Bible Study Lessons from Genesis 35:16-29
Did He Get Away with It? The Bible study lesson for today is about how the sin of Reuben came back to haunt him after many years had passed.
This is always the hardest part of being a Christian – dealing with our shortcomings.
We most likely will never commit acts as extreme as Reuben but God sees sin as sin.
He didn’t get away with it – and neither do we.
Reuben Sleeps with Bilhah – The Sin of Reuben
It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. – Genesis 35:22 NASB
The Things We Do
As we see in these Genesis verses, Reuben did not see the consequence of his sin and, as far as he was concerned, the deed was done and forgotten. It is only mentioned casually here.
But, when Jacob (Israel) called all his sons to him on his death bed, the sin once again raised its ugly head.
Reuben and the Customs of Israel
As the first born son, Reuben stood to inherit a double portion of the inheritance and he was to be a leader among his people.
Sin Always Comes Back
The sin of sleeping with Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah came back to haunt Reuben when Jacob later gave his double portion to someone else because of that one mistake.
The same is true of our sins. When we do something that displeases God, there is a good chance it also affects other people.
It might not be clear today, or even next year, but at some point down the road it will surface.
A Lesson Learned from Reuben’s Sin
I pray that we can learn a lesson from Reuben’s behavior to use in our lives.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we will never sin (we always will).
But, maybe we can take a moment of pause to think about the consequences of our actions before we decide to do things that might harm others.
As Christians we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through temptation.
He will let us know every time we cross the line. But, we have to listen.
Forgiveness
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”1455511420″ locale=”US” src=”https://makingchristknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/51QPUtuOS4L.SL160.jpg” tag=”bobpardphot-20″ width=”106″]The difference between Reuben and ourselves is that we have Christ to forgive us when we fall.
Does that mean we should just sin without end? No, it doesn’t.
Remember, when we decide to willfully sin, we choose to hurt other people; and God.
I’ll leave you today with verse 13 of The Lord’s Prayer;
“..And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..“
Love in Christ
– Bob
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