Genesis 36-37

36 is awful.  I'm sure there's something about Esau's lineage that is important, but I'm not smart enought to know what it is.

Here's my favoriet line from Chapter 37
¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.
I can't imagine the reaction of the brothers, when Joseph explains his dreams.  It must have seemed very self indulgent.  If I were sitting there listening to the story of the dream....I can tell you I'd react the same way they did.  I would never guess this was a true sign from God.  Why wouldn't God send the dream to all the brothers except for Joseph?  That would make more sense to me, and would be more in-line with how the God in my mind works.  Just the fact that Jacob is sending Joseph out to check on his brothers, which indicates that he had unique responsibilities to his brothers, must have enraged them.  God's plan for Joseph is predicated on him being sold into slavery, so perhaps this was God's way of making it all happen.  It just seems a little bit like Joseph is being used as bait for the bad behaviour of his brothers, which is exactly how every human would react to the situation.
This is one story where the movie in my mind is munch more elaborate than the actual story being told.  It states that they pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the travelers.  In my mind, he's kicking and screaming at them, and asking them why they are doing this to their own brother.  There is a lot of scuffling, and shouting.  The poor midianites can't figure out why there is so much commotion.  Why is this slave being so boisterous and shouting at the other like they are family......strange scene. 

Genesis 35

22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.

At lunch the other day my friend was telling me about a conversation he had with his son about girls and just doing stupid stuff as a teenager and how he wanted his son to be honest with him and know that he would always find out what he had been up too, so make smart choices.  he illustrated for him how he learned something about one of his son's friends through a guy in another town and he wasn't even trying it just came up in conversation--it surprised his son that Dave would know this detail about his friend that he probably thought only other kids knew.

this littler verse tucked in there reminded me of that, Israel learns about his son and the concubine probably through the grapevine even though he is miles away and his cell phone was probably dead.

why would I ever do anything displeasing to God, he doesn't even have to wait to hear it through the grapevine he just watches it happen.  how stupid am i?

knut


p.s.  heading out to India today back next Saturday.  don't know if I will be posting or not while I'm out.

Genesis 34

I'm not sure I've read this story before.  Its pretty funny.  Their approach to weaken all the men is brilliant acutally.

"Hit 'em where it hurts!" so to speak.

Not sure what to take from it, but enjoyed the read.

Genesis 33

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.


Good lesson here to let the past be in the past.  Genuinely forgive and forget, do not harbor past issues in your mind.  Esau could certainly have been mad at Jacob for the fake out done to get his birthright but it appears he has long since let that one go completely.  He is just happy to see his brother.  

My first reaction would be that I don't harbor to much but then as I reflect I can see I do to certain things.  Usually nothing big but its not like I completely forget the times when someone has said something that rubbed me wrong.  If Esau can do it with something big, I should be able to do the same in my life as I've never been severely wronged by anyone.

knut

Genesis 32

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

I read the message given by a pastor (link below) on this chapter following a tough week in a community with the loss of 2 high school students.

He talked about the times that are tough in your life are when you struggle with God and may come out with scars that help you remember what you learned.  Not sure I would have gotten that out of this chapter on my own but there does seem to be some truth to it.  

Three points he made from this passage are 1-struggles produce faith, 2-our hearts not our circumstances are our greatest problem in life and 3-Even though we resist God, he pursues us.

have a good day!  knut

http://www.unionchurch.com/archive/100399.html

Genesis 31

So, after reading this chapter, it looks to me like I wasn't reading chapter 30 close enough.  It appeas that all of the cheating was being done by Laban, and not by Jacob.
Here's my favorite line for this chapter.
³⁵ Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.”

In the famous words of Forest Gump......"that's all I have to say about that"

Genesis 30

This is downright CRAZY!!!
this reads like a complete soap opera.  Who is sleeping with who.........what I noticed is that all of the stories are told from the perspective of Leah, and Rebeccah.  It really makes Jacob look like he isn't in control of anything.  He just inpregnates whomever is laid in front of him.....hahahaha.

The second part is even more confusing to me.  It really reads like Jacob is coniving his way into having a strong heard of sheep and goats, and at the same time purposely weakening Laban's herd.  This seems like a pretty clear cut picture of someone not trusting God to take care of him, in the animal split.  He is definitely stacking the deck in his own favor.

What do ya make of all of that?...............this one is a head scratcher.

Genesis 29

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.


So while trying to do a little research I realized Jesus came from Leah's lineage rather than Rachel who was loved and maybe more favored by society.

Not sure of the meaning but maybe a little foreshadowing of how Jesus would be treated by society.  

I have a feeling reading these chapters that there is much more meaning woven into them than I am able to draw out.  Simply reading the words I do not connect dots but then with a little research I learn tidbits I had not caught or connections I would never make on my own.  And thats with 5min of research, what if I poured hours into it?

again, i find the history fascinating but I do not find any actionable takeaway.  do you?
knut

Genesis 28

So, Jacob gets the blessing.........by lying and cheating.  Then Essau gets mad and marries into Ishmaels family. (the result of Abrahams mistrust of God).  The the Christian line follows Isaac and Jacob, and the Muslim line follows Ishmael and Essau.  The thing that really bothers me is that the Christian side is the one that is not acting with pure heart.  Is there something else going on here that I'm not getting?  It doesn't feel right in a lot of ways.  I have to keep reminding myself that this is the history that God is giving to Moses, and Moses is giving to the Israelite people.  Does that change the meaing here?  There must be something right, and noble about how all of this is happening.

I don't know.

Genesis 27

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.”


well I struggle to understand what to learn out of this but I do see the continuity to the story from the time of their birth.  Rebekah knew her second son was to receive the inheritance and the blessings and she was helping this occur.  But I don't understand how it is ok to deceive.

no real takes from me, you got this?
knut

Genesis 26

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.”

Didn't we read that Abraham did this same thing with his wife?  I wonder if this was a common thing?  It seems really strange to me.  If you have a beautiful wife, in todays world, you are really proud of her and the fact that she has chosen you.  In those days, it sounds a little more dicey.  It brings a very different mindset to the table, when you think that I could be killed because someone thinks Kim is so beautiful!  We should probably treat our wives more like the prizes that they really are.

These chapters are entertaining to me, and I like reading thru them...but, I am struggling a little bit to grab something to write about.  It reads more like a historical record of events.  But, the stories are crazy!

Genesis 25

My first impression about todays reading.....and I read it last week, but didn't have anything worth writing about.......is that we moved very quickly from the death of Abraham to the birth of Jacob/Esau.  There really isn't a lot written about Isaac.  After all the hub-ub about him being born, and how God commanded Abraham to kill him, and everything else.....there really isn't much between that, and now he's really old.
The lesson in that for me is this;  you can be an important link in the chain of God's plan, and not have TREMENDOUS things happen to you. 
Sometimes I fall under the impression that I need to single-handedly solve the hunger problems of the Pokot tribe in the Africa or something along those lines.  This chapter is telling me that perhaps the thing I need to be focussed on is making sure Max and Ben are on the right path, and that they are the ones that are going to do great things.  Or perhaps is one of their kids.  I know this can be a little touchy.  And I could use this as an excuse to do nothing....but, I think its an important realization that I'm not a failure in God's eyes, if I serve him, and nothing extraordinary happens.

weird take today

Genesis 24

I don't have anything too earth shattering today.  I like the faithfulness that Issac's servant and Rebekah both show in the story.  One thing that drives me crazy when I read some of the stories in the bible is how repetitive it can be.  Its almost as if they write down what they are going to say....then they write down what they say, and then they summarize it, but with the exact same words as the other two.  I find myself glossing over it.  This story does it by telling you the story, and then the servant tells the story again when speaking to Rebekah's family.

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.

this is proof that without a good woman in your life........times can be very difficult.  I'm lucky to have the one I tricked into marrying me.  hahahaha

Genesis 23

I could be WAY off base here.....but something is ringing significant here.  Up until now, Abraham has been a very wealthy man...but I think he has been nomadic, in nature.  This represents the first time he actually owns land.  This is the beginning of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, to own all the land that he has seen.  So, its interesting that Abe is so forcefull about paying the worth of the land to Ephron, even though God has already made a covenant with him, saying that all of this land will be his anyway.
Does that make sense, what I just wrote?  It seems a little confusing.
The covenant says that all the land will belong to Abraham and his descendents, but Abraham insists on paying for land that will wind up being his anyway.

It is sad to lose your beloved wife.  I can't imagine it.  And, I don't want to.
It says that she lived to 127.  Didn't we read in the last chapter that Isaac was born when she was 100?
That would mean he's almost 30 when she passes.

peace

Genesis 22

10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.


I can't even imagine how this moment must have felt.  Though it says nothing about it their must have been tons of emotions flowing for both Abraham and Isaac.  There must have been screaming and weeping as Abraham  bound his son then reached for the knife.  Probably thinking I cannot believe I'm about to do this, but some how being so connected and faithful to God that he was willing to do it because the instructions were clear.

Not only would I have trouble  being faithful enough to execute the instructions, I think I do poorly hearing them but I'm sure He gives me some.

14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”


Gina and I just exchanged emails last week about how he provides for us.  This is small in the grand scheme but a few weeks ago our motorhome generator broke.  Then I went to BIR to race and on a single round win made a perfect run and received a special bonus that a vendor pays $2k.  A few days later the shop diagnosed the problem for the generator, the bill $1,963.56.  Just felt more than a coincidence that he provided me an offset.

He has more than provided for my family.
knut