RUIN OF REUBEN

“Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel - he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright” (1 Chron. 5:1 NKJV).

This verse starts out to give Reuben’s genealogy but then gives a parenthetical note which explains why his genealogy is not given the honor it normally would have been given. To further examine this instructive verse, we want to note the privilege of Reuben, the pollution of Reuben, and the punishment for Reuben.

Privilege of Reuben - “Firstborn of Israel.” Reuben was Israel’s (Jacob’s) first born. Thus he had two great blessings coming to him – first, the double portion blessing which gave him a double portion of the will compared to the other sons. Secondly, the Divine blessing which meant the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come from his line. However, with great privileges comes great responsibilities and Reuben failed miserably.

Pollution of Reuben – “Defiled his father’s bed.” Reuben had sexual relations with Bilhah, one of his father’s wives (Gen. 35:22). The Lord said this action by Reuben “defiled his father’s bed.” The world may call immorality by deceptively nice names, but God says it nothing but immoral behavior. It is not free love but filthy lust. All immorality pollutes and stains the participants terribly.

Punishment for Reuben – “His birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the sons of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright.” Reuben’s immorality cost him severely; it cost him his birthright. His brother Joseph got the double portion part and another brother, Judah, got the Divine blessing. Reuben’s immoral behavior cut him out of great Divine blessing. Immorality always cuts one out of Divine blessing. Today, we are not in the habit of condemning immorality. Hollywood and Playboy morals characterize much of our land including high officials in our government. But this does not change God’s reaction to it. Immorality may be popular in our day but it still takes away Divine blessing.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Righteousness in your heart produces beauty in your character!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Detestable

In Titus 1:16 we read, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed!” (NKJV)

Detestable is the Greek word bdekluktos (βδελυκτός = bdel-ook-tos'). It means detestable, idolatrous, abominable and abhorrent. This word referred to heathen idols and images and so describes that which is an abomination to God. Thus the deeds of these ‘professors’ are a stench in the nostrils of God and cause Him disgust! What a horrible thought. And they don’t even see it because of their self-deception! God abhors their deeds and finds them abominable.

In the Septuagint, bdekluktos is used several times to describe heathen idols and images. In the New Testament, the word is used by the Lord Jesus in Matt. 24:15 to describe the Antichrist. Further, in Rev. 21:27, John records that nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination shall ever enter Heaven – “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life” (NKJV).

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – That He would He would heal many (Isa. 53:4)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 8:16-17

Bible Facts

Our bodies are made from the dust of the ground (Gen. 2:7; 3:19). Scientists have discovered that the human body is comprised of some 28 base and trace elements - all of which are found in the earth.

Bible Quiz

Jesus demonstrated that He was truly alive after His resurrection by many infallible proofs for how many days before his ascension?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Were ceremonially unclean people allowed to eat the Passover? Yes, always (Num. 9:10)

That’s in the Bible

"Wash your hand of something”

“When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it” (Rom. 6:23 NKJV).

The phrase ‘washing your hands’ of a matter says that you are no longer taking any responsibility for the situation and are pronouncing yourself clear of any accountability to it. Pilate refused to take part in sending Jesus to the cross. However, under immense pressure to allow Jesus to be crucified, he reluctantly turned Jesus over to the multitudes who crucified Him anyway. Refusing to make a decision about Jesus occurs on the individual level as well, but washing our hands of the Lord doesn’t exonerate us. In Matt. 12:30 the Lord Jesus emphatically declares, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (NKJV).

Did You Know – Christian History

As a young Catholic priest in Germany late in the 1790s, John Gossner longed for a Christianity that would make him alive. After studying the words of John Michael Sailer and Martin Boos, his heart was warmed as no other religious teaching had. This led him to write that no one cannot inherit salvation by birth in a Christian family or a Christian education. Faith must come from God. The natural birth is a natural birth. A new birth is needed, a life from above.

He then began to teach others what he had learned. By 1802, his earnest endeavors to show people that they could have new spiritual life directly from God (rather than through the agency of priests and the church) landed him in hot water with his denomination. The Jesuits brought him into a church court. Still unsure of how to reconcile evangelical thought with traditional Catholic teaching, John agreed to toe his church’s line.

Because of his gift for speaking, he was soon packing assembly halls. His reputation led to a pastorate in Russia from 1820-1824. When the church could not hold all the folks, he invited sincere seekers to his apartment. When that could not hold everyone, he rented assembly halls. This proved so successful that Russia’s Orthodox leaders grew alarmed and Gossner was eventually expelled from Russia. In spite of Gossner’s expulsion, the evangelical seed had been planted. It spread into neighboring Estonia and Finland, and was strong in St. Petersburg two generations later.

When John returned to Germany, the Catholic Church also expelled him. He became a Lutheran and pastored Berlin’s Bethlehem church. There he continued his successful work, leading large numbers of people to seek a deeper Christian life. He created kindergarten schools, founded a hospital, and started the mission organization which bears his name. John Gossner died in Berlin on March 20, 1858. His mission work lives on, having converted hundreds of thousands to Christ in India.

A Little Humor

A three-year-old put his shoes on by himself. His mother noticed the left was on the right foot. She said, “Son, your shoes are on the wrong feet.” He looked up at her with a raised brow and said, “Don’t kid me, Mom. I know they’re my feet.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“You can choose your sin, but you can’t choose the consequences!”