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| today's experience w/ genesis 27. (whenever i do these entries, i bolden parts of it so that i can keep a steady stream of making-sense-of-what-i-read)
Genesis 27 (New International Version) Genesis 27 Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing 1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. 2 Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." 13 His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. 18 He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" 19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing." 20 Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The LORD your God gave me success," he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24 "Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied. 25 Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing." Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me." 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. 28 May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." 30 After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing." 32 His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau." 33 Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!" 34 When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me—me too, my father!" 35 But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." 36 Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob ? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" 37 Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" 38 Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. 39 His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." Jacob Flees to Laban 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."
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so again,
another interesting passage.
summary:
isaac was old and no longer could see. he called esau to tell him he wants to bless him; he told esau to go hunt game for him and prepare food the way he likes it. rebekah overheard this, and tells jacob to prepare himself by getting two young goats the way she knows isaac likes it. rebekah says that when isaac blesses, the Lord's presence will be there. isaac did not say it this way, but rebekah says it that way. the Lord hismelf does not say that. jacob has some doubts, since esau is hairy and a hunter. rebekah says the curse can be on her instead of jacob, and jacob obeys. jacob gets the two goats. from the two goats, rebekah prepares the meal for isaac, and also covers jacob's hair-less body with the goat's hair. she also gets esau's clothes for jacob to wear. jacob approaches isaac with the food and his costume.
isaac doubts because the voice is jacob, but finds that the arms/hands feel like esau. isaac also doubts because the food was prepared so quickly; jacob says it is through isaac's God that everything was provided so quickly. he also smells the scent of esau from the clothes, so blesses jacob with everything he has. he eats the food, too. it is written that he blessed jacob twice. the formal blessing is of jacob ruling over his relatives and nations of other peoples, also. the blessing also touches on the earth and heaven's giving nature towards jacob. that they will provide for him more than he needs.
shoftly after jacob leaves, esau returns and prepares a meal. then he goes to isaac for his blessing. isaac trembles, it is written, because he just gave his blessing away to another. he wonders who it could be. esau is very angry and says that jacob is rightly named. apparently jacob's name of grabbing the heel, is a figurative statement for deceiver/deceiving/deceptiveness. esau cries and wishes for at least one blessing from his father. isaac says that esau has what he has based on what was given to jacob, but isaac can bless esau with the promise that when esau gets restless, he will throw off the yoke from his neck--the burden of serving his younger brother. esau does not say that he actually gave/agreed to give his birthright to jacob, he refers to that incident as a deception by jacob.
esau holds a grudge against jacob for this taking of the blessings. esau determines that he will kill jacob after mourning for his father, because isaac will soon pass away. rebekah hears of this and warns jacob, telling him to go to her brother laban's house. laban is in haran. rebekah tells jacob that she will call for him when esau's anger subsides. rebekah does not want to lose both of her sons in one day.
rebekah also tells isaac that she is disgusted with the hittite women, referring to the two women esau married. rebekah says that if jacob takes a wife among their land who is like the hittite women, her life will not be worth living.
--> so questions/observations etcetera.
1. it is interesting that esau refers to the birthright transfer as deception. the blessings taken by jacob is definitely a deceptive moment. but esau consciously handed over his birthright... in which case, he sort of handed over his blessings too.. since fathers gave their blessings to their firstborn sons (in tradition). this convoluted situation is interesting merely because of the wording that esau chooses, and the emotional charge in it for each of the persons.. isaac, rebekah, jacob, esau.
2. it is interesting that rebekah says "if jacob takes a wife" and in the earlier chapter, it was written that esau married but it is not written that he took them as wives. perhaps we can assume certain things. i'm just not sure because of the wording.. so far, i see a connection between taking a wife and having sex, since when abraham went into hagar, she became his wife.. but he did not become her husband. so is marriage when both people are spouses to one another? it's just something that's going on in my mind. that i'm not quite sure how to make sense of. it's easy to say, taking a wife, getting married, and having sex, are all in the same ball park. but even with a ball park, you have your four bases, you have your outfielders, and you have the crowd in the stand, you have your pitcher, and you have the guy hitting the ball (and missing) and traveling. there's constant travel, it's not quite still.
and i don't personally find anything else worth questioning or arguing about, so..
on to the nxt chp.
as always, ending on this note: in my first entry for this adventure, i laid my position of not being a theologian etcetera. i also said i'd open up my xanga to comments from other Bible-Readers. so again, same deal. i think i might end each entry this way, so that no confusion can occur.
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| today's experience w/ genesis 26. (whenever i do these entries, i bolden parts of it so that i can keep a steady stream of making-sense-of-what-i-read)
Genesis 26 (New International Version) Genesis 26 Isaac and Abimelech 1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.; 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful." 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her." 10 Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." 11 So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us." 17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. 19 Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land." 23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham." 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. 26 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?" 28 They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, 'There ought to be a sworn agreement between us'-between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD." 30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32 That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We've found water!" 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba. 4 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
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interesting passage yet again.
first off, it is true that there was before a famine. the text is being consistent still! go back to genesis 12, and you'll see it in the tenth verse. (http://ellicepark.xanga.com/712451531/no-12-genesis12/). apparently, there is another famine here, with isaac. abraham is isaac's father. isaac is the promised seed that abraham waited for-- while waiting, he had another son by a maid servant, hagar. but that child/son is not the promised seed. God stayed true and isaac was born. then isaac had twins, and God had a promise for them too. (this is just reminder to you; it's not written in this chapter except the famine part).
the Lord appeared to isaac and told him to live where He (the Lord) tells him (isaac) to live. the Lord told him not to go down to egypt. and the Lord reiterates the promise. the Lord apparently reiterates His promise a lot because people, are often forgetful and doubtful (i.e. abraham, sarah, isaac, rebekah, hagar, ishmael). so far, at every encounter between God and man, the Lord reiterates His promises.
isaac stays in gerar. the men there ask of his wife. (then, like father like son) isaac says that rebekah is his sister. but abimelech the king sees him, one some random day, carressing his wife. abimelech asks isaac why he lied, and isaac admits his fear of getting killed on account of his wife's beauty--and the chance that another man should desire her to that degree. abimelech decrees that anyone who molests isaac or his wife will be killed.
while with the people at gerar, isaac plants and reaps 100fold in the same year because the Lord blessed him. isaac's wells sprung water, and his plants shot up healthily and numerously, and he also had many animals. the native inhabitants grew jealous and blocked up some of his wells. abimelech also noticed that antagonistic feeling and asked that isaac leave.
so isaac took what was his and left. he reopened wells that were blocked up by the philistines, which were dug by his father abraham. and he renamed them what his father abraham had first named them. but herdsmen of gerar still quarreled with isaac, so he named the first well that was disputed over, esek--and the second which was quarreled over, sitnah. the third well was not disputed over, so he named it rehoboth. the disputes were between the herdsmen and isaac's herdsmen.
then isaac went up to beersheba. that night, the Lord appeared to him and reiterated his relationship to him--the Lord of his father, who will fulfill a certain promise that concerns isaac and his descendants--for the sake of isaac's father, abraham. so isaac built an altar, called on the Lord, had his servants dig a well, and pitched his tent.
at about the same time, abimelech who had before sent isaac away.. came to isaac. isaac wanted to know what his business was. abimelech said that it was clear to their people that isaac was blessed by the Lord, so they wanted to have a peaceful treaty with him. abimelech reminded isaac of how he made a rule that protected isaac and rebekah; isaac was willing to make that treaty. they basically partied that night, and then woke up the next morning to make a peaceful treaty. and abimelech and his advisors went away in peace.
that same day, isaac's servants came and reported of a well they dug up. they called it shibah, and so to this day the town was called beersheba.
when esau, the first of the twins of isaac and rebekah, was 40 years old, he married two women. judith and basemath--two daughters of hittites but two different hittites.. not sisters. they were a source of grief to isaac and rebekah.
now that the summation is done, i can launchpad into some questions that i can see arising for myself and possibly others.
first, it's interesting that the place around shibah is called beersheba... after isaac went to the place called beersheba. either it is that there were two beershebas at one point, and the one with the well is still called beersheba and the other forgotten in history.. or something else. but that can be a little confusing. perhaps it is the same place, but since shibah was dug up there, the name beersheba really stuck. whatever the case, there's a connection between the well and the town.
second, esau marries two women in the same year. we know it's the same year because it is written: "when esau was forty years old, he married". so whatever the calendar year is, in terms of human age, it is within the same year. again, people might flip their shit and say how can he marry two women?! well, for people who think that immediately, and for people who don't think that immediately, i think we'll all agree that it is incredibly interesting that Immediately following the statement of his marriages, a sentence speaks of his parent's feelings from it. "they were a source of grief to isaac and rebekah." it is not just isaac, and it is not just rebekah. isaac and rebekah are equally in grief; they are one unit, they are not mentioned as bipartisan, nor are they mentioned as some other un-unified entity.
for the whole marrying two women thing.. since we are only in chapter 26, we don't know much more about esau or those two ladies' relationships. speaking in this limited knowledge/observation so far, of only having 26 chapters under our belts in a cohesive way... we know that abraham was regarded as a prince. someone flipped their lid about that earlier on my xanga, but listen--(i'll just copy paste):
"as for abraham taking on another wife, i don't know what would be so hoppity about that for anyone--people regularly remarry after the decease of a spouse even today--and even while their spouse is alive, often cheat. it is known for anyone who's taken world history, that kings take on multiple wives regardless of their religious affiliations, if any. abraham was known as a prince among the hittites, and came into contact with the pharoah and others leading rulers of nations at whatever foreign land he came across. and his wife, sarah, was taken into one of their harem--which caused turmoil in the foreign ruler's household and sarah would be returned to abraham because the Lord willed it. if abraham is regarded in this way, and those who have any sort of general world history knowledge see this.. what is the problem with abraham having had multiple wives? his first wife, sarah, whose death he mourned over, was not cheated upon. it does not say anything of that sort. he took on a second wife after sarah. and also had other concubines. and again remember, he was regarded as a prince by the hittites and came into an almost regular contact with other foreign nation's rulers (i.e. pharaoh) when he came upon their lands." (http://ellicepark.xanga.com/715746120/no25-genesis-25/)
so..
abraham is seen as a prince.
sarah's name, "sarah" means princess.
isaac is abraham's son. which makes isaac like a prince.
also isaac makes political relationships just like his father.
he makes a treaty with abimelech, king of the philistines, for peace.
and even before that treaty is made, abimelech makes a decree that protects isaac and rebekah.
esau and jacob are isaac's sons. which makes them princes too.
i don't think i need to flourish words on this any longer, the picture is probably painted.
something to note though, is that isaac married these two women. it doesn't say that they "knew" each other (iow took each other to bed), and it is not written that they are each other's wife or husband... the way it was written for a few other people so far in genesis. wording is a really interesting thing, especially in relation to sex and what constitutes a marriage.
abimelech told isaac that there was a chance that someone could have taken rebekah to bed because the philistines thought isaac and rebekah were siblings .. until abimelech saw isaac caressing rebekah, and from that knew that they are husband and wife. would that be constituted as rape (the potential situation that abimelech mentioned)? or is that considered normal, consentual (in abimelech's potential situation)? what is sex in that perspective? what is the purpose of it, or the etiquette around it? we could imagine so many different things, or place sticky labels on it .. just because putting labels on things is an easy way to generify anything and in that way... lose a lot of what is part of the original.
and i don't personally find anything else worth questioning or arguing about, so..
on to the nxt chp.
as always, ending on this note: in my first entry for this adventure, i laid my position of not being a theologian etcetera. i also said i'd open up my xanga to comments from other Bible-Readers. so again, same deal. i think i might end each entry this way, so that no confusion can occur.
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| today's experience w/ genesis 25.
Genesis 25 (King James Version) Genesis 25 1Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. 9And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. 11And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi. 12Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: 13And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 14And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, 15Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: 16These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations. 17And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. 18And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren. 19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac: 20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. 23And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 28And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
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interesting passage. keturah, a wife taken by abraham after sarah's death. keturah births for him several sons, who have sons. they are all listed as her own children, regardless of them being from her own body or in her bloodline. interesting matriarchal tones. of course, does not mean that keturah reigns as 'the mother of all' and therefore, some sort of queen.. but she is a source for that lineage. abraham too, but he is father of many. through several women; it is written that abraham gave all he had to isaac, his promised child. he gave gifts to his other children/concubines and sent them away, eastward. he died and was buried next to sarah, his wife, in the hittite land area. a hundred threescore and fifteen years-- 100 + 80 + 15 ? or is it 100x80 + 15 = abraham's age? either way, abraham lived a good, long life, it is written. considered long in today's standards, both ways. why argue about that, so don't. isaac was in land of lahairoi.
listed also are ishmael's lineage. he died amongst his own people. and as promised earlier, 12 nations/princes came from ishmael. isaac was was 40 when he took rebekah to wife. she was found to be barren, so he intreated to the Lord for her. he allowed her to conceive. she felt two bodies inside her moving and struggling. she enquired of the Lord why that was so. He told her that two nations were in her stomach, and that the younger would rule the elder, exact wording is "the elder shall serve the younger."
when the babies were born, esau the elder came out red and hairy. jacob came out holding esau's heel. esau was favored by isaac for eating meat; jacob favored by rebekah. esau was a cunning hunter, and jacob a man of the tents.
jacob made pottage and esau came back from the fields, really tired. he asked for food, and jacob asked him to sell his birthright. esau was so tired he thought nothing of the birthright. jacob insisted, and esau swore to sell his birthright. jacob received the birthright, and esau despised his birthright.
i don't find anything worth questioning. that esau despised his birthright, is an interesting phrase to me. after the sudden close-perspective, narrative that's been given... is it esau despising the birthright he just sold, or the birthright as it now belongs to jacob? whose birthright is he despising, (iow what time tense/sense)? it's not something worth blowing out of proportions, but it just made me wonder. bc it could be taken easily out of context.
on to the nxt chp.
and as usual, ending on this note: in my first entry for this adventure, i laid my position of not being a theologian etcetera. i also said i'd open up my xanga to comments from other Bible-Readers. so again, same deal. i think i might end each entry this way, so that no confusion can occur. -- update: npr - some #'s wrote a comment saying something about abraham taking on another wife, and esau selling his birthright for food. it wasn't really relevant to me as something too important, but since it was for somebody, i suppose i should write why i don't find it so intriguing. it is written that esau was faint from hunger, and he also stated to jacob: "Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" in other words, he's so hungry he doesn't feel the power of life inside. in which case.. if he's going to die from hunger, what does anything he own matter, including his birth right?
it is also written that the Lord told rebekah that the younger shall rule over the elder (in those words). if the parents know this, would not the children too? or at least, jacob, the younger, since he is favored by rebekah? wouldn't she share this with him at some point? jacob fulfills the promise/prophecy.
as for abraham taking on another wife, i don't know what would be so hoppity about that for anyone--people regularly remarry after the decease of a spouse even today--and even while their spouse is alive, often cheat. it is known for anyone who's taken world history, that kings take on multiple wives regardless of their religious affiliations, if any. abraham was known as a prince among the hittites, and came into contact with the pharoah and others leading rulers of nations at whatever foreign land he came across. and his wife, sarah, was taken into one of their harem--which caused turmoil in the foreign ruler's household and sarah would be returned to abraham because the Lord willed it. if abraham is regarded in this way, and those who have any sort of general world history knowledge see this.. what is the problem with abraham having had multiple wives? his first wife, sarah, whose death he mourned over, was not cheated upon. it does not say anything of that sort. he took on a second wife after sarah. and also had other concubines. and again remember, he was regarded as a prince by the hittites and came into an almost regular contact with other foreign nation's rulers (i.e. pharaoh) when he came upon their lands.
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| today's experience w/ genesis 24. (whenever i do these entries, i bolden parts of it so that i can keep a steady stream of making-sense-of-what-i-read)
Genesis 24 (New International Version) Genesis 24 Isaac and Rebekah 1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." 5 The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" 6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 7 "The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'-he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. 10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. 12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." 15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. 17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." 18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 24 She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." 25 And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night." 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives." 28 The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels." 32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say." "Then tell us," Laban said. 34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35 The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys. 36 My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me swear an oath, and said, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38 but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.' 39 "Then I asked my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?' 40 "He replied, 'The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father's family. 41Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you—you will be released from my oath.' 42 "When I came to the spring today, I said, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar," 44 and if she says to me, "Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too," let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master's son.' 45 "Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' 46 "She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also. 47 "I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' "She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' "Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn." 50 Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed." 52 When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master." 55 But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go." 56 But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master." 57 Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?" "I will go," she said. 59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
"Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
the gates of their enemies." 61 Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. 62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. --
interesting chapter.
isaac is brought into the story relating to his mother's death by way of abraham. abraham has his head servant (who is in charge of everything that is abraham's) promise him on oath - by placement of hand under abraham's thigh - that the servant will not get isaac a wife from the land of canaanites, but from abraham's own land. abraham does not want isaac to leave with the servant because God promised that land to abraham and his descendants. abraham claims that the Lord will be with the servant via sending an angel with him to get a wife from abraham's home land -- however, the Lord himself does not say this. abraham says it. the servant brings up a what if situation-what if the woman does not want to come back to marry isaac ,to leave her land and family. abraham says that in that case, the servant is released from the oath. so the servant leaves with good things, luxurious things, and ten camels. his final destination/goal post seems to be aram naharaim, but stops at nahor on the way. at nahor, he prays a sort of 'if' kind of message again--a sort of test. if God does something, then the servant will understand it as a fulfillment of abraham's request--otherwise, not. in this case, if a girl/daughter/virgin female offers water to the servant's camels and not just quenches the servant's thirst at the well--then the servant will consider that lady a God-send. sure enough, right before the servant finishes praying, the girl appears to offer drink to him and his camels. the servant is overjoyed after surveying her closely with his eyes, to see if this is the God-send. he expresses his happiness with proof of coming from a strong household (by way of the jewelry), and also tells of his happiness that she is a relative of abraham's after learning whose daughter she is. he asks for a place to sleep, and she hears all he has to say. she hears it, somewhere in that time line, receives the jewelry he presented, and goes to tell the news. her brother laban first comes and sees the new jewelry on her and talks with the servant. the servant and the family talk happily together over sustenance. the servant gives gifts to the family of rebekah. the servant tries leaving the next day but rebekah (the girl)'s mom and brother don't want her to leave just yet. so they suggest asking if rebekah still wants to go. rebekah says she will go. the servant brings rebekah to where isaac is; he is at beer lahai roi in negev. they see each other at a distance. rebekah didn't have her veil on; once she learns that is the master (isaac), she puts her veil on. isaac hears who she is, takes her to his mother's tent and marries her there. this is the first instance of MARRIAGE --or at least the first time that term is being used. he loved rebekah, and was comforted after his mother's death. it's also the first time we hear of husband loving wife. in other relationships, we may imagine it to exist, but it isn't spelt out like we see here.
again, nothing i feel like i need to question, so ..
on to the nxt chp.
as always, ending on this note: in my first entry for this adventure, i laid my position of not being a theologian etcetera. i also said i'd open up my xanga to comments from other Bible-Readers. so again, same deal. i think i might end each entry this way, so that no confusion can occur.
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| today's experience w/ genesis 23. (whenever i do these entries, i bolden parts of it so that i can keep a steady stream of making-sense-of-what-i-read)
Genesis 23 (New International Version) Genesis 23 The Death of Sarah 1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. 3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." 5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 "Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." 7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you." 10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 "No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead." 12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there." 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 "Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead." 16 Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. 17 So Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
--
sarah lived to be 127 years old. she had her son isaac when abraham was 100. i don't know how old sarah was; i feel like there might have been a part in the bible that earlier said the age difference between sarah and abraham. but since i cannot recall i won't make any claims. in any case, i doubt isaac is old when sarah dies. sarah dies at 127, abraham mourns for her. there is no mention of isaac. abraham rose from beside his dead wife is the phrase that is used--what this means i don't know. it almost sounds as though he were laying next to her weeping, or perhaps just sitting there for a long time.. i don't know. in any case, he rose from beside his dead wife, then goes to talk with the hittites for they were in the land of hebron. he was considered a great prince there and anyone is willing to sell/give him land to bury sarah. abraham has a place in mind and wishes to have the message relayed to ephron. ephron happened to be there (perhaps it was a large gathering?) and ephron said he was willing/considers it silly to sell abraham the land--would like to give it to abraham free of cost. abraham insists on paying for it and pays the land's worth as ephron called it--400 shekels of silver. it was agreed upon in front of many people/witnesses and merchants made sure of the money count. abraham buried his wife sarah and it was considered a burial ground of abraham.
the interpretation and points where i felt that imagination could make people think strongly of one thing or another i hit upon while making a straight summary. other than that i have no questions. so,
onwards to the next chapter.
oh, and the reason i weave my own interpretation and questions in a pretty obvious way (tell me if it is not clear please) to the straight summary is because i don't find the interpretation as important as what the text actually tells me. the interpretation can go in a myriad of directions and to each his own, so with something so willy nilly as interpretation and imagination--why focus on that when you have the text saying something.. and we're only on the 23rd chapter of the first book of over 100 books in the bible?
as always, ending on this note: in my first entry for this adventure, i laid my position of not being a theologian etcetera. i also said i'd open up my xanga to comments from other Bible-Readers. so again, same deal. i think i might end each entry this way, so that no confusion can occur.
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