BRAGADAYJAH 139

BRAGADAYJAH 139 Joseph then kept his brothers locked up for three days, and on the third day he went to them and said, “this is what I want you to do because I fear God; if you are telling the truth, I will let you go, and I will give you corn to take with you; only one of you shall be kept here locked up until the rest of you return with your youngest brother. If you do so you shall not die but live.” All this time, Joseph was speaking to them through an interpreter, and they still did not know it was to their lost brother Joseph to whom they spoke; so they began talking among themselves not knowing that this foreign Ruler understood their speech. So they said one to another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the anguish on his face when he begged us not to do the evil that we were doing to him, and we would not listen; that is why this evil has turned on us.” And in their self recrimination, Rueben said, did I not urge you not to sin against the child, and you would not hear, but now his blood is required at our hands.” Hearing them speak thus, Joseph left the room and went aside and wept before drying his eyes and returning to them. Arriving back he took Simeon from among them and had him bound in their presence; and gave them final instructions as to what was expected of them. After that he instructed his men to fill their sacks with corn, every man his sack and, also to leave each man’s money in his sack. And thus done, he bid them depart, reminding them of their obligation, as they saddled their asses and departed for home. More.

BRAGADAYJAH 138

BRAGADEAYJAH 138 Now the famine was very severe throughout and everywhere was affected; and in the course of time, Israel told his sons that he had heard that there was corn in Egypt, and that they should go down to Egypt to buy corn, if they were to avoid dying from starvation. So all ten of Joseph's brothers, that is to say the same ten that had cast him into the pit, excluding Benjamin who was too young at the time, went down to Egypt together. But Israel kept back his youngest son Benjamin and did not send him. It would seem that Joseph, who was the Governor over all the land of Egypt, personally oversaw all the transactions involving the sale of grain; for it was before him his ten brothers appeared in their bid to buy corn, and as was the custom of those times, they bowed their faces low to the ground before Joseph. As they prostrated themselves before him, Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him, and to further ensure that they did not recognize him, he spoke roughly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded “We are from the land of Canaan, and we are here to buy food,” they responded. “No!” Joseph continued to speak harshly to them; “You are spies and you are up to no good. You are here to spy and try and detect any weaknesses in our defenses.” But his brothers, with all humility and sincerity responded and said, “Nay my lord; we are here to buy food.” To press further their sincerity, they continued to demonstrate their earnestness by saying that they were all brothers, being the sons of one man; we are sincere men, and we are no spies. But Joseph pressed them the harder. “Liars that is who you are, you are spies, you only purpose here is to spy on us.” “No my lord,” they responded. “We are twelve brothers, and all the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is at this time with our father back in the land of Canaan, and the other we no not where he is.” And Joseph still pressing his charade with them said. “I do believe in spite of what you say, that you are spies. So this is my decision. You will have the opportunity of proving who you really are. None of you, as the King liveth, shall leave this place unless and until one of you return and fetch your youngest brother here. In the meantime, the rest of you shall remain here in prison until he returns. If he does not return, then I would know for sure that you are spies. More

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BRAGADAYJAH 137

God’s word cannot ever be void. And his prophesies must come true, even when it comes in the form of dreams, as in Joseph’s case So that in the seven years as foretold in the dream, and as interpreted by Joseph, the land of Egypt bore plenteously. There was more than was needed for consumption so that there was much to be stored and saved up. So Joseph went from city to city and stored up the bountiful harvest, including corn, said to be as numberless as the sand of the sea shore. The bountiful God, in other words, made sure that Joseph was fully enabled and aided in performing that which he had been appointed and promised to do. Not only were the lands and fields bountiful, but Joseph also was blessed with two sons of his wife whom he had married, and both sons were born within the seven year period of bounty before the years of the famine. And Joseph called the name of the first son Manasseh; for God had by him caused Joseph to forget all the toils and troubles of his father’s house. And he called the name of the second son Ephraim; for God had caused him to be fruitful in the land of his affliction. Eventually then, the seven years of plenty came to an end, and the seven years of famine began and was universal. Everywhere there was famine; but as God had shown Joseph and had provided, there was no lack of bread in the land of Egypt. So when the famine struck and the people cried to the King for food, they were told to go to Joseph and to do as he command them do. As the famine bit harder and deeper, word got out that there was corn in Egypt, and soon, from all the surrounding Nations, people were turning to Egypt and travelling there to buy food. More

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AH 136 Joseph was cast into a pit, and God raised him up, and even though he was sold into bondage he was raised up to be head of Potiphar’s household; and although he was innocently accused and cast into prison, God once again delivered him out of prison and elevated him. For now we hear the very king of Egypt saying to him, “For as much as God hath shown you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are. You shall be over my house and according unto your word shall all the people be ruled. Only I in my kingdom shall be greater than you.” What an honor! And Pharaoh took off his signet ting from off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And the King made Joseph to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him and knelt and bowed before him, and treated him as befitting a King and ruler. Furthermore, the Pharaoh said to Joseph. “I am the Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot throughout all the land of Egypt.” Now Joseph was 30 years old and the Pharaoh thought it was time for him to marry and have a family of his own, no doubt to complete his new status as the second ruler in Egypt. So he changed Joseph’s name to Zaphnathpaaneah, and chose him a wife of the daughter of Potipherah the priest, whose name was Asenath. And so it was that after that, Joseph took up his new duties in his new role as a ruler in Egypt to prepare for the famine; but first things first, he set about gathering up and storing food during the years of plenty. More

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Having been brought before the Pharaoh, he proceeded to relate his dreams to Joseph; and having heard the dreams, Joseph told the Pharaoh that the dreams were in fact one dream, that is to say, both dreams formed a single chain of circumstances. And so Joseph explained to Pharaoh and told him, that God was showing him what he was about to do. For the seven good cows signified seven years, and the seven good ears of corn seven years also. Accordingly, the seven lean and sick looking cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of corn blasted by the East wind signified seven years of famine. Joseph explained to the Pharaoh that by the dreams, God was warning him of what he was about to do. So that according to the dream, there were to follow seven years of plenty. The whole land shall produce plenteously for the next seven years; but after that the next seven years would be years of famine; not only would there be a famine, but it would be very grievous throughout the land. Joseph also told the Pharaoh that the events foreshadowed by the dreams were destined to take place, signified by the fact that the dreams were doubled in each case. In Joseph’s words the thing was “established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” Having interpreted the dreams, and having told the Pharaoh what was shortly to follow, Joseph advised him to select a discrete and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. Further the Pharaoh should appoint officers all over the land to gather one fifth part of all the produce over the seven years of plenty and store it up against the years of drought and famine. Needless to say, Joseph’s suggestion made good sense to the Pharaoh and his servants, and so the Pharaoh enquired of them where such a man, a man in whom clearly was the Spirit of God may be found; and not surprisingly, the Pharaoh told Joseph that he was going to be the man; for since he was the one to whom God had entrusted the wisdom to interpret the dreams there could be no better choice for the job. More

BRAGADAYJAH 134

So the Pharaoh dreamt a dream. In his dream he saw seven fat cows emerge from the river followed by seven lean cows, which ate up the fat cows. And having thus dreamt, he awoke and tried to make sense of the dream; but he couldn’t and in the midst of thinking, he fell asleep. Again while he slept he had another dream, this time about seven fat ears of corn upon one stalk, followed by seven thin ears, blasted by the East wind, and they eventually ate up the seven good ears. So once again the Pharaoh awoke and thought about his dreams but could not figure out what they meant. The next morning, the Pharaoh sent for all his magicians and wise men, and told them the dreams; but none of them were able to interpret the dreams for him. Of course all of this was very upsetting to the King and those who served him knew what he was capable of doing when he got angry, especially if he felt let down or betrayed by his top advisers. After all, did he not pay them handsomely for occasions such as this? Accordingly the King’s butler suddenly remembered Joseph. So he told the king about his encounter with the young Jewish boy Joseph. He told him how he and his companion, the baker had dreamt dreams and Joseph was able to interpret their dreams; that Joseph had told them how in 3 days he the butler would be restored, but that the baker would be hanged, which of course is exactly what happened. So pharaoh sent for Joseph out of prison. more

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So then Joseph had good news for the Butler, but not so good news for the Baker. After listening to the Baker’s dream Joseph told him that in three days the Pharaoh would hang him. And so it was that in three days the King celebrated his birthday, and sent for the Butler to be released from the prison and once again, he was restored to his position of the King’s cup bearer just as Joseph had foretold. But alas for the Baker, the King remembered him too on the occasion of his birthday and celebrated by hanging the baker. The Butler for whatever reason did not remember to mention Joseph’s name before the King. Perhaps he deliberately failed to do so, out of fear of displeasing the King by the mere mention of Joseph’s name. Perhaps he was just ungrateful; but whatever his reason, he did not keep his promise to Joseph. For a further two years, Joseph continued to be locked away, all the more difficult because he was an innocent man.; but the time would come when all that would change. For at the end of two years, the King had a dream which troubled him, but which he did not understand. He called all the magicians and all the wise men together and told them his dream; but none of them could interpret the dream. It was then the Butler remembered Joseph the dreamer, whose fortunes would soon be changed once more.

BRAGADAYJAH 132

BRAGADAYJAH 132 Naturally, when the master returned, the wife had a pretty tale to tell. She convinced him that Joseph did indeed try to force himself on her, and so convincing an act to be sure she put on, that her husband believed her act, and turned against Joseph, and cast him into prison. Joseph was put into the same prison as the rest of the King’s prisoners. But Joseph’s God was watching over him and caused the keeper of the prison to take a liking to Joseph, so much so, that Joseph was put in charge of all the other prisoners. And because the Lord was with Joseph, all went well in the prison and among the prisoners; so that everything was kept in order and such work as they did prospered. Thereafter it came to pass that the Pharaoh’s chief Butler and his chief Baker offended their master Pharaoh, and he cast them both into the same prison in which Joseph was being kept. While there, they dreamt a dream which they did not understand, and no one else was able to interpret the dream for them. But then, when Joseph heard the dream he told them that only God can truly interpret dreams; however, “if you tell me the dream,” Joseph told them, “I can have it interpreted for you.” Joseph did not assume to be able to interpret the dream by or by means of his own power. He told them straight up, only God can give the interpretation of dreams; but Joseph was confident, that, because he had found favor with God, God would show him the interpretation of the dream. So it was that Joseph was able to tell the King’s servant, the butler that in three days, he would be restored to the king’s service; only he begged him, “don’t forget me when you are hereafter restored; and mention my name with favor to the King.” In the meantime, Joseph continued his sojourn in prison, far away from the power and authority of the Pharaoh’s household; but ever so close to the power of God. More

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It is a known fact that if God has selected you and set you apart for His special favor, Satan will try and mess with you somehow, somewhere and sometime. One of the greatest pitfalls known to man is with regard to the lust of the eyes, perhaps second only to the deceitfulness of riches. And when lust and riches are combined they are deadly. So here is Joseph, held in high esteem by his master, well trusted in all things; and of course Satan tried to change that. One would imagine that this great man Potiphar would have had a beautiful woman for a wife; and we all know what a dangerous thing beauty in the hands of a woman can be; so this woman cast her eyes upon Joseph and tried to persuade him to lie with her. Now Joseph, a man true to his integrity, resisted her charms and her beguiling entreaties and refused to fall into her trap. Joseph tried reasoning with her, and point out the position of trust her husband had placed him in. “Everything your husband has,” he explained, “he has entrusted to me; every thing that is, except you his wife. How can you expect me to do this great wickedness and so betray not only your husband’s trust, but at the same time sinning against the Lord my God? All things aside, this woman was the very synagogue of Satan; for although Joseph politely, but firmly refused her, she continued day in and day out to harass Joseph, feeling certain no doubt, his charms would surely work on him and he would buckle under; but Joseph was resolute and would not yield to her flattery. So it came to pass that one day when it happened that there was no one else around he grabbed on to Joseph and demanded that he should lie with her, whereupon Joseph fled from the house and her presence; but in the process of fleeing she grabbed unto a part of Joseph’s clothes and screamed rape, showing the garment in her hand as proof of her allegation of sexual assault against Joseph. Is it not well said that hell has no fury like a woman scorned? More

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Now Joseph was in Egypt and he was a servant in the household of one Potiphar, a captain of the guard to the Pharaoh of Egypt; and in the course of his service to Potiphar, Joseph rose to some position of importance even as a servant; more particularly, he was prosperous, “for the Lord was with him.” Many through ignorance or more often than not mere hypocrisy try to equate modern slavery with servitude in biblical times, and point to the bible as supporting slavery; but in reality, there is a vast difference between, say, the Egyptian and even the Roman institution, and that brand of inhumane wickedness that was practiced in America. As can be clearly seen, servants such as Joseph was, could grow rich even wealthy while being in the service of another, especially if they possessed a valuable skill. While the master benefitted from the servant’s industry, the servant himself benefitted, and was allowed to save and exercise thrift. In many cases an indentured servant could regain his freedom by literally buying his freedom from his master. The Romans to use another example, thought that slavery as defined above was indeed part of the “jus naturale” the law of nature, as well as the “jus civile;” in either case the slave had rights which were bother exercisable and enforceable against his master, including the right to purchase his freedom; although with regard to the nature of Roman contract law, the master had to agree. The one category of a slave that could never obtain his freedom, “manumitted,” was the slave captured in war, called “dedicii.” But be that as it may, retuning to Joseph in Potiphar’s house, he was prosperous and his master saw that Joseph was prosperous because the Lord was with him; and everything he touched turned to gold; so his master made him overseer over all his house, including everything that he had. And from thence forth the Lord blessed everything to do with Potiphar; his fields, his crops, everything that he had. Joseph’s master was so pleased with him that he totally lost track of his wealth, leaving everything into the hands of Joseph, his trusted servant. More

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So Judah’s friend did not find the harlot; and so Judah said, in effect, “I have kept my part of the bargain. I sent her the kid and she cannot be found; so no shame on me. Let the shame be on her.” For a space of three months, there the matter rested; there were no reports of the mystery harlot; but after three months the story surfaced in dramatic fashion. It was told Judah that the mystery woman was no other than her daughter-in-law Tamar; and furthermore, that she was with child; and Judah demanded that she be brought before him to be burnt. When she was brought before Judah, Tamar declared; “by the man whose these things are, I am with child. Discern these things, the signet ring, the bracelet and the staff.” Of course Judah recognized the three items to be none other than his own, and declared and said, “This woman is more righteous than I am, because I gave her not to my son, but went in unto her myself.” Therefore Tamar was spared there being no more talk of burning her. And it came to pass that as she was in labor, it was discovered that she bore twins; and as the first one pushed out his hand, the midwife took a piece of scarlet thread and bound it around his hand to mark that he had come out first. But before the one with the scarlet thread could come out, his brother pulled back his hand and burst himself forth and came out first, that is to say, before the one with the scarlet thread; so the nurse was taken aback and marveled at the breach and so his name was called Pharez, signifying breach; then the one with the scarlet threat came out last and his name was called Zarah. It was one of the duties of the attending midwife to determine which of twins came out first, as this was necessary in establishing the line of succession by appointing the lawful heir. In the circumstances, even though Pharez came out first, Zarah was the first to breach the womb and was accordingly regarded as first born; but Pharaz pulled him back and made his way out first, thereby making himself first born. More.

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He wants to see the whole world gay. At least that is Obama's way. And now he is out there saying that, Everyone should be smoking pot. I used to smoke when I was young, And even then I was confident, If I brush my teeth and scrub my tongue, That one day I would be President. I even turned to Rev Wright, To teach me right from wrong; But once the Presidency was in sight, I sang a different song. i LEARNT THE STYLE, THE GLIB, THE GAB, AND HOW TO TOSS MY JACKET. aND LOVED THE SCREAMING OF THE MOB FOR THE WORLD WAS IN MY POCKET. SOMEHOW THE AURA HAS WORN OFF THEY SEE NOW THAT I AM BLACK? O PEOPLE THAT'S A LAUGH CAUSE I JUST AINT COMING BACK. COUPLE MORE YEARS AND I AM GONE AND TRULY I DON'T GIVE A DAMN FOR WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE SOME WILL STILL SAY, OBAMA WAS OUR MAN.

BRAGADAYJAH 128

After the death of Judah’s two sons, Tamar went back to her father’s house; but in the course of time, tragedy struck Judah again in the form of the death of his daughter, and Judah was much aggrieved and decided to go and spend some time among his sheepshearers, which was in an area near to where Tamar lived. Hearing that Judah was there, Tamar discarded her mourning apparel and dressed herself up in a disguise, and sat by the way where she suspected Judah would pass in going back and forth. Part of her reason was that Judah’s third son who was a child had by that time grown, and he was not allowed to marry her as promised, Judah no doubt fearing the same fate would overtaking him. So it happened that as Tamar sat by the wayside, Judah passed and saw her, and not recognizing her, and thinking she was a harlot, sought to engage her services. And so Tamar asked him, “What will you give me?” And Judah promised her a kid from his flock. Wanting to trap him further, Tamar asked him for a pledge; something that would be in short some form of security; and Judah asked her what she wanted. So Tamar asked for his signet ring, his bracelet and his staff he was carrying. And so Judah agreed and gave them to her and went with her, in accordance with their agreement. Having trapped his man, Tamar went back to her house, took off her disguise and put on her widowhood garb again. And as promised Judah sent the kid by the hand of his trusted friend, and instructed him to ask the woman to return the items to him; but the woman was not found. He looked around and made enquiries of the local men, and asked them for the harlot that sits by the roadside; but they said, there was no such woman that they knew of. So Judah’s friend went and reported to him that he was unable to find the harlot he had described, and furthermore, no one else seemed to have ever heard of or known of such a woman. More

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Imagine the grief that Israel suffered when he was shown the remnant of Joseph’s coat. “Surely,” he said, “This is my son’s coat; an evil beast,” he lamented, “has devoured him; my son Joseph is surely dead.” One can only imagine how he wept and mourned the loss of his beloved son. As was the custom in times of grief, Israel rent, tore, his own clothes and mourned for months on end, and would not be comforted; even the very beasts that murdered his son, their brother tried to comfort him. “I will go down to my grave unto my son in mourning.” Israel wept and grieved and lamented. In the meantime, Joseph was taken down to Egypt and sold into the household of one Potiphar who was a captain of the guard of the Pharaoh of Egypt. In the meantime, Joseph remained an indentured servant in Egypt; and his brother Judah started making children with a Canaanite woman. They had a first born whose name was Er. In fact that woman bore him two more sons, Onan and Chezib. And Judah chose a wife for his son Er, and the wife’s name was Tamar. And Er, was so wicked in the sight of the Lord that the Lord slew him. Judah, then encouraged his son Onan to go in unto Tamar, his deceased brothers wife. but to his credit Onan felt it wasa wrong thing to do; and though he did go in unto Tamar, he spilled his seed on the ground in order that she would not conceive. However, what Onan did displeased the Lord, and He slew Onan also; so Judah, lost his two oldest sons; and not wanting to provoke the Lord further suggested to Tamar that she should return to her father’s house and remain there a widow. Tamar’s story is included here, because it is important to the overall story, especially as it relates to Judah. We shall see tomorrow how it is so. more

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Joseph’s brothers decided to do him harm; but Rueben persuaded them not to shed his blood, but to cast him into a pit. They agreed and watched as Joseph approached them apparently dressed in his coveted coat; the coat his father had given him and which stirred up in their hearts so much jealousy; so much so, that they were prepared to kill him. So as soon as Joseph came to them, as a lamb cometh to his slaughter, his brothers, his own flesh and blood grabbed him, stripped him of his coat, threw him in a pit which mercifully was devoid of water, and having done their wicked deed, they sat down to eat bread. How utterly despicable and wicked their hearts had to be, that they could sit down to eat while their brother languish in a pit. Apparently Rueben after persuading them not to kill him must have found some excuse for separating himself from them, so that after the wicked deed was done, and they were on their way back home, he could back track and retrieve his brother from the pit. It turned out, however, that while they were eating they saw a group of Ismaelites traders traveling with their camels and merchandise on their way from Gilead to Egypt, and thought to turn their wicked scheme to gain by selling their brother to them. So hearkening to their brother Judah, they lifted Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the merchants for twenty pieces of silver. After the merchants had departed for Egypt with Joseph part of their merchandise, Rueben returned to find his brother gone; so he went to his brethren and asked them about Joseph. Whether they told him the truth about Joseph’s whereabouts or not is not clear. It is likely they did; and it is also likely that he was relieved to learn that his brother was at least still alive, even though he would now be a slave forever in Egypt for sure; so they ripped Joseph’s coat, killed a kid and covered it with the blood, and took it to Israel and informed him that the torn and bloodied coat was all that was left of his favorite son Joseph. More

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After Joseph told his brothers his second dream, he left them in no doubt about the fact that he was going to be head of the family after Israel’s death, and so their evil feelings of jealousy and envy were now solidified. And so, when his brothers were out in the field tending the flocks one day, Israel sent him out to see how they and the flock were doing and to report back to him. Joseph went after them, but was having difficulty finding his brothers; and so he chanced upon a stranger who directed him where to find them. The stranger told Joseph that he heard his brothers speaking among themselves and heard them say that they were going to a place called Dothan; and suggested to Joseph that he may find them there; and so Joseph went to Dothan in search of his brothers. However, as Joseph approached them they spotted him, and said among themselves, “Here comes that dreamer;” and at that instant hatched a plan to kill Joseph Strangely enough, it would seem they all agreed to the conspiracy to murder their brother, all that is except Rueben, who was the eldest of them all. One would have thought that Rueben being the eldest would have had the strongest motive for getting rid of Joseph, seeing he would have been the natural lawful heir, possessing the right of first born; but it was Rueben who exercised the voice of reason and compassion and say, ”Let us not kill him; let us throw him into a pit, and let him perish there.” But Rueben’s true intention was to rescue him later and return him to his father. Rueben, we will remember was no coward and not afraid of blood; he it was who led the plot against Shechem and Hamor his father and the men of the city, and had slaughtered them all for the rape of his sister Dinah; but he did not have the heart to murder his younger brother and used a stratagem, this time not to kill the enemy; but to save his younger brother. More

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The coat and the dream, what did they mean? Before expanding more about the jealousy that the coat stirred up, let us look at the dream, or rather the dreams. Joseph told his brothers about a dream he had the gist of which was this. “We, you and I, were binding sheaves in the field, when all of a sudden my sheaf rose up and stood upright, and your sheaves stood round about and bowed down to my sheaf.” Joseph’s brothers responded and asked him, “Shall you indeed reign over us and have dominion over us?” And they hated him even more. And while they were seething with animosity and hatred, Joseph dreamt yet another dream which he told unto them. This time the dream was about the sun and the moon and the stars bowing down unto him. Significantly when he told the dream to his father and his mother along with his brethren, his father rebuked him and asked him if even he and his mother and his brethren were going to be bowing down to him also? His brethren envied him and his father took note of the dreams. So now let us revert to the coat which Israel made for his son Joseph. We have noted that the coat was not a multi-colored coat. One doubts whether they had at that time even developed the skill to dye multicolored fabric. Be that as it may the Hebrew text refers to the coat as a coat with long pieces, and sometimes a coat which was long down to the ground. The fact is, it was a long, or long sleeved coat, and it was the kind of coat which only the leader wore. If for example you could have seen an Israeli encampment formed in battle array, or going into battle all the men would wear sleeveless coats. A sleeveless coat which flowed down to or just below the line of the knees, afforded the wearer maneuverability, allowing him to wield his arms and move around freely. Fighting in a long coat or a coat with long sleeves would be unwieldy. Only the leader wore such a coat, because he directed the fighting and the strategy and did very little of the fighting himself. Beside it made him stand out so that he could be easily seen. Accordingly, when Israel made a coat and presented it to Joseph, he was in fact saying you are my successor; and that infuriated his brothers all of whom beside Benjamin were older that he was. And when the dreams are added to the coat the older brothers were left in no doubt about Israel’s intention; and that made them mad, very mad. More

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One of the best known stories of the Bible is the famed coat of many colors that Israel gave to his son Joseph. “Now Israel”’ it is written, “loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors; and when his brethren saw that his father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably with him.” What is more, Joseph dreamed a dream and when he told his brethren about it they hated him even more. So now we ask; what was about this coat and what was in this dream that made his brothers angry, vengeful and jealous? Firstly, the coat Israel gave Joseph was not a coat of many colors as it was mistakenly called, but a coat with long sleeves, or literally with long pieces. The fact is, when the original translators came across the Hebrew text, they did not understand how to interpret it; “A coat with long pieces?” It did not make sense to them; they simply had to find an easier more logical explanation; so they translated it a coat of many colors. But why should a coat of many colors, or long pieces make Joseph’s brothers mad? Because it was a coat with long sleeves; a coat with sleeves all the way down to the writ. But again, why should even such a coat make his brothers jealous? Well there was a good reason. But before explaining why, let us look at the second thing that made them even more angry, the dream. Joseph dreamt a dream and being young and innocent he told his brothers what he had dreamt; and now that made them even more fiercely angry with him? Why again we may ask? The answer is that there was a connection between the coat and the dream; the coat told them something very important to them, and the dream confirmed it; but what that was will have to wait until tomorrow. More

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At the very beginning of this survey, we said that a specific reason why God called the Jewish Nation was that they should become the Royal Line through which Messiah would come; so not surprisingly we see the hand of God leading and guiding Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, cutting out here, and including there, approving here, disapproving there, and leaving a distinct path through all the twists and turns through the wilderness. Accordingly we see that God hated Esau, and we are told that Esau is Edom, the father of the Edomites. So then who were these Edomites? Well we see them as a people who worshipped Baal and other false gods; we see them, making human sacrifices, that is to say burning their children in pagan rituals upon pagan altars; and perhaps even more reprehensible before God, indulging in the eating of human flesh. So it is not hard to see that these practices were some of the very things that God hates. So a wider explanation of “God hated Esau” could be, God hated the Edomites, and more particularly their evil practices. Now, as we have seen, by this time the descendants of Abraham were many and well established. Ishmael had multitudes of nations and Esau, Edom, also had multitudes; but Jacob, Israel had his twelve sons, the eleventh of whom was Joseph, the first son of his late beloved Rachel, born to him in his old age. Now Joseph was seventeen and greatly beloved of his father, and undoubtedly he loved his father very much also. Today, his evil brethren might well have called him a little snitch; but if one ever had a father whom he loved and admired, one would understand why a loving son, especially at seventeen, would report to his father anything amiss he thought his father should know. Anyway Joseph told his father what was going on, on the farm. Perhaps his brothers were stealing and selling off part of the herd, their father being old; but what ever Joseph saw Joseph told; and this among other things, did not endear him to his brethren. More

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This would be a convenient time to pause and take stock of where we have reached with regard to God’s promises to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. God promised to bless Abraham and his seed and promised to make him the father of many nations. God also promised that Abraham’s seed would possess the land to which he bought them; so then let us take stock. Abraham died leaving behind Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael goes off the radar and starts a family out of which many nations came; but he falls somewhat out of the narrative, and so the focus is on Isaac and his issue. Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob concerning whom much of our story over the last several days was about. We are at the junction where Isaac is dead survived by his two sons Esau and Jacob. By the time of Isaac’s death, Jacob had twelve sons, and Esau had the same number. Both had two wives with whom they had sons and concubines also with whom they had sons. As it happened they were both in the land of the Canaanites and both were exceedingly rich in cattle and livestock so much so that after they buried their father they decided to split up because the land could not sustain them both On Esau’s side he had many Princes and Kings who occupied the land of Edom to which Esau sojourned and settled; hence Esau became known as Edom, that is to say, the Father of the Edomites, while Jacob, whose name God had changed to Israel, became the father of the Israelites. We may recall reading or hearing the words that God loved Jacob but hated Esau. It is not that God hates or is capable of hatred in its commonly used sense; but rather that God’s love for Jacob was so great that his love towards Esau by contrast looked like hatred. But why did God hate Esau? We read over and over again that Esau is Edom So was it then that it was Edom or rather the Edomites God hated? Let us find out tomorrow.

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After the death of Rachel, Israel moved on and spread his tent in a place called the tower of Edah; and while there disaster struck. It happened that Rueben went in and lay with one of his fathers concubines by the name of Bilhah and Israel heard about it. How Israel felt or reacted is not known; but it is to be assumed that he did not make a big public issue of it, although it must surely have made him very unhappy. Rueben was one of Israel’s twelve sons. He was the first born of Leah and so by right heir to his father. The other sons of Leah were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; while the handmaids of Leah and Rachel bore two each, and those of Rachel’s maid Bilhah, Dan and Naphtali, and those of Leah’s maid, Zilpah, Gad and Asher. All these twelve children were born in Padanaram. In course of time Isaac returned to the land of his father Isaac in Hebron, a city in which his father Isaac and his father before him Abraham lived. By this time, Isaac was one hundred and eighty years old. And Isaac gave up the ghost and died and both of his sons Esau and Jacob, renamed Israel buried him. One can’t help noting how wonderfully God works things out for his chosen ones. Almost fifty years before his two sons were at each other’s throat over the right to inherit as his heir. But God drove out from the heart of Esau vengeful and spiteful enmity towards his brother. Time had healed both Esau’s wound and his pride. He had forgiven his brother; he had embraced him in loving forgiveness; and so now the siblings could come together and bury their dead father without animosity. More

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Having spoken with Israel, God departed from him; and Israel built at the place where God had spoken to him, an altar of stone and called the place, “Bethel” meaning, House of God. Does this have any significance or instruction for us today, that the house of God is any place where God is worshipped? That it is not the edifice, not the structure, nor the size of the place or the number of pews; nor yet the adornments and vessels of gold, or silver, brass or wood; but the intents and purposes of the hearts that worship there? Be that as it may, Israel built an altar of stone and pour water and oil on it. Water a token of washing and purification; oil the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Israel and his family left Bethel and journeyed on and when they had reached unto Ephrath, Rachel who was with child went into labor. As Rachel was in fear and agony, the midwife sought to assure her by telling her do not be afraid, for you shall have another son. Before the labor was over, Rachel did have a son; and with her dying breath she called his name Benoni, meaning, “son of my sorrow.” But his father Israel called his name Benjamin which is the name that has come down to us today. Perhaps “son of my sorrow” was too painful a name for Israel to remember and to repeat every day; so he chose to remember him as son of my right hand, as surely, if Israel had a choice, he would have given his right hand to save his beloved Rachel; but maybe Benjamin for him also meant “son the South,” since he was the only one that was born so far to the South. One could only but imagine how much Israel would have mourned for his wife. She was buried in the way of Ephrath, which is Bethlehem; and Israel built a monument which was called thereafter, Rachel’s tomb.” More

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Now we hear Israel, in order to persuade his household, brag a little about his God, without intending to brag. He reminded them that God had been good to him; it was God who walked with him and took care of him throughout all his journeys, trials and disappointments thus far; and now God has reminded him and directed him, and he was about to heed God’s advice, and do as he said, and they should too. So they all harkened and did as Israel exhorted them; they gave up the idol gods which they carried about with them and the earrings which they had in their ears, they gave them all to Israel, who buried them under an oak tree in the land of Shechem. Because the Lord was with Israel, and because he was obedient to the voice of the Lord, the fear of God fell upon the hearts of all the nations round about to such an extent that they did not go after Israel and his sons. And so Israel was able to complete his journey without incident, and arrived safely at Bethel, the place to which God had directed him, he and all his people; and there he built an altar unto the Lord, and called the name of the place El Bethel, because it was there that the Lord had appeared unto him when he fled from his brother Esau. At that time, Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died; and she was buried under an oak tree at Bethel; and the place was named Alonbachuth, that is to say, a place of sorrow, or a place of weeping. And God appeared unto Israel again and reminded him as before, that his name was no longer Jacob, but Israel. And God also reminded him that He is the Almighty God; and He again blessed Israel and said, “be fruitful and multiply; and nations of nations shall proceed out of you, and many kings and kingdoms also shall come out of thy loins; and all the land that I promised to Abraham and Isaac and his and shall be to you and your seed to inherit for ever. More

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Now the sons of Israel, Simeon and Levi waited until the third day, when all of the circumcised of the city were well sore from the circumcision; and swords in hand they entered the city, and fell upon, and slaughtered every man of the city, including Hamor and Shechem. Not only that, they spoiled and ransacked the city, taking all their valuables, because of what had been done to their sister. They took their sheep, their oxen, including their wives and young children; everything within the city and without was takes as booty. But when Israel saw what his sons had done, he chastised them and said that their actions were bound to attract and stir up the other inhabitants of the land, to wit, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, whom he feared would gather together and attack his family and kill him and his household and take all that he had. But Simeon and Levi were unrepentant, and asked their father, “should we allow them to abuse our sister and threat her like a harlot and go unpunished?” And God appeared unto Israel and told him to get going and go to Bethel and remain there, and make an altar unto God “like you did when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Israel rose up, he and his household and departed for Bethel. But before leaving, Israel told his people, to leave all the strange gods they had found in Hamor’s city behind. “We are going to Bethel and there, I will build an altar and worship the true God; the God that answered me in the day of my distress and have been with me ever since wherever I went.” More

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Having listened to the proposal of Shechem and his father Hamor, Jacob’s sons answered them in the words of the text, “deceitfully.” Used in the context of what was going on, the word really is intended to convey the meaning that they said one thing, and meant quite another. They wanted to lull the father and son into a false sense of security; so in answer to the offer they said. “We cannot agree to give our sister to you as your wife, because you are not circumcised; to do so would bring shame on us; but if you will consent that all of your males would be circumcised, then we will consider agreeing to let you have our sister to wife, and let our women marry your men, and our men marry your women. But if you will not agree to this, then we will take our women and be gone.” Accordingly, Shechem and Hamor liked the proposal and jumped to it. They went to the public arena and called the people together, told them what was proposed, and urged them to make accommodation for Jacob and his family among them and to let all dwell together in peace and unity. Specifically they proposed that the men of the city should agree to allow Israel’s sons marry their women and their men marry Israel’s daughters and womenfolk. One further proposal to show their willingness to live and be at one with Israel’s family was that the men of the city be circumcised. In addition, they have made it clear that unless we agree to these terms they are prepared to go away from among us. One can imagine that Shechem was not the only man around who found the daughters of Israel attractive; so they too fell for the stratagem and consented to be circumcised in accordance with the demands of Israel’s sons. Perhaps too, the great abundance of wealth that Israel displayed played no small part in helping the men to make up their minds; for Shechem also reminded them that once the merger and the marriages took place, Israel’s wealth would be jointly owned by all. So persuaded, all the men of the city were circumcised that day. More.

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Rape: It happened that after Israel had settled into the land that Dinah, Leah’s daughter which she had with Jacob, went sightseeing, no doubt to show the ladies of the land how much more beautiful she was. However, while she was visiting among them, Hamor’s son Shechem saw her and raped her, although the Bible put it in less dramatic terms, describing it as, “he took her and defiled her.” In the course of or after the violation, however, Shechem fell in love with Dinah, and spoke with her lovingly and decided that he wanted to marry her; so he approached his father Hamor and told him to get him Dinah for his wife. In the meantime, while his sons were in the field, Israel heard about the assault on her daughter, but said nothing of it until later when his sons returned from their work. Hamor, in the meanwhile approached Israel on behalf of his son and discussed with him a proposal whereby Dinah could be given to his son as his wife. Israel’s sons when they returned and heard of the indignity suffered by their sister were very upset and were not in a mood for any compromise, as in their view, nothing could atone for the rape of their sister; not even Hamor’s pleading and interceding with them accompanied by an offer of marriage, together with what they were willing to give in return in the form of land, and property. Shechem also interceded on his own behalf and begged the brothers to let him make amends by among others, marry their sister and so, to his way of thinking remove the shame to Dinah. Undoubtedly, Shechem was sincere in his approach both to Dinah and her father and brothers when he offered to marry her. Said he, “please, let me find grace in your sight; and whatever you say unto me and ask me to do I will do, and whatever you ask me to give I will give. Whatever you ask in gift, and dowry be it ever so much I will give; but let me have your sister to be my wife. Would Dinah’s father and her brothers be appeased by gifts and dowry and any amount of property? Let us find out tomorrow. More.

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Accordingly, the two brothers, Jacob now renamed by God Israel, and Esau, the supplanted heir are now truly reconciled. The hatchet was buried, the past left to bury the past; and so after all these years, the two brothers could find peace in forgiveness without once mentioning that word. Israel’s words being, “let me now find grace in thy sight.” They were about to depart each to his own land when Israel besought Esau not to part company with him, but to accompany them at least part of the way. Israel’s concern was for the safety of his company should they encounter a band of robbers and violence be done to them So he asked his brother to lead the way allowing the children and the young of the animals to follow and not to be left so far behind as not to be protected. At his brother’s request, therefore, Esau left a detachment of his men behind to accompany and protect his brother and having done that he went to his home in Seir, while Israel journeyed on until he got to Succoth where he built a house for himself and his family, and shelters for his cattle. Thereafter, Israel went on to Shalem a city of Shechem in the land of Canaan where he pitched a tent near to the city. After that he purchased a parcel of land from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, on which he erected an altar and called the name of the place where the altar was erected, El-e-lo’he-Israel, the name meaning God, the God of Israel. So at last, Israel was his own lord. He was no longer anyone’s servant. He was now free to raise his family and his livestock and be at peace with his brother. God had promised, and though Israel might have had his moments of doubts and fears, God, the God of his fathers, came through, and was always there for him. More.

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Now Israel looked up and saw his brother Esau coming with his host of four hundred men; and Israel, notwithstanding his name change, not withstanding the promises of safety and security God had given him, was still a mighty cautious man; so he divided up his children between Leah and Rachel and the two handmaids. He put the children and the handmaids up front, followed by Leah and her children, and Rachel, her children and himself following in the rear. On approaching his brother, Israel went forward and placed himself now at the head of his family, and bowed down seven times before his brother as her approached him. On seeing Israel, Esau ran towards him and embraced and kissed him. And upon seeing the women and the children behind Israel, Esau enquired of his brother who they were. Israel responded and said to his brother, “they are the children which God gave me.” And seeing all was well, the handmaids came near unto the two men, bringing the children with them and following Israel’s lead, bowed themselves down to Esau; so Esau was that day introduced to all of Israel’s family, Leah and her children and her handmaid, and Rachel and her children and her handmaid. Esau then asked his brother about the drove of cattle and sheep and goats he had seen ahead of Israel and his family, and Israel told him that these were a gift from him so that he may hope to find favor in his sight. But Esau told him, “I have enough; keep what you have for yourself. But Jacob insisted, “if I have found favor with you, my lord, I pray you accept the gifts from me. For God has seen fit to bless me plentifully and I still have much left beside. So please accept my gift.” And so at Israel’s earnest insistence, Esau accepted Israel’s gifts; and all being at peace between them at last, they agreed to continue with the journey. More

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Having sent his peace offerings to his brother Esau, Jacob lagged behind, and that night, he took his two wives, his two women servants, and eleven sons and went over the ford, Jabbok, and with them all his possessions and servants, so that he could spend the rest of the night alone. At that point there came upon him a man who wrestled with him until the breaking of day. They wrestled long and strenuously; and when the man with whom Jacob wrestled could not subdue him, the man touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh so that the hollow of his thigh was put out of joint. Not withstanding the condition of Jacob’s joint, he held on and continued to wrestle; and when the man said, “let me go,” Jacob refused saying, “I will not let you go until you bless me. “ So the man asked Jacob, “What is your name?” And Jacob responded and said, “Jacob” And now the man replied and said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince has thou power with God and with men and hath prevailed.” Now it was Jacob’s turn to ask the man his name so Jacob said, “Tell me I pray thee thy name?” But the man asked, “Wherefore is it that thou ask me my name?” In other words, “Why do you want to know my name?” And he blessed Jacob at the very place. Jacob at once knew that this man with whom he wrestled was none other than the God of his fathers, the God of heaven. So he called the name of the place Pe’ni’el. That is to say, “I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.” And as Israel journeyed on the sun rose upon him; the discomfort in his thigh reminding him that on that night, he had seen God face to face and had wrestled with him. Thus throughout the rest of this biblical journey, this reviewer shall henceforth use the name Israel when referring to Jacob. More

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May it be supposed that Esau was playing a little mind game with his brother Jacob? The messengers of his brother had gone to him and conveyed to him Jacob’s message of peace and humility. But clearly Esau did not give them any message to give to Jacob which would indicate his intentions towards him, except to say to them, I and my army are on our way to meet my brother. On the other hand it may be suggested that up to that point, Esau was still bent on revenge against his brother. Clearly then Jacob with his scraggly little flock would have been scared to death of his brother. If that was Esau’s intention, it worked; for Jacob was indeed scared to death. So distressed he was that he divided his company into two groups, reasoning that if Esau attacked one group, the other may have a chance to escape. So having made his plan of how he might avoid been completely destroyed, he turned to God in prayer. “O God of my father, Abraham and of my father Isaac, you told me to return unto my country and to my kindred and you would deal well with me. I am not worthy of the least of all your mercy and truth which you have showed unto me. With your staff I was able to pass over the Jordon; and now I have become two groups. Deliver me please God from the hand of my brother Esau for I fear he will come and kill me and my whole family. I remember Lord, God that you did promise to be good to me, and to multiply my seed after me; and so now Lord, this is the moment of truth. This is the hour that I need you to show me that I can trust you.” Having prayed to God and reminded Him of His promises towards him, Jacob could do no more than wait. In the meantime, one could aver, out of abundant caution, Jacob gathered out of his flock, some choice animals as a gift for his brother. He then sent one of his servants forward with the gift, and instructed him that when he met with Esau and he enquired of him about the ownership of the livestock, he should inform him that the animals were a gift sent from his brother Jacob to him. Clearly Jacob had a lot of livestock, since he was able to also form a second and a third and subsequent groups of gift bearers all of whom were instructed to respond to Esau the same way; while Jacob himself following up at the very rear of his company. Jacob’s thinking was that if his brother Esau accepted all the groups of gifts he was presenting to him up front, he would, when he finally came face to face with him, have forgotten their differences and make up. More.

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It is no small point of interest that soon after Jacob encountered the hosts of God’s angels encamped around, that he found the courage to confront his estranged brother Esau; so he put together a small delegation and sent them to his brother who dwelt in the land of Seir, which is in the country of Edom. Accordingly we see that Esau was an Edomite; and we know or shall see later that the Edomites were a people who had no love for God. This may help to explain why the Bible says that God hated Esau, although the word hate must not be interpreted in the same way, and was not used in the same way as we would use it today. Jacob sent his messengers before him with a special message for his brother. Addressing his brother as his Lord, Jacob commanded them, say unto him “My Lord, thy servant Jacob says unto you, I have dwelt with Laban and have been with him all this time until now. I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and man servants, and women servants. And I have sent to inform my lord, that I may find favor in thy sight.” It is trite knowledge that if you are a leader, even just head of household, you should be well versed in the art of diplomacy at least. Jacob stood before his brother with his wives and children, his servants and farm hands. He knew he was no match for his brother and was not prepared for a fight. His brother on the other hand stood before him with 400 no doubt battle hardened men. So what does Jacob do? He humbled himself; but more importantly he informed his brother, firstly, he himself was Laban’s servant; he was no soldier and had no fighting skills or experience; and secondly he was a farmer, had been a farmer all those years. He was not trying to impress or bribe his brother by mentioning his animals. He was simply saying, I am an animal farmer and here is the proof. The import of Jacob’s message was, I am not a fighter. I am not trained to fight. So be assured my brother, I come in peace. More

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It is no small point of interest that soon after Jacob encountered the hosts of God’s angels encamped around, that he found the courage to confront his estranged brother Esau; so he put together a small delegation and sent them to his brother who dwelt in the land of Seir, which is in the country of Edom. Accordingly we see that Esau was an Edomite; and we know or shall see later that the Edomites were a people who had no love for God. This may help to explain why the Bible says that God hated Esau, although the word hate must not be interpreted in the same way, and was not used in the same way as we would use it today. Jacob sent his messengers before him with a special message for his brother. Addressing his brother as his Lord, Jacob commanded them, say unto him “My Lord, thy servant Jacob says unto you, I have dwelt with Laban and have been with him all this time until now. I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and man servants, and women servants. And I have sent to inform my lord, that I may find favor in thy sight.” It is trite knowledge that if you are a leader, even just head of household, you should be well versed in the art of diplomacy at least. Jacob stood before his brother with his wives and children, his servants and farm hands. He knew he was no match for his brother and was not prepared for a fight. His brother on the other hand stood before him with 400 no doubt battle hardened men. So what does Jacob do? He humbled himself; but more importantly he informed his brother, firstly, he himself was Laban’s servant; he was no soldier and had no fighting skills or experience; and secondly he was a farmer, had been a farmer all those years. He was not trying to impress or bribe his brother by mentioning his animals. He was simply saying, I am an animal farmer and here is the proof. The import of Jacob’s message was, I am not a fighter. I am not trained to fight. So be assured my brother, I come in peace. More

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So both men Laban and Jacob, with God in the middle, came to an understanding. It was more than an entente; it was more of a permanent line drawn in the sand, but erected in stone. Although not in similar circumstances, I am reminded of the lines of Torres Vedras drawn by Sir Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War. On this occasion, Laban said to Jacob, “this pillar and this heap of stones I have set between me and you. This heap and this pillar shall be a witness that I will not pass over it to get to you, and you will not cross over it to get to me for the purpose of harm. And let your God and my God, be the judge between us.” Then Jacob said, “I swear by the fear of my father Isaac, that it shall be so.” Before moving on, however, it should, in all fairness and accuracy of interpretation, be pointed out that the wall of separation between Laban and Jacob was not ostensibly at least, a wall of hatred or permanent separation; for it was started clearly, the wall should not be crossed to do harm that is to say in a hostile manner, and leaving open the possibility of crossing in the future for none hostile purposes. Having made a covenant of peace and understanding, Jacob offered a sacrifice and they ate bread upon the mountain and stayed up all night. Perhaps it would not be too much of an eisegesis to infer that even after their respective solemn promises, neither side, least of all Jacob’s completely trusted the other, hence, keeping watch all night. But be that as it may, no one slept that night. And early the next morning, Laban kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them and returned to his house. Jacob too went on his way and soon encountered a host of angels, whereupon he declared, “this is God’s host.” And he called the name of the place Mahanaim.” Jacob clearly was a man of great vision, both linguistically and spiritually. Seeing the host of angels, he had the concept that the hosts of God were encamped around his camp, Mahanaim, meaning, among others “two camps.” For indeed the throne of God is encamped around the dwellings of the just.” More.

HAPPY NEW DAY

Happy New Day Just about twelve and a half hours ago, people in New York and places around the Eastern Time Zone, erupted with great euphoria in celebration of what they perceived to be the start of a New Year labelled Year 2014. But was it the start of a New Year, or the end of an old one? I called it a perception as opposed to reality, since for example, London celebrated their New Year 2014, some 5 hours earlier, Australia 14-16 hours earlier, while the people in California were still waiting to celebrate theirs. My point is? That all we can truly do is to celebrate the appearance of each New Day. For the birth of each New Day we know for sure, whereever we live. Each sunrise each sunset tells us that we have lived through the cycle of another day. For He who created Heaven and Earth, and all things therof said in His infallible inerrant word, "and the evening and the morning was the first day. My other point is? Let us celebrate each New Day, by giving Thanks and Praise to the Most High Almighty God. So I so to all, Happy New Day. May God bless you mightily.