[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during January 2021]
I have never had the experience of having an older brother but I understand that it can be very reassuring to have someone stronger and possibly wiser on hand when trouble comes along.
The Bible has a lot say about brothers. We see Aaron, who was the spokesman for his brother Moses. We see Hanani and Nehemiah, who worked together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. We see James and John, and Peter and Andrew, two pairs of brothers who were partners in business and partners in becoming disciples of Jesus. However the Bible contains rather too many examples of older brothers not living up to this ideal.
Maybe that is why Job lamented:
“But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow.”
[Job 6 v15 NIVUK]
Abel suffered at the hand of Cain, Isaac was pestered by his half-brother Ishmael, Jacob lived in fear of Esau. These were two-boy households; image how much worse it must be if there are more of them!
Big bother indeed.
Joseph had ten older brothers and his attempts to act all-superior soon landed him in trouble. His brothers got so fed up with him that they sold him into slavery and concocted a story about his death. Little did they realise that some 20 years later they would be asking him to save their lives.
David had seven older brothers and he was so far down the pecking order that his father didn’t even invite him to a family celebration. He was scorned by his brothers but I suspect that they soon changed their tune when he became king. Later he wrote:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”
[Psalm 133 v1 AMP]
Was that a lament for his own boyhood experience or exasperation at the behaviour of his own sons whose lack of brotherly love extended to intrigue and fratricide?
In many of the New Testament letters the use of ‘brothers’ is expanded to include all those who are members of the church, both male and female. Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica:
“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.” [1 Thessalonians 4 v9 NKJV]
Many people have spoken of how they have found friendship and support at HBC. Let us not be complacent but rather be encouraged to continue to show God’s love to visitors and regulars alike.
Clip from John Tenniel’s illustration of Tweedledum and Tweedledee (1871, PD)
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
