Reuben: Unstable as Water

Reuben is Jacob's first born, and he should have been the principal heir. But Reuben committed incest with his step-mother, Bilhah, the mother of his own half-brothers, Dan and Naphtali. At the time of his death, Jacob confronts Reuben, declaring him to be as unstable as water. That is the description of the double-minded man of James 1:6-8.

After the incident recorded in Genesis 35:22, Reuben's life is marked by the misery of someone who knows what is right and really wants to do it, but who fails to do it when he encounters real opposition. He is a man torn between two minds.

This legacy of indecision in the face of material desire is passed on to Reuben's descendants.

Reuben's indecision is a foreshadowing of the exuberant worshipers on Palm Sunday: they are shouting Hosanna on Sunday and by Friday they are joining with the crowd, screaming "Crucify Him!"

There is a bit of Reuben in all of us. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is completely reliable, completely stable. He is not like water; Christ is the solid Rock.