Ruben is the 1st and eldest of the 12 tribes of Israel. He is the son of Jacob and Leah. As the eldest son, he was entitled to the birthright inheritance of Jacob. However, we learn in Genesis 35:2 that Ruben had an affair with Billhah, the concubine, or secondary wife of his aunt Rachel. I mention this, because like you and me, Ruben is a complicated person. His relationship with Billhah was wrong and disrespectful of his father. But, at a critical moment in the life of Joseph, when his brothers make the decision to kill him because of their jealousy, it is the same Ruben who stands up for Joseph and convinces his brothers not to kill him. Today, I want to talk about what I call “the Ruben option.”
At a critical moment in the life of Joseph, when his very life hangs in the balance because of the bloodthirsty jealousy of his brothers, Ruben, the same Ruben who already had slept with his father’s wife, who was the mother of some of his brothers, this same Ruben expresses sensitivity and concern for his father’s feelings. The fear of Joseph was that the death of Joseph might emotionally kill his father.
Ruben is a complicated person, because his values are mixed up. He is more concerned about the feelings of his father for Joseph, the youngest son than he is for the feelings of his father because of the disrespect he showed to the father by sleeping with his wife.
Even so, at a critical point in the life of Joseph, when his brothers want to kill him, it is Ruben who intercedes and argues to save Joseph.
You and I, sometimes will find ourselves in the difficult position of going against the tide of public sentiment, because we believe that something is right or wrong. The lesson I take away from the Reuben story is that you and I must always not only know when to stand up and speak up for what is right, but actually to get involved and take a stand for what we believe in, even if we might get injured in the process.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have found today’s meditation about the conflicted life of Ruben to be meaningful. I also hope it will take time to to explore the various links on this page where are you can check out my prayers, videos, meditations and podcasts.
Blessings Nick