Day 15: Gen 43-45

It's not without a touch of irony, grim or humorous, that Joseph says this to his brothers: "Don't quarrel on the way!"

What an incredibly emotional story, culminating in much crying and weeping. Rather anti-thetical to the count of monte cristo which i just watched on tv (and still am quite fascinated by), where soul-corroding revenge is the order of the day. To me this passage speaks of forgiveness, the absence of bitterness. Seems to be the only appropriate way to respond to trials, to focus on God's plan. Must have been a bewildering few decades for Joseph (what an understatement). Why did God give me this dream and then have people hate me for it? Why am I being treated so unjustly? Why have I been forgotten? And then in one moment, just a regular day at work, distributing the grain, everything becomes clear when he sees his brothers face to face. I wonder what were the thoughts that ran through his mind, was there anger, vengenace, bitterness, even for a moment? I wonder how he felt as his brothers dawdled about returning to Egypt, it was apparently so long that they could have gone and come back twice. What did he do with Simeon during that time?

I guess things are best seen in retrospect. It sure took a long, painful journey to accomplish God's purposes. Do we point fingers too quickly? Do we expect immediate redemption? Do we shirk suffering? Yes to all, for me.

Bitterness and unforgiveness too.

Day 14: Gen 40-42

summary: cupbearer and baker dreams, interpreting pharaoh's dream and rising to prominence, family reunion

- joseph was really young! sold off at 17, a few years at Potiphar's, doing time, and then Pharaoh's right-hand man at 30.
- interpretation belongs to God. why do kings always have dreams that need interpreting? makes me mix up joseph and daniel.
- interesting how the "human resource" people were looking for someone "in whom is the spirit of God (or the gods)"
- i like how jacob tells his sons to get off their bums: "why do you keep just looking at each other?"
- they fail to recognize joseph, but they recognize their guilt and accept their punishment.
- heavy use of irony!
- Jacob's cry of "Everything is against me!". wow, how many times i've felt the same way... and yet God is behind the scenes, working His purpose. and it's silly really, he actually hasn't lost ANY of his sons!
- Reuben has the oldest child complex like me. Responsibility and duty-driven. He's even willing to stake his own 2 sons on it, can really see his guilt and how he's trying so hard to make good on the past mistakes.
- Jacob loved Rachel more, even values her children over the other children, and its so blatant.

Day 13: Gen 37-39

To summarise: jealousy, sex, sex.

37: Jealousy leads to murderous intent
38: Lust gives way to justice
39: Justice (seems to) give way to lust

- Jacob is favoured by Israel but hated by his brothers. Is it fair to draw the metaphor here that Christians are loved by God but hated by the world? Nah... i think that's stretching it a little.
- I thought chapter 38 was a bit out at first. Talking about Joseph, then suddenly sidetrack to Judah and Tamar and this odd bit about brothers taking on the widow so that there will be children, then back to Joseph again. Very bad scene editing it would seem. but then the "lust gives way to justice" and "justice gives way to lust" makes it sensible, at least to me.
- prostitution in the Bible! super drama, the Bible isn't boring or a storybook for kids. we all know the joseph story well, but this judah bit in-between the two segments is unknown, usually skipped over without a bat of an eyelid. we should not pick and choose what we like out of the Bible!
- what is it with twins? Perez and Zerah

Day 12: Gen 34-36

Summary:
Dinah raped, brothers avenge (deceit by circumcision). Family goes back to Bethel, buries old gods and old life. Repetition of Israel's new name, renewal of covenant. Rachel dies. Reuben sleeps with Bilhah. Jacob returns to Isaac, Isaac dies. Account of Esau and Edom.

- the compromise of intermarriage: Later on in the bible, God condemns and disallows intermarriage. but Jacob and family seem to agree to it here, even if deceitfully. In fact, i don't think God was pleased with the deception, its as though God's promise and covenant was used as an ruse or trick. Rather than be concerned about the deceit, or about the effect of becoming one people with the Shechemites, Jacob is concerned about attacks from the Canaanites and Perrizites. I found that rather odd. The concern proves completely unfounded anyway, as evidenced by gen 35:5 "Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them."
- Why are only Simeon and Levi involved in the raid on the Shechemites out of all the sons of Leah? (Reuben, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun)
- God asks Jacob to return to Bethel and build an altar there. Don't know why, but this causes him to start to purge foreign influences from his household. This seems like a markedly different response from the preceeding section. Why did he allow foreign gods in the first place? Harks back to Rachel stealing the household gods...
- Why does God remind Jacob of his new name? Why does the author of Genesis use the names interchangably even after the renaming?
- Examining God's promise (35:11-12)
And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."
The promise rests not on Jacob but on God Almighty. Be fruitful and increase: resonates with God's blessing on Adam. The promise of a royal lineage: where there already kingdoms in existence which Jacob could identify with? Continuing, passing down, line of descent.
- Rachel's death: not much said as compared to Sarah and Rebekah?
- Why does Jacob let Reuben go un-rebuked?
- Esau's line: there is no mention of "living by the sword" and "serving his brother" (Gen 27:40) Maybe not yet.

Day 11: Gen 31-33

Have not been keeping up with the readings =(
i was knocked out on the sofa on tues, managed to reach the bed on wed.
falling behind!

anyway, day 11's reading is very exciting!

Jacob has a dream about speckled goats and God reminds him of Bethel and the promises made, that He remembers Jacob. Jacob and co flee, Laban chases, and Rachel manages to get away with the household idols. Jacob fears meeting Esau, and tries to appease him, then he wrestles with God and gets a new name. Esau has only affection for his brother.

some questions/thoughts:
- God told Jacob to return at once, but He didn't say whether or not to let Laban know
- Throughout this whole passage, and including chapters before this, there seems to be a lack to judgement, like no pronouncements on the actions of the main characters, though there are obvious almost-caricatures of bad: Sodom, the people in Noah's time. Very neutral, esp evident in this case, neither Jacob nor Laban is necessarily the bad guy, depending on who's perspective you look at it from?
- can "bad" (greedy?) people expect to hear from God? Laban did... so... what does that mean?
- very interesting how the character of God is being constructed (to me, at least). From God of Abraham to Fear of Isaac. Have never known this name of God, Fear.
- Jacob's new name: Israel. Sense of getting closer and closer to the promise, it's becoming less vague and more defined, detailed, with each generation.
- Jacob is STILL scared of Esau. Says he'll meet him at Seir but then zhao to Succoth, even though Esau was trying to be nice.
- Why does Jacob get to see and experience so many things? Jacob's ladder, multiple angels and visions and even wrestling with God!
- I wonder what happened to Isaac? Will we find out in day 12's reading?

Day 10: Gen 28-30

The story so far:
- Creation
- Adam and Eve
- Cain and Abel
- Noah
- Tower of Babel
- Noah -> Shem ->-> Terah -> Abram
- Melchizedek
- Covenant: smoke between animal halves
- Ishmael
- Circumcision
- Sodom & Gomorrah
- Son of Promise: Isaac
- Test of faith
- Isaac -> Esau & Jacob
- Jacob, Leah & Rachel -> Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin

today's reading:
- charge to find non-caananite wife, Esau realises Isaac's displeasure
- uncertainty about returning countered with a vision of God
- God's reinstatement of covenant with Abraham
- in the overview, there is a strong sense of continuity, building up to something, generation after generation, anticipation of a promised fulfilled. when is this sense of lineage discontinued?
- giving a tenth as part of Jacob's covenant with God // Abraham giving Melchizedek tithes. what does it mean?
- implication on my tithing today: do i see it as a covenant? my half of the bargain? (where God's half is being with me, watching over me, giving me food to eat and clothes to wear and safe return to my father's house)
- marriage proposals center around animals and water bodies?
- Jacob's marriage very different from Isaac's: not mediated by a servant, no gifts to offer, had to work in exchange for wife.
- Laban's deception of Jacob: just as Jacob decieved his brother, truly, part of his wages!
- but Jacob still has some (genetic?) tricks up his sleeve
- Repetition of previous mistakes: Favouritism, led to a sons/arms race, but also resulted in the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob's favour on Joseph caused... a lot! we'll see next reading.

Day 9: Gen 25-27

Summary:
- Abraham's death
- Account of Ishmael's sons
- Jacob and Esau
- Isaac and Abimelech
- Jacob steals the blessing
- Jacob flees to Haran

Isaac as a type of Christ breaks down here, he repeats the lies of his father and is able to be decieved.
What is the significance of losing both birthright and blessing?
Re-instatement of God's covenant with Abraham, renewed in Isaac's day.
Promise and hope was given in the face of famine and hostility.
Envy and discord follows success, and yet the presence and approval of the Lord is unmistakable.
Why does God seemingly let the deception go unpunished?
Why was Isaac not as careful in searching for appropriate wives for his sons?
Why did Rebekah advise Jacob to return to her brother though Abraham considered such a matter unthinkable? (see how much trouble Laban causes later!)
Did God's revelation predispose Rebekah to favor Jacob over Esau?

Day 8: Gen 22-24

today got meee! muahaha...
- God testing Abraham. After reiterating the promise so many times, and the fulfilment of that promise in the birth of Isaac, God wanted to test Abraham. He passed!
- how much do i believe in the things that God has promised? do i, out of unbelief, hold back things from God?
- A preview of how God did not withold His only Son either: and through you all nations on earth will be blessed, because you obeyed me.
- i don't really understand the burying sarah bit. what is it's significance?
- weddings and funerals
- abraham's faith in God, the promise that kept him going and believing, even when the situation seems contrary
- the adherence to the vision that he had seen. God will give this land to my seed, and though it seems irrational, i want a wife for my son from my homeland, but i don't want him to go back.
- praying and decision making

Gen 19-21

the perversity of sodom and gomorrah, so driven by lust, refusing even lot's alternative, rejecting judgement with no fear of God.
the town of Zoar, God's mercy and favor in the midst of judgement.
the Moabites and Ammonites, future enemies of Judah
why does God tolerate Abraham's lie again? it's the exact same lie as before!
sarah is like really old, and people still want to marry her!