fall to each of the remaining sons of the first wife, because they were all older than Joseph. The first sons of the concubines could also qualify, since their mothers were handmaids or property of the first and second wives. Each of them was older than Joseph (p. 93).
Israel, however, chose Joseph to be his birthright son. Many Bible experts agree that the special "coat of many colors" likely was an expression of this pending privilege. On his deathbed, Israel officially pronounced Joseph as the birthright son.
OPPOSITES
The Old Testament often teaches great principles by juxtaposing severely opposite stories. Genesis 34 tells a ghastly tale. Jacob's and Leah's daughter, Dinah, is raped by a local prince, Shechem, who then decides he wants to marry her (v. 2-3). He's important enough that the area was probably named for him (33:18). His father asks Jacob to let his son marry Dinah, offering any dowry they might ask (v. 6-12). Apparently, she is being held at their city. Jacob's response is not recorded, but her brothers, Simeon and Levi, tell these Canaanites that they will agree to the marriage if the Canaanites will all be circumcised. Shechem did not delay (v. 19). He and his men trusted the little fledgling clan of Israelites (v. 21). Every man that "went out of the gate of his city," in other words, every man who was fit to go out in battle in defense of the city, was circumcised (Harper-Collins Study Bible). When they were all in the worst pain, three days after the procedure, Simeon and Levi (probably with a band of their servants, their own fighting men), marched into the city and killed every one of the men (v. 25), including the king and his son (v. 26). They grabbed Dinah, all the women and children of the city, and every bit of property (v. 27-29). Jacob, who apparently was not privvy to these goings-on, chastised them and said, "Now we have to move. Everyone here is going to be repulsed by us, and we are just a little band. We'll be wiped out if we stay here" (v. 30). And the sons reply, "Well? He started it!" (v. 31). They justify a premeditated, horrific massacre because of a crime against a single person, committed in passion, which the perpetrator was trying to rectify.
The next two chapters detail their move and their genealogy.
Sandwiched in between these factual recitations, we find another appalling event: Reuben, who is Leah's oldest son, and would normally be the birthright son, goes in and lays with his father's wife, Bilhah! Bilhah is a concubine, or a servant-wife, and may not have had much say in the matter (35:22). (See "Abraham's Wives" in a previous post for more about concubines.) So now three of the possible top contenders for the birthright have committed heinous crimes, and their father knows they are all unworthy. Later in the story (Gen. 38), Judah, the fourth, commits adultery with his daughter-in-law Tamar, who was masquerading as a prostitute. The double standard of the day is clearly evident as he is prepared to burn her at the stake when he finds out she's pregnant, until she proves he's the father. The reason she committed this grossly immoral deception was that Judah and his sons had cheated her out of progeny, sent her back to her father's house, and consigned her to life as a childless widow, a state that would undoubtedly lead to devastating poverty in her old age.
And all of Joseph's brothers, as we know, were willing to either kill their younger brother or sell him into slavery because of jealousy, and then tell their father the heartbreaking lie that he had been killed. Their jealousy was over the birthright, doubly emphasized by Joseph's dreams in which his family bowed in obeisance to him. Ironically, the harm they did to Joseph was the exact opposite of the way a birthright son should treat a younger brother. Clearly, they were each totally unfit to be the family patriarch.
So, all of the older brothers of Joseph gave up blessings because they yielded to temptations, emotions, and circumstances. In the traditional deathbed blessing from his father Israel, the oldest son Reuben received the chastisement, "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel" (Gen. 49:4).
JOSEPH'S INTEGRITY
We are all very familiar with the story of Joseph's kidnapping, enslavement, labor, and imprisonment in Egypt (Gen. 37, 39-40). Its position in the Book of Genesis directly following the stories of his brothers' lack of integrity and of their heinous crimes clearly shows that Joseph was their polar opposite. It did not matter in which land he lived, which woman he was with, whether he was a best-loved birthright son, a prosperous servant in an Egyptian's household, or a prisoner in a dungeon: Joseph was always the same. He was kidnapped, beaten, nearly murdered, enslaved, lied about, tempted, framed, and forgotten, yet his integrity remained unchanged. Joseph was a rock. Because of his integrity and his unwavering faith in God, he excelled at home in his father's household, in Potipher's home as his chief servant, in prison as the guard's assistant, and in all of Egypt as Pharoah's right-hand man.
On his deathbed, Father Israel said of Joseph: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is the shepherd, the stone [or rock] of Israel" (Gen. 49:22-24). (See the comment from reader Steve below this post for an explanation of this scripture.)
Joseph was always faithful to his God, Jehovah, and Jehovah was therefore always with Him. As Chapter 39 details the rags to riches to rags to riches story of Joseph in Egypt, four times we read one significant phrase: "The Lord was with Joseph" (v. 2, 3, 21, and 23). Joseph always qualified for the companionship of the Holy Spirit, and always followed the direction he knew was right, regardless of what the consequences would be to himself. Why? Because he trusted in the Rock. "Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall" (D&C 50:44).
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12)
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