Saturday, 1 September 2012

Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. – Deuteronomy 2:5


Today’s Scripture Reading (September 1, 2012): Deuteronomy 2

Sibling relationships can be tough. Growing up close to each other and competing for family honor can leave a lasting scar on relationships. A number of years ago I had the privilege of being friends with five brothers. Every single one of them had great attributes and I loved to spend time with all of them. But the problem was that none of them liked to spend time with each other. They had competed within the family unit for so long that they had just lost sight of how great each one of them was. It was never a message that they would listen to from me, but my hope is that as they grow older, they will rediscover each other.

Jacob and Esau had turbulent life together. They had competed for the affections of their parents and had achieved a split decision – Jacob winning the battle with mom while Esau won the battle with Dad. Jacob had run from his brother and feared for his life. Later in life, the brothers did reconcile, but they had missed so much of each other’s lives – and maybe even had lost what was special about the other. But they did reconcile.

Malachi says that God hated Esau, but that was probably a reaction to faithlessness of Edom (the descendants of Esau) in later days. For now, God seemed to want to protect the reconciled relationship between the descendants of the two brothers.

Family and commitment is important to God. He has placed us in family units for support and encouragement. It is possible that my view on sibling relationships is influenced by the great relationship I have with my sister, but it is a relationship that I wish every brother and sister could enjoy. Where ever your siblings are, they are important enough to protect the relationship that you have with them. Family is more important than we often realize. And it was given to us by the God who created us. 
  
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 3

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