The story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) flows right into the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39). Surely this is not accidental.

The first is a story of an older man, Judah, who had lost his wife. He had enjoyed all the pleasures of a sexual relationship for years, and now he was deprived. Let us not try to give Tamar a pass because of her situation; she boldly tempted Judah in his time of sexual frustration. However, it seems he had no compunction against going in to a harlot; he was certainly responsible for his own actions. He made the choice to commit fornication. He gave in to sexual temptation.

The second is a story of a young man, Joseph, who had never been mar Read More »

Why is it we see faults in others well before we see our own?

John sees his child speaking with unkindness, and he yells at him, "Stop speaking so harshly with your brother!"

In the midst of a heated argument Bob tells his wife, "You really need to treat me with some respect!"

Courtney tells her friend she should marry a Christian as she and her "Christian" husband head out for the club.

We give advice and hold others to standards which we don't hold ourselves! Jesus accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy in Matthew 23:4: "They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves a Read More »

The sign of a true believer is one who loves his brethren. What does that say about Joseph's brothers? How did they get to the point where they HATED their brother Joseph? Genesis 37 lists some of the reasons:

1. Joseph made them look bad. He brought back a bad report about his brothers to their father (Genesis 37:2). Anyone who makes us look bad becomes either an enemy or a catalyst for change, depending on our hearts at the time. Examining the deeds of Joseph later in life, I find it hard to believe he had evil motives in giving this bad report; he was probably telling the truth about his brothers. Apparently, the hearts of the brothers were not dis Read More »

Brother and Sister Wadsworth have been Christians for twenty years. They sit towards the front of the auditorium and always look neat and clean. They always smile and shake hands. When there is work Read More »

I suppose Jacob could have stuck by Leah, even she was not the woman he worked so hard for seven years to obtain. Laban tricked him and swapped brides on the wedding night, a horror on both sides of the equation, probably. Jacob did not want Leah, and, because of his attitude, I'm sure Leah wasn't all that crazy about Jacob, either. It would be tough enough for two women to vie for one husband's affections, but, in the case of Rachel and Leah, they were SISTERS! This was a recipe for disaster.

"So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah..." (Genesis 29:30)

Indeed, there was much fighting between the sisters. At first, "the Lord saw that Leah was Read More »

Jacob had a pretty rough life. But in all his blundering and striving with men, God blessed him anyway. Perhaps the blessing was because of his grandfather, Abraham. Perhaps some of the blessing was because Jacob did have a good heart in there somewhere.

There are times we can look back upon in our lives and say, "That was a great turning point in my life." A major turning point for Jacob is in Genesis 32:24-32. Here is the account of Jacob wrestling with a man (an angel - Hos. 12:4) all night long. It's a weird story, admittedly. Jacob was winning all night long, it seems, but as dawn began to break, the angel touched his hip to put it out of socket. The man said, "Let me go, for the dawn Read More »

We hear a lot about ROI these days - "return on investment." This is a big deal when making any financial decision. We ask ourselves, "If I spend this much money and time, what will I get back in return...and is it worth it?" These are wise and necessary questions we must ask, and we realize this when it relates to our money.

Do we realize this principle works in the spiritual realm? How many times do we see some form of the statement, "A man reaps what he sows," in Scripture? Here are a couple of examples:

Some would just as quickly fight you as look at you. You know the type - always looking for insinuations and accusations; always ready to defend their honor; always ready to push buttons. Then there are those who avoid confrontation at all costs. You know these, too - always swinging the conversation to tame topics; always beating around the bush; usually designated as the "wimp."

And then there are those who are peace lovers. A lover of peace is not the same as one who avoids confrontation at all costs, but he does avoid fights when possible. In Jujitsu, I learned the best way to defend yourself is to never start a fight. It takes at least two to fight (except for some of the schizophrenic among our readers...).

We don't Read More »

Esau was famished to the point he thought he would die. He came back home to find his twin brother Jacob cooking some red stew. He said, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished" (Genesis 25:30). Jacob drove a hard bargain: "First sell me your birthright" (Genesis 25:31). The oldest son had the right by birth (thus "birthright") to a double portion of the inheritance when his father died. It was not only a great financial blessing but also a great honor to hold the birthright. Esau demonstrated just what he thought about this honor when he accepted Jacob's bargain: he sold his birthright for a bowl of stew! < Read More »