I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 33-35.

    When Jacob returned to Canaan he was worried that Esau would still be angry with him. However, Esau was glad to welcome Jacob back. The stories we have about Isaac, Jacob, and Esau tell us a lot about good families. They made mistakes, they had disagreements, they were angry with each other. However, despite having a legitimate grievance with his brother, Esau was glad to see him return and was willing to accept him into his “household”. Reading between the lines, Esau not only welcomed Jacob back, but invited him under his protection. However, Jacob had had enough of being subordinate and wished to remain independent of Esau (it is interesting to note that today’s passage suggests that Isaac had maintained his own independent household, while his sons went off and created their own). We need to model the willingness to be reconciled which Esau and Jacob demonstrated here (note the lengths to which Jacob went to appease his brother).

    The story about the rape of Dinah and her brothers’ response tells us quite a bit about the relationship between Jacob’s family and the surrounding peoples. It, also, suggests some of the differences between the descendants of Abraham and the local people which may explain why Abraham and Isaac wanted their sons to marry women from their homeland. Shechem raped Dinah in an effort to force Jacob to allow him to marry her. He appears to have also believed that she would want to marry him because he had raped her (or, at least that the rape was not an insurmountable obstacle to winning her love). We do not know what Dinah’s thought of his suit, but reading between the lines suggests that she was not receptive. Certainly her brothers were angered by this approach. Isaac and Jacob married women who willingly came to them. Schechem forced Dinah to accept him and only failed because such force was unacceptable to her father and brothers (although Jacob was concerned about the consequences of rejecting Shechem’s court so forcefully).

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 31-32.

    Yesterday, I wrote about the competition and conflict in Jacob’s household between Leah and Rachael. Today, we read about them acting in unity. When Laban and his sons began to feel threatened by Jacob’s success and prosperity, Jacob spoke with his wives about him taking them and returning to Canaan. The passage tells us that Leah and Rachael responded in unity and supported Jacob’s decision. The discussion concerning leaving indicates that despite the earlier conflicts in the household, after years of marriage and many children, peace was achieved. This should serve as an inspiration to all of us. Despite their earlier missteps and somewhat justified resentment, Jacob, Leah, and Rachael were able to come to peace with each other.

    It is clear that when Laban set out after Jacob that he intended to confront Jacob by force. We do not know if Laban intended to kill Jacob and take back what Jacob had earned working for him, or just force Jacob to return with him. It does not matter which, God intervened and warned Laban against such a course of action. It is worth noting that the forces which Laban mustered to pursue Jacob were his relatives, which means they would have been Jacob’s relatives as well. It seems to me that by the time Laban had overtaken Jacob the relatives he had rallied to his cause were beginning to wonder why they should take Laban’s side against Jacob.

    Another thing of note is that when Laban arrived he told Jacob that “the God of your father” has warned him against harming Jacob. Yet, when they made their treaty, Laban called on the God of their mutual ancestors to witness the treaty. Despite acknowledging the power of the God worshiped by his grandfather and by Jacob’s father and grandfather Laban had his own household gods. I think this tells us something about why Abraham had not wanted Isaac to return to the area where Laban lived to live with his wife. I will note that it does not appear to me that Jacob had chosen to dedicate himself to God at this point in his life.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 29-30.

    There are two intertwined stories in this passage. There is Jacob’s complicated, and difficult, marriage to Leah and Rachael (and their maids). Then there is the deception and trickery which occurred between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban (who was also his uncle). The first story I mentioned actually begins with Laban using trickery to get Jacob to marry Leah. I am not quite sure what Laban’s end game was in this maneuver. Did he do this in order to marry off Leah, for whom he apparently had no other offers? Or did he do this to get seven more years of labor out of Jacob? I am not sure that it matters.

    However, the result of Laban’s deception was that Leah entered into a somewhat loveless marriage where she witnessed her husband express his love to her sister, to whom he was also married. This story was always used when I was growing up as an example of why it was best to be monogamous. Leah and Rachael went back and forth in their competition for Jacob’s affection, potentially making matters worse by bringing their maids into the marriage as well (although, there is no record of this causing further complications, except in competition between the various sons). Could Jacob have done more to calm the conflict in his household? Perhaps, but this is one of the few stories of trouble for Jacob where he was relatively innocent.

    As I said, the previous story started with Laban substituting Leah for Rachael on Jacob’s wedding night. Once Jacob had worked off the bride price for both Leah and Rachael, he and Laban negotiated a new deal for Jacob’s labor. While Jacob almost certainly exaggerated the impact he had on Laban’s wealth, even Laban admitted that Jacob had been good for his bottom line. As part of their new deal, Laban agreed that all of the striped and spotted goats and black sheep in his herds would be Jacob’s (although reading between the lines suggests that this was only to apply to the herds which were managed by Jacob himself). Immediately upon concluding this deal, Laban removed all such animals from the flocks to which it applied. Which demonstrates Laban’s deception and trickery once more. Jacob, on the other hand, did not protest such treatment because he had some tricks of his own. I ma not sure how Jacob’s trick would actually work in real life, certainly, it would not effect the genetics of the animals. However, there are a few studies which suggest that the characteristics in question can be influenced by environmental factors. Ultimately, Laban and Jacob deserved each other.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 26-28.

    When Isaac lived among the Philistines he did something which Abraham had done twice. He told the locals that his wife was his sister. However, Isaac’s lie came out when the two of them were seen sharing public displays of affection. Now ordinarily, my comment would be on the lack of faith in God demonstrated by Isaac here. However, it struck me that it actually tells us something about Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage. The fact that Isaac and Rebekah shared public displays of affection, even when they were trying to pass themselves off as brother and sister, tells us a lot about their relationship. Despite having two sons (and only two sons), it is clear that Isaac and Rebekah were deeply in love, and still attracted to each other.

    Usually when we look at the account of Rebekah and Jacob tricking Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing he intended to give Esau (which, it could be argued, Esau had sold to Jacob for a bowl of soup years earlier), we focus on the mechanics of the trickery, or the dynamics of the relationship between Jacob and Esau, or sometimes on Rebekah’s role. However, it struck me today that even after being tricked in a way which must have angered him, Isaac continued to love Rebekah and Jacob. I suspect that Isaac knew that Rebekah’s reason for sending Jacob to Paddan-Aram was as much to protect Jacob from Esau as it was to get him a wife from her people (who were technically Isaac’s people as well). So, despite being tricked by his wife and son in a way which must have angered him, Isaac still loved them.

    Finally, I want to point out that Isaac and Rebekah had a problem with their sons taking wives from among the local people similar to the one Abraham had. Esau married two local women. We are not told what about them made Isaac and Rebekah unhappy. However, whatever caused the dislike was something related to the actions of Esau’s wives, not just because of who their families were.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 24-25.

    I find it interesting that Abraham was vehement that Isaac should not return to the land of his ancestors. Especially in light of the fact that Abraham’s father had moved away from there. I think we often overlook the fact that Rebekah’s grandfather, Abraham’s brother, did not leave Ur with Abraham and their father. This story tells us there was something about the people and culture whom Abraham had left behind which he valued, but there was also something which he felt from which it was important to separate himself and his children. When I think about this I reach the following conclusion. Abraham found something lacking in the culture of those around him, something which Isaac would have been influenced by if his wife was one of them. He, also, found something lacking in the culture of the land of his ancestors, something Isaac would only be influenced by if he lived among them. Abraham wanted Isaac to have a wife who shared his values, but did not want him to live among those who preached those values but did not live them (my interpretation of Laban).

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 21-23.

    When Isaac was born, once more problems arose from the “work around” which Sarai had contrived with Abram, namely conceiving a son through Sarai’s maid Hagar). Sarah saw Ishmael mocking his half-brother when Isaac was weaned and demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her son away. Abraham was reluctant to do as Sarah requested, but God assured him that He would care for Hagar and Ishmael. This story teaches two things, that the suffering caused by our sin goes on long after the sin itself and that God will extend His grace to those who would otherwise be harmed by the consequences of our sins.

    The story of Abraham being called to sacrifice Isaac represents a very basic insight into God’s will for us. After many years of desiring a son by Sarah to be his heir, Abraham finally had one in Isaac. In this story we learn that Abraham valued serving God more than he valued his son. However, we also learn that there was no conflict between serving God and raising Isaac. Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac in order to do God’s will, but God made it clear that it was His will that Abraham NOT sacrifice Isaac. Isaac was the most valuable thing in the world to Abraham, yet Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac in order to serve God. As I think about this I am reminded of Jesus telling the Disciples that those who love their life will lose it and those are willing to sacrifice their life will keep it. The story of Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac is the same message.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 19-20.

    When the angels got to Sodom, Lot insisted that they stay with him. The rest of the men of Sodom joined together to demand that Lot turn those men over to them. Reading between the lines the men of Sodom seem to be demanding that Lot lift his protection from the visitors. When Lot insisted on continuing to extend his protection to the visitors as their host, the men of Sodom told him that he was an outsider and no one would come to his defense either. The men of Sodom were guilty of sinful tribalism. They were willing to abuse and oppress outsiders for their own pleasure.

    I do not think that it is quite accurate that the men engaged to Lot’s daughters thought he was joking. I think it would be more accurate to say that they did not take him seriously. I suspect they thought that Lot was exaggerating because he was upset with what the men of the town had done earlier that night. In a way, they are an object lesson for us. They refused to separate themselves from the evil of those around them, even when warned that God’s judgment was about to come down. I am not fully sure of the implications for us, but, at the very least, we need to separate ourselves from our friends and neighbors when their sins go from being venal to oppressive.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 16-18.

    The story of Sarai, Abram, and Hagar is an object lesson for us. Sarai knew that Abram wanted a son, but she had been unable to bear him a child. Instead of trusting in God to work things out according to His plan, she sought her own solution. There is plenty of blame to go around in this story: Sarai, for trying to work around God, Abram, for going along with her plan despite knowing that God had promised him a son through Sarai, Hagar, for treating Sarai with contempt. As is usually the case, none of those involved in this story was innocent of making the problem worse.

    Some time later, God came to Abram and entered into a covenant with him. As part of this covenant, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. There is an interesting fact about this covenant. It applied to all of those in Abraham’s household and that of his descendants, but not just to Abraham’s descendants. The covenant also applied to those whom Abraham and his descendants purchased. Then when God tells Abraham that Sarah (whose name He also changed at this point) would bear him a son, Abraham laughs at the idea. Instead of accepting God’s promise, Abraham asks if God cannot just extend the promise to Ishmael. I believe that Abraham’s request for Ishmael to be his son of the covenant was partially out of love for Ishmael. God’s answer was that, no, Sarah would bear Abraham a son who would be the son of the covenant, but that He would bless Ishmael.

    God’s agreement that He would not destroy Sodom if He found ten righteous people there is instructive, and should be inspirational. We do not know how many people lived in Sodom at the time. The important thing is that ten was such a small percentage of the population that Abraham was sure there must be at least that many righteous people there. For us, the important thing is that God would have spared the city for that few. The instructive part is that it only takes a few righteous people in a large population to stave off God’s judgment. The inspirational part is the reason why I believe God will withhold His judgment if there are that number of righteous people in a group of otherwise evil people. It only takes a few righteous people in a group to cause the members of that group to turn from their evil ways and seek the Lord. Let us strive to be that influence on those around us through our prayers and our actions.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 12-15.

    This passage begins with God calling Abram to continue the journey his father had begun. I have always been curious as to why Terah started the journey to Canaan, but never completed it. However, today I noticed something for the first time. God called Abram to leave his father’s household, yet this call appears to come after his father had died. Furthermore, Abram’s father traveled from Ur with Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and Abram’s nephew, Lot. Sarai and Lot went with Abram when he left Haran. So, who else was part of Terah’s household? (Abram’s other surviving brother had remained behind in Ur). I have long suspected that the reason that Terah left Ur was because his family was one of the few remaining who remembered the stories passed down from the time of Noah and that he wanted to find a place where his descendants would not be corrupted by the stories which had replaced them. Perhaps the remaining servants in Terah’s household were believers in the religion of Ur, rather than the traditions of the Bible.

    When Abram was called by God to leave Haran and travel on to Canaan he was 75 years old. Think about that, Abram set out to start a new life in a new land at 75 years of age. Despite what we would consider his advanced age, Abram was able to mount a military campaign to rescue Lot and the other captives from Sodom and Gomorrah. Think about that, Abram, who was now at least 80 years old and living as a nomad, led the armed men of his household and defeated the forces which had defeated the armies of Sodom and Gomorrah. Next time you think that you are too old for the task to which God has called you, think about Abram at 80 (this is a theme which comes up again before we get to the end of Genesis).

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 8-11.

    I mentioned in my New Year’s Day post that in the Garden of Eden all animals, including humans, were plant eaters. While there were several indications before this that people ate animals, after The Flood, God explicitly told Noah and his sons that animals have been given to them as food, just as He had given us grain and fruit as food. This puts an end to the idea, based on that earlier passage here in Genesis, that Christians should be vegans.

    There are two stories in today’s passage which lend themselves to reading between the lines. The first is the story of Noah cursing Canaan for what his father did (I am not sure why Noah cursed only Canaan, rather than all of Ham’s sons). In this story, Ham found his father passed out drunk and naked. He immediately went and told his brothers, who went and covered their father careful to avoid embarrassing him further. Reading between the lines, we realize that Ham told his brothers in order to diminish their respect for their father, which is why Noah cursed his son. The second story is how mankind came together to build the Tower of Babel, resulting in their languages becoming mutually incomprehensible. Reading between the lines, when people attempt to undertake complex projects they become divided as separate individuals and groups attempt to take credit for the successes and assign blame to others for the failures. It is only with God’s guidance that we can overcome this consequence of sin.