Control: Genesis 35:22
God, in His wisdom, allows us to navigate past the ploys of the world as we put our trust in Him. He is in control, but the world would like to wrestle control from Him. He is the gracious source of all we have, and the world would like to take it from us. He watches out for us and guides us in the paths of His righteousness.
It may feel strange to take an entire day and focus on this single verse in Genesis. Reuben goes to his father’s concubine Bilhah and has sex with her. It’s an icky verse. Furthermore, it is a single verse in this chapter. Why give this verse such attention?
The Bible could have skipped it entirely. Deleting this single verse wouldn’t have changed much in the chapter. In fact, it might make this chapter more pleasant to read. It certainly would allow the flow to go from the death of Rachel to Jacob and his sons more easily. The inclusion of this verse in the Bible tells us something significant is happening.
When Reuben goes to Bilhah, he makes a statement. Look at the timing. Jacob is weak from grief of Rachel’s death. Jacob was preoccupied with Benjamin, the birth that caused Rachel’s death. If Reuben was ever going make a statement, this was the best time to do it.
This goes back to the importance of Jacob moving past his grief. Jacob’s grief is natural. It is also natural for the world to take advantage of a grieving person. When we dwell in grief and fail to move along, we create blind spots in our life for the world to exploit. Reuben seizes the opportunity and makes his move.
Look at the circumstances of the event. Reuben is certainly not going to go have sex with his mother, Leah. He would likely not choose Zilpah, for that was Leah’s maid. Instead, he chooses Bilhah, who was Rachel’s maid and Rachel is not there to protect her.
Reuben is acting like an animal. In the animal kingdom, it is not uncommon for a male, when taking over control of a herd or pack of females, to assert his dominance by mating with the females as a sign of control. By having sex with Bilhah, he is attempting to usurp his father’s control of the family and directly challenging Jacob for control over the family. Reuben doesn’t want to wait for Jacob to die, Reuben wants control now.
This verse about Reuben’s choice to have sex with Bilhah has much more depth than appears on the surface. This is about control and power and possessions. Plenty of people in the world are willing to take what we have and use any leverage they can to take what they want. God, in His wisdom, allows us to navigate past the ploys of the world as we put our trust in Him.
