Brothers of the Bible

I like to look to the Bible for wisdom on how to live. Stories include real-life events about other people and how they struggled in their quest for God. They lived much different than we do - geography, social norms, traditions and time period were all very different than what we're used to - but as you strip those details away, we do have a lot in common.

When I was pregnant with the boys, I began to look through the Bible for stories on about brothers. Let me tell you, though, my findings were not very encouraging.

Take the first two brothers of the Bible: Cain and Abel (Genesis 4,) sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was jealous of the offering Abel had given to the Lord and so he killed him. So much for brotherly love. Only four people on Earth and Cain decreases the population by twenty-five percent! Geez.

Onto twins, Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25.) Again, not very encouraging. These twin boys were born to Isaac and Rebekah, who was quite old and had been told she could not have children. Isaac favored Esau, the oldest of the two and an avid hunter, while Rebekah favored Jacob, who was "a quiet man and stayed among the tents." Jacob tricked Esau into giving him the birthright over a hot bowl of stew and then his mom assisted him in tricking his father into giving him the blessing! His own mother! Another reason not to play favorites.

Jacob grew up and had twelve sons, the youngest being Joseph (Genesis 37.) Now, you'd think that Jacob would have learned his lesson about not playing favorites, but apparently, he didn't learn a thing. Jacob gave his favorite son a beautiful robe, making his other eleven sons burn with envy. When Joseph started bragging about the dreams he was having, including one where his entire family would someday bow down to him, it was the last straw for the jealous brothers. Rather than killing him, they decided to make a buck and sell him as a slave. Now, God ended up using this story for good... Joseph was sold to one of Pharaoh's officials, was sent to prison for being falsely accused of making a pass at his wife, and was then celebrated throughout Egypt when he correctly interpreted Pharaoh's dream! He eventually forgave his brothers for their dirty deed, though they were still shocked that their brother had actually survived! Again. God used it for good, but it certainly doesn't paint a rosey picture of brotherhood.

Probably the most encouraging example I can think of is of Moses and Aaron (Exodus 4.) God had chosen Moses to free the Israelites being kept as slaves in Egypt. Moses, of course, did not want to go and came up with every excuse possible... they won't pay attention to me, they won't believe me, I don't talk well... but none of his excuses were faring well against God Almighty. Finally, God suggested that Moses take his brother Aaron who would do all the talking. Out of excuses, Moses gave in and with God's help, freed the Israelites from the mighty and oppressing hand of Pharaoh. The Lord used their individual gifts to serve eachother and ultimately, other people, too.

I think one of the biggest differences within each of these stories is parenting. How will we guide our sons toward success and away from evil? How will we encourage them to make good choices, support their brother in his endevours and back him up when the need arises?

I don't necessarily know the answers to these questions, but I do know Who holds the answers.

The Creator of the Universe.

The loving Father who created my boys and knit them together in my womb.

The One with a plan, a good plan that will guide them toward success.

This is the God that has never let me down.

I pray that He will help me in teaching my boys these stories so that one day, they will live by their truths and learn to follow in their Heavenly Father's footsteps. After all, the alternative is not so pretty :)