What Goes Around Comes Around

One of the great principles we find in the Text, the Bible, is “What goes around comes around” or “You reap what you sow.”  In Hebrew, the sages render those pithy expressions of old, as Midah keneged midah (mee-dah keh-neh-gehd mee-dah), “Measure for measure.”

We were reminded of this principle while reading Genesis 41-44, and earlier, in Genesis 38, and, Genesis 29.  

Genesis 41-44 is the “rest of the story” of Joseph, the second youngest son of Israel (Jacob), and Joseph’s ten older brothers.  In earlier portions of the story (Genesis 37), we read that Joseph’s ten older brothers had enough of Joseph’s dreams of them bowing down to him, of his multicolored coat, and of the “bad reports” he gave their father Jacob, about them. They imprisoned him in an empty cistern, a pit.  They originally intended to kill him, but the oldest brother Reuben convinced them to put Joseph in a pit.   Judah, another brother, convinced the others that rather than kill him, it would be better to sell Joseph as a slave to Ishmaelite traders traveling on their way down to Egypt.

Joseph was “lucky,” well, actually, the LORD was with him.  The Ishmaelite traders sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.  Joseph served in Potiphar’s house until Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him and then falsely accused him of attempted seduction when he rebuffed her.  Joseph once again found himself imprisoned in a pit, a dungeon 

Now, as the “rest of the story” unfolds, Joseph has been elevated to the second highest position in Egypt through God’s Hand, and, God's Gift to him - the ability to interpret dreams, especially Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 39:21-41:45).  Just as God gave Joseph the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, there were seven years of abundant crops of grain and grain from each year was stored up. The second half of Pharaoh’s dreams play out, just as Joseph interpreted:  there was famine in Egypt and in all the surrounding lands, including Canaan, where Jacob and his family lived.  Jacob sends Joseph’s ten older brothers down to Egypt, the only place to buy grain.  They come and bow down before the overseer selling and distributing stored grain.  The older brothers don’t recognize their younger brother Joseph, the overseer, as they bow down to him.

Joseph accuses his older brothers of being spies.  The brothers find themselves imprisoned - in a pit, a dungeon.  They say to each other, “We’re truly guilty for our brother.  We saw the distress of his soul when he begged us for mercy, but we didn’t listen.  That’s why this distress has come to us.” (Genesis 42:21). 

What are the brothers experiencing?  What goes around comes around - You reap what you sow.  Midah keneged midah: they experienced “Measure for measure.”

We saw this twice before:  

First, on Jacob’s wedding night, his uncle, Laban, switches his older daughter, Leah, for his younger daughter, Rachel.  Jacob loved Rachel and thought he was taking Rachel as his wife (Genesis 29).  What did Jacob do earlier, with the help of his mother?  He deceitfully switched places with his older brother Esau, to receive the Blessing of the firstborn from their father, Isaac (Genesis 27).

Jacob experienced Midah keneged midah - “Measure for measure.”

We saw this again when Judah, Jacob’s forth son, and in the lineage of the Messiah, is about to kill his daughter-in-law, Tamar.  She is pregnant, accused of prostituting herself. She shows Judah the signet ring, the staff, and the cord he gave the “temple prostitute” in return for sleeping with him (read the whole story in Genesis 38!)  Tamar asks the question, “Do you recognize these?”

This whole interlude seems out of place, tucked between Joseph being sold to Potiphar, and Joseph in Potiphar’s house.  But, what did Judah and his brothers ask their father earlier?  After selling Joseph to the Ishmaelite traders and smearing goat’s blood on his multicolored coat, Judah and the other nine brothers bring Joseph’s coat to their father, Jacob; They ask, “Do you recognize this?”

What goes around comes around - You reap what you sow.  Midah keneged midah; Judah experienced “Measure for measure.” The Judah-Tamar story couldn’t be put off - it’s too important!

Examine Exodus 22:22-24, Judges 1:5-7, Obadiah 1:15.  Do you see “Measure for measure” being applied here?  Do you see other places in the TaNaK¹, the Hebrew Bible, your Old Testament, where “Measure for measure” stands out?  They’re there!

Does Midah keneged midah - “Measure for measure” continue in the Brit Chadashah, your New Testament?  Oh yes!  We find it first, in the Gospels

In Matthew 6:12 Jesus says, “. . And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”  Jesus is teaching - “Measure for measure.”  To make it even more plain, read what He says in Matthew 6:14-15.

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus again makes the principle, “Measure for Measure,” clear, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.”  Unfortunately this often gets misapplied as “You better not judge anyone!” or “You can’t judge others!” because the next words Jesus says are skipped.  And what are those next words?  “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you,” (Matthew 7:2).  Don’t judge?  We do it all the time.  And it’s not a bad thing.  Don’t forget though; “Measure for Measure”/”What goes around comes around”!

When we are gracious to others, God is gracious to us.  When we bless others, God blesses us.  Peter affirms as he writes to believers in the northern provinces of Asia Minor.  “. . . Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. . .” (1 Peter 3:8-12)  

Can we always tell what was sown by only focusing on what was reaped?  We need a note of caution here: we can’t apply this recklessly.  We often want to, but we can’t.  Jesus says, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)  We would be so wrong to assume that if someone died violently, they lived violently - If they died by the sword, they must have lived by the sword.  In Jesus’ time, people believed that sickness or tragedy was the result of wrongdoing.  (John 9:2-3)  Jesus cautions His listeners about assuming the precondition of an outcome.  He tells of two events that ended in tragedy, but those involved were no more sinful or guilty than anyone else around. (Luke 13:1-5),

We’ve covered a lot about Midah keneged midah - “Measure for measure.”  There’s much more in the Text!

So what can we learn from this principle, “Measure for measure?”  More importantly, what do we do about it?  What’s our best course of action, as we explore more?  Hillel, a great rabbi whose life spanned through the years of Jesus’ childhood, put it this way, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”²     

Jesus says it this way, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you.  This is the meaning of the law (Torah) of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)  He expands on it in Matthew 22:37-40, “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor who is like you.’ On these two commandments depend all the Torah and the prophets.”

Let’s go - and learn- and do - the same!

Shalom Uvrakhah* (Peace and Blessing)

*Shah-lom Oov-rah-khah

“kh” is a distinct sound.  Imagine the sound of forcing phlegm from your throat.

¹ An acronym from the letters T-N-K for the three components of the Hebrew Bible: Torah – Instructions, Teaching, The Books of Moses; Nevi'im – Prophets; and Ketuvim – Writings, which include Psalms, Lamentations, Chronicles, etc.

² Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a. One of two volumes of commentary on the Mishnah.  Babylon Talmud completed  ~ AD 500.  
  Mishnah is the collection of rabbinic rulings and sayings compiled and committed to writing  ~ AD 200.  A recording of the sayings of teachers who lived and taught during the previous 400 years, both before and after the time of Jesus.