After the Hebrew people escape Egypt, they make their way across the desert, approaching the land God promised to Abraham. Moses selects a representative from each tribe of Israel to spy out the land.
Caleb, son of Jephunneh, is one of the twelve men selected, representing the tribe of Judah. The twelve head out to discover what the land is like and do some reconnaissance so they can form a battle plan to conquer it. They spend forty days making a comprehensive tour of the area.
The group returns and presents their findings to Moses. “It’s a wonderful land,” they say, “but the people who live there are powerful and reside in fortified cities.”
Caleb, however, offers an opposite perspective. His is the minority report. “We should leave at once and conquer the land. We can certainly do that.”
But the majority disagree with Caleb. The Israelites—whose only skill is slave labor—seem no match for the inhabitants of the land. “Those people are stronger and bigger than we are,” they say.
In the end, the people disregard what Caleb said and believe the majority report. They cry, grumble, and want to return to Egypt.
But Caleb—along with Joshua, one of the other spies—encourages the people to move forward under God’s power to take the land.
In response, the people threaten to stone them.
Are we willing to stand up and speak God’s truth even if we are a small minority? When we see others deciding to do what we believe is wrong, how do we respond?
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.
Miriam is the older sister of Moses and the sister of Aaron. Recall that young Miriam watches at a distance to see what happens after her mom places baby Moses in a basket in the Nile River. In this we see an obedient and brave girl.
Later, as an adult, Miriam becomes both a prophet and a worship leader. She directs the Israelite women in song and dance to celebrate God’s rescue after they cross the sea to escape the pursuing Egyptian army.
Unfortunately, what we know best about Miriam is when she and Aaron oppose Moses out of jealousy, criticizing his choice for a wife. God’s judgment is quick, instantly afflicting her with leprosy, a contagious skin disease, which was untreatable at the time.
Though Aaron is also at fault, he doesn’t get leprosy. This suggests that Miriam led their tiny rebellion. Aaron sees what happened and admits his bad attitude, begging Moses to intervene. Moses does, and God implicitly heals Miriam.
A few years later Miriam dies. There’s no mention of the people mourning her death. This is a sad end to a once-promising life. Though Miriam starts well as a brave and obedient daughter and later becomes a prophet and worship leader, she lets jealousy define her later life. God is not pleased.
What can we do to finish strong? When we falter, how do we react when confronted with our shortcomings?
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.
Aaron is the older brother of Moses. His mother is Jochebed, and his father is Amram.
God tells Aaron to go out into the wilderness to meet Moses, who is expecting him. The plan is for Aaron to serve as his brother’s spokesman, because Moses doesn’t think he’s eloquent enough for the job God called him to do.
Aaron and Moses work together to communicate with Pharaoh and bring about the people’s eventual escape from Egypt. When God gives Moses the Law, Aaron and his sons will play a vital role in leading the people in worship.
In doing so, Aaron becomes the first priest, and his sons—at least the two obedient ones—continue the work, as will their descendants.
Aaron does all God asks of him, supports his younger brother Moses, and serves well as God’s first priest. Despite all this exemplary behavior, however, Aaron has two blemishes in his otherwise spotless record.
Before God institutes Aaron as his priest, Aaron attempts to assume this responsibility himself. As we already learned in the chapter about Moses, it’s Aaron who constructs the golden calf idol and leads the people to worship it. This isn’t what God intended.
The other incident occurs later.
Aaron and Miriam criticize Moses for his choice of a wife. They also attempt to elevate themselves as spokespeople for God, since the Almighty also talks to them and not just Moses.
God hears their murmuring and isn’t pleased. He burns with anger toward them for opposing Moses and seeking to promote themselves.
The Almighty strikes Miriam with leprosy, and Aaron panics. He begs Moses for forgiveness. The fact he doesn’t go directly to God suggests he doesn’t have as close of a relationship with the Almighty as he and Miriam thought.
Aaron escapes punishment, perhaps because he so quickly sought forgiveness.
When we sin are we quick to confess it and seek forgiveness? Have we ever attempted to elevate ourselves beyond what God has called us to do?
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.
Moses receives more coverage in the Old Testament than any other character, except for King David. Abraham comes in third.
Though we could compose an entire book about Moses—and others have—let’s consider five defining moments in his life. We can use these to inspire and challenge us.
For our first story, let’s look at Moses being raised in the palace. He senses his calling from the Lord to lead the people and goes out to visit them.
There he encounters an Egyptian mistreating one of God’s people. Moses kills the Egyptian and hides the body. When he learns his homicidal act is known, he takes off to build a new life away from Egypt and his people.
Next, Moses marries and cares for his father-in-law’s flocks. While out in the wilderness doing his job, Moses spots a bush ablaze in the distance that does not burn up.
He investigates. He encounters God, who sends Moses back to Egypt to rescue his people. After debating a bit with the Almighty, Moses obeys.
Third, after a series of plagues sent by God and corresponding confrontations with Pharaoh, Moses leads the people out of Egypt. In one of the Bible’s best-known stories, God parts the waters of the Red Sea, and Moses leads his people to safety on the other side.
When the Egyptian army gives chase, the waters crash down upon them, and they drown. Though God orchestrates this miracle, it occurs through Moses and is a result of his faith and obedience.
Another well-known story occurs when Moses is on a mountain communing with God where he receives instructions—the Ten Commandments and the Law. This at last gives the people God’s rules for right living and proper conduct.
Though they may have had some inborn idea of right and wrong all along, now they understand for sure what God expects of them. They know that murder is wrong. They know that marrying a half-sister is wrong. And they know that worshiping anything other than God is wrong.
It takes time for God to give Moses his rules, and the people grow impatient. Aaron acts. He fashions an idol made from gold—a golden calf—and institutes a raucous worship celebration of the statue.
God is furious at the people and wants to wipe them out. He promises to start over and make a new nation, not of Abraham’s seed, but from Moses’s.
Instead of accepting God’s plan to make him into a great nation, Moses intercedes for the rebellious people. God hears his plea and relents. The people live because of Moses.
Last, aside from committing homicide much earlier in his life, Moses later mars his otherwise exemplary leadership by a single act of disobedience. The people are thirsty and clamor for water. God tells Moses to go to a rock and speak to it. Then water will flow forth.
Though Moses does go to the rock, he hits it twice with his staff. And instead of speaking the words God gave him, Moses utters his own. By doing so, he dishonors the Lord. Because of this single sin God won’t let Moses enter the promised land.
This is a poignant reminder that if we try to approach God by following a bunch of rules—such as the Law he gave to Moses and the people—even one failure, in one area, is sufficient to disqualify us from our heavenly reward.
Fortunately, Jesus came to show us another way, something anyone can do. It’s simple. All we need to do is put our faith in him (Ephesians 2:8–9).
What examples from Moses’s life should we aspire to? How can we have a close, intimate relationship with God just like Moses?
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.
Jacob’s eleven sons and daughter Dinah are all born while he works for his uncle Laban. After twenty years, God sends Jacob and his family back to Canaan. This is where Jacob’s twelfth and final son, Benjamin, is born.
His arrival marks a bittersweet moment, however, for Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel dies during childbirth. In this one moment he gains a son and loses a wife.
This means Benjamin grows up without a mom. Though he effectively has three stepmothers, Scripture doesn’t say if any of them attempt to mother him. Bilhah, as Rachel’s handmaid, would be the logical choice, continuing to serve her mistress even after her death.
But we don’t know if she assumes this role or not. Though we can surmise that all three women care for Benjamin’s physical needs, we don’t know if anyone tries to fill the supportive role of mother.
Though Rachel is gone, sons Joseph and Benjamin live on, embodying her memory to their father. When Joseph’s brothers sell Joseph as a slave and convince Jacob he is dead, Jacob coddles Benjamin even more, as the last living connection to Rachel’s memory.
Given this, it’s understandable that Jacob objects when the Egyptian ruler (later revealed as Joseph) insists the brothers bring Benjamin to Egypt. Nonetheless, Jacob eventually relents, knowing a return trip is necessary to secure the food they need to survive.
Although the Bible tells us much about the older brother, Joseph, it reveals little about the younger brother, Benjamin.
There are, however, three notable people in Scripture who are Benjamin’s descendants. One is King Saul, Israel’s first ruler (1 Samuel 9:1, 16). The others are Mordecai and Esther, also known as Hadassah, who becomes queen (Esther 2:5–17). We’ll cover all three in upcoming chapters.
If we’re the youngest or ever consider ourselves to be the least, are we willing to let God’s perspective inform our self-image? What role does God want us to play in our family?
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.
We’ve already encountered a bit about Joseph in previous chapters. Joseph is Jacob’s eleventh son and Rachel’s first. Since Rachel is Jacob’s favorite wife, it shouldn’t surprise us that her firstborn, Joseph, becomes Jacob’s favorite son.
Jacob gives Joseph a brightly-colored coat, which sets him apart from his brothers. He has a dream about his family bowing down to him, which irritates his brothers even more.
Later, Jacob sends Joseph out to check up on his older brothers as they tend to the flocks. They decide to kill him, but Reuben talks them out of it.
They throw Joseph into a pit instead, and Reuben secretly plans to rescue him. But before he can, the other brothers sell Joseph as a slave to make some extra money.
Then they fabricate evidence to suggest that wild animals killed Joseph. Jacob mourns the apparent death of his favorite son, and his brothers forget about him—for the most part.
Fast-forward two decades, and we see Joseph’s brothers bowing before a ruler in Egypt as they seek to buy grain so they won’t starve. They don’t know they’re bowing before Joseph, just like his dream foresaw.
Eventually he reveals himself to them and they reconcile. Then Joseph sends for his entire family to come live in Egypt.
Between these two events in Joseph’s life, however, he undergoes difficulties and suffers greatly. Here’s a synopsis:
First, the slave traders sell him to Potiphar. Joseph conducts himself well, and Potiphar’s household prospers under Joseph’s direction. But Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph. He resists but ends up in prison in spite of his integrity.
There Joseph finds favor with the warden, who puts him in charge of the other prisoners. While incarcerated, Joseph correctly interprets the dreams of two fellow prisoners.
As predicted, one is executed and the other freed. Joseph requests that the released prisoner ask Pharaoh to free him. The man doesn’t.
But when Pharaoh has a troubling dream, the man remembers Joseph. Joseph interprets the dream and offers wise advice on how to prepare for an upcoming seven-year famine.
In the end, Pharaoh honors Joseph’s wisdom by putting him in charge and gives Joseph an Egyptian wife. They have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Unlike his brothers, Joseph doesn’t have a tribe named after him. Instead, there are two: the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim.
Do we act like Joseph and hold onto our integrity even if we might face punishment? Regardless of our circumstances, do we always do our best work?
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.
After Issachar comes Zebulun. If you’re keeping track, Zebulun is Jacob’s tenth boy and Leah’s sixth. If we speculated that Issachar received little attention in his large family, it may be even more true for young Zebulun.
However, Zebulun is Leah’s last son. She may treat him as her baby, regardless of how old he becomes.
Just like his older brother, Gad, Zebulun’s name does come up again in the Bible in the mention of one of his descendants.
Fast forward to the book of Judges. One of the nation’s judges is Elon. He comes from the tribe of Zebulun, a direct descendant of Zebulun. Elon leads the nation for a decade.
If we are the youngest or feel like the least in our family (or work or church), have we ever considered how God views us? Do we derive our value from our position in the world or from our right standing with God?
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.
Issachar is Jacob’s ninth son and Leah’s fifth. That’s all Scripture tells us about him. But we can imagine what his life might be like.
With eight older brothers—four full brothers and four half-brothers—Issachar arrives to a packed household. We can suspect he receives little attention.
It’s easy to see him getting lost.
Issachar does nothing—good or bad—to record for us in Scripture. I’m not sure if we should be relieved or disappointed.
Yet he is one of Jacob’s sons, and his descendants become one of Israel’s twelve tribes.
How has our birth order affected the attention we receive and how we view ourselves? What should we accept about our circumstances and what should we seek to rise above?
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.
Leah, having four sons of her own and a fifth through her maidservant, Zilpah, isn’t satisfied by claiming five sons to her sister’s one (who came through Rachel’s maidservant).
Leah again gives Zilpah to Jacob to sleep with. Zilpah conceives and gives birth to her second son. Leah says his birth makes her happy. This totals eight boys for Jacob so far.
Like the other three surrogate sons (Dan, Naphtali, and Gad), Scripture tells us little more about Asher, except for one indirect mention in the New Testament.
After Jesus is born, his parents take him to the temple when he is eight days old. There they meet a prophetess named Anna. An eighty-four-year-old widow, Anna spends much of her time in the temple worshiping, fasting, and praying.
She approaches Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus, giving thanks to God for this child who will fulfill the words of the prophets.
Why do we mention Anna in the story about Asher? She’s his descendant, a member of his tribe. It’s only an estimate, but Anna comes about forty generations after Asher.
This serves as a reminder that we don’t know what our future generations may do. They may take noteworthy, God-honoring actions. Or they may not do so well.
Though we can’t directly influence what our unknown offspring may or may not do, we can pray for future generations, even though we’ll be gone before they arrive. This is hard to do, but it is possible.
More tangibly, we can point our family in the right direction by doing all we can to raise them well, so that they might one day put their faith in Jesus and serve him.
The rest, we’ll leave up to God.
How well do we do at praying for our family? What about praying for the descendants who will follow us after we’re gone?
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.
As we’ve already covered, after Naphtali is born Rachel proclaims that his birth gives her victory over her sister, Leah.
Leah, however, doesn’t accept this without a fight. She stoops to her sister’s tactics and has Jacob sleep with her handmaid, Zilpah. As a result of this ill-advised union, Gad enters the world. He is Jacob’s seventh son and Zilpah’s first child.
If things weren’t confusing enough already, Gad’s arrival makes it even more so.
He has six brothers, all half-brothers. Four are from his mother’s mistress, Leah. And two are from his mother’s counterpart, Bilhah, who is Rachel’s servant. This makes one dad, three moms, and seven boys. In case you don’t already know, it’s going to get even more convoluted.
As with Dan and Naphtali, the birth mother doesn’t get to name her son.
Being the surrogate child bearer, Zilpah has no say in the matter. Instead, her mistress, Leah, names him, proclaiming her good fortune for his birth. To Leah, Gad represents a competition, with his arrival allowing her to outdo her sister in their misguided rivalry.
The Bible tells us nothing more about Gad. It’s easy to dismiss him as a product of two sisters trying to upstage each other. Yet God recognizes his value. Gad takes his place among Jacob’s other sons and his offspring become a tribe of Israel.
How do we react when people dismiss us? Do we think God values us regardless of what other people say or do?
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.
