What does "Kenite" mean?
The most read post on this blog is about Arnold Murray's doctrine of the serpent seed. Since it gets so much traffic and venom (no pun intended), I thought it would be good to update it. Some of the links are no longer working, the youtube video mentioned in the comments has been removed, and Shepherd's Chapel has updated their website. By the way, it is hardly reasonable to call this a "bash on Arnold Murray site," since there are roughly 100 posts & only two (counting this one) discuss Murray.
There are many comments on the old post, but none actually addressed a question that I asked. What does "Kenite" mean? On his "Answer to Critics" page, Murray states:
What about the use of the word Kenites? It is a Hebrew word that has only one meaning, "sons of Cain."
Strong's Concordance and the Brown-Driver-Briggs’ lexicon do not give this definition. None of the commenters addressed this issue (other than Kendall Rycroft, who simply says that I am wrong), this is probably because they just pasted in comments they previously posted on a "I-know-Murray-is-right-because-I-can-look-up-words-in-Strong's-concordance-and-anyone-who-criticizes-him-is-Satan's-seed" forum (e.g., Bill). Strong's concordance is a valuable tool for Bible study, by the way, it is not my intent to disparage it. I plan on addressing its value in my upcoming post of Arnold Murray.
To help me with the next post, I would like to ask two questions for my commenters.
Genesis 49-Exodus 1: Jacob & Joseph’s Legacy
Chapter 49 is not a father’s blessing on his sons. Rather, it is a prophecy of what the sons could expect in the future because of their individual characters and the decisions they had made. Reuben was the lustful prodigal son, but Levi and Simeon were angry elder brothers. Judah would be the royal tribe, for the Messiah (Shiloh, “the peace-bringer”) would come from Judah. Joseph was the vine that went over the wall separating Jews and Gentiles. He was shot at by his brethren, which often happens to those who are especially blessed of God. But the Lord was with him, strengthened him, and extended his boundaries of blessing (Genesis 49:26). Joseph suffered, and his sons were blessed by God. Reuben sinned, and his sons lost the blessing of God.
Three burials are mentioned in the final chapter of Genesis, and each is significant. Burying a beloved father.
Genesis 46-48: Journey to Egypt
It would not be easy for Jacob, now 130 years old, to leave the land God gave him and go to Egypt. Moving to a new home is usually a difficult experience, and the older we are, the more difficult it is. Furthermore, Abraham got into trouble in Egypt (Genesis 12:10), and God had stopped Isaac from going there (Genesis 26:2).
But Jacob was able to go with confidence and peace because he was sure of God’s promise and presence (Genesis 46:1–4). In the crisis hours of life, God speaks to us and assures us when we take time to worship. Furthermore, Jacob knew that God had gone before him and that Joseph was there making everything ready for him. The future is your friend when Jesus is your Lord and you follow Him.
Egypt was a haven for Jacob and his family, and there God protected them and built of them a great people. But Jacob knew that Egypt was not his home, Canaan was; and he wanted to be buried there with the others who had made the same pilgrimage of faith. He was a testimony in life, and he wanted to be a testimony in death. Despite his mistakes and failures in life, Jacob ended well.
What should believers do for their family before God takes them in death? Just what Jacob did. He praised God for the past. He told his family what God had done for him and how God had blessed him. God had redeemed him and shepherded him all his life (Genesis 48:15–16).
Genesis 43-45: Repentance Proven
Joseph had to deal with his brothers patiently, honestly, and decisively, just the way the Lord works with us when we have tried to cover our sins. Joseph’s immediate goal was to get all eleven brothers to Egypt so they could bow before him and fulfill the dream God had given him more than twenty years before. His ultimate goal was to get them to confess their sins and be reconciled to him and Jacob. The men had to come to the place where their mouths were stopped (Genesis 44:16; Romans 3:19).
In a masterful way, Joseph wove these two purposes together as he spoke roughly to them, accused them of crimes, and insisted on their bringing Benjamin to Egypt. Outwardly, he was a stern ruler; but behind the scenes, he was a weeping brother.
When Joseph saw that his brothers’ hearts were humble, and when he heard them confess their sins, he knew it was safe to reveal his identity to them. Our Lord knows just how to work in our lives to bring us to submission. Joseph could have fed them and their father without going through this lengthy procedure, but it would only have further ruined their character.
Joseph explained to them that God had sent him before them to preserve the nation so that Israel could be a blessing to all the earth (Genesis 12:1–3). God’s providential purpose did not minimize their sins or negate their responsibility (Acts 2:23; Acts 3:13–18), but it did help to ease their fear and sorrow. Joseph further reassured them by givingthem rich gifts and promising to care for the whole family. The gifts he sent home helped to give Jacob the assurance he needed that Joseph indeed was alive.
Genesis 40-42: Tragedy to Triumph
God is with us as we wait. Joseph spent two difficult years working in the prison, but he held to his faith and did what he could to serve others. The experience helped to "put iron into his soul" (Psalm 105:17–22). If the Lord controls us, it makes little difference who commands us. The fact that Joseph could interpret the dreams of the baker and butler indicates that he understood the meaning of his own dreams. He knew that one day his eleven brothers would have to bow before him. What an encouragement that was to his faith!
Explanation. For two years, Joseph was forgotten by the chief butler, but he was not forgotten by the Lord. It is disappointing to depend on people, for often their help never comes (Psalm 60:11; Psalm 146:3). Speaking to the world’s greatest ruler, Joseph was careful to give all the glory to God (Genesis 41:16, 25, 28, 32).
Exaltation. God always exalts the humble "in due time" (1 Peter 5:6). Joseph started as a servant, but then God made him a ruler ( Matt. 25:21 ). He experienced suffering before God gave him glory (1 Peter 5:10). God invested thirteen years in making a man out of Joseph; when it comes to building character, God is never in a hurry.
Expectation. Joseph’s new name probably means “the one who furnishes nourishment to the land.” He married an Egyptian wife, and she bore him two sons who were given significant names: Manasseh (“one who forgets”) and Ephraim (“double fruit”). Joseph determined to forget the past and live for the future. In the Bible, forgetting means “not holding it against another.” Joseph certainly did not forget what his brothers did, but he did not hold it against them. Instead, he concentrated on living a fruitful life to the glory of God.
Genesis 37-39: Joseph, A Picture of Christ
The rest of Genesis will focus on the story of Joseph. As you read the life of Joseph, you see in him a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph was greatly loved by his father (Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17), hated and envied by his brothers (John 15:25; Mark 15:10), plotted against, sold as a slave, arrested unjustly, and made to suffer. But he went from suffering to glory and became the savior of the people who had rejected him.
Tamar’s purpose was good, but her plan was wicked. Leaving the signet and staff was like leaving fingerprints, because each man’s was distinctive. Judah was quick to condemn Tamar for sinning, but what about his own sins toward Joseph and Tamar? Why is this sordid chapter in the Bible? For one thing, we see the contrast between Judah’s sin and Joseph’s victory (Genesis 39), and we realize the importance of purity. But the main reason is to add another link in the Redeemer’s family tree (Genesis 38:29; Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:3). How gracious God is to mention a prostitute like Tamar in the genealogy of the Savior!
The key to Joseph’s conduct was his godly character, and the basis for that character was his recognition that he belonged to God and served Him (Genesis 39:9). "The LORD was with Joseph" is often repeated (Genesis 39:2, 3, 21, 23). The Lord is with us as we work, and we should do our work as unto Him (Ephesians 6:5–8). He is with us when we are tempted and will show us the way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must keep away from temptation (Romans 13:14); and if it gets too close, we must run away (2 Timothy 2:22). It is better to flee and lose your garment than fall and lose your character.
Genesis 34-36: Disgrace and A New Beginning
Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and lost his daughters, and Jacob moved too close to Shechem and lost Dinah. Why did Dinah go out? Ignorance? Defiance? Whatever the cause, the result was tragedy. Note the twofold attempt at deception in the aftermath: Simeon and Levi deceived Hamor, and Hamor thought he deceived them. Jacob’s sons had learned much from watching their father! When the men of the city were unable to fight, Simeon and Levi killed all the men and took everything for spoils. Sadly, in the end, Jacob was more concerned about his safety and his reputation than he was the character and conduct of his ruthless sons.
"And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother." At this call, Jacob decided it was time to clean up his act. The household is ordered to remove all their gods and cleanse themselves to worship the Lord. Three deaths are recorded in chapter 35, for death is one of the facts of life. Jacob’s obedience to God did not prevent him from experiencing trials. He lost a friend, Deborah; a favorite wife, Rachel; and then his beloved father. (In spite of what he said in Genesis 27:2, Isaac lived for forty-three years after that!) Perhaps the greatest sorrow of all was the sin of his firstborn son Reuben. Sin is expensive, and this one cost Reuben the birthright (Genesis 49:3–4; 1 Chronicles 5:1).
Genesis 31-33: Jacob (AKA Houdini)
Jacob again tries to do the right thing in the wrong way. This time it is his departure from Laban. He doesn't want to solve the problems with his father-in-law; he simply wants to escape them. The two men never did agree, and their problems were not solved. Instead, they declared a truce and made a pile of stones the boundary beyond which neither would pass. It was called “the heap of witness” to remind Jacob and Laban that God was watching both of them. (The word Mizpah means “watchtower.”) The two deceivers could only stop by saying they would not come near each other and by reminding themselves that God was watching their actions! How sad!
Genesis 32 still finds Jacob trying to escape - this time he is still trying to escape his brother Esau. If you don't deal with problems, they rarely just go away! They will be waiting for you when you come back. One minute Jacob prayed for God’s help, and the next minute he devised some new way to appease his angry brother. He reminded God of His great promises and then acted as though God had never spoken. This is the conduct of a believer who needed to be broken before God. He prayed to be delivered from Esau (Genesis 32:11), but his greatest need was to be delivered from himself. Jacob was broken to be healed and weakened to be strengthened. When he surrendered, he won and became a “prince with God.” His limp would be a constant reminder that God would be in control of his life.
In spite of God's hand obviously at work in the life of Jacob, he trusts to his old scheming to deal with Esau. We find Jacob bowing (Genesis 33:1–7), bribery (Genesis 33:8–11), outright lying (Genesis 33:12–16), and then moving off in another direction (Genesis 33:17–20). Esau went south and Jacob went east! It would still be some time before Jacob goes to Bethel where he needed to be...
Genesis 28-30: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
When Isaac realized that God had overruled his scheme to confer the God-ordained birthright of Jacob upon Esau, he "trembled very exceedingly" (Genesis 27:33). He called Jacob back and blessed him, charging him not to marry a Canaanite woman (Genesis 28:1-3). Esau was quick to blame Jacob for his trouble (Genesis 27:36). Esau is typical of sinners who irresponsibly blame someone else for their failures.
Jacob was literally between a rock and a hard place. He discovered that God was with him and working for him and had a perfect plan for his life. Jacob may have been separated from home, but he was not separated from heaven.
Jacob's family and fortune were built by the house of Laban. Laban tried to trick Jacob and make him poor, but God overruled and made Jacob a very wealthy man. In fact, God even blessed Laban because of Jacob, and the old trickster admitted it (Genesis 30:27)! It was God’s blessing and not Jacob’s schemes that increased the flocks. God was keeping the promises He had made at Bethel (Genesis 28:13–15). When we are in difficult situations, we can trust God to care for us.
Genesis 25-27: Sad Choices
The center of attention now shifts from Abraham to Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. For twenty years, they waited for a family that did not come. God blessed Isaac in everything but the thing he wanted most. He and Rebekah knew that God had promised descendants (Genesis 15:5), so Isaac laid hold of the promise and prayed. True prayer lays hold of God’s Word (John 15:7) and seeks to accomplish God’s purposes.
God gave them twin boys who were opposite each other in every way. He also gave them a revelation that the younger one, Jacob, would carry on the messianic line. For that reason, you would think that Isaac would have favored Jacob but the physical won over the spiritual. Esau pictures the man of the world who despises the eternal and lives for the temporal.
It was only a matter of time before the divided home would start to self-destruct, and it all began with Isaac. He knew that God had chosen Jacob, the younger son, to receive the blessing (Genesis 25:23–26); but he announced that he would give it to Esau. It seems that Isaac was more interested in his physical appetite than in spiritual things. He was not the spiritual person he once had been. Rebekah knew what God’s promise was to Jacob, and she should have let God work it out in His own way. "Faith is living without scheming," and who can hinder the Lord from accomplishing His purposes (Daniel 4:35)? Instead, she made her son a liar and deceived her husband. If Isaac had trusted the Lord instead of his physical senses (Genesis 27:21, 22, 25, 27), he would not have been fooled.Rebekah’s "a few days" (Genesis 27:44) became over twenty years! Despite all her scheming, she never saw her son on earth again.
About this site
Stuff I Like is Jack Lamb's personal blog to post about stuff he likes. Not everything he likes is here, but you will find a variety of posts about Scripture, ministry, technology, and whatever else he likes.
There's not alot of personal information here, but you can connect through Facebook if you need to know.
Today's Scripture Passage
Latest Comments
- SanAntonio Prayer Warrior on What does "Kenite" mean?
- Bill on What does "Kenite" mean?
- Bill on What does "Kenite" mean?
- Jack on Genesis 4-6: The Serpent Seed?
- Matt on Genesis 4-6: The Serpent Seed?
Tags
Links
- Amazon.com Wishlists
- Audio Bible
- Bible Web App
- ChristianPF.com
- Church Web Werx
- Great Bibles
- Logos Bible Software
- mint.com
- Old Christian Radio
- Precept Austin
- Scripture Truth Book Company
- What is Truth
- Wholesome Words
- Wordpress
