We cannot hide from the things we have done and must eventually face the consequences

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The most important message I picked up from today’s readings overall is that we cannot hide from the things we have done and must eventually face the consequences.

My primary take-away from each of the passages was this:

• Genesis 43-44: Everyone is hiding or concealing something in this chapter. God is not fooled, and everyone will eventually have to own up and reveal themselves and what they have done. However, God is full of mercy and compassion, and even though this chapter focuses on the fear that everyone involved is feeling about whatever it is they are most afraid to lose, the chapters ahead reveal how God takes care of all of us when we come clean, own up to our behavior, and truly repent.
• Matthew 22: The story of the wedding feast demonstrates God’s love for us all. Everyone is invited but not everyone accepts the invitation. Those who do accept the invitation are held to minimum standards of decorum. Some will not dress for the occasion, which represents a disregard and disrespect for the host, as well as a desire to take advantage of all of the perks of attendance at the event without meeting any of the minimum expectations and standards for behavior. This represents the way in which some will call themselves Christians but never change their behavior or let God do his work in them. They want to straddle the fence, keep each foot in both worlds. They are who Jesus is talking about in another chapter when he speaks of those who are lukewarm. This is not only disrespectful to the banquet host but it doesn’t work. God’s kingdom is for those who are willing to go all in, take on his customs, and obey his laws. This is what Jesus means when he says we cannot serve two masters–we end up serving one or the other. How fitting that toward the end of this passage Jesus tells us exactly how change into our wedding garments: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.
• Psalms: When we are suffering, we should call out to God. He hears our cries for help and will comfort us. He will rescue us if we hold fast and endure our trials to the end, and also remain faithful.
• Proverbs: This chapter summarizes the Biblical formula for avoiding trouble and maintaining our affairs in a way that is pleasing to God.

Jacob is still doing the same thing he has always done, and seems to be a slow learner in this regard. He continues to hide and hope for the best, seeming to think that that’s the best way for trouble to pass him by. He also continues to play favorites. In the same way he agreed to go to Esau’s camp when fleeing Laban earlier in Genesis, but then never showed up, he chooses to ignore Joseph’s directive to send Benjamin back to him in Egypt while Simeon remains imprisoned there until they do show up. Jacob is willing to risk the health and safety of his other nine children, all of his wives, their wives, all of their children, all the members of their camp, and all of their livestock, to hold onto the last son he has by Rachel. He continues to hide and hold on until he has no choice but to send them back to Egypt because they have nearly run out of food again. He seems to have learned nothing and persists in his old habits. This hearkens back to his birth when he is born holding onto the heel of his brother. Jacob is one who holds on and won’t let go, even to his own detriment and that of those who depend on him.

Jacob’s sons, however, seem to be learning a little bit. They seem haunted by their guilty consciences and fear the worst at every moment, assuming that the time may have finally come when they will pay for their crimes against Joseph, potentially being enslaved by him just as they sold Joseph into slavery all those years ago. They see their karma bearing down on them at top speed and there doesn’t seem to be anything they can do about it. Despite this, they seem willing to embrace their fate and go back to Joseph to save Simeon, even at the risk of their own lives and freedom.

At this point it is unclear what Joseph’s motives are. Is he being vindictive and toying with them to give them a taste of their own medicine? Or does he have a plan? Stay tuned! All shall be revealed in the next few chapters!

When I read this part of Joseph’s story, I am always struck by the family dynamics and the role each of the sons and the father play in this little melodrama. It is also fascinating to see the way in which God brings each one of them face to face with their own faults and inadequacies, and inches them toward repentance. Even Joseph seems to be up against his own “stuff” in this story. After so many years as a slave and in prison before becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt, the temptation to exact revenge on his brothers for what they did to him must have been very strong. He does seem to toy with them a bit and cause them a great amount of distress, but he also withholds any kind of real punishment from them. He allows himself to be God’s instrument in their redemption while also being overwhelmed with compassion for the same men who doomed him to decades of slavery and imprisonment out of sheer jealousy.

That last bit is the main thing that I get out of this reading every time. How do I respond when I find myself having the upper hand over people who have caused me to suffer? Do I have compassion for them or do I try to exact revenge. It turns out that I never exact revenge, however I am not always filled with compassion. Sometimes the best I can do is pray for them and let God sort it out. I openly admit that I am not as clever and wily as Joseph when it comes to manipulating a situation for the good of those involved. I also don’t have it in me to toy with people that way. The best I can do in situations like this one is to forgive them, wish them the best, and walk away, allowing God to work it out with them. How do you handle situations like these? I think that’s what this passage is primarily designed to get us to consider.

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This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.”

To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.

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