We are in chapter 43 of Genesis with our word for today. שָׁכֹל become childless, be deprived of children, cause or sustain an abortion, prove barren, fruitless, be bereaved. It is used 23 times in the Old Testament. A good example of this word is the first time it is used in the Bible by Rebekah when Esau wanted to kill Jacob. Genesis 27:43-45 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be אֶשְׁכַּ֛ל bereft of you both in one day? This is how our word is used in our chapter today. Genesis 43:14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am שָׁכֹ֖לְתִּי bereaved of my children, I am שָׁכָֽלְתִּי bereaved.” We see our word also used in the previous chapter when Jacob finds out that Simeon was left in Egypt to prove they were not spies. They didn’t know it at the time but it was Joseph who was orchestrating all of this. Genesis 42:36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have שִׁכַּלְתֶּ֑ם bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.
Losing family member is a very painful experience. But even in this fallen messed up world that has become corrupted God can heal us and move us to gladness. We can experience sadness that will lead us to acceptance. And loneliness that can lead us to intimacy. Ultimately God moves our hearts through the pain of loss to gladness if we allow ourselves to feel the loss and trust God with our emotions. Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. In this process we experience God becoming our family. Psalm 68:5-6 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. And not only is God there for us but he has also set up the church which becomes our family. James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. I’ll close with this beautiful picture of the church which most people only think this part of the Bible is for weddings. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
