What about us? If somebody does something which is conspicuously wrong in the church, do we tut and look on with dismay? What about our example? How might it have contributed? Have we been spiritually careless, setting a poor example in the church. Jacob’s sons were guilty of terrible hypocrisy. As a result of their murderous rampage, the witness of the family was lost. They had little faith; they had idols in the home, and yet God restored them if they repented and threw away the idols, changed their clothing and got rid of those things they would renew their vows and build their memorials and serve him and continue on.
There are pastoral lessons of extraordinary weight through all these chapters. You look at the Bible and you look at these ancient narratives, and you realise there is no literature like this in all world. They have been so carefully constructed and they give rise to so many rich parallels concerning conduct, and faith, and waywardness. So many encouragements and reproofs are contained in this remarkable literature. There is nothing like the word of God.