Tag: Old Testament Sinners and Saints

Biblical People: Levi (1)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Levi is the third son of Jacob and Leah. Scripture shares only one story about Levi, an account of something he and his brother Simeon do. Their younger sister Dinah, who we’ll cover in a few chapters, is raped by Shechem, who then wants to marry her.

When Jacob hears of this, he does nothing, for his sons are out in the fields. However, when news of the tragedy reaches the boys, they rush home and pretend to go along with Shechem’s request to wed their sister.

But they insist he undergo circumcision first, along with everyone in the city. The men agree, assuming this will allow them to intermarry with Jacob’s family and acquire all their livestock and property.

As the men in town recover from their circumcisions, Levi and Simeon attack them, slaughtering every man to avenge their sister’s defilement. Then the other brothers loot the town and carry off the wealth, women, and children.

Although Jacob criticizes Simeon and Levi for their excessive reaction—and the subsequent risk to the entire family should neighboring towns take revenge—the brothers feel justified in avenging their sister’s dishonor, despite the risk of retaliation.

Dinah’s rape is a serious assault which deserves punishment, but killing the perpetrator and all the men who live in the city is an excessive response, one that far outweighs the crime.

Several centuries later, when Moses gives the people the Law, he says retribution should be an eye for an eye (Exodus 21:23–25). This command is not an encouragement to seek revenge, but a call to avoid excessive retaliation. It’s a directive of moderation.

Clearly Levi and Simeon’s response to Dinah’s rape was excessive and uncalled for. But they didn’t have God’s Law to guide them; they only had their own sense of justice.

Still, Jacob remembers what his two sons did, and on his deathbed he criticizes the violence they committed. So should we.

Yet despite what Levi did, God sets apart his descendants to serve him in the temple. From among his clan, Aaron and his offspring will serve as priests.

How do we respond when we encounter injustice? Do we react at all, or do we overreach with an excessive response?

[Read Levi’s story in Genesis 29:34; 34:24–31; and 49:5–7. Discover more in Numbers 26:59.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Simeon (1)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Simeon is the second oldest son of Jacob and Leah. The Bible shares two stories about Simeon. The first concerns him and his brother Levi, which we’ll cover in the next chapter.

The other story relates to his brother Joseph and occurs about two decades after Joseph’s brothers sell him as a slave. Through multiple trials, Joseph has conducted himself well and risen to a place of power in Egypt, where he oversees the distribution of grain during a prolonged famine.

Joseph’s brothers (minus their youngest brother, Benjamin) go to Egypt to buy grain, so their family won’t starve.

Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they don’t recognize him. He treats them harshly. This isn’t to pay them back for the wrong they did to him, but to test their character. He wants to see if his brothers have changed.

He accuses them of being spies and throws them all in prison for three days. Then he releases nine of them and sends them home with food. But he keeps Simeon locked up.

He warns them sternly to not return without their youngest brother, Benjamin. Though he knows who they are, he claims this is to prove they haven’t lied to him and to show they aren’t spies. Until they do this, he will not sell them any more grain and Simeon will remain in jail.

The nine brothers return home and tell Jacob what happened. He forbids them to return with Benjamin and secure Simeon’s release. Jacob considers Simeon as dead and prohibits Benjamin from going.

When the food they bought is gone, Jacob tells his boys to return to get more. They remind him that they can’t unless they return with Benjamin. At last, he relents, and Benjamin joins his nine brothers to go to Egypt to buy food and secure Simeon’s release.

When they reach Egypt, Joseph frees Simeon. We’ll pick up the conclusion of the story in the chapter about Joseph. Until then, let’s consider Simeon’s situation.

The Bible doesn’t say why Joseph picked Simeon to remain locked up while his brothers go free. It may have been random, it may have been strategic, or it may have been because Simeon and Joseph’s relationship was the most strained among the brothers.

We don’t know why, but we do know that Simeon languished in prison while his brothers went home to their families, eating the food they had bought and making no effort to return to secure his release.

In responding to his father, Judah notes they could’ve gone to Egypt and returned twice had they not delayed.

Simeon is no doubt counting the days until they come back to rescue him. He knows how long the journey will take. He knows when they should return.

That day comes and goes, but he’s still in jail. He continues counting. At twice the number of days, he’s still there. Surely, he assumes his family has abandoned him to suffer in prison until he dies.

How happy he must’ve been—although a bit peeved at how long it took—when he’s released from jail and reunited with his brothers.

How do we respond when something takes twice as long as we think it should? Do we trust God to be faithful to us even if our family or friends let us down?

[Read Simeon’s story in Genesis 29:33; 42:21–36; 43:23; and 49:5–7.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Reuben

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Reuben is the oldest son of Jacob and Leah. We learn more about him through three stories from his life. Each one could stem from the fact that he is the eldest brother.

First, in an account that reveals his negative side, Reuben sleeps with his father’s concubine Bilhah. His actions are even more distasteful—as if it were possible—when we consider that Bilhah is also the mother of two of his half-brothers and effectively his stepmom.

We earlier noted that Jacob treated Bilhah as property more than a person. Reuben’s attitude toward her mirrors his father’s perspective. As the firstborn son, he may have a sense of entitlement to what belongs to his parents.

This certainly doesn’t justify what he did, but it might explain his mindset. Though Jacob knows what his son did, he takes no action to correct Reuben or protect Bilhah.

Later, we witness another side of Reuben, when he attempts to do what is right and rescue his younger brother Joseph from the hands of their jealous brothers.

His brothers want to kill him, but Reuben talks them out of it. His plan is to later rescue Joseph and free him, but this doesn’t happen because the brothers sell Joseph to slave traders when Reuben isn’t around.

Years later, after Joseph’s brothers learn he is still alive, Reuben takes responsibility with his father to guarantee the safe return of his youngest brother Benjamin.

We don’t know if his motivation is to appease his guilt from failing to prevent his brothers from selling Joseph into slavery, or if he’s accepting responsibility as the oldest son to take the lead in resolving a tough situation. It could be a bit of both.

But the important thing is, in these last two examples, Reuben strives to do what is right.

If our past haunts us, do we let it define us or does it motivate us to do better? Jesus forgives our sins, but have we made mistakes we refuse to forgive ourselves for?
[Read Reuben’s story in Genesis 29:32; 30:14–16; 35:22; 37:21–30; 42:18–37; and 49:3–4.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Zilpah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

As we covered in the previous chapter, Bilhah and Zilpah are wedding gifts to Laban’s daughters Rachel and Leah.

When childless Rachel, frustrated over Leah’s fruitfulness, gives her servant Bilhah to Jacob to produce children, Leah responds by doing the same thing, offering her servant, Zilpah, to sleep with Jacob. Just like Bilhah, Zilpah gets pregnant twice. She gives birth to Gad and Asher.

As a result, these two servants—Bilhah and Zilpah—produce four sons for Jacob. Even though they’re not from his two wives, these four sons are included in the twelve boys who eventually become the twelve tribes of Israel.

Zilpah and Bilhah have nothing to say in what happens to them, but their offspring comprise four of Israel’s twelve tribes, or one third of the nation.

What should we do when we find ourselves in a situation we have no control over? When others treat us badly, do we maintain our trust in God anyway?

[Read Zilpah’s story in Genesis 30:9–13.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Bilhah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Bilhah and Zilpah aren’t familiar names in the Bible, yet their contribution to the nation of Israel is significant.

When Laban’s two daughters marry Jacob, their father gives them each a wedding gift: a servant.

To his daughter Leah, he gives his servant Zilpah, while to his daughter Rachel, he gives Bilhah. These two servants shouldn’t have had a significant role in the Bible, but that’s not how their story unfolds. Their lives have a distressing parallel to Hagar who preceded them.

Here’s Bilhah’s story:

In her desperation to have children, childless Rachel offers her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob to make babies in her place. Her foolish husband agrees, impregnating his wife’s servant—twice. As a result, she gives birth to Dan and Naphtali.

In a sad sidenote, Bilhah’s stepson Reuben later sleeps with her. Though aware of what happened, Jacob (Israel) does nothing about it.

This suggests that both Jacob and Reuben view Bilhah as property more than a person. This isn’t God’s perspective but man’s perversion, which resulted from sin.

Throughout all this, Bilhah has no say in what happens to her. As a servant, she must obey her mistress. And she’s a voiceless victim to her stepson’s lust.

But as God often does, he watches out for the underdog, with Bilhah’s offspring becoming part of his chosen people. This means that of Jacob’s twelve sons, two come from Bilhah, with two of the tribes of Israel descending from her.

Regardless of what happens to us, do we believe God is on our side? How should we respond when people use us as objects and don’t treat us as they should?

[Read Bilhah’s story in Genesis 30:1–8 and 35:22.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Jacob

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

When Rebekah sends Jacob away, she promises to send for him when his brother’s anger subsides and it’s safe for him to return. She never does.

Jacob leaves with his parents’ blessing and their instruction to marry one of Laban’s daughters. As we learned in the chapter about Laban, Jacob does just that, times two.

He marries both of Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel. He works for his father-in-law a total of twenty years before God tells him to return home.

His trips mark two noteworthy events in his life, one when he leaves home and the other when he returns.

First, when Jacob leaves home to go to Uncle Laban, he stops for the night along the way. He takes a stone and uses it for a pillow. It must have worked because soon he’s asleep. That night he has a dream. He sees a stairway stretching between earth and heaven.

Angels travel the stairway and God stands at the top. He says, “I’m the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and your father Isaac. I’ll give this land to you and your descendants, making them too numerous to count. Through you and your offspring, all people will be blessed. And I’ll be with you wherever you go and bring you back safely to this place.”

When Jacob awakes, he takes his stone pillow, tips it upright, and pours oil on it. He pledges to serve God if the Lord will do what he promised.

This is Jacob’s first recorded interaction with the Almighty, but it won’t be his last.

Now full of confidence, he continues his journey. God blesses his time with Laban, giving him a family and flocks.

Twenty years later, Jacob returns home. Since his mother never sent word it was safe to come back, he has every reason to suspect Esau still intends to kill him.

Yet God says to go, and Jacob goes.

After his parting clash with Laban, Jacob plans for his confrontation with Esau. Then he prays, reminding the Lord of the promise of prosperity made twenty years ago. He asks God to protect him from his brother.

Sending everyone on ahead, Jacob remains alone. That night, a man wrestles with him. Jacob can’t prevail, but neither can the man. At dawn, the man touches Jacob’s hip and dislocates it. But Jacob refuses to let the man go until he gives him a blessing.

The man’s response is cryptic. “I’m changing your name to Israel, for you have struggled with both God and people and have overcome.”

Though the Bible doesn’t say if this “man” is actually a person, an angel, or some other supernatural manifestation, Jacob believes his nighttime visitor is none other than God, for he says, “I’ve seen God face to face and am still alive.”

Jacob meets Esau, and he’s no longer holding a grudge or intent on killing his brother. The two have a peaceful reunion. God holds true to his promise from twenty years prior that he would protect Jacob, and the Lord answers Jacob’s prayer for safety.

These two events stand as cornerstones in Jacob’s life, with God supernaturally marking his departure and his return. This prepares Jacob for what is next.

What cornerstones has God given to us? Can we see how he has prepared us for what lies ahead?

[Read Jacob’s story throughout Genesis 27–35, 42, and 46–49. Discover more in Luke 1:29–33.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Laban

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

After Rebekah learns of Esau’s intent to kill Jacob—her favorite of the twins—she tells him to flee to his uncle Laban—her brother—to wait there until Esau’s anger subsides.

Telling Isaac she doesn’t want Jacob to marry a local girl, she gets her husband to agree to send Jacob away, thereby distancing him from Esau and his deadly threats.

Isaac and Rebekah send Jacob to Laban to marry one of his uncle’s daughters, his first cousin. Though this makes us uncomfortable today, remember, it isn’t until God gives his laws to Moses that he prohibits marrying a close relative.

Jacob heads east and finds his uncle. Laban has two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Jacob falls in love with the younger sister, Rachel, and agrees to work for his uncle for seven years in exchange for her.

The seven years fly by for Jacob, and soon Laban prepares the wedding. But the morning after, Jacob discovers he’s married to Leah instead of Rachel.

Laban has tricked him, but he defends himself by claiming their tradition holds that the older daughter must marry before the younger one can.

Laban then gives Rachel to Jacob as a second wife, but only if Jacob will agree to work for his father-in-law for another seven years.

We can sympathize with Jacob because Laban tricked him into marrying a woman he doesn’t love and forced him to work an additional seven years to marry the woman he does. Laban doesn’t treat Jacob with integrity.

Even if Laban intended Leah to marry first, he should’ve told Jacob this right away and not seven years later when it was too late.

Yet we also realize that Jacob lacked integrity in dealing with his brother and his father. Might Jacob have treated Uncle Laban the same way? This might explain (but not justify) why Laban dealt shrewdly with Jacob.

Jacob then works six more years for Laban. This time his wages are a flock of his own. After twenty years of toiling for his father-in-law, God tells Jacob it’s time to return home.

Jacob heads out with his wives, many children, and flocks to return to the land God promised to give to Abraham. But he doesn’t tell Laban of his plans. He just leaves.

When Laban finds out, he pursues Jacob. He confronts his son-in-law, who justifies his actions by accusing Laban of treating him unfairly and changing his wages ten times. We don’t know if Jacob exaggerates this to make his point or not.

Eventually the pair work through their differences, and they part peacefully.

Though it’s understandable to be upset when people lie to us, do we behave with integrity in how we deal with them? How do we react when others treat us poorly?

[Read Laban’s story in Genesis 24:29–51; 27:41–28:5; 29:1–29; and 30:25–31:55.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Esau

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Esau is the oldest of Isaac and Rebekah’s twins. His father loves him, while his mother loves his younger brother, Jacob. Esau, also called Edom, will later become the father of a people called the Edomites.

The Bible records two key stories about Esau, neither of which works out well for him.

Esau grows up to be an accomplished hunter who loves the open country. One day after a long hunting expedition, Esau comes home famished. He smells the stew his younger brother, Jacob, is cooking.

“Quick, give me something to eat,” Esau says.

Jacob doesn’t. He sees an opportunity to best his older brother. “I’ll give you a taste if you sell me your birthright.” (A birthright is additional rights given to the firstborn son.)

“I’m starving,” Esau replies. “What good is a birthright if I’m dead?”

He pledges his birthright to his brother and Jacob gives him food. Scripture concludes the story by confirming that Esau despised his birthright and the privileges of being the oldest brother.

If Esau is merely hungry when he asks Jacob for food, then selling his birthright as a quick way to fill his belly is indeed foolish. However, if Esau is dying from hunger, then he may indeed have easily given up his rights as the oldest son so that he may live.

Regardless, Jacob selfishly withholds food from his brother so he might usurp his brother’s position as the firstborn.

Our second story of Esau comes much later. Isaac is old and nearing the end of his life. He wants to bless Esau before he dies. But first he asks Esau to hunt some game and prepare his favorite meal for him. Excited, Esau heads out.

Rebekah overhears this and concocts a plan for Jacob, her favorite son, to trick his blind father into giving him the blessing instead of his brother. Her scheme works and Isaac blesses Jacob, thinking he’s blessing Esau instead. To accomplish this, Jacob first misleads and then lies to his father.

Esau’s incensed when he finds out. Though his father blesses him as well, Isaac has already proclaimed the best blessings on Jacob and has little left for Esau.

Esau begrudges Jacob for taking his birthright and his blessing. Esau’s anger simmers. He plans to kill his brother after Isaac dies.

If we struggle with family relationships, what can we do to repair them? How can we better appreciate the family God gave us?

[Read Esau’s story in Genesis 25:24–34; 27:1–28:9; and 32:1–33:17. Discover more in Hebrews 12:16.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Isaac

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Isaac is a child of older parents—much older. His mother, Sarah, is ninety when Isaac is born. And her husband Abraham is one hundred. At this advanced age, it seems impossible to have a child, yet through God all things are possible.

From a human standpoint, we call Isaac’s arrival a miracle—a miracle conception and a miracle birth.

Though Isaac is Sarah’s only son, he has an older half-brother, Ishmael. But Abraham and Sarah send Ishmael and his mother away after Isaac is born.

With Ishmael no longer in the picture, God deems Isaac as Abraham’s only son (Genesis 22:2, 12, and 16).

God tells Abraham to do the unthinkable, to sacrifice his boy as a burnt offering.

Though this is something other gods demand of their people—and God will later tell Moses that human sacrifice is unacceptable—since God can raise Isaac from the dead, it’s not out of the question for God to tell Abraham to kill his son. Even so, it’s a horrific request.

Abraham intends to do exactly what God commanded. With the altar built and Isaac bound and lying atop it, Abraham raises his knife to kill his son—his one and only son—the son he dearly loves.

At this point, God stops Abraham from plunging the dagger into his son’s chest. It was just a test, and Abraham passed. This proves that though Abraham loves his son much, he loves God even more.

Yet let’s not look at this story only from Abraham’s perspective but also from young Isaac’s. His father is willing to kill him and nearly does.

This isn’t something a child would ever forget. Not only would this surely scar Isaac in his relationship with his father, but it could also make him wary of the God behind it.

Would Isaac ever trust his father again? Would Isaac ever be able to trust God? We wouldn’t blame Isaac if he turned his back on both his father and God. Yet Isaac sticks around. He doesn’t reject his father, and he doesn’t reject God. This is a tribute to Isaac’s character.

This story serves as an encouragement to us that, regardless of our past, we can rise above it and not let it define who we become. Though things could have happened that we might want to blame on God, we can still trust him with our future and with our life.

Let’s take a step back from the story. This isn’t the only time the Bible talks about a father sacrificing his one and only son. Centuries later, Father God sacrifices his one and only son, Jesus. In doing so he proves his deep love for us. God wants to save us so we can be in a right relationship with him.

Our Heavenly Father sacrifices his one and only son to serve as the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices for all the things all people have done throughout all time.

It’s a gift of eternal life. All we need to do is accept it.

Has God ever asked us to do something that seemed too big or too hard? Could we sacrifice our child, as God later did with his?

More importantly, do we follow Jesus, God’s sacrificed son, as our Lord and Savior?

[Read Isaac’s story in Genesis 21–22 and 26–28. Discover more in Genesis 17:19–21 and Hebrews 11:17–19.]

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Biblical People

Biblical People: Ishmael (1)

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 9, 2022

Ishmael a slave as well, Abraham treats him as a son. When God promises Abraham that he’ll be the father of many nations, he gives Abraham the rite of circumcision. Abraham circumcises Ishmael according to God’s command.

When Ishmael is fourteen, Sarah—who is effectively his stepmother—gets pregnant. She gives Abraham his second son, Isaac. This makes Ishmael and Isaac half-brothers.

Ishmael mocks his much younger brother.

This distresses Sarah, who insists Abraham get rid of Hagar and her impudent son. This will ensure that Isaac will not have to share his inheritance with his older half-brother.

This deeply troubles Abraham, who loves Ishmael, his firstborn. But God tells Abraham to not let Sarah’s request upset him, to do what she asked. The Lord’s promised blessings for Abraham will come through Isaac. Even so, a nation will also come from Ishmael.

The next day Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away.

They wander into the desert. With their provisions gone, Hagar sits down and cries. But God comes to her, provides comfort, and shows her water. Like he did with Abraham, God promises Hagar that he will make her son, Ishmael, into a great nation.

The pair survive. Hagar, an Egyptian, gets an Egyptian wife for her son.

Many years later, when Abraham dies, Ishmael and Isaac bury him. This shows his two sons have reconciled. But we don’t know if it’s just for this moment or a more lasting connection.

Ishmael has twelve sons, who become twelve tribal leaders. This implies the birth of a nation, just as God promised to both Abraham and Hagar. Ishmael dies at the age of 137.

What can we do to reconnect with estranged relatives or former friends? Do we believe God’s promises to us will come true?

[Read Ishmael’s story in Genesis 16:9–17 and 21:8–21. Discover more in Genesis 25:8–10.]

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