Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it." Genesis 35:21-22
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." Genesis 49:3-4
Reuben was Jacob’s first born of twelve sons…born from the womb of Leah. In Jewish culture, the firstborn was a position of great significance. Exodus 13:1-2 tells us, "The LORD said to Moses, "Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal." God set aside the firstborn for Himself. They had a special place of holiness in His eyes.
The firstborn would also benefit more when their father would pass away, gaining twice as much of the inheritance than his brothers.
So Reuben, the firstborn, had everything going for him. He was specially favored in God’s eyes and was in line to receive his father’s inheritance at his passing. But there was only one problem…Reuben was a sinner and had some big time sin problems. We read that he "went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah." In other words, he committed adultery against his own father because you’ll recall that Jacob produced two sons with Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. Reuben, allowing himself to fall victim to sexual sin, reveals to us the destructive nature of sexual immorality. Consider the consequences of his actions:
1. He ruined Bilhah. Although Reuben could move on unscathed (or at least he thought he would get away unscathed), Bilhah was finished. She was an adulteress and would be condemned to a life of living widowhood. She would never be able to marry and could never lie with another man lest become a prostitute. Reuben, in selfishly satisfying his own lust, did so at the expense of Bilhah.
2. He ruined his father. Jacob, fresh off the loss of his beloved wife Rachel, now had to deal with knowing his son has slept with one of his other wives…and thus denied Jacob, now Israel, of ever sharing intimacy again. In fact, Jacob was required to excommunicate and abandon Bilhah. What pain and anguish Jacob must have gone through…what disappointment and sorrow he must have bore. The son who he was to give everything had taken a good portion of his life away. But he wouldn’t get away with it.
3. For Jacob would not forget Reuben’s despicable actions and as he was about to die, he took away Reuben’s birthright and gave it to Joseph. Reuben threw it all away for one night of selfish pleasure.
We can learn a lot from these few verses as we continue to seek guidance from the Lord as to how to better travel this Christian walk He has us on.
First, rejoice in what the Lord has blessed you with and do so humbly. We can all so easily fall into a sort of spiritual arrogance that would let us feel that we can do anything we want and God will still grant us His blessings. This is especially true in matters of indulgence, whether it be greed or lust or any type of excessive lifestyle. Reuben thought his future was set and no one would ever take it away so he could act any way he wanted and do anything he chose to do. He learned a tough lesson in that you can lose it all with just one poor use of judgment. We would be well suited to remember that today.
Second, our sinful actions carry with them sometimes far-reaching destructive effects. Reuben’s adulterous action ruined two people, Bilhah and Jacob. In gaining his pleasure, he left two others depressed and forlorn. I, myself, have been the victim of an affair from my first marriage. I can tell you that it destroyed my marriage, left me devastated and drove me to the depths of emotional darkness. Thanks be to God that He brought an even greater woman into my life, Amazing Grace. J We’re soon to finish our 15th year together.
Third, there are consequences for our actions. When you allow lust to rule your life, you lose perspective on the sanctity and beauty of love…love the way God intended it to be. Love becomes cheapened and the men or women (whatever the case) you lust for get devalued. They are just an instrument to fulfill your desire, not a person you respect and love with dignity. Too often, lust leads to violence. How many people are killed daily because of lust and its destructiveness? If these people could come back and talk to us, I believe they would tell us that it wasn’t worth it. Reuben, I feel, would definitely tell us it wasn’t worth it…not worth it enough to give away your entire inheritance for a one night stand.
Reuben opens our eyes up to the dangers of falling, especially in sexual ways. It can and does happen to everyone…for anyone can be tempted and fall into temptation. No one is immune to the attacks of the devil. Through Jacob’s son, we can see how utterly heartbreaking our actions can be especially as they impact others.
So be on guard. Draw ever nearer to Jesus for it is there that Satan cannot exist. Read the scriptures and be prepared to use them against Satan every time he tempts you for you’ll remember that Jesus fought off Satan's advance by using the Holy Word. We need to do likewise if we’re to survive and have victory.
One last note: please hold love sacred in your heart. The Lord didn’t bless us with the ability to interact sexually with the intent of us completely abusing the gift. So cherish relationships and treat them as if they are true blessings ordained by the Father because that’s what they are.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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