We hope you enjoy this re-post from January 30, 2015. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. – Genesis 49:4, KJV

Reuben was Jacob’s (Israel’s) firstborn son, but he was neither preeminent in the family nor preeminent in the history of the nation of Israel. Why is that? Why was the firstborn – the one who normally, in Old Testament times, took the mantle of leadership and heritage for the family – among the least of all of his brethren? Jacob tells us in Genesis 49:4. As the Amplified Bible reads:

But unstable and boiling over like water, you shall not excel and have the preeminence [of the firstborn], because you went to your father’s bed; you defiled it—he went to my couch!

Reuben was a man of moral instability. He was not a diabolically evil man, but he had a tendency to be inconsistent in making good, moral decisions. Whereas, to his credit, he attempted to rescue his brother Joseph from the jealous hatred of the other brothers, he, to his discredit, followed lust rather than restraint when it came to committing immorality with his father’s concubine. Jacob recognized that his son had a tendency to give in to lust, which is why he called Reuben “pachaz” (pronounced pakh’- az, translated “unstable”), which means “recklessness, wantonness, unbridled license, frothiness.” The idea of “frothiness” is perhaps the most interesting meaning of “pachaz,” for it refers to the bubbles that form in or on a liquid – like the frothy milk one places in a cup of cappuccino. Froth, of course, is something that is appealing but that has no serious value or interest. Such is the person who, like Reuben, is ruled by his or her passions.

If you desire to be excellent in this life, then understand that you will need to reign in your desires. Being reckless (not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions), wanton (not limited or controlled), and unbridled (not controlled or limited : done, felt, or expressed in a free and uncontrolled way) leads to a frothy existence without substance or impact. If one of the very sons of Israel couldn’t escape this truth, you can bet that neither can you nor I.